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      02-16-2011, 06:40 AM   #155
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dackelone View Post
In regards to headlight remote adjustment... I know when I had my e36 BMW and I upgraded the headlights to Hella projector units(w/H7's bulbs)... those headlights came with a special plug in the back of the lamp housing locking the headlight into a "fixed" setting for non EU spec cars. IF your car was a EU spec and you had the little servo motor that can adjust the headlight height... you unplugged this socket and plugged in your OE servo motor. Maybe the Depos are the same.

Dackel
Exactly. But since my level regulation isn't working, my best guess is that the person (prev. owner) who installed the depo's on my car forgot to swap the motor over.
I'll seriously consider buying the motors, but saw on realoem.com that they are around 77$/piece, which makes it ridiculously expensive for manual adjustment. Might go a different route - time will tell!
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      02-16-2011, 08:23 AM   #156
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dackelone View Post
In regards to headlight remote adjustment... I know when I had my e36 BMW and I upgraded the headlights to Hella projector units(w/H7's bulbs)... those headlights came with a special plug in the back of the lamp housing locking the headlight into a "fixed" setting for non EU spec cars. IF your car was a EU spec and you had the little servo motor that can adjust the headlight height... you unplugged this socket and plugged in your OE servo motor. Maybe the Depos are the same.

Dackel
My understanding, from reading about the Depo lights on other websites, is that the Depo lights do not come with the leveling motors installed. However, the OE leveling motors are a plug-and-play operation supposedly.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dela View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dackelone View Post
In regards to headlight remote adjustment... I know when I had my e36 BMW and I upgraded the headlights to Hella projector units(w/H7's bulbs)... those headlights came with a special plug in the back of the lamp housing locking the headlight into a "fixed" setting for non EU spec cars. IF your car was a EU spec and you had the little servo motor that can adjust the headlight height... you unplugged this socket and plugged in your OE servo motor. Maybe the Depos are the same.

Dackel
Exactly. But since my level regulation isn't working, my best guess is that the person (prev. owner) who installed the depo's on my car forgot to swap the motor over.
I'll seriously consider buying the motors, but saw on realoem.com that they are around 77$/piece, which makes it ridiculously expensive for manual adjustment. Might go a different route - time will tell!
realoem.com lists the (sometimes accurate) MSRP for the parts. Tischer BMW has them for $64 a piece, so a little less.
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      02-16-2011, 09:16 AM   #157
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AW128i View Post
My understanding, from reading about the Depo lights on other websites, is that the Depo lights do not come with the leveling motors installed. However, the OE leveling motors are a plug-and-play operation supposedly.



realoem.com lists the (sometimes accurate) MSRP for the parts. Tischer BMW has them for $64 a piece, so a little less.

The leveling is indeed p'np for the depos. They are not included.

From the 1erforum.de I have a pictorial of the depo install. See more here:
http://www.oslotwins.de/umbau/

I only use realoem for the part number and quoted their price due to this being a US forum.
I am situated in Denmark (Europe) and our VAT is highest in the world, so they come in at around 85-90$ at Schmiedmann Denmark. So I'm a little biased around this. Could end up being annoyed by this and source the original xenon for the car. Expensive, but it works! But for now, I'll let my 3000$ appointment with Scmiedmann be the most important!
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      02-16-2011, 03:18 PM   #158
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nobody ever asked this question. how is the light output for these on the road? most aftermarket projectors gives shitty output and can't see anything on the road at night. Please post pics!!
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      02-17-2011, 03:12 AM   #159
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Originally Posted by jaespark87 View Post
nobody ever asked this question. how is the light output for these on the road? most aftermarket projectors gives shitty output and can't see anything on the road at night. Please post pics!!
Weaker. Covered on the other forums too with picture documentation.

I too find the light weaker, but this mod is for aesthetics.

I you want better lighting install HID's in the low beam. This option yields better lighting!

I'll try finding the thread on the German forums for you later....
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      02-17-2011, 05:17 PM   #160
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Water in headlights

Help!
What should I do?
The left headlight is full of water.
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Last edited by Milan Pantelic; 02-25-2011 at 06:06 PM..
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      02-17-2011, 05:43 PM   #161
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^ might be a slight opening in ur headlight assembly
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      02-17-2011, 05:45 PM   #162
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Are those OEM? If they are and you are under warranty I believe it can be fixed... A lot of people have been having that issue.
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      02-17-2011, 06:38 PM   #163
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AW128i View Post
Does your car have the auto-leveling, or does it have the manual leveling thumbwheel on the headlight switch?
It manual levelling with thumbwheel
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      02-17-2011, 06:54 PM   #164
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Originally Posted by blingers View Post
It manual levelling with thumbwheel
Very interesting!
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      02-17-2011, 07:16 PM   #165
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dela View Post
Weaker. Covered on the other forums too with picture documentation.

I too find the light weaker, but this mod is for aesthetics.

I you want better lighting install HID's in the low beam. This option yields better lighting!

I'll try finding the thread on the German forums for you later....
Below is a pic I snagged from an E90 owner. He has the Depo P90 SAE-spec (i.e., crappy beam pattern and cutoff) headlights with a H7 HID retrofit. He has fog lights on in this pic, but they only cover the very foreground of the pic. If you look out beyond the throw of the fog lights, it looks like these lights have an excellent beam pattern. I think it's safe to assume that with a European beam pattern and cutoff, these lights would absolutely be phenomenal.
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      02-17-2011, 09:33 PM   #166
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Nice!
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      02-18-2011, 02:03 AM   #167
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AW128i View Post
Below is a pic I snagged from an E90 owner. He has the Depo P90 SAE-spec (i.e., crappy beam pattern and cutoff) headlights with a H7 HID retrofit. He has fog lights on in this pic, but they only cover the very foreground of the pic. If you look out beyond the throw of the fog lights, it looks like these lights have an excellent beam pattern. I think it's safe to assume that with a European beam pattern and cutoff, these lights would absolutely be phenomenal.
I completely agree! One thing though; it is illegal to retrofit HID's in EU without automatic level adjustment and Head Light pressure washers. That is the only thing holding me back from the HID install...


Thread from 1erforum that I promised yesterday....
http://www.1erforum.de/tuning/depo-s...ead-52580.html
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      02-18-2011, 09:15 AM   #168
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dela View Post
I completely agree! One thing though; it is illegal to retrofit HID's in EU without automatic level adjustment and Head Light pressure washers. That is the only thing holding me back from the HID install...


Thread from 1erforum that I promised yesterday....
http://www.1erforum.de/tuning/depo-s...ead-52580.html
I think it's technically illegal to retrofit HIDs into a halogen headlight in the U.S. also, but I have to believe that it's very rarely enforced because there are a ton of really poorly executed HID retrofits on the road here.

One thing I don't understand is why, even now in 2011, factory HID systems aren't also equipped with auto-leveling by default. So many SUVs and cars with factory HIDs are driving around blinding people because of the lack of this requirement IMO. Of course, if properly aimed, that shouldn't often be a problem, but I digress…
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      02-18-2011, 12:29 PM   #169
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AW128i View Post
I think it's technically illegal to retrofit HIDs into a halogen headlight in the U.S. also, but I have to believe that it's very rarely enforced because there are a ton of really poorly executed HID retrofits on the road here.

One thing I don't understand is why, even now in 2011, factory HID systems aren't also equipped with auto-leveling by default. So many SUVs and cars with factory HIDs are driving around blinding people because of the lack of this requirement IMO. Of course, if properly aimed, that shouldn't often be a problem, but I digress…
IMO the problem is that there is this new trend kind of like regular TV to HDTV. People are now beginning to use the better light systems (HID) and I would assume that the DOT hasn't issued any warnings or laws regarding the need for regulations on the lights. Dealers would tend to choose not to spend more money installing auto-leveling devices in every HID headlight they make. Unless it is a nicer brand of automobiles.
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      02-18-2011, 01:10 PM   #170
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Satalite View Post
IMO the problem is that there is this new trend kind of like regular TV to HDTV. People are now beginning to use the better light systems (HID) and I would assume that the DOT hasn't issued any warnings or laws regarding the need for regulations on the lights. Dealers would tend to choose not to spend more money installing auto-leveling devices in every HID headlight they make. Unless it is a nicer brand of automobiles.
That's the thing, there are regulations, though they may vary from state-to-state. The regulations are on aftermarket HID kits, not on factory-installed HIDs. In Europe, any car fitted with factory HIDs is required to have two things: headlight cleaning system and auto-leveling. In the U.S., neither is a requirement for factory-installed HIDs. So, you have plenty of car models here that offer HIDs (and now, LEDs) as standard equipment or as a factory option and they don't come with auto-leveling. Acuras, for example, have been this way ever since they introduced HIDs on their U.S. models. In fact, it seems the Japanese cars with factory-installed HIDs seem to be the worst offenders here in the U.S., in terms of not including auto-leveling. Though, this seems to be improving. So, I wouldn't expect dealers to be retrofitting auto-leveling systems because the new car dealers don't have to be concerned about that. Of note, as far as I know, the German makes (VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche) have always coupled auto-leveling with their HID-equipped models in the U.S.

So anyway, we have a bunch of regulations that aren't strictly enforced which results in "lifted" F-150s with HID headlights and foglights that are of such a Kelvin rating that they're actually blue and, perhaps known or otherwise to the driver, are actually putting out less lumens than the halogen lights they replaced. This is just one particularly bad example, obviously. Of course, it is this lose enforcement of the regulations that allows us to put HID kits into these Depo lights, for example, and "get away with it!" I'm normally not a supporter of a HID retrofit into a housing designed for halogen bulbs, but even this critic will agree that most projector-based headlights more than adequately control glare and other problems associated with a HID retrofit.

Wow, must...step...down...from...soapbox!
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      02-19-2011, 06:18 AM   #171
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AW, that was quiete a post

Just to sum up; correct, EU regulations do indeed require pressure washers and auto leveling of headlight beam when xenon/HID's are installed. Whether it's OEM or retro fit, this is a requirement.
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      02-19-2011, 11:39 AM   #172
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A few pics at daylight:













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      02-19-2011, 12:37 PM   #173
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Your car looks great, Knob!
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      02-19-2011, 01:20 PM   #174
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knob, depo headlight is on its way.
I have a questions for you.
any modification to make only angel eyes as DRL
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      02-19-2011, 01:28 PM   #175
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Well, for now you have to do it like this (red circle):

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      02-19-2011, 01:45 PM   #176
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