if it isn’t your truck, don’t worry about cost; not planning to spend much of your money.
Step One: give up on the high beams; making useful low beams will likely make for useless high beams.
(Will be continued...)
Adjusting 2014 volvo headlamps
Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by SteveBausch, Apr 15, 2019.
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Best done as bobtail, since you may be backing up.
Find a level pavement that has a dark wall at its end.
As you approach with your low beams on, see where the top cutoff is, whether it’s getting higher or lower on the wall.
Nose up to the wall, and mark the wall where the top edge is.
Should be about level with low beam bulb, or just a bit less.
If you aren’t satisfied with the aim (most likely not)...
Then get a 1/4” ratchet, 2 inch extension, and E6 inverted torx socket.
Put about 50 feet of smooth level pavement between wall and headlights.
Make a mental note of where top of beam is.
Open the hood, start with one beam at a time.
If you can’t see top of beam at all, at 50 feet, then put about three turns on the adjuster (only one adjuster will be found).
Keep track of the turns; the right headlight will most likely require the same.
Close the hood and see where top of beam is.
Repeat until satisfied, then duplicate the effort with right headlight.
Drive for a month or so, to see if oncoming drivers highbeam you.
Adjust upwards 1/4 turn at a time, drive for a month, then consider the aiming.Last edited: Apr 15, 2019
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I did this, more or less. Occasionally I get flashed at. I don't care. When people flash at me with my low beams on I give them a flash with my high beams and they figure it out. Volvo headlights are downright unsafe without being reaimed. Kinda stuns me from a company that has always had such a reputation for safe vehicles all over the world.
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My guess is the vendor changed something without Volvo’s approval.
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Maybe getting them adjusted by the dealer using the method they use would be a good idea instead of messing with it and thinking you got it right.
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My suggestions are essentially the classic DIY method of adjusting headlights on any vehicle.
Unfortunately, the Volvo headlights (on this model) are ganged together, and either the low beams are useful, or the high beams are useful, but not both.86scotty Thanks this. -
Your description on how to adjust them isn't the problem, it is the idea to adjust them up till someone complains means to me you don't care about the safety of others. I am the one who has to drive 100 miles in the dark almost every day and I get to see these idiot drivers/owners who blind people and act like they need to see a mile down the road for their own safety. -
Ridgeline, I generally dig your advice, but you obviously haven't driven a Volvo. The headlights are a problem. We're trying to gather ideas on how to fix the problem. Blinding people is not the idea but neither is driving blind yourself.
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Obviously I am not trying to be an ****** about it, the type of truck doesn't matter.
The lights are designed to a specific set of specs, the specs are created not to have a condition where it is bad for others. All manufacturers of cars and trucks follow those specs. There is one exception to this, that is ford who seems to ignore most of the specs, the lighting on any ford vehicle made in the last ten years sucks, it has too much light scatter and the side lighting on their passenger cares from the headlights is blinding when passing or being passed. The worst right now are ford pickups with the lower driving lights, talk about a **************** of blinding light, they should just put cheap Chinese super bright lightbars on the pickups and wire them to always be on.
I have driven volvos, not much but a few thousand miles altogether, both with conventional lights and projection lights, those i sold and will have two more by the end of July as part of a ten truck purchase, but I've driven almost every truck out there and they are all the same when it comes to lighting, they all suck if they are out of proper adjustment.
My point is this, there is a means to properly adjust the lights, once they are adjusted right, then if the driver is still having problems, they need to get their eyes checked. the ops method is close to the dealer method, no complaint about that but it is the idea of moving them up until someone complains. -
Have a 2014 670 and man I have about wrecked a few times in the mountains. Low beams on dark roads make it impossible to see. Let alone when someone with over powering lights drives by. I had to buy LED headlights to fill safe driving at night. Should had been a lawsuit against Volvo for these lights. Reminds me of the early 60 and 70’s lights.
86scotty Thanks this.
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