Decided on 1er E8X Gray Depo Projectors

[b5inmiami]

01-28-12 This is my first "non-classifieds" post since joining this site. I am grateful for the knowledge I've gained so far. We've only had our 128i since march of 11', but the mod bug has bitten me already.

I started looking at updating our 08' halogen headlamps and quickly became aware at how cost prohibitive it would be to get oem xenon, let alone actual clear corners.

So I decided to look at all the aftermarket projector type halogen options and decided that these would be the best alternative. I ordered a pair from Schmiedmann. This was the only online site that carried the gray version projector which looked the most OEM of all the options to me. I was a little concerned ordering from this site due to its overseas location, but was pleasantly surprised to have the lights delivered to my door (Thanks DHL) only 3 days after placing the order online!



The quality of the Depos are quite good. Its projector shield can be adjusted internally for both LHD and RHD vehicles. The projector lens is the clear type and not fresnel. Which should be better for optics. The Angel Eyes consist of 4 slim wedge bulbs rated at 2.3w spaced apart on each ring. From the back of the rings I can see that each wedge is recessesed in a slight concave receptical which helps illumination. after seeing other posts online about the color and brightness of the rings, I plan on getting them replaced with a set of "Predator Orion V2 led rings from Um•nitza

Not yet having installed the Depos, I am having doubts as to whether or not to use a drop-in kit as some have done on this site. I fear the halogen projector hardware might not be as good as retrofit xenon projector which I may considering replacing the Depo's one with. I like the FX-R retrofit with internal BiXenon shutters. It appears to be a direct fit size wise. I will be in contact with a tech from Um•nitza on Monday Jan 30 to discuss my options, difficulty levels of doing the work myself and of coarse the bulb check/flickering issues many have encountered. I will update this post as I get further along.

Update: 02-01-12
I spoke with the tech, and he basically told me that the FX-R projectors will fit, but will require custom install involving epoxy to hold the projector inside the Depo.
This afternoon I removed the Depo projector bowl/lens from the housing. It is held by 3 - 7mm nuts that can be removed easily with a deep socket ratchet. I connected a pair of alligator clips to my battery and the H7 bulb inside the projector. I tested the beam pattern against the wall in the garage. It resembled the typical e-code pattern. I took the car out to an empty parking lot and projected the beam against a wall. Right away I was unimpressed with brightness of the projector compared to the standard parabolic reflector. The diffrence is quite noticable. I had read about this and I can confirm that the depos are no where as good as standard halogen. Now I am considering a higher wattage H7 (65watt) as a last option before taking the Xenon route.

Projector removed. You can see rear of the 4 T5 bulbs. Yesterday, I ordered some side facing SMD from an ebay seller from Italy to replace the incandecent T5 bulbs.




Update: 4-10-2012

Mounted Depos



T5 SMD LED with integrated error canceling (Modified Phone Camera Exposure Setting)



With Morimoto 3Five 4300k kit



To summarize my opinion and conclusion;

The Depos look beautiful whether they are off in the daytime or lit at night. I had my amber corner lamps coded out.
The T5 SMD I bought from an ebayer in Italy were well worth the month it took in shipping time.
Using halogen H7 for the low (dipped) beam will provide less output than the original DOT reflector based lense.
Using up-rated 65 watt H7 will have marginal improvement
Using an H7 drop in kit (standard 35w 4300K) with actual Phillips rebased capsules will help significantly, but light is still less intense than the oem halogen. The culprit is the reflector bowl of the projectors not being as powerfull as necessary to harness the power of the light source. After testing light output in diffrent environments, I found that the beam pattern will function properly when car is being driven in dark roads, but when another car come alongside in the same direction, the light in front my car seems to get washed out. Overal output is adequate and nice, but I would hessitate to comapare it with the original. If you are looking for intense output then the solution would be to retrofit a pair of FX-R projectors in to the Depos. I chose not to do this, since the project has become more involved than I intended and I have less free time on my hands.

If you decide to do xenon, please be adviced tha xenon flickering will result and will require you to have a) Bulb Check Coding, and b) a digital ballast like the one pictured below. I actually used the Morimoto 3Five with a can-bus harness I purchased from a separate retailer off craigslist. The harness from TRS Morimoto did not work on my specific 128i.



Final result.

I was not happy with the output of the lights given the time and effort I applied to this project. If I had more time on my hands I would definetly do the FX-R conversion onto the Depo. I Chose to remount the original lights,and inserted the uprated bulbs instead. I will post these Depos for sale.

[b5inmiami]

ttt

[Satalite]

Some members have opted to go with the OEM BMW HID kit which works flawlessly with the DEPO setup and gives you much better light projection than the normal H7 bulbs.

Very cool project. Didn't realize this had been posted. What are you looking to get for the lights?

[RimasRS]

And we are fighting for good bright h8 angel eyes... When DEPO designed much brighter AE's.
BMW what were you thinking?

[AW128i]

While the Depo lights with a H7 HID kit retrofitted are by no means ideal, I would argue that they are much better than the standard U.S. halogen lights. The beam pattern is much more even (less of a hotspot in the middle) and it spreads out much more to the sides. Plus, with the "kink" in the European cutoff, the right-hand side of the road gets lit up much more than with the U.S. lights. I've had a few cars in the past with OEM European HIDs and yes, they were better, but they weren't exponentially better and they certainly weren't as affordable as the Depo lights with a HID retrofit. Anyway, just my opinion.

[b5inmiami]

Originally Posted by Satalite

Some members have opted to go with the OEM BMW HID kit which works flawlessly with the DEPO setup and gives you much better light projection than the normal H7 bulbs.

Very cool project. Didn't realize this had been posted. What are you looking to get for the lights?

Haven't come up a price yet, but I am thinking maybe 350.00 shipped with insurance/tracking (Including the updated T5 SMDs and original T5 wedges) would be a fair asking price since this lights are the rarer silver trimmed versions which are only available overseas from what I found.

Are you interested?

[Satalite]

I'll let you know. In currently involved in the new Blackline LCI Taillights Group Buy so my money is tied up ATM but if I don't follow through these are next on my list.

[camjs]

FIRST POST! hi.

I've got the same headlights (but black) installed in my 120i.
Much like you, I found the brightness with the standard halogen in the DEPO projector to be inadequate.

so, Got myself a HID kit, and tested out the brightness before install. I find it to be more than acceptable. The beam pattern of the headlights kicks up to the wrong side of he road however, as I'm in Aus. I shall just keep them pointed down. I moved the leveling motors over from the old lights so I can adjust from the light control panel. ALL. GOOD.

ANYWAY. How did you wire in the HID retrofit kit to the DEPO housings? Through the plastic cover on the back? This would seem to make the most sense, however drilling the hole through (behind the projector) and feeding the cables in through there will make it difficult to clamp the cover back on again (this is the area where the clamp clips on to).

Additionally, where did you mount the ballasts?

[b5inmiami]

Hello. There is a lever on the side of the projector to change beam pattern from lhd to rhd. The hid kit I ordered came with a plug and play harness that attached to the dipped beam plug inside of the housing and it came with rubber gasket that allowed you to drill a small diameter hole on the cover access panel to pass ballast wires. I made the hole hole roughly behind the back of the projector. No clearance issues whatsoever. I used a bracket to attach the ballasts below headlamps hanged vertically. Strong velcro tape works too. Hope that helps.

[camjs]

Originally Posted by b5inmiami

Hello. There is a lever on the side of the projector to change beam pattern from lhd to rhd. The hid kit I ordered came with a plug and play harness that attached to the dipped beam plug inside of the housing and it came with rubber gasket that allowed you to drill a small diameter hole on the cover access panel to pass ballast wires. I made the hole hole roughly behind the back of the projector. No clearance issues whatsoever. I used a bracket to attach the ballasts below headlamps hanged vertically. Strong velcro tape works too. Hope that helps.

Ah thanks heaps for the tip on that lever! Exactly what i was hoping for.

I went ahead and did the install today. Drilled the hole and fed the cables through. The clamp fits in well with it. Mounted the ballasts to a screw hole that conveniently fitted the supplied screws. Cable tied the cables and CANBUS relay down. Can confirm that the car makes lots of beeps and throws error messages without the relay.

Unfortunately I will have to go and take it all back out to change the beam pattern! But at least it's possible. I will do it, though. Because it will be satisfying.

I shall try to get some photos up soon.