Hi everyone,

My panda twinaire 2014 needs to adjust headlight manually.
the 0-4 setting is max out, the right headlight is still too low.

do you have photos where to adjust up and down of the headlight?
i cant find anything to manually adjust in the headlight assembly.

Please help

akoni said:

Hi everyone,

My panda twinaire 2014 needs to adjust headlight manually.
the 0-4 setting is max out, the right headlight is still too low.

do you have photos where to adjust up and down of the headlight?
i cant find anything to manually adjust in the headlight assembly.

Please help

Click to expand...

Hi

Is this the result of bodywork damage.. or an incorrectly mounted bulb?

The units are generally robust.. so the aim of the beam should not change in normal use.

I agree with Varescazy.

I have had to do mine as the beams are so poor on high beam. I think that the high beam is so high with dip correctly adjusted that the light disperses. I have lowered mine as low as acceptable dip beam visibility will allow and find the overall effect is better. Adjustment is via the hex headed screw on top of the light unit. Please do take care though to check that the beams are set to avoid dazzle once height alterations have been made. I just walk 50m up the road and stand where an approaching vehicle would be with the lights on in the dark. Also check that the height adjuster motors are working. You can use a socket and ratchet which I think is 7mm. If the lights are out of adjustment the car will quite rightly fail an MOT test so getting a garage with a headlamp beam checker to perform this is probably a good idea and as its a 5 minute job it should not mostly cost more than a dink for the mechanic.

On my previous car (Suzuki Jimny) the lights weren't that great at all. The Jimny forum fraternity were all favouring Osram Nightbreakers so I fitted some as well. The improvement was quite astonishing - the beam seemed to illuminate the sides of the road much better and I never once had any issues with dazzling oncoming traffic.


When I finally parted with the Jimny I swapped them out for the standard H4s on the Panda, and again the same thing - the beam spread pattern is improved and there seems to be no issue with dazzling oncoming traffic.

So anyone wanting to slightly improve the lights on the Panda, I can recommend these.

Looking at the top of the headlight unit with the bonnet open, you’ll see two short, shiny metal rods on the back of the black plastic case. They have a small 5mm?) hex head on the end. On each light, those nearest the radiator provide the up and down adjustment, and those nearest the wings adjust the left/right direction.
To position correctly, drive the car on a flat, level surface towards a wall and get as close as possible to it. On the wall, mark the centre point of the Fiat badge and the centre points of the headlight as a cross (marking the horizontal and vertical centre). Reverse back 4 metres dead straight. The dip beam is ‘banana’ shaped, with a flat portion and an uptick to the left. Adjust the height so that the horizontal part is 3-5cm lower than it was when the car was against the wall. Adjust left right so the uptick is left of the headlight centre marks - if it touches the vertical centre line or is to the right of it that’s an MOT fail. The horizontal part of the beam can also fail an MOT if too high or too low, but the margin for error is quite big.
And yes, Osram Nightbreaker or similar 130% brighter bulbs make a big difference too.
Mine, when delivered had the height set correctly but the left light pointed right and the right pointed left, so the beams converged at a narrow point. Setting left/right correct made a big difference, more noticeable on main beam.
The diagram here shows what you’re looking for, but note on a RHD car the beam pattern will be reversed with the uptick to the left. https://headlightsize.com/how-to-adjust-headlights-properly-aiming-wall-chart/
This page describes for a motorbike but the same applies to a car too... http://ridershandbook.com/bikes-and-equipment/how-to-align-your-motorcycle-headlight-for-mot/
Note: do all this with the dash control set to zero (the highest setting), and the boot empty. Also, do check the bulbs are correctly fitted into their holders.

A quick update to this info: here is the MOT handbook information for a car (as opposed to a motorbike, quoted above).

https://mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk/the-mot-headlamp-aim-test-is-changing/

Slight change to the point where the 'kick' up' occurs - basically must not be on or to the right of the vertical centre point. And, a new (from 2016) fail if the headlights are set too *low* as well as if too high.

The adjusters are a 6mm hex, and tightening them (turning them anticlockwise as you see them standing in front of the car, or clockwise if you were looking at the back of the headlight unit) lowers the beam.