Depo d2s vs Depo H7

[ricekikr]

I will be using HIDs.

Is there a difference in light pattern with the Depo D2S and the the Depo H7? Or is it just the same projector housing with different bulb fitment.

Any links/pictures to see the light pattern..

I ask this because, the D2S housing costs around $30 more than the H7 housing, but it does come with d2s bulbs that I wont be using, wrong kelvin.

TIA

[Andis]

WTF depo D2s? R u sure?

[somebody5788]

WTF depo D2s? R u sure?

Ya? What??

IMO it's worth going with the D2S ones as they are more OEM for an HID plus you could actually go to a parts store for a bulb when it really mattered (on vacation or somethin). The D2S bulbs are going to cost a little bit more but it's not a whole lot.

Long story short I feel like it's worth the premium for D2S OEM'ness even though from DDM it's 10 bux more for bulbs.

[ricekikr]

WTF depo D2s? R u sure?

D2S is an HID bulb type. Like H7, H4 etc etc are bulb types.

There are two types of Depo Chrome Ecodes. D2S and H7. Basically the only diff is bulb type and the D2S headlights has a hole for the HID wiring.

Ya? What??

IMO it's worth going with the D2S ones as they are more OEM for an HID plus you could actually go to a parts store for a bulb when it really mattered (on vacation or somethin). The D2S bulbs are going to cost a little bit more but it's not a whole lot.

Long story short I feel like it's worth the premium for D2S OEM'ness even though from DDM it's 10 bux more for bulbs.

Actually, for me, its harder to find D2S, I can find H7's hids and halogens everywhere.

But I'm really concerned with the light pattern / cutoff, whether its just the regular HALOGEN projector or really an HID projector.

[somebody5788]

D2S is an HID bulb type. Like H7, H4 etc etc are bulb types.

There are two types of Depo Chrome Ecodes. D2S and H7. Basically the only diff is bulb type and the D2S headlights has a hole for the HID wiring.


Actually, for me, its harder to find D2S, I can find H7's hids and halogens everywhere.

But I'm really concerned with the light pattern / cutoff, whether its just the regular HALOGEN projector or really an HID projector.

I seriously doubt you can find the correct HID for an H7..... Just saying. I've been wrong though.

[ricekikr]

What do you mean correct? There are a lot of HIDs that are H7, not D2S with adapter, but an H7 size HID bulb. I guess they are the correct size if they fit. But they will still produce glare if fitted on halogen headlights.

The great thing with going H7 is that if the H7 HID craps out, I can always use a Halogen H7 that every auto supply carries.

But not really concerned about that right now.

I just want to know if the Depo D2S headlights are the same as the Depo H7 headlights.

Here are some pics for reference:

Depo D2S
Corner lamp doesn't have the ecode cover

Bulb hole = D2S fitment



Depo H7 aka Ecode

Look at the corner lamps, they have a cover of some sort


Look at the middle bulb hole = H7 Fitment

[somebody5788]

See the harness on the bulbs? Unless you get an HID that is factory style this is how most of DDM's HID kits come.

As far as the projector, it should be the same or have a very slight different cut off. I have Valeo E-codes with H7 halogens that I did a HID retrofit on. The codes on the bezel of the headlight indicate it is HID compliant. Plenty of people are running HID's in the H7 Depo's and I doubt the cut off is any different. It'd be nice if someone that has the Depo's would respond though.

Would you show me what H7 HID's your talking about? The DDM kit is the ONLY one I will ever buy or trust. Lifetime warranty and EXCELLENT prices.

[aledelic42]

I've also been wondering about this since the ds2 version came out.. I have h7 depo ecodes with 55w 8000k ddm hid and had another set on my previous b5 with 35w 6000k vvme hid. the cutoff isn't the best but it's pretty nice for the price. the ds2 ones don't look like they have a spot for city lights. that and the lack of turn signal covers would be good enough reasons for me not to buy them

[somebody5788]

I've also been wondering about this since the ds2 version came out.. I have h7 depo ecodes with 55w 8000k ddm hid and had another set on my previous b5 with 35w 6000k vvme hid. the cutoff isn't the best but it's pretty nice for the price. the ds2 ones don't look like they have a spot for city lights. that and the lack of turn signal covers would be good enough reasons for me not to buy them

Even the Valeo E-code cut off isn't that great.

[ricekikr]

Would you show me what H7 HID's your talking about?

It looks exactly like what you have pictured except for the "bulb out device". I guess what I'm saying is that the bulb holder was designed as an H7 from the factory not like most pics I see here that have a D2S bulb + H7 adapter.

The kit I currently have only costs $50 and has been with me for more almost a year. The only problem is that I get a "bulb-out warning" for 10secs when I turn on the light, then it just disappears.

the ds2 ones don't look like they have a spot for city lights. that and the lack of turn signal covers would be good enough reasons for me not to buy them

The spot for the city lights is whats bothering me right now. I was able to negotiate on the price and now can get both (d2s and h7) for the same price. Can I code the ECU using Vag-com not to look for city lights?

How come the lack of turn-signal cover is bothering you? The stock NA S4/A4 headlights are like that.

[ricekikr]

Crap, after a quick google search, I don't think I'll be able to turn off city lights using vagcom. So if I get a d2s housing, I'll always have a bulb-out warning.

[ricekikr]

The D2S headlights seem to have a bulb hole for the city lights, but the wiring socket only has 3 prongs. I guess for ground/low beam/high beam. I'll probably just wire in the city lights.

[stubbs]

Definitely go with the D2S set. The main difference isn't in the cutoff, but in the shape of the reflector bowl around the bulb. True HID projectors have a more round bowl that gives much more even lighting than putting a HID bulb in a halogen projector. If you have the choice, I don't think there's a good reason to not get D2S.

[ricekikr]

Oh ok, I always thought it was the cutoff and the lens.

So new question, is the "bowl" of the Depo D2S different from the Depo H7 (ecode) or are they just the same, just with different bulb holders?

[stubbs]

If you research how HID's work, the light source is positioned differently and is longer than that of halogen bulbs. So the bowl needs to be shaped differently to direct the light properly. That's why, if you put a set of retrofitted H7 HIDs next to some proper HID projectors, you'll notice that the H7 projectors create lots of hot spots and shadows, etc. Not very uniform light distribution.

Hopefully the depo D2S bowl would be a clone of the Valeo D2S bowl, which is different from the halogen one.

[ricekikr]

Stubbs,

Looking at the pics, can you see a difference between the two?

It looks like the D2S has a slimmer bowl, but that could be just the lighting/angle.

[stubbs]

Yeah, I can't really tell from the pictures.

[ricekikr]

I just ordered the D2S, seller says the bowl is slightly longer on the D2S model. Hopefully it really is different from the H7 model. I'm giving up city lights for this. Or atleast not be any worse than my current depo H7s (replacing them because it looks old already and broken adjustment screw)

[stubbs]

Let us know how they turn out. In fact, if you would take the effort to take some before/after shots against a wall at night, and even D2S/H7 side-by-side if possible, that would be fantastic. I'd love to have a good visual example of the difference, since I may want to upgrade to the D2S depos in the future (running H7 HIDs in my stock Valeos right now).

[rAphb0y]

depo D2s will light up pretty much 3 lanes on the high way when driving by yourself when depoH7 only light up about a lane and a half .. d2s ftw but ive had no issues with my depo h7's

[Bimmerchop]

Seen both OEM Valeo D2S housings and Depo H7 housings side by side. You can't notice a difference between the 2. As long as theres an H7 HID bulb in the housing bowl meant for an H7 bulb, it will project the light just fine since the spec distance from the base flange to the bottom of the filament is where it should be. Cutoff and the actual lens are also identical between the two. The main benefit you'll find in choosing a D2S housing over an H7 is the ability to actually go with a quality bulb like Phillips.

[ricekikr]

depo D2s will light up pretty much 3 lanes on the high way when driving by yourself when depoH7 only light up about a lane and a half .. d2s ftw but ive had no issues with my depo h7's

Both using HID? Was the cutoff the same?

[therealet23]

The cutoff is definitely different. I had depo ecodes but didn't like the narrowness of the light so I went back to OEM but realized my one adjuster was broke and I decided to give the Depo d2s clear corners a try. I just took them out of the box and noticed that the projector/bowl is in fact different from the H7 depo. The cutoff goes straight across except for a factory like "uptick" in the d2s depos while the h7 depo has a more dramatic cutoff. I will speak about the actual lighting when my 55watt d2s HID kit comes in tomorrow but from what I have found so far, the D2S depos were intended to perform just like factory xenon headlights FTW!!

[stubbs]

It's my understanding that Depo bought the original Valeo manufacturing equipment, so aside from a bit poorer quality, they should be nearly identical. Dunno if that's true or not, but it's a rumor that would make sense.

[therealet23]

It's my understanding that Depo bought the original Valeo manufacturing equipment, so aside from a bit poorer quality, they should be nearly identical. Dunno if that's true or not, but it's a rumor that would make sense.

Well it sure seems that way but over all, they look really good especially with stealth bulbs!

[ricekikr]

I will speak about the actual lighting when my 55watt d2s HID kit comes in tomorrow but from what I have found so far, the D2S depos were intended to perform just like factory xenon headlights FTW!!

Time to sell my H7 depo's. Post up pics when your done :)

[Castor Troy]

i've got a set of the d2s depos sitting in my trunk waiting to go in. should hopefully be in soon

[ricekikr]

Install em already! And post pics

[therealet23]

I'm close to posting pics but I have a problem. The passenger cutoff is crooked!!! I am not sure if the issue is with the projector alignment or maybe the bulb isn't in there flush. The depo d2s headlight are definitely a win for the low price. I am going to try to see if I can get things straightened up tomorrow. Any thoughts on the crooked/slanted cutoff? I'm hoping that the bulb is just misaligned....

[ricekikr]

Any thoughts on the crooked/slanted cutoff?

Maybe the left hand drive / right hand drive switch. It should be described in the included manual (piece of paper).

And depending on the design of the cutoff, there might really be some type of slant.

[therealet23]

Maybe the left hand drive / right hand drive switch. It should be described in the included manual (piece of paper).

And depending on the design of the cutoff, there might really be some type of slant.

No. These headlights were made to be US spec. The ecode depos have the RHD/LHD designation while these don't. The cutoff is legitimately at around 10 degrees.

[somebody5788]

I'm close to posting pics but I have a problem. The passenger cutoff is crooked!!! I am not sure if the issue is with the projector alignment or maybe the bulb isn't in there flush. The depo d2s headlight are definitely a win for the low price. I am going to try to see if I can get things straightened up tomorrow. Any thoughts on the crooked/slanted cutoff? I'm hoping that the bulb is just misaligned....

Even Valeo e-codes are this way sometimes. There is a height adjustment on the housing of the headlight for the lower bolt mount.

[somebody5788]

No. These headlights were made to be US spec. The ecode depos have the RHD/LHD designation while these don't. The cutoff is legitimately at around 10 degrees.

They probably do actually. Probably just a "switch" on the side of the reflector for the projector. Could be wrong though.

[therealet23]

Even Valeo e-codes are this way sometimes. There is a height adjustment on the housing of the headlight for the lower bolt mount.

Yeah I thought this and tried to adjust it but it didn't affect the cut off much. If I adjusted the height adjustment too much, I couldn't even get the light in the car. I also attempted to adjust the screw where the autoleveler would go but no luck.

[therealet23]

They probably do actually. Probably just a "switch" on the side of the reflector for the projector. Could be wrong though.

Yeah these definitely do not have a switch....Any thoughts in regards to getting the projector out with out baking the headlights? I notice it takes 3 screws on OEM and 3 nuts on the Depos but on both lights, I have no clue how to go about getting them out.

[ricekikr]

Take a pic first before you take it apart. For before and after comparison