# Headlight Aiming



## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Does anyone know how to aim your headlights on the cruze? I thought there was a hot-to thread on here about it but I couldn't find it. I may need to do it when I install my HID's. Thanks for the help


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## McNeo (Dec 17, 2013)

Who needs to aim headlights when you install blueberry blinders?

(It's the white screws on the top of the headlight housings, I believe)


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Well I wouldn't think that I would need to but just in case I do, id like to know how lol. Yeah I knew about the screws on where to adjust them, and know how to turn em...im just wanting to know how you actually adjust them properly by calculating the correct position of them. If you know what I mean now.


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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

ontop of each head light there are screws needing a allen key... turn it one way for up another for down... as for the tecknique in doing it... i knew i wanted to raise my lights so i parked facing a wall, turned my lights on marked the top edge of the light and then move the light up to where i thought it would work.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Okay..cool. This is something ill keep in mind. Thanks =]


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## McNeo (Dec 17, 2013)

Google "car headlight aiming" and look at images. There's a million that all say about the same thing.

Looking at a picture may help, but basically:

Up/down:
- On the front of your car, measure the distance from ground to headlight (the actual bulb).
- Park on a level surface 25 feet from a wall.
- Mark the height from step on the wall.
- The bright focal point of the light should about 2-4 inches below the mark on the wall.

Left/right:
- Mark your vehicle's center point on the wall.
- Measure out from the center point to the width between the lights.
- The bright focal point of the lights should be about an inch to the inside of the marks.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Ill keep this in mind....Heck I may even print this for my future references. Thank you sir


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

This a is photo of an earlier Chevy showing the horizontal adjustment on the left and the vertical adjustment on the right.

Could be blind, but do not find that horizontal adjuster on the left or outside on my Cruze, just the vertical adjustment. So gather only vertical adjustment is possible.

Am I blind?


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

NickD said:


> This a is photo of an earlier Chevy showing the horizontal adjustment on the left and the vertical adjustment on the right.
> 
> Could be blind, but do not find that horizontal adjuster on the left or outside on my Cruze, just the vertical adjustment. So gather only vertical adjustment is possible.
> 
> Am I blind?


On the Cruze, I only see the one adjuster for up/down none for left/right. So no you are not blind.


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## grs1961 (Oct 23, 2012)

That's odd - because in the page at http://www.mcleod-schmidt.id.au:/~grs/thecar/HeadlightAiming.pdf on page 4 it says: "Important: The headlamps can not be adjusted horizontally"...

I wonder where that jpeg came from...

Ah, yes, I took it, "ChevyCruzeBE" drew the red circles and asked, "Those screws?" and I replied: "Yes, the innermost one, I believe."

Oh, yes, that's my server in the link.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

I could of swore the cruze has two adjusting screws on it one for up/down and one for left/Right. One of us may have to upload a picture to this thread and show and tell lol.

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## grs1961 (Oct 23, 2012)

The instructions I have are for the Korean-built Cruze as sold in Asia, Australia, Europe, and Africa, and, as I said above, on page 4 it says you cannot adjust the headlight aim horizontally, perhaps the US-built model is different?

(Frankly, I'd be bloody well astonished if the US-built Cruze had horizontal aim *added*, that would go against the direction of every pointless variation we have seen with the US-built Cruze.)


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

I'll be out in my shop tonight where my car is so I'll take a look again. 

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## Xaxas (Jun 1, 2013)

I don't know about the U.S Cruze but mine has a wheel to adjust the height


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

View attachment 55329


This is all I got with my 2012 2LT, can either be adjusted up or down with a hex on the top, or a wrench of socket at the rear. Since it is -11*F outside now, but your fingers will work on warmer days.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

The US/Canadian Cruze only has vertical adjustment (at least that's the way my '12 Eco is anyway). You can also use a #2 Phillips screwdriver to adjust the lamps if you don't have the correct hex/allen driver. The #2 Phillips also works on the fog lights and for those it helps to have a long dedicated #2 Phillips, not a short exchanga-bit driver.



Xaxas said:


> I don't know about the U.S Cruze but mine has a wheel to adjust the height


Many markets outside the US require on-the-fly vertical headlamp adjustment. US/Canada don't require this. Too bad as it's a neat feature and allows you to lower the headlight angle if you're carrying a few rear seat passengers or a load in the trunk that causes the light angle to raise and blind on-coming traffic.

Not 100% sure on this, but I believe some European markets require the use of dynamic leveling headlights when HID lamps are used. These systems measure the height of the car both front and rear and compensate the headlight angle for vehicle loading automatically.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

What is a Brooder ?


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

brian v said:


> What is a Brooder ?


I'm assuming it's someone who brags about something and it's an enclosure of some sort. 

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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

brian v said:


> What is a Brooder ?


In my neck of woods a brooder is an enclosure or other structure, usually heated, used for rearing young chickens or other fowl. Chickens only do two things, eat and go to the bathroom, the person stuck with this messy job is also called a brooder. 

How does this relate to head lamp aiming? Unless you rather be a head lamp aimer than a brooder.


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## grs1961 (Oct 23, 2012)

Xaxas said:


> I don't know about the U.S Cruze but mine has a wheel to adjust the height


So does mine - it's for adjusting the aim in relation to load - but I've had cars with the internal adjustment that had to be aimed correctly by twisting screws in the engine bay first.


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## Xaxas (Jun 1, 2013)

grs1961 said:


> So does mine - it's for adjusting the aim in relation to load - but I've had cars with the internal adjustment that had to be aimed correctly by twisting screws in the engine bay first.


It goes from 0-4, 0 being highest and 4 lowest, I always leave it on 0, I also drive with the fog lights on, you NEED to know where are the holes in the roads, also some roads are not illuminated so you need to be able to see far unless you're driving really slow, you guys need to check if it's possible to change the headlight switch to include the wheel and reprogram the BCM, but it's funny because my headlights also have the adjusting screw.

Heck, looks like the Cruze is better from outside the U.S.A, mine came with auto rain wipers, been told NA Cruze doesn't have them in any option, it also haves the towing points and the holder for the glasses.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

They came you should check your tire pressures first, could see some errors here if either your front or rear tires are flat. Also a full tank of gas. Would be true of an older vehicle with soft suspension and a 30 gallon tank in the rear. Cruse tank is close to the center line of the vehicle so doesn't tip that much. But me putting my two hundred pounds on the trunk, barely sinks about a 1/4 of an inch. Or putting a person in the drivers seat that doesn't make that much difference as that is near the center line as well.

If the same DOT that comes up with this stuff and also approves road construction, would eliminate hills in road construction. When an oncoming vehicle comes over the top of these hills those low beams hit you directly in the eye and are just as bad as brights on a flat road. But I guess this is okay with them.

My more expensive vehicles always had a self levering system, maybe that will be our next law.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

I think its weird GM didnt design the headlights that way..


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Yeah this guy is alot of fun some days .. 
Matt did ya get yer head lights aimed properly ? 
Sciphi has a thread for ya if you haven't noticed !


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Yeah this guy is alot of fun some days .. 
Matt did ya get yer head lights aimed properly ? 
Sciphi has a thread for ya if you haven't


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

brian v said:


> Yeah this guy is alot of fun some days ..
> Matt did ya get yer head lights aimed properly ?
> Sciphi has a thread for ya if you haven't


No..i havent even installed my HID's yet=[. Im probably going to within a week. I might tonight when i get home from work. And no i didnt know he did. I didnt see anything in this thread!?


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## Danny5 (Dec 22, 2011)

I suggest looking in the proper forums 

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/36-audio-electronics/3396-adjusting-headlights.html


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Turns out...I wont have to adjust my headlights. They are actually just fine lol


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

Just checked my Cruze headlights and they are the same as the picture with two adjusting screws, you can use either an allen key or a phillips head screwdriver to adjust. I couldn't be bothered checking the fogs as they are next to a hot diesel engine and I don't want burns.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

One thing I dislike about the two head lamp system, can't just go by how the dims are adjusted. If your adjustment is just a tad to high, your brights will be pointed at the moon. So just can't go by adjusting the dims, have to take a look at the brights as well, and compromise for the final adjustment

Never was a problem with a four head lamp system, the dims and brights could be adjusted independently. 

Was debating whether to install Sylvania Ultra Silverstars, looked at the packages compared to the XtraVisions. Bulbs looked exactly the same except the Ultra's had a slight blue tint. But their claim is 20% brighter than the XtraVisions at less than half the life. Real killer, is that they were three times the price!

Sylvania's seem to be the only bulb sold around here, care to share experience with other manufacturers?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

NickD said:


> One thing I dislike about the two head lamp system, can't just go by how the dims are adjusted. If your adjustment is just a tad to high, your brights will be pointed at the moon. So just can't go by adjusting the dims, have to take a look at the brights as well, and compromise for the final adjustment
> 
> Never was a problem with a four head lamp system, the dims and brights could be adjusted independently.
> 
> ...


Phillips XtremePower ftw.

Silverstars are overpriced, burn out quickly, and don't put out as much light.


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## grs1961 (Oct 23, 2012)

I agree with jblackburn, the Phillips Xtreme Power bulbs seem to have the clearest and longest throw of any bulb - I've bunged them in an Astra, Pug 307, and the Cruze, and got there eventually after playing with various (more expensive) Narva and Osram bulbs.

I get mine online, from a mob called "powerbulbs.com", who have an Oz outlet, I don't know if they service beyond the pale.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Home Depot sells them I see for $34.97 that I should get for $31.47 with my VA card.

Really can't find life specifications on the* Philips XtremePower 9008/H13 Headlight Bulb (2-Pack)* other than same as OE, but sure sound a lot better than the Ultra's. Will give them a shot.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

I've not tried these Phillips bulbs for headlights so I can't give my opinion on them. I've always loved the results I got from Sylvania silverstar ultra. I'll agree with X (Andrei) that they don't last very long and they probably aren't as bright in rainy conditions as a Phillips bulb is. But I can say in dry conditions they are pretty bright lol. At least for two weeks then they loose their performance of brightness and longevity. 

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