Interpretation ID: aiam0845
Attorney and Counselor
American Motors Corporation
14250 Plymouth Road
Detroit
MI 48232;
Dear Mr. Jonas: This is in reply to your letter of May 24, 1972, concerning the tes procedures applicable to a passenger car headlamp after the impacts required by Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 215.; Your question is whether the requirements of SAE Standard J580a, whic are incorporated in the lighting systems standard, Standard No. 108, are meant to be incorporated into Standard No. 215, and, if so, whether the 'Aiming Adjustment Tests' of SAE J580a are to be performed in a laboratory fixture or on the vehicle.; Our answer is that Standard No. 215, in adopting the headlam adjustment requirements of Standard No. 108, incorporates the requirements of SAE J580. Contrary to your impression, SAE J580 can be conducted either as a bench test or as an on-vehicle test, and as incorporated into Standard No. 215 its aiming adjustment test will be applied as an on-vehicle test. The use of the bench test procedure by our Office of Standards Enforcement in its laboratory procedures manual for Standard No. 108 should not be understood to mean that we consider the bench test to be the only test method under SAE J580a.; Sincerely, Richard B.DDyson (sic), Assistant Chief Counsel