From: xenolith@optusnet.com.au   
      
   On 6/6/20 10:14 am, thekmanrocks@gmail.com wrote:   
   > Steve W:   
   >   
   > Provision of X and Y adjustment of motor vehicle   
   > headlights is common sense.  I think even as recent   
   > as my 2008 Kia Optima had both.   
   >   
   Same for wheel alignments but these days you only get to adjust toe.   
   Caster and/or Camber adjustments often are non-existent. The reason is   
   that car body manufacture is much more accurate these days and the wheel   
   alignment will be within tolerances when it leaves the factory. In the   
   event of an accident that puts the wheel alignment out, it is up to the   
   body repairer to bring the car body, hence the steering, back to factory   
   specifications. If it is only the steering that has sustained damage, it   
   is necessary to replace such components that sustained damage. This is   
   the way of car manufacture nowadays, get used to it.   
      
   As for the headlight aiming, the horizontal setting is fixed because it   
   generally does not need adjustment except in case of damage. As above,   
   the repairer needs to ensure this is correct as correct headlight aim is   
   a legal requirement. The vertical adjustment, however, might need to be   
   adjusted depending on the vehicle's static load, ie. the load the   
   vehicle normally carries. A lot of vehicles have a driver adjustable   
   setting for this anyway and this has been the case from the 70s. It used   
   to be a lever under the bonnet at each light, these days it is commonly   
   a rheostat on the dash somewhere that can provide multiple headlight   
   vertical positions. A few cars I owned had the rheostat, quite a fancy   
   arrangement. This driver operable adjustment is more critical on FWD   
   cars since the headlight aim can vary quite a lot between a driver only   
   laden car and a fully laden car with luggage. A 1972 model I owned had   
   the simple underbonnet levers so not a new idea by any means.   
      
   --   
      
   Xeno   
      
      
   Nothing astonishes Noddy so much as common sense and plain dealing.   
          (with apologies to Ralph Waldo Emerson)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)