How can I adjust the height of the headlights

The full owners manual is of no help. It simply states (page 494) the headlights are factory set and any changes have to be done by a dealer. Have you tried looking for a Youtube on that?

(Big file download warning!)

http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/OM/AH/ATRW1818OM/enu/ATRW1818OM.PDF

 

You can easily adjust the height of the headlights with either a Phillips screwdriver or a 10 mm socket or wrench. There is a nut facing rear wards for wrenching and a slot facing outwards and down to insert the Phillips screwdriver to engage the teeth of the bottom of the bolt. I have yet to find a way to adjust L or R.
Here are some pix that will show you where the adjustments are. First one in passenger side just in front of the battery and second one is driver’s side and it shows the teeth you can engage with the screwdriver.
Mine came pointed too far down. You can find plenty of YouTube vids on proper aiming with out blinding oncoming cars. You just need a level parking surface with a vertical wall, a yard stick to measure height of lights and mark the wall, and a tape measure to set the distance to the wall.
Hope this helps, but our lights, especially the high beams leave a lot to be desired.

 

I like to adjust by trial and error rather than all the measurements. Just park with the headlights aimed at the garage door, turn the screws to move them a little in the right direction, and try them out over a few days before another adjustment.

 

I like that approach! We’re men! And we only ask for directions if we’re willing to surrender our man card.
To paraphrase a movie quote:
“Instructions?, instructions?, we don’t need no stinkin’ instructions!”

 

I'm not too sure about this approach with LED headlights. In the "old days" of incandescent bulbs, some T&E was ok. However, with LED headlights there is a very sharp cutoff because of the intense nature of the lights when looking directly at them. Those of us with mature (read "old") eyes, are easily badly blinded by LED headlights that hit us below the cutoff. If you do T&E, please get in another car and use yourself as the guinea pig for testing. Have someone drive toward you at night so you can see (or not) for yourself if you have the cutoff ok. It's really not fair to use others for your trial and error on LED headlights.

 

I have always used headlights with sharp cutoffs (Cibie and Marchal in the 70s-00s) instead of crap sealed beams and it makes them easier to adjust not harder. My Lexus NX factory aiming instructions result in the lights aimed way too high blinding oncoming drivers. It is easiest to discern the cutoff when you are following people, it should be below the back window of cars 95 % of the time (100% of the time for SUVs and trucks). Make sure you clean the lights first for any aiming, salt spray diffuses the light.

 

Thanks for the info, KentuckyKen. Are you saying that even after adjustment they leave a lot to be desired, or did you get any improvement by adjustment? I don't have an available 25' level space at home to do the adjustment, and I don't want to spin my wheels making an adjustment that won't really help.

During my first couple of days of ownership, I thought the Clarity had an automatic headlight feature, and misunderstood that they would switch to high and normal beams automatically, hence I didn't switch High Beams off during that time. Despite that, no oncoming drivers flashed any high beams at me in response, so I have to agree that they are not very effective, at least how they are initially set by Honda.

 

Yes, I too have left the high beams on and NO ONE EVER has flashed me. That says volumes on the inadequacy of our high beams.

I did find that adjusting the lights did help some for getting the low beams to illuminate further down the road instead of just 30-50 feet in front of the car. As @Sandroad cautions, I did not turn them up to the point that they would blind oncoming traffic. So I got some improvement but not up to the equivalent distant illumination of a 2008 CRV when parked side by side.

The only positive things I can say about our wimpy headlights is that they have the wavelengths that makes reflective signs really pop and they are excellent at side illumination. But before I adjusted them, I felt like I was over driving them at higher speeds on dark roads.

 

Once you see that it takes exactly 10 seconds to adjust a headlight wih a Phillips in your pocket, you’ll kick yourself for not doing it sooner...they’re all too low from the factory to be effective.

Agree entirely that trial and error is the way to go. Dark flat quiet road, hop in and out of the car several times, a headlight on your forehead or at least a handheld flashlight makes it easier to pop hood and find adjusters in the dark. Drive a few blocks, adjust again. Take a 15 minute session on the road one evening and mess with it till you like it. Indeed pay close attention to the cutoff to make sure they’re still pointing down. And love each one equally...2 turns on one one headlight always equals 2 turns on the other...you don’t want one up and one down when yer done. Also a heavy trunk and backseat load impacts this. So a headlight aim that works well with just a driver is likely to blind oncomers when you have 2 portly folks in the rear and a trunk full of luggage...keep this in mind.