Adjusting Headlights
 

Does anyone know how to adjust the headlights on the 08 xB? Mine seem to be adjusted kind of low. I appreciate any help.

i have the same prob with the low beams

The lights aren't really low they are just not bright enough i think. Get you a pair of HID lights and you will see a world of difference

They are low by design. It is part of the standards they must follow but I do agree that these suckers are a pain when driving in the hills.
I did ask Scion about this and they said you could not adjust them. Even the Fogs have this limitation (see fog install instructions). Only choice is to drive with brights on in the hills or aftermarket the fogs/driving lights to make up for it.

Not the case.

Adjust the headlights up and down by turning the 10mm bolt marked. Edit: it is 8mm not 10mm Thanks Invertalon
https://i197.photobucket.com/albums/...ght-adjust.jpg
A 1/4 inch drive ratchet with a 6" extension works well for this.

The fogs are also adjustable. See paragraph 6 and figure 6-2 of the instructions.
http://www.trdsparks.com/install/PT857-52080inst.pdf

Toyota/ Scion and about everyone else will tell you not to adjust your headlights. It's really not rocket science though. Err on the side of caution and start low.

If you have never owned a car before with the sharp cutoff the low beams have on the 08 xB, they will seem too low when they really are not.

If you mess with the headlight adjustment, I suggest keeping the tools in the car for a while so you can adjust them down if you start getting flashed.

I adjusted mine down after I installed the TRD springs. The springs drop the rear more than the front. I started getting flashed soon after the spring install. I adjusted the lights down a little. Problem solved.

Hope that helps.

my step brother had a focus that he put after market light bulbs in and they melted the housing around the bulb to the point where it wouldnt hold the bulb. I am looking to put brighter low beams in but not sure what ones to use

Just do a proper HID upgrade and you won't have a problem. You start messing with those bulbs you get problems like that.

i got an HID kit and still had to adjust the lights, they didnt look the same when you looked at the lights from the front of the car. i just had to adjust it a LITTLE bit. almost nothing but it made a big difference

ok just making sure. thanx for the info

I stand happlily corrected. Imagine... Scion customer service lied to me! Gheeeze...

lol
They probably did not lie. More likely just clueless. :wink:

I just adjusted mine to aim roughly about 1" higher from the mark on my wall that I used for reference.

Just use a 8mm (not 10mm) and turn to adjust up or down. Its counter-clockwise to adjust up, clockwise to adjust down. You can use those little "teeth" for reference and to ensure equality between the two. I marked with a sharpie the "starting tooth" and adjusted to the twelfth tooth away. Moved the other side twelve and they are even. Ill try this inch raise for now and if I have no issue's, raise up higher/lower depending.

Very easy fix for those who are weary of doing it. Easy, and you can't screw it up if you make sure to turn them the exact same and ensure they are level.

:clap:

Would an inch raise be enough? It was roughly a half turn of the bolt. I will be testing but want to know if I adjusted way to little to be noticed or that it will be plenty to notice a difference?

Thanks!

Yeah good catch. I forgot about stating the socket size in this thread or I would have come back and fixed that. I remembered it wrong.
I recently was going to tweak mine up a hair, got out my 10mm socket and was like wtf??? :doh: lol

I have found the best way is by finding a reference point at least 25 feet away. I read a recommendation that you find a fairly level parking lot where you can shine the lights on a wall. I find in my trial and error adjustments that a brick or concrete block wall with their built in lines is helpful. It is really easy to see how much you moved them.

When I adjusted mine the other night I was more like 40 feet from the wall and it seemed even easier. I suppose the further away you are the more movement you get on the line per turn of the adjusting screw. What would be moving up 1" at 25 ft was more like 3" at 40 ft.
At least it was easier once I got the right size socket. :P

I did mine about 5-6ft from a wall (showed the cut-off very well in the garage). I know I should of probably used more distance, but I will see how other people react to my lights, haha.

How much of a turn did you do your initial adjustment? 1/2 turn? 3/4 turn? full turn?

I did 15 teeth exactly from the stock point, roughly about 2/3 I believe. Ill see how that works out :)

I never really looked at that. I just went by the lights. It doesn't seem like it was much. I initially had to lower them quite a bit after installing the TRD springs. I'm sure it was only a partial turn. Maybe half, but I'm just guessing. Sorry.
Whatever it was it was too far. lol When I raised them a little the other night it was a couple inches at 40 ft and took less than a quarter turn I'd say.

Haha sounds like I might blind people next time I drive at night if it's that dramatic! But ill just have to see, haha.

Thanks for help showing the pictures, gave me motivation to do it, lol.

Just was able to test my adjustment on some un-lighted turnpike, and the results were very nice.

I don't see the cutoff anymore, shines brighter and farther. I was never flashed and passed 3 cops with no issue. They aren't bothering anybody and definately saw the improvement.

Again, for me, I turned the headlights up about 15 "teeth". Or a little over a half turn. Great results!

:clap:

does anyone know which way to turn for a slight ajustment down. after my hid, i started to get flashed.

left of right...

thaanks

at least you guys CAN adjust yours.. my cut off is pretty darn low just to avoid getting flashed by opposing traffic.. so in front of me i can see from the top part of most car's bumpers to the ground.. and the left side i can see cars perfectly fine trunk and all.. need to modify the headlights.. but i dont want to screw anything up.. darn japanese headlights

SinZz--