Beamsetter Usage and Checking Headlights
This procedure is to be followed at all times, with either the Beamsetters set on tracks, or freestanding.
It is assumed that in-car self-adjusting mechanisms have been set to zero prior to the test, and the lamp being tested is of a single, asymmetric type with combination high/low beam only.
1. Switch the headlights on, dip-beam only.
Hella Beamsetter (HBS) initial setup
2. Ensure the surface of the headlight is between 30 – 70 cm from the front lens of the HBS.
3. Move the HBS to the centre of the vehicle to be checked.
4. Looking through the broadband sight, align the HBS to the vehicle as follows:
a. Loosen the column clamp (Once the clamp has been loosened, the whole column can be rotated
to the left or right to make alignment easier).
b. Align the HBS box in such a way that the sight line of the broadband sight touches 2 identical
points lying at the same height on both sides of the front of the vehicle.
c. Tighten the column clamp.
5. Align the HBS box with the vertical centre of the headlamp (there are indicator marks on either side
of the box to help with this) by moving the HBS box up/down the column.
6. Align the HBS box with the horizontal centre of the headlamp by moving the HBS back and forth on
its tracks.
Low Beam measurements
7. Once you are satisfied with the HBS alignment of headlight being checked, adjust the scaled wheel
at the rear of the HBS so that the horizontal dividing line on the HBS test screen touches the
horizontal cut-off line of the headlight.
8. Verify that the sharp angle dividing the horizontal and sloping parts of the cut-off line runs through
the intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines on the test screen of the HBS, and angles up
towards the left of the test screen.
9. Make a note of the reading on the scaled wheel of the HBS for that headlight.
10. Check the dip-beam ‘Glare’ value using the light meter on the top of the HBS.
a. Read the value on the meter without touching the buttons.
b. On vehicles with Symmetric OR Asymmetric headlamps, the needle MUST indicate a reading ‘in
the Green’.
c. Both headlights must indicate relatively the same readings.
11. Move the HBS along the tracks to the next headlight and repeat steps 6-9.
12. Compare the readings taken from the scaled wheel (Step 9) and the indicated height (on the HBS
column) of the centre each headlight with the specifications allowed by the VIRM.
(These are affixed to each HBS).
High Beam measurements
13. Switch the headlights to high-beam.
14. Move the scaled wheel at the rear of the HBS to read ZERO.
15. Check both high-beam headlights in turn, ensuring that the concentration of light of each high-beam
lays on or below the horizontal and to the left of the vertical lines marked on the test surface of the
HBS
i. If all readings are within range, and both headlights are aligned, focused correctly and putting out
the same amount of (low-beam) light, Tick both ‘Condition’ & ‘Alignment’ PASS box’s of the ‘Front
Lamps’ section of the checksheet OR
ii. If the readings are NOT within range, or are otherwise incorrect, then Cross the corresponding
‘Condition’/’Alignment’ FAIL box’s of the ‘Front Lamps’ section of the checksheet.