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.
My Limited 2019 WRX has the tracking headlights. It’s actually really helpful (and you realize how helpful they are when you go drive someone else’s car that doesn’t have them).
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 have depo on my e36. They didn't fit too well to install, but they go in. Yhe harness is pretty easy installation. One positive and others to the lights
I tried some Depo/Helix halogen projector headlights for my wife's 2.5 Jetta some years ago. The optics were terrible.
depo doesn’t seal them as well as they should.
I bought an 06 depo replacement headlight awhile back and I returned it immediately. The seals looked fine but I was intending on resealing them anyways since these depos tend to fog up quite a bit and rather quickly too. Every Z I’ve seen locally here with the blacked housing depos have always had moisture in their headlights and clearcoat fading. But anyways, the headlight i received had finger prints and smudges on all the chrome bits inside the housing and something was either broken or rattling every time I would pick it up. The bulb sockets for the turn signal and city light were stripped so the plugs couldn’t really lock into place. Just felt really cheap overall.
Write your review
Help others - share your experience with this part.
Voted AGAINST engine oil RAVENOL on the rating page
The brake pads OEM Alfa Romeo got the first review!
The brake caliper OEM BMW got the first review!
The brake pads OEM Infiniti got the first review!
For wiper blades PIAA already 100 reviews.
For battery Energizer already 25 reviews.
In the rating best water pump already 12 brands participate!
In the rating best timing belt already 13 brands participate!
In the rating best head gasket already 3 brands participate!
In the auto rating oil filter for Volkswagen Passat already 5 brands participate!
In the auto rating brake pads for Mazda 5 already 10 brands participate!
In the auto rating tires for Subaru Outback already 50 brands participate!
For cabin filter Fram already 25 reviews.
Voted AGAINST engine oil RED LINE on the rating page
Voted AGAINST engine oil PENNZOIL on the rating page
