Star Rider

So I order my Depo projectors like many of you have.
In the E-Bay ad from Racing-Guys states this...
.
Now I got the box today, and it says this...
I can only assume all aftermarket ones are not D.O.T. approved. My confidence in these is pretty low now. Suppose thats what I get for trying to save a buck.
So who is right... the seller or the sticker on the box?

W203E35

Interesting, I have never seen that disclaimer. I think it's to cover their ***. Many people run the DEPOs without a problem. You'll be fine, don't worry. The headlight itself wont bring you trouble, the HID K will (8000k or above).

Just install them and enjoy

draz.amg

+1

Never seen that disclaimer before, but you should be okay regardless.

Star Rider

I had a moment of down time to open one up. It has the same yellow sticker on the inner box. Interestingly enough the lens says it is D.O.T. approved. Weird eh? Maybe the stickers get them imported? Or maybe the lens is imprinted with false information. Since it is on the lens I guess I wont worry about the state inspection here then. They are **** about everything in NY. (theres a joke in there someplace )

Saijin_Naib

My DEPOs are SAE/DOT stamped on the glass as well. I've been through 2 inspections with them in NJ (also quite **** about car compliance) with nary an issue. However, I'm not running HIDs in them so that may be why they don't care.

I'd venture that you should be careful with your DEPOs, the plastic housing on mine was exceedingly brittle. Otherwise, I'm happy for the 220$ I paid for both lenses.

giannidy

I think mine had the same sticker on the box. Didn't worry about it, and no problems so far.

Star Rider

As soon as my HID kit gets here in they go. It will be nice to see where the hell I'm going at night. I see they have the mount location on the bottom too makin' my life easier.

C230 Mulac

well sh*t i just ordered a set of black depos, i hope there arent any problems! but mine weren't only $220, I paid $360 for these and I don't think it's the same seller as you guys bought from...

Star Rider

You must have got the ones with the HID kit included for that price. I saw black ones but I wasn't feelin' them on my black C. The headlights are classic and what makes the car so recognizable. I wanted to maintain the overall look but go HID. And to get rid of the frosty style lights I have. I bought from Racing Guys on ebay.

C230 Mulac

ohhhh I see what you're saying, you got the HID kit. I got the whole assembly with the HID kit already hooked up so I just have to plug it in.

draz.amg

Gary@Suvneer sells them on here.. cheaper than anyone else that I've found.

Star Rider

Yeah, it was cheaper to make my own set by getting them separate. The HID kit was $50 shipped & the lights were $220. As a bonus, I see the mount for the ballast is incorporated into the bottom of the Depos. The same way yours will be attached.

C230 Mulac

that's a good price for the whole thing, keep the $90 to do a little work yourself

samaritrey

I would say you will be fine as long as you don't have the hid kit in a very visible place. So put them under the light like the factory lights and you should be fine. Also stick to 5k and under bulbs and you will not get a second look since you are in a Mercedes. I am in va and like you guys they are crazy about compliance. I have noticed that my Mercedes dealer i get my inspection at usually does not seem to do half of the stuff listed to inspect. I also have oem bix so i doubt they would ever think twice about them.

C230 Mulac

yeah VA cops suck, i hate them!

I got some 8k....but I saw what they look like on a friend's car and they're not really that blue. It's like 6k is white and then 8k is mostly white with a hint of blue.

Star Rider

Actually, if they are rated correctly, the 6000 Kelvin will have a slight blue hue. 5000 kelvin & down is what OEM's use. 8000 Kelvin will have blue in it for sure. Then there are the fools who installed a temperature so high they are purple. The higher the Kelvin temp, the less usable light is produced. I always purchase 6000 Kelvin cause thats what I like.

Saijin_Naib

4300k is optimal light output, 5100k is what drivers PERCEIVE to be optimal output (mostly based upon the innate assumption that whiter light is brighter).

However, the difference in actual output between 4300k and 5100k is fairly negligible, so many OEMs are going toward 5100k for stock now. I believe Mercedes has already done so on a few of the 2012 models.

C230 Mulac

yeah i've seen the idiots with the 12k in which makes it look purple

so my dumba$$ is getting 8k, i would've asked for 6k if i knew this before i bought. so if i want to make these 6k, would i have to get a new ballast for 6k or do i just need to get new bulbs?

Saijin_Naib

Just grab a new set of bulbs. The ballasts really only function like large capacitors to store up enough energy to arc the bulbs to get them lit. Once they're lit, they don't use much energy at all.

I went on a tangent, ballasts really aren't tied to your lights in any way other than they're needed to arc the bulbs. You can change bulb temps/whatever you want.