|
|
|
|
|
| 02-26-2013, 08:39 PM | #1 |
|
Colonel
 
166
Rep 2,926
Posts |
OSS Designs - DEPO Project - Review
Pardon the long winded review and description. But I think this is great information to share with people for down the road projects like this one.
I've always wanted to get myself some better headlights. After purchasing my 1er, and becoming involved in these forums, I have always regretted not pursuing the "xenon" option on my car. Unfortunately, BMW doesn't make the transition from Halogen to Xenon easy. They want to charge you 3x the sticker price of the normal option when electing to build your car! Needless to say, I wasn't going to throw thousands of dollars just for new headlights. So I decided to pursue other options... I've been a long time lurker of DEPO threads, trying to learn more about them, what custom DIY mods people have done to them, what's good about them, what's bad about them. I came out with the fact that stock DEPOs just plain suck. Period. People 'made' them better with the T5 LED's and even added HID's but in my mind this wasn't the way I wanted to go. I decided that for the effort and money going into this project, that I should have it done right. I decided to start looking at places that did 'custom' LED installs which carried me to Umitza... They have a great site, products look great, and was exactly what I was looking for. However, after further research on the E90 side, I began to see the troubles of poor customer service, bad product design, terrible sealant issues with headlights, etc. This made me take a step back and look elsewhere. After many more hours, days, weeks, searching the forums and online, I landed at the Facebook page of OSS Designs. They don't have a complete website yet, nor any great way of getting into contact with them besides one email address they provide, but boy did their product look good. Looking at the E90 guys I saw some of the OSS projects and was instantly drawn in at the quality of work, crazy LED brightness, great reviews, etc. I decided to shoot OSS an email asking them to see if they would be willing to undergo a 'custom project' so to speak with the DEPO headlights. Email correspondance with Luis was great. He answered all my questions and even provided more explanations, pictures, etc. It usually took about a day or two to respond to emails because he gets so many.. but in case it did take longer a simple reminder email warranted a quick response! He provided me with a basic rate of service and some options for the project. I quickly responded and we were on our way to getting these DEPOs 'tricked' out. I had them shipped directly to OSS in Miami from Ebay to save on some initial shipping and taking the risk that they would be packaged well enough and not break during the shipping transit. I made sure to convey this to the Ebay seller, who assured me that they would be packaged well. Luis also threw in return shipping! This is the first E82 DEPO headlight he has worked on. There was some delay, due to sheer volume of headlights he was working on... I originally opted for the V2 rings which is more of a "beaded" look. After Luis installed he texted me that the V2 rings didn't quite match in color and they had to order more which would take more time on top of the delays already gone through. He immediately offered a free upgrade to the V4 rings which they had in stock and I agreed. After about 2 weeks, Luis texted me some pictures of the finished project and sent me a tracking number through FedEx. 2 day shipping? Hell ya!  They should arrive on Wednesday and I will have them installed over the weekend. Once I take them out of the box I can start to write a further review and take more pictures of the entire headlight.So far my experience with OSS has been fantastic and I couldn't recommend Luis enough to anyone that wants to undergo a similar project with DEPOs or their 'Xenon' headlights. He is becoming busy as word gets around so keep that in mind. He always tries to keep his customers in front of him, and even texts back and forth when you have questions. A+ in my book.  I have further gone and purchased a Morimoto HID kit to install in the DEPOs as the stock "halogen H7's" light output just don't cut it. This should be a fairly straight forward install and should be done over the weekend along with the headlight install. Other helpful reviews if you are unsure about OSS: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=374002 http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=805499 http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=787232 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Further headlight review... Will be able to review the projector and cuttoffs once it turns dark tonight. Overall the look is fantastic and the LEDs couldn't be any better! The HIDs were simple to install and look great. No errors. After further night driving and adjustments the lights are fantastic. The HIDs definitely make the difference in visibility and the cutoffs of the projector lens is much better than I had originally anticipated. They give you a wide beam array that after adjusting lays flat almost like OEM projectors and reaches out far in front of the car. There have been no issues with visibility or wash out from the projector lens. Photo of beam during night driving!  The high beams however fail to adjust properly. I don't use them often so I am not too worried... but still not sure what the problem is. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATE 3/3/2013 Okay so today was the install day. I opened up the HID kit and went to work drilling the 7/8" hole in the back of the headlight cover. Grommitt secured and tight! Nothing to hard about putting the HID kit together besides the drilling portion. All wires connected to the CANBUS and ballast. No errors! Moriomoto 6k HIDs. These have a heavy duty ballast and wiring system. All connections have a rubberized connector and lock to keep out moisture. All in all the process of installing the headlights was a little tedious. Trying to reach some of the headlight mount screws were a pain, and I went ahead and took a few extra steps to ensure that I was able to reach them a little easier. 1.5 hours later you got a complete install! If you have any requests let me know!               
__________________
 Last edited by Satalite; 03-10-2013 at 05:21 PM.. |
| 02-26-2013, 08:46 PM | #2 |
|
Vrooom :)
314
Rep 2,602
Posts |
yay congrats! they look fantastic!! can't wait to see more pictures
__________________
2014 C7 Corvette Stringray - Laguna Blue - NPP Exhaust - Competition Seats
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 02-26-2013, 08:58 PM | #3 |
|
Brigadier General
 
298
Rep 4,040
Posts
Drives: 130i coupé ;)
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Bimmerpost
|
hott!
__________________
128i Sport 6MT converted to Euro 130i spec, 3.73 diff, tuned by evolve ~220 whp 207 wtq(ft-lb) SAE
In-progress: //M front arm, M3 rack, e36M lip Wishlist: Coils, n55 mnts, headers, LSD, e60 finn diff  "The 1-series is the last car that BMW engineered before the Germans, as a car-making culture, fell out of love with driving." - R&T 2013 135is |
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 02-26-2013, 10:56 PM | #5 |
|
Major General
377
Rep 5,730
Posts
Drives: BMW i3 rex
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SoCal
iTrader: (44)
Garage List 2018 I01 i3s | CURRENT [0.00]
2018 G01 X3 | CURRENT [0.00] 2017 I01 i3 | SOLD [0.00] 2017 F48 X1 | SOLD ... [0.00] 2016 I01 i3 | SOLD [0.00] 2017 F22 M240 | SOLD [8.00] 2016 F25 X3 diesel ... [0.00] 2006 E60 550 | SOLD [6.00] 2011 E90 335 | SOLD [8.66] 2012 E82 135 | SOLD [5.50] 2011 E82 1M | SOLD [7.94] 2007 E85 Z4M| SOLD [4.50] 2003 E53 X5 4.6is S ... [9.00] 2008 E92 328 | SOLD [0.00] 2008 E82 135 | SOLD [0.00] 2008 E90 335 | SOLD [0.00] 2003 E46 M3 | SOLD [7.50] 2006 E90 330 | SOLD [10.00] 2003 E46 330ZHP | SOLD [0.00] |
fantastic stuff!!!!
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 02-27-2013, 09:50 AM | #6 |
|
Banned
42
Rep 2,009
Posts |
congrats on the upgrade, but im a little confused as you trash Umitza's priduct as poor quality and design, yet you had OSS install those very same products.
Maybe you are unaware but Umitza is the manufacturer of the V2 and V4 LEDs you had installed. not knocking your decision, as i believe Umitza LED rings are the best units available (i have Luce Product in my headlights), and ive only heard good this about OSS/Luis |
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 02-27-2013, 10:06 AM | #7 |
|
Brigadier General
1555
Rep 3,234
Posts |
Glad to hear everything is going well Satalite.
So you went with the Morimoto's after all eh? What bulbs? 4300k or 5000k?
__________________
2012 BMW 128i 6MT Deep Sea Blue Metallic
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 02-27-2013, 11:08 AM | #8 | |
|
Colonel
166
Rep 2,926
Posts |
Quote:
In no way am I trying to steer anyone away from Umnitza, but I am going through the process of my decision which landed me at OSS. Hell, they could have changed the way they have done things. I have no history of working with Umnitza directly so I am just going off of what a majority of the folks say and from what I have seen on And off the forum. There's no need to throw away good money. Needless to say the LEDs look great and are fully submersible.. I have no experience with the Morimoto HID kit which I will write up once I install. It is the 6k option.
__________________
|
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 02-27-2013, 02:56 PM | #9 |
|
Brigadier General
1555
Rep 3,234
Posts |
I have morimoto ballasts with 5000k bulbs in the mail right now along with my projectors and morimoto angel eyes along with an led strip for my LCI halogen headlights.
I have ordered from morimoto before and I know I have their ballasts on my GTI. Great ballasts. Great quality. Good luck mate!
__________________
2012 BMW 128i 6MT Deep Sea Blue Metallic
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 02-27-2013, 03:45 PM | #10 | |
|
Colonel
166
Rep 2,926
Posts |
Quote:
__________________
|
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 02-28-2013, 06:51 PM | #11 | |
|
Captain
 
63
Rep 638
Posts |
Quote:
__________________
2015 428i Coupe
2009 328i E93 |
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 03-03-2013, 04:24 PM | #13 | |
|
Captain
63
Rep 638
Posts |
Quote:
__________________
2015 428i Coupe
2009 328i E93 |
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 03-03-2013, 04:30 PM | #14 | |
|
Colonel
166
Rep 2,926
Posts |
Quote:
Morimoto HID Kit - $150 OSS LED - $500 I got a free upgrade to the V4 rings because my V2 rings which I ordered didn't match correctly. The V4's are 100$ extra. Any paint themes you want from Luis will run you an additional $100. Total - $950 I know it seems like a lot... but I wanted it done right.
__________________
|
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 03-03-2013, 04:31 PM | #15 | |
|
Captain
63
Rep 638
Posts |
Quote:
__________________
2015 428i Coupe
2009 328i E93 |
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 03-03-2013, 04:34 PM | #16 | |
|
Colonel
166
Rep 2,926
Posts |
Quote:
-- there are more options such as:1) black-out corners 2) inner paint themes If you wanted to see some of those I believe I have linked to some people who did that in my OP.
__________________
|
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 03-03-2013, 05:00 PM | #17 |
|
Colonel
198
Rep 2,239
Posts |
Eventually i'll send my Depo's out to OSS to get this done. My passenger side headlight has been letting water in for months, yet i have no idea why. Shame that Depo can't properly seal their own product. Other then that they have been good with t5 side firing LED's in the angel eyes.
__________________
08 e93 335i MT
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 03-03-2013, 11:18 PM | #18 | |
|
Brigadier General
298
Rep 4,040
Posts
Drives: 130i coupé ;)
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Bimmerpost
|
Quote:
I was thinking X5 sized LED rings would fit well in the Low beam section (perhaps separated at the top), and a more classic e46 or e92 sized complete ring for the high beam. Custom coding & wiring could have DRL be rings, etc. What do you think?
__________________
128i Sport 6MT converted to Euro 130i spec, 3.73 diff, tuned by evolve ~220 whp 207 wtq(ft-lb) SAE
In-progress: //M front arm, M3 rack, e36M lip Wishlist: Coils, n55 mnts, headers, LSD, e60 finn diff "The 1-series is the last car that BMW engineered before the Germans, as a car-making culture, fell out of love with driving." - R&T 2013 135is Last edited by andrey_gta; 03-03-2013 at 11:27 PM.. |
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 03-04-2013, 07:08 AM | #20 | ||
|
Colonel
166
Rep 2,926
Posts |
Quote:
If you want it that way he will do it! The LEDs can be wrapped around any diameter area I believe. Should shoot him an email and see for sure. So essentially you would want your Halogens with the rings? ---------------------------------------- Got the lights adjusted to the best of my ability last night. I would say that the projector lenses are by no means perfect, but they still get the job done. Visibility is more evenly spread in the front of the car and further down the road. My only complaint is the high beams... One of mine is out of focus for some reason and I'm not quite sure that they are adjusted properly with the low beams - after aligning low beams correctly the high beams seem to come together at 25ft.. They obviously don't adjust correctly and there's no way of properly moving them? Other than that the rings and HIDs are great. The rings would be a 7k color and the HIDs a close 6k.
__________________
|
||
|
Appreciate
0
|
| 03-04-2013, 04:02 PM | #22 | |
|
Private
4
Rep 55
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
Post Reply |
| Bookmarks |
|
|
