Mine are going on 5 years probably and holding up great! I highly recommend retrofitting a xenon or led bulb in there (I left the high beams halogen). Much brighter and the color of the light is much more modern.
Assuming you have an early model with the sealed beams, they are a great upgrade. If you are replacing OEM ellipsoids on a later model, there is a drop in quality. Still, they cost 1/3 of the price of new OEMs these days. Those same DEPO headlights are sold by a dozen different resellers so you could probably find them slightly cheaper.
Ive seen people talk about issues with the seals and water getting in them, but I’ve had three sets on different cars and it was never a problem. After a couple years the set I’m using now had an issue with one of the wires going into the bulb socket but it wasn’t hard to rewire it. You do need to use a little care when aiming them because the adjusting mechanism is a bit flimsy, but manageable.
They are the most commonly used replacement headlights for E30s. They aren’t quite OEM quality, but they work just fine. If you have functioning OEM ellipsoids and are looking to upgrade, this is not that. If you have the old sealed beam headlights the difference is night and day.
I got mine about 6 months ago, and I love them.
I strongly recommend resealing them. I didn’t have issues with mine initially, but decided to go ahead and do it, considering how hard they have been to find.
I’ve had plastic OE headlights, ZKWs, DJ Autos, and DEPOs in my E36. My favorite setup is my current headlights. They’re DEPO Gen 4 that I opened up and retrofitted some Morimoto FXR 3.0 projectors in. If you’re handy with DIY work this is well worth it. The light output is incredible. Driving on the freeway at night, I light up the road in front of me considerably better than most 2020 and newer vehicles.
I ordered a Depo drivers side unit. It came yesterday and I installed it today. Quality and fit and very good. The bulb out warning light on the dash eventually went out.
I’ve been running depos for like 1.5 -2 months now. They’ve been holding up great. Love them.
I have Euro Golf R headlights on my Canadian GTI with xenon lights. The headlights were almost plug and play except for some coding for the LED turn signal. But, the highbeams don't work.
I’ve been dealing with the same issue for months. Got into a minor fender bender that led to the driver’s side headlight being replaced. The first had damage to the high beam, the second arrived with a scratch across the lens, number 3 filled with condensation that turned into huge water droplets within a day, and number 4 is doing the same. All OEM headlights directly through VW.
You throw em in the trash. Cuz no e36 deserves cheap headlights
Main problem with depos, is they aren’t always sealed properly, so the headlights will have moister inside.
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