MG4 Trophy headlamp adjustment

[mg4mc]

OK, so on the Trophy lights there are separate adjusters for low and high beam.

I'll try tweaking the low up a tad, and the high down a bit. I recently replaced the lamp units on my Honda so I still have a board handy to check them - just need it to be dry...

1 - Low vertical horizontal
2 - Low horizontal vertical
3 - High horizontal vertical
4 - High vertical horizontal

Edit: Though the original was from the manual, in practice I found the horizontal and vertical adjustments to be reversed!

Tip: Use a 6mm hex drive rather than a cross-point screwdriver (the adjusters take either), it's a much more secure and positive fit.

 

[mg4mc]

Note the SE lamps are completely different, they adjust as a unit and the high/low difference is fixed.

 

[jpk]

OK, so on the Trophy lights there are separate adjusters for low and high beam.

I'll try tweaking the low up a tad, and the high down a bit. I recently replaced the lamp units on my Honda so I still have a board handy to check them - just need it to be dry...

View attachment 20307
1 - Low vertical
2 - Low horizontal
3 - High horizontal
4 - High vertical

This is an excellent post, does this confirm we can indeed adjust our trophy lights both up & down and left & tight for both full and high beams?

 

[Rolfe]

My dipped beam is too low. I know how to adjust it but not how to tell whether what I've done is legal so I'm a bit wary.

Oh wait, I didn't realise the SE adjustment was different from the Trophy. Maybe I'll get the garage to do it.

 

[mg4mc]

As an approximation, if you can see the end of the dipped beam somewhere up a flat road you should be OK.

 

[Royalbeech]

Only the outer adjustment screw shoud be adjusted.

 

[Ian Key]

My dipped beam is too low. I know how to adjust it but not how to tell whether what I've done is legal so I'm a bit wary.

Oh wait, I didn't realise the SE adjustment was different from the Trophy. Maybe I'll get the garage to do it.

Trophy owners are allowed to operate the adjustment screw all by ourselves. SE owners are required to get a qualified spanner jocky to do it.

 

[Rolfe]

 

[MartinSEsr]

My dipped beam is too low. I know how to adjust it but not how to tell whether what I've done is legal so I'm a bit wary.

Oh wait, I didn't realise the SE adjustment was different from the Trophy. Maybe I'll get the garage to do it.

You will be fine. Get on a flat road, in the dark, cover one headlight with something like a duster, and get a screwdriver in the other one's adjuster. Maybe do one turn (can't recall which way, you'll see it lift up, then drive and you'll see the dipped beam cuttoff point. Trial and error. If you over do it and dazzle people, use the headlight height adjuster to lower them temporarily.

 

[Rolfe]

Thanks.

 

[Leaf]

OK, so on the Trophy lights there are separate adjusters for low and high beam.

I'll try tweaking the low up a tad, and the high down a bit. I recently replaced the lamp units on my Honda so I still have a board handy to check them - just need it to be dry...

View attachment 20307
1 - Low vertical
2 - Low horizontal
3 - High horizontal
4 - High vertical

Is that underneath the unit?

 

[mg4mc]

Is that underneath the unit?

The diagram shows the adjusters with screwdrivers in them (the sticks going upwards)

 

[adriangalilee]

Same on mine, anyone sorted this?

Dealer reset the main beam. Not perfect but adequate for seeing further ahead than dipped beam. I also love the auto beam change between dipped and main.

 

[mg4mc]

OK, so on the Trophy lights there are separate adjusters for low and high beam.

I'll try tweaking the low up a tad, and the high down a bit. I recently replaced the lamp units on my Honda so I still have a board handy to check them - just need it to be dry...

View attachment 20307
1 - Low vertical horizontal
2 - Low horizontal vertical
3 - High horizontal vertical
4 - High vertical horizontal

Edit: Though the original was from the manual, in practice I found the horizontal and vertical adjustments to be reversed!

Tip: Use a 6mm hex drive rather than a cross-point screwdriver (the adjusters take either), it's a much more secure and positive fit.

After finally adjusting my headlamps today, I have updated my post above as the manual seems to have the H&V reversed - perhaps an error in translation?

My dark patch on the RHS between low and high beams is now gone.

The factory adjustment (do they actually do any!) was terrible, the RHS low beam was a fair bit lower than the LHS, and the RHS high beam was much, much higher than the LHS. So major adjustment required on the RHS, small tweak the LHS.

I found both H & V adjusters for the low beam worked fine.

The vertical adjusters for the high beam also worked fine, but the horizontal adjusters did not seem to do anything on either side, even with considerable turning!

 

[ardsar]

Could you do me a favour and take a picture of your low beam against a wall.

 

[mg4mc]

It will be a few days now. The car is blocked in the for the night and the missus is taking it away for the weekend first thing in the morning.

 

[ardsar]

It will be a few days now. The car is blocked in the for the night and the missus is taking it away for the weekend first thing in the morning.

Ok - would be good to see the pattern. I’ve had to adjust mine up - using the wall of the garage. Could only get about 3 meters back from the wall, but over that distance the top of the highest part of the beam dropped by around 1.5inches so I know they are angled down! My concern is with the horizontal alignment and whether the step down point (the left part of the beam is higher than the right) is too far to the right.

Since making the adjustment I’ve only had one person flash me but I think that was due to a bend to the left at the top of an incline, so the headlights would have been higher than he was

Hope that makes sense lol

 

[Bricktop X PWR]

Could you do me a favour and take a picture of your low beam against a wall.

Did mine today.
My nearside was down in the gutter!
Brought it up to match the offside.

Also did the high beam as that was all to cock also.

Should have been picked up at the factory surely?
Then PDI at the dealer??
Hopeless.

 

[mg4mc]

It doesn't look like they are checking them at all.

Did you try the high beam left/right adjustments? Mine didn't seem to do anything.

I expect the units will be assembled with a minimal alignment of "that looks around the middle of the adjustment range", they are bolted to the car, and nobody does any final alignment. Pretty poor.

Maybe some dealers are checking them at PDI - maybe. But to my mind they should be aligned at the factory.

 

[Bricktop X PWR]

It doesn't look like they are checking them at all.

Did you try the high beam left/right adjustments? Mine didn't seem to do anything.

I expect the units will be assembled with a minimal alignment of "that looks around the middle of the adjustment range", they are bolted to the car, and nobody does any final alignment. Pretty poor.

Maybe some dealers are checking them at PDI - maybe. But to my mind they should be aligned at the factory.

Agreed seems mad that this basic stuff is even getting out of the factory!

I used to be a retail mechanic and adjusted them to what was right (IMO)
Ideally, I would have used my old garages beam adjuster but they are 231miles away!

If your not confident get it done at a garage or ideally the dealer. (Who should have checked it on the pdi!)