Hi,
The Haynes manual I have for my 1987 DL Wagon says that if you adjust/aim the headlights yourself, it's only a "temporary" measure, and you should still have a shop adjust them.
I'm curious as to why one would expect a shop to do a better job, assuming I do all the proper measurements (e.g., distance from a wall, height of the beam, etc.).
Thanks!
Well, even life itself is "temporary" in the grand scheme of things, so you need to look at the bigger picture: probably few people have a proper area available to measure off the right distance, set up the proper "cross hairs" on the wall, etc.
IMO, a shop won't do any better than you can IF you can set things up properly, but some areas require headlights be aimed by a certified shop as a part of required inspections. One of those bureaucratic things...
Having said that, I've had lights adjusted by shops, then had to come home and redo them myself so I could see anything! Shops usually set them way too low, and way too far to the edge of the road for my taste (I do a bit of night time mountain driving, so it's nice to be able to see!) If I overdo it and get flashed, I'll trim things out a bit, but usually there's no problem. Naturally this is a YMMV issue.
Rick
I'm starting to miss my 1995 Acura Integra GS-R. The headlight housing was adjusted via a crown screw that turned with a #2 Phillips screwdriver. It had a bubble level that was set at the factory for proper aiming.
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