Headlight Adjustment

[Grandmas67]

My '05 Dakota needs to have the headlights adjusted. They point too low and the rt side is off ctr. I've looked on other web sites for help. One says theres adjustment knobs behind the lamp, another tells me to find the torx screws inside edge and bottom of lamps. Can't find either. Another tells me to take it to the dealer. I can't believe it's that complicated. Any one out there had this problem?

[Walkercolt]

Yes it IS that complicated on Gen IV's! If your's is the "ultra-Laramie" pkg. with HID lights, it has to go to the dealer. (These are very rare.) The halogens aren't much better. There is a knob on one side (buried behind stuff like the battery) for the left-right adj. The Torx screws adjust the vertical. Now, do you have the "offical DOT" aiming pattern on your garage door or wall? No, I'm not kidding. It's also easy to get them out of perfect horizontal level, and then you can't see crap. Shops besides the dealer can aim them. With the "target" it doesn't take too long either. (Been there, done it with my sister's stupid Porsche 944T! At least the factory put levels on the headlamp housings to get you in the ballpark. But as low as that thing was, and as narrow a vertical cut-off on the headlights were, it was a SOB to get right, with the "target" from Porsche. A $50 piece of paper you taped to the wall or door...)

[cobraearl]

If you figure out how to affect the adjustment mechanically......

You should normally adjust on low beam. find a flat surface with a vertical wall. drive up to the wall. make a + on the wall level at the center of each head light (ie, even with the element). you can use tape on the wall.

Back up 20-30 ft. the top of the low beam of light should be level with the +. And, the break, ie where the beam starts to rise to the right should be even with the + .

for years, i tried to adjust my headlights on high beam not knowing any better. NEVER WORKED.

and this may be totally out the window with these new head lights.

[Grandmas67]

I can't see any way do this w/o disassembling the front end so I checked w/ the dealer. $49.88 was the price to do the work so I took it in and they took care of it. Went camping last weekend up at the Big Sur coast on Hwy 1. Was sure glad to be able to see further than 10 ft. in front of me. As a side note: I was impressed with the service from my dealer. The service writer actually called me to see if I was satisfied with their work and wanted to know if I could see the road better. I'm guessing the crappy economy is making them rethink their attention to detail.