The number combined with the 'E' is the country where the ECE-type-approval has been granted. Once it has been completed in one country it can then be used legally in the other EC countries.

Although the testing standards are uniform across europe there can be differences in how easy it is for a manufacturer to pass. In germany they are very strict and it's difficult to get new parts approved. On the other hand it's not so difficult in luxembourg. Differences in interpretation of some of the regulations.

So an E-code headlight that ha a german approval is generally of a higher standard than one with a luxembourg approval. Either one will still meet all the requirements, but the german one probably has a better quality.

Combined DOT/E-code lights exist. They use a slightly modified E-code beam (less inclination of the 'flare' at the side for one).

To confuse things a bit there are also headlights with both an E-code *and* DOT marking on the glass, but are *NOT* combined units. The S/V40 headlights are one of them. These headlights usually have a sticker on the housing which has two boxes printed on it which either say: (ECE:YES DOT:NO) or (ECE:NO DOT:YES).

This is caused by the fact that these are free-form headlights, so all the beam shaping is done by the reflector and the glass is simply smooth and clear. The glass and headlight housing are shared by both the DOT and ECE models (so both identification codes are present on the glass), but the reflector is specific for either type and the sticker shows which is installed in the housing.

Bye, Arno.

The DOT bubble adjustment centered left the beam way too low. Since its such a sharp horizontal cutoff you can raise the beam up considerably, and its all focused straight ahead instead of diffused like the DOT beam. The horisontal adjustment works fine though, I didn't really change that. I don't know why there's a difference in the part numbers, but the boxes are factory sealed with Volvo stickers on 'em. The lens have Volvo and E4 instead of Volvo DOT on them. Maybe a call to FCPGroton can give better answers. All I know is, they are 100% better than the DOT lens and they work for me. Mike

When I had my inspection done in Mass., the technician adjusted the lights so the bubble was level and darned if the horizontal segment of the cutoff wasn't right on the alignment stripe! In truth, though, when I set them this way oncoming drivers occasionally flash their lights at me. I lower them 1/3 turn of the adjusting screw, which seems to take care of that problem.

E4? What th....?
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David \\ (98 S70 T5SE Black, misc mods (mostly lighting), red calipers) (92 940GLE)