adjusting headlight so it don't scrape bumper?

**knightryda01** · 10-03-2013, 02:38 PM

I rarely use my headlights on the bird but I noticed the last time I did I have a area below the headlight that has the paint rubbed off of it. You can't see it with the light down however I can't say I like knowing the fact that it is there. Any ways you can adjust the light so it don't scrape the new paint I want to put down?

I'll post a pic here sometime soon.

**cammed goat** · 10-06-2013, 08:50 AM

Is it the actual light, or is the front bumper cover crooked?

**knightryda01** · 10-06-2013, 06:37 PM

Originally Posted by cammed goat

Is it the actual light, or is the front bumper cover crooked?

I dunno. I'll have to check into that.

**pajeff02** · 10-07-2013, 03:01 AM

I spent over an hour tweaking the headlights on our car after we bought it due to the same issue. Remove the plastic surround and take a close look at it and you'll see the adjusters. They require a small torx style bit, if I recall correctly. I just can't remember if I also had to pull the door to make the adjustments -- I am thinking that had to come off as well.

**98TransAmWs-6** · 10-11-2013, 06:38 AM

Originally Posted by pajeff02

I spent over an hour tweaking the headlights on our car after we bought it due to the same issue. Remove the plastic surround and take a close look at it and you'll see the adjusters. They require a small torx style bit, if I recall correctly. I just can't remember if I also had to pull the door to make the adjustments -- I am thinking that had to come off as well.

This. It makes it easier but no it does not have to come off. It does require a very small torx bit to adjust just like Jeff said.

**theorangeguy** · 10-11-2013, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by pajeff02

I spent over an hour tweaking the headlights on our car after we bought it due to the same issue. Remove the plastic surround and take a close look at it and you'll see the adjusters. They require a small torx style bit, if I recall correctly. I just can't remember if I also had to pull the door to make the adjustments -- I am thinking that had to come off as well.

so you dont have to do any adjusting with the motor that pops the headlights up? Only reason I ask is because mine has the exact same issue with the paint thing...you can see a very defined line where the headlight cover is touching the bumper and causing the paint to rub off.

**pajeff02** · 10-12-2013, 04:46 AM

I had the same -- a rub on the bumper cover and another rub on the hood. Both were fixed by adjusting the door and I never touched the motor assembly.

**kingls1** · 10-12-2013, 05:31 AM

Here is what my hood builder sent me for adjustments on the lights for my hood.

With the lights down remove the rear screws on the cover, turn on lights to raise then back to parking not to drain battery, remove screws in bezel then front cover remove cover turn off lights.

With the hood latched shut and the lights in the down position, place the covers on top of the lights, aligning the screw holes in the rear so you'll be able to see how it would sit if they were mounted. It's probably easiest to do one cover at a time of course. At this point the cover may sit above/below the hood line, or the gaps may me inconsistent. You'll see a few small white-headed rubber bumpstops... I usually crank them down first and concentrate on the gaps before doing the levels. If you have inconsistent gaps, you'll want to locate the tiny torx-bit screws on top of the headlight bracket. It's pretty self-explanatory... once you loosen them, the bracket will slide in whatever direction you like. Just be careful not to loosen them by more than a half turn at a time, otherwise they'll be too loose and slide forward, and you'll lose your starting position. If you need to close a gap on one side or the other, loosen the 2 or 3 screws on that side a small amount and press the bracket in the direction required. This is difficult to explain this way, but once you get into it, you'll see what I'm talking about. Once you make any adjustments, just place the cover back on and line it up with the rear screw mounting holes to check the gap. This just makes it much easier than reinstalling everything and hoping it's aligned properly every time. It can sometimes take some trial and error to get the gaps just right. Be sure to leave a bit of room at the rear so it doesn't rub against the hood when turning the lights on. If the cover is sitting two low in certain areas, this is when you can raise the little white bumpstops to get it level with the hood. Once everything is lined up, go ahead and reinstall the cover by turning the lights on, installing the 2 front screw for the cover, then the plastic bezel, and finally lowering the lights and reinstalling the two rear screws.