Sealed Beam Headlights

slantsixdan said

Two real good reasons to disbelieve that claim:

1. There's no such thing as "DOT approved" — it sounds all official-like, but it is a meaningless phrase. US and Canadian vehicle safety regs do not work on an approval basis; the DOT does not approve equipment. Whoever claims a car part is "DOT approved" is lying, ignorant, or both.

2. These lamps are not DOT-certified.

Click to expand...

Aw don't be such a tease Dan.
I'm sure you've explained why at some piont in the past.
I'll give this a shot.

The markings on the lens are based on the manufacturer certifying that they meet the requirements those marking represent.
A responsible manufacturer will of course test to insure they comply with the standard claimed. When I worked at company making a safety product going into cars, we had an independent company do a number of the tests for us. But they got paid by us.
An irresponsible manufacturer can have whatever they want molded into the lens...

SAE sets industry standards.
The Federal Motor Vehicle Code sets requirements for new vehicles (and many states refer to the FMVSS 108 for vehicles operated on their roads).
Neither the SAE or the Feds conduct certification or approval.