bclexus

Are you sure you even engaged the Phillips Head screwdriver tip into the gear-type fitting? If not, then you might not have even adjusted the headlight aim at all. I used a Craftsman 41296 #2 size Phillips Head screwdriver with a 8" shank. I can see where maybe using a Phillips Head screwdriver tip that is too small might not engage the adjustment gear. A #2 Phillips Head tip is fairly large.

I'm not sure what exactly you tried to do, or what process you went through in your attempt to adjust the headlights. You really need to setup your car 12' - 25' from a wall with the car on perfectly level ground...and mark the 45° cutoff beam angle of your headlights with a piece of tape so you can have not only a starting reference point, but also so you can easily see what change is being made [upward] as you adjust the headlight beam higher. If you engage the #2 Phillips Head screwdriver tip into the gear-type fitting and turn it clockwise you will see your headlight aim point (the 45° cutoff angle) start moving upward. Pay particular attention to how you must angle the screwdriver through the trim holes here and here. A flashlight is very helpful to see what your screw driver is trying to engage.

Read THIS again for the process I went through. And review THESE PICTURES for how to angle the screw driver so it engages the fittings. Also, make sure that you click on the various links I provided in this post for reference help.

bclexus

A few more pictures (from a IS model) of the gear-type fitting so you can better see how the screwdriver fits into the gear mechanism.

bclexus

I found it incredible how many people complain that Lexus headlights are aimed too low.

AL13NV8D3R

People complain because this issue does exist. I can park my neighbors 2011 GS350 along side my 2014 GS on level ground with same distance from wall at night and you can really see exactly how low my gs is set at factory. After adjustment every thing was all bright and clear and improved visibility by 80%!

bclexus

I agree! After I raised my headlights' beam point (45 degree cutoff angle) just 2" (measure at 12' distance from the headlight) I can now see so much better. It probably increased the distance coverage by half to as much as a full football field (50-100 yards further out). My beam's cutoff point is now 1/4" below the height of my headlights (almost horizontal straight out or level), whereas before the aim point was pointing downward 2 1/4" below the height of my headlights (measured at 12' distance from the headlight) . It is so, so much better now. It's perfecto!

ItzFilyO

I did and the beam went up by about 2 inches. lol The car was 25 ft away from the wall and it sits higher now.

What I'm trying to say is the screw by the fender, the one that suppose to adjust it left or right didn't do anything when I turn that one too.

bclexus

Oh, okay. My fault for not understanding what you meant. I understand now.

After I adjusted my headlight beams upward I did not see any need to adjust the horizontal (L-R) so I really didn't pay much attention to the L-R adjustment gear-type fitting. However, now that you mention this I recall reading somewhere that the L-R fitting requires a smaller size Phillips screwdriver tip to engage the gear mechanism - that a larger screwdriver tip just spins against a funnel shape collar and doesn't reach deep enough to catch the gear teeth. That seems rather unusual to me, but I guess that could be the case...

I guess my question concerning this would be - When you attempted to adjust the horizontal (L-R) fittings did you feel that your screwdriver tip engaged the gear teeth...or did it feel like your screwdriver tip just spun without any resistance as if it did not engage the teeth?

bclexus

I think the following (in bold) may explain the inability to adjust the headlights horizontally (Left - Right).

US DOT VOL and VOR headlamps cannot be visually aimed horizontally, and in many cases, cannot be aimed horizontally by any means at all, because no provision for horizontal aim adjustment is provided. [This is because US regulators believe there is no way to define a visual cue, such as a kink in the cutoff, that would allow accurate left-to-right placement of a headlamp beam and that cars will not get in fender-benders that will knock the headlamps out of horizontal alignment. For what it's worth, the Europeans have been successfully aiming their headlamps vertically AND horizontally since 1955. -ed.]

I'm guessing vehicles sold in the U.S. may have horizontal adjustment provisions blocked so headlights cannot be adjusted in the horizontal dimension. Whereas, vehicles sold in European countries have headlights that can be adjusted horizontally.

ItzFilyO

Yes I felt a resistance and it is turning when I turn the screw driver on that L/R plastic screw.

bclexus

Man, I dunno...

99alta

Aren't the adaptive headlights self levelling as well?
In which case how can you adjust them up?

AL13NV8D3R

Its self leveling up to a predetermined point that you set it at manually. So if you move it up 2 inches it can fluctuate up or down a half inch to level it out for up hills and down hills.

ItzFilyO

How does the auto leveling work? Do u have to actually be moving, like going up or down hill for it to work? Cause I stop halfway on a speed bump and left either my front or rear higher and I didn't see the beam change.

SW17LS

I don't believe the F Sport has adaptive, self leveling HIDs, only the luxury.

bclexus

I think all GS 350's have self-leveling headlights. When you first crank-up the car the headlight beams have an up/down motion rising up and then lower before settling in position. You'll notice this up/down motion at crank-up especially if you park in a garage or are facing a wall directly in front of you. I think the car has sensors (somewhere near the front and the rear of the vehicle) that determine whether the car is traveling level or is inclined upward or downward.