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Broken headlight adjuster hack

7K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  jimvw57 
#1 ·
I was driving my '09 home from the used car dealership when I hit a chuckhole. Boom! Both headlights dropped. Turns out the weak spot in the headlight adjusters had been broken and just kinda wedged into place. I spent an entire day removing the lights, separating them, and gluing the adjusters back together with some super-adhesive I've used on ABS and other plastics.

Yes, you can remove the driver's side plastic triangle with a stuck antenna! Yes, you can remove the headlights without entirely removing the front panel! Yes, you can even disassemble the headlights without removing them from the car!

But one of my glue joints didn't hold--it broke as soon as I tried adjusting the headlight. No way was I repeating the whole process so I pondered a bit and came up with a workable hack to get the light back into operation so I could get a state inspection sticker. I had all the necessary junk, but if you have to go buy everything (except the drill) it's still under $10 at Lowe's.

You'll need an extra-long drill bit. (Mine was 5/32 but I think a 3/16 will work. You just don't want to remove too much plastic.) You'll need a plastic clamp for CPVC pipe, and a #10 x 1/2" screw.

1) Remove the rubber cover and drill a hole through the top of the lip where the cover attached.

2) Cut a clamp and then pre-thread it with the screw.

3) Drop the screw through the lip and thread it into the clamp, which should be resting on the base of the bulb. You can replace the rubber cover after aiming the headlight.

My initial installation had the bulb aimed too high. I was trimming plastic from the clamp when I discovered I could simply rotate the clamp and adjust the height of the beam. Perfect! The car passed inspection the next day.

I don't know how much heat the light generates or how much heat the clamp will take. I'm considering this a short-term hack until I can make a permanent repair. (Just the same, I've drilled the other light and have a second clamp in the glove box.)
 

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#2 ·
I have a similar problem with the right headlight. The low beam headlight and lens assembly dropped to the point where it looked like a burned out bulb from a distance. I plan to repair or replace it, but in the interim, I put a piece of 1/4" square wood dowel across the inside of the protective cover long enough to hold it in place. I raised the low beam headlight assembly into place, then attached the cover. The wood dowel presses against the flat surface of the H7 plug holding it in place. It's been there about two weeks now and holding. Not a long range solution, but when the California sun comes back I will repair properly.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Well, the square wood dowel holding my right headlight failed on US 101 today between San Jose and San Francisco. The recent rains have caused northern California freeways to be nearly impassible. I did a little research. Plumber's putty is dielectric, meaning it will not conduct electricity. Because it is mostly clay, it will not deteriorate from exposure to heat, the exception being over 30 years exposure. So, I lined the inside protective cover of the low beam with plumbers putty, assembled, then removed. As I suspected, I saw the imprint of the H7 plug. I added a little more putty, set the headlight assembly to match the other (undamaged) side. So far so good. I will report back as to whether this was a good hack, or just another amateur "work around."
 
#6 ·
Follow up report: The plumbers' putty in the protective cover behind the passenger side low beam H7 plug to hold the reflector and bulb assembly in place worked. I have been over some terrible roads (typical California freeways) enduring bone rattling pot holes and the hacked low beam stayed in place. Inspection of the hack showed no hardening or distortion of the putty even after long exposures to heat from the bulb. I consider this hack so successful that I do not plan further repairs to the low beam. The driver's side was undamaged, but aimed high, likely by the former owner to compensate for the drooping right side low beam. It was in good condition so I lowered it to match the height of the hacked beam using a 6mm hex wrench as described by the link from this forum. I was able to zero in the beams using the high tech reflective surface of a square trash bin placed 20 feet in front of the car.
 
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