DEPO with Mtech or drop in HID??

[tyaos]

Hi guys and gals!
I'm just so struggle on buy depo headlight for my B7 A4.
Here is my Option!!!
FIRST OPTION!! Buy DEPO housing seperate and buy Mtech HID kit which is known to be best quality for B7 (no error code and wiper motor burning problem)

SECOND OPTION!! Buy DEPO housing with HID drop in kit which is included in sale. refer to this site
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...link:middle:us
or

THIRD OPTION!! buy similar package as second option which DARREN from this forum offers.
The first and second option have around $300 difference which mtech is pretty expensive.
The first and third option have around $150 difference. Looks like Darren offers better HID kit or something..


The problem is I heard some people had problem with burning wiper motor and error code with unknown HID kit..
Does anyone have experience with those 3 options? Please throw your opinion please!!
Thanks in advance~!

Paul

[shawnie53]

Watch out for the DEPO. It is a housing not made for HID regardless of the kit being included. It is for halogen projectors. This will cause a beam pattern that will go up (and blind people) as is seen here:


Instead, it should be flat, like the OEM projector housing:


Just go with OEM. If you're patient, you can find each housing for around 50$ and the OEM bulbs and Valeo ballasts for around 100$. My total cost (after waiting 2 months) was $210 including shipping :)

[tyaos]

where did you souce them out??? each housing $50 is too cheap arent they?
The housing currently selling in this forum is $450 include all component and its been damaged on clip.. Where did you buy them?
And I have been waited for around 1 and half month..

[Sanjman]

Watch out for the DEPO. It is a housing not made for HID regardless of the kit being included. It is for halogen projectors. This will cause a beam pattern that will go up (and blind people) as is seen here:


Instead, it should be flat, like the OEM projector housing:


Just go with OEM. If you're patient, you can find each housing for around 50$ and the OEM bulbs and Valeo ballasts for around 100$. My total cost (after waiting 2 months) was $210 including shipping :)

Not sure where you got your data but I think someone had tested this and saw the beam pattern as pretty good

[eastwick897]

I use to have DEPO's on my old car and it did exactly what is shows in the first picture. But you can adjust them though.

[tyaos]

I use to have DEPO's on my old car and it did exactly what is shows in the first picture. But you can adjust them though.

Do you mean adjust in terms of HEIGHT? OR the angle of the slope??
And also I heard the housing has the switch which allows to change the beam pattern from LHD to RHD. Is it correct?

[b7ftw]

Do you mean adjust in terms of HEIGHT? OR the angle of the slope??
And also I heard the housing has the switch which allows to change the beam pattern from LHD to RHD. Is it correct?

THats correct... it somehow has the ability to switch for you ausies
THere are stickers on the depo housings that state RHD to LHD here, but i dont know how it works / how to switch



ps - i have the Depos and i have MTEC halogen bulbs (am currently saving up to get the MTEC HID kit) so far i have been very impressed with the beams!!! absolutely no complaints!!!

[Zebman]

You're going to blind people either way, so get what's cheapest if you aren't going to get OEM. My vote is to skip the headlights (which look overdone on ANY car in my opinion) and just get the drop in kit.

[sdjeff]

You're going to blind people either way, so get what's cheapest if you aren't going to get OEM. My vote is to skip the headlights (which look overdone on ANY car in my opinion) and just get the drop in kit.

He won't blind anyone.. they are less blinding than my buddies TT with OEM projectors.

[AWDTURBO]

He won't blind anyone.. they are less blinding than my buddies TT with OEM projectors.

how do you like those

[sdjeff]

how do you like those

I really like them especially after i disabled the halos. Fitment, finish, and output are all great. Im dealing with a leak right now where they are letting in some moisture in the drivers side light. I clear cornered and got some leakage so i took them off re-baked them with more sealant but its still letting some in. Its not a fault of the lights though.

[Alkemix]

damn, you took off your bumper 3 times and haven't changed out your side markers yet!

Hey SDJeff, you didn't state, but I took away that you are using an HID kit with your depo... what HID kit are you using and how much was it?

[supersuk]

How's the beam pattern for those DEPO lights?

[grizzles]

Just go with OEM. If you're patient, you can find each housing for around 50$ and the OEM bulbs and Valeo ballasts for around 100$. My total cost (after waiting 2 months) was $210 including shipping :)

I agree with you on this, I don't think DEPO looks all that bad but in the end I couldn't deal with the look, rings, etc and got OEM. I don't know how you are getting those crazy low prices but you can definitely get OEM housings, ballasts, bulbs, and kufatec harness for around $500 if you are patient. Last I checked these were going for like $375 with the HID Kit....so it's your choice

[sdjeff]

damn, you took off your bumper 3 times and haven't changed out your side markers yet!

Hey SDJeff, you didn't state, but I took away that you are using an HID kit with your depo... what HID kit are you using and how much was it?

Yeah i need to change those! Im using the kit from vvme.com they were about 50$ plus shipping. They are great lights but my only complaint is the bulb surrounding is plastic. With these lights it doesn't cause a problem though.

[Bryson]

Not sure where you got your data but I think someone had tested this and saw the beam pattern as pretty good

yes the first photo is of certain halogen projectors equipped with a shield shaped like this __/ which makes that beam, the one like this___/----- is only like that because the shield inside is shaped that way, you wont blind anyone by throwing xenons in a halogen projector, the beam shape will remain the same, you will though however get unconcentrated hot spots of light throughout the beam with the xenons

[NorcalPB]

The Depo's for the b7 have the flat shield like this ___/-----, not like __/ .

[tyaos]

Thank you all for the kind respond!!!
So for now I think DEPO isn't bad idea to replace the oem for the people has tight budget. The only concern is will the drop in kit which is unknown brand HID will work fine with our B7s..
Does anyone got depo with hid drop kit from Darren at this forum?
I know electricity doesnt shows the problem straight away. That is my concern. Every item including cheap cheap things will work fine at the first time. but few days or even few hours later the price will judge the quality of products. which means in most of case we get what we paid for... so may be DEPO and Mtech will be best option for the people who wants to go with DEPO. forget about the people have better budget or have enough patient to wait long to get decent price for oem...
for me Ill be paying around $1200 Australian dollar for everything include LED MOD from fly300 who carries LED mod from this forum.
or if someone had experince with hid drop kit and they had good experience with that ill go with them.

[redlabel81]

I really like them especially after i disabled the halos. Fitment, finish, and output are all great. Im dealing with a leak right now where they are letting in some moisture in the drivers side light. I clear cornered and got some leakage so i took them off re-baked them with more sealant but its still letting some in. Its not a fault of the lights though.

Looks great! How did you disable the halos? Did you try it with just the halo around the projector?

E

[sdjeff]

Looks great! How did you disable the halos? Did you try it with just the halo around the projector?

E

I pulled the lights out of each socket from the halos. They are all connected to one harness that will disconnect. I stuck in 220 ohm resistors at the plug for the bulb out warning. I was going to try just the halo but decided i just wanted the clean look of just one light because im probably going to do the LED mod by the fogs.

[UGwagen]

Watch out for the DEPO. It is a housing not made for HID regardless of the kit being included. It is for halogen projectors. This will cause a beam pattern that will go up (and blind people) as is seen here:


Instead, it should be flat, like the OEM projector housing:


Just go with OEM. If you're patient, you can find each housing for around 50$ and the OEM bulbs and Valeo ballasts for around 100$. My total cost (after waiting 2 months) was $210 including shipping :)

Not always tue. Depo H7's do use a step cutoff (unlike their H1 projectors), however, it's really not a great projector.

Valeo H7 projectors, Hella e55 style H7 projectors--- have a step cutoff....
my factory Valeo H7 projector:



But..due to the construction of the Depo assemblies and Valeo projectors, Valeo HID projectors tend to be a direct fit.

though I like the B.S. in the Ebay description:

* Real Xenon Upgrade, Real 8000K Xenon HID Bulbs with Ballasts. We have Professionally Pre-installed Xenon HID in the headlights for you. So, it's matter of Plug & Play. With this Xenon upgrade, we have converted the Projector Low Beam into Xenon HID Projector.

Translation: we installed a PnP H7 HID kit.

[redlabel81]

I pulled the lights out of each socket from the halos. They are all connected to one harness that will disconnect. I stuck in 220 ohm resistors at the plug for the bulb out warning. I was going to try just the halo but decided i just wanted the clean look of just one light because im probably going to do the LED mod by the fogs.

Thanks! I have to keep one because it works as the citylights. You get a ticket for running without it in Norway.....:p
But why not just pull out the bulbs and tuck them away behind the headlight?
Don't like the resistor. Doesn't it get really hot???

[sdjeff]

Thanks! I have to keep one because it works as the citylights. You get a ticket for running without it in Norway.....:p
But why not just pull out the bulbs and tuck them away behind the headlight?
Don't like the resistor. Doesn't it get really hot???

They don't get very hot. I thought of tucking away the lights but that would have been visible from the lower portion of the light.. there is space that would let light through. If you keep just one make sure to put something to keep the bulbs in.. tape or something. They can fall out pretty easily. I had 3 fall out before i took them out.

[tyaos]

Not always tue. Depo H7's do use a step cutoff (unlike their H1 projectors), however, it's really not a great projector.

Valeo H7 projectors, Hella e55 style H7 projectors--- have a step cutoff....
my factory Valeo H7 projector:



But..due to the construction of the Depo assemblies and Valeo projectors, Valeo HID projectors tend to be a direct fit.

though I like the B.S. in the Ebay description:


Translation: we installed a PnP H7 HID kit.

Sorry What is a PnP H7 HID kit? Is that mean the drop in kit from ebay isnt too bad quality? or shit?

[redlabel81]

They don't get very hot. I thought of tucking away the lights but that would have been visible from the lower portion of the light.. there is space that would let light through. If you keep just one make sure to put something to keep the bulbs in.. tape or something. They can fall out pretty easily. I had 3 fall out before i took them out.

Thanks, will keep that in mind.....

[UGwagen]

Sorry What is a PnP H7 HID kit? Is that mean the drop in kit from ebay isnt too bad quality? or shit?

yes, Drop-in kit made in China. Quality? Dunno.