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Hello, so I bought some depo headlights with upgraded bulbs and ballasts long ago off some member here and they worked great. Recently one lowbeam headlight burnt out and I assumed that it was HID because of the ballast and the person saying they were upgraded headlights. Well, when I took it apart, to my surprise, they were LED lights! I've never dealt with LED lights before so this is all new territory for me, and was surprised that it was all one connected piece with multiple plugs!! I've attached a picture of the LED bulb fixture and need some guidance on how to replace it, what to replace it with? Are there specific size dimensions or anything that I should be looking for when replacing the bulb/fixture/wires? Can anyone tell what brand these LED's are? My depo headlight unit has bubble eyes btw. Thanks.
Ahh, okay thanks. Was wondering if it was H7 or H11 or anything else...So since I already have HID bulbs (Morimoto D2S) would I need to buy new ballasts for each light or would the existing one for LED work? I'm assuming im just going to have to buy new Ballasts probably 35W.
HID ballasts will not work with LED bulbs. Technically LED bulbs do not use ballasts, they use drivers, but also technically a ballast is a driver.
Anyway you will need new bulbs regardless whether you go with HID or LED. The D2S bulbs you have will not work with the headlights you have. You will probably need H7 bulbs because that's commonly what DEPO uses in their projector headlights. I can't tell from your picture because it looks like the base is missing from the bulb. So you need to figure out what bulb base the headlights require. If you get LED bulbs they come with drivers, you won't need to buy them separately.
Alright, thanks a ton for the clarification. I'm going to upload a couple more pictures so that you can have a better look. So would I still be able to use that HID Canbus decoder (EMC brand?) with some H7 HID bulbs? Such as these for example? and would you know the difference between H7A and H7B? Or would I need any extra parts for those H7HID? Canbus HID Decoder (EMC)
Yes, I have a 2013 Facelift w204 with the projector Depo headlights! So I see you said H11 then? Would it be a plug and play or any additional parts needed?
Yes, I have a 2013 Facelift w204 with the projector Depo headlights! So I see you said H11 then? Would it be a plug and play or any additional parts needed?
I was a bit curious about the bulb base type. I searched 2013 and 2014 W204 MB owners manual, and both show H7 type for high and low beam.
I was a bit curious about the bulb base type. I searched 2013 and 2014 W204 MB owners manual, and both show H7 type for high and low beam.
I think the stock halogen headlights are H7 bulbs, the headlights I have are DEPO aftermaket headlights (like the link that was provided earlier from ebay). So I'm trying to figure out which HID bulbs work with those Depo headlights.
Definitely looks like an H11 base judging by that second picture you posted. That white plastic thing is the base which the LED bulb mounts to. Remove the white plastic base and you will see it's an H11 base.
You can probably use that CANBUS decoder with HID ballasts. Lots of ballasts come with a built-in decoder depending on what you buy. I believe The Retrofit Source has a range like that.
Oh okay.
After I bought my 2011 I thought about replacing stock Halogen bulb with HID. Most HID ballast size won't fit in the housing. Therefore, I need to drill a hole in the dust cover to let ballast wires into the housing. One smallest ballast I found might fit in but I worried about too much heat inside could not dissipate. After a while I decided not to proceed.
I installed these for someone with a car that has H11 projector headlights and they work great. The most important thing being the LED bulb must be oriented so it is perfectly vertical (LEDs shining out to the sides) for optimum performance.
Definitely looks like an H11 base judging by that second picture you posted. That white plastic thing is the base which the LED bulb mounts to. Remove the white plastic base and you will see it's an H11 base.
You can probably use that CANBUS decoder with HID ballasts. Lots of ballasts come with a built-in decoder depending on what you buy. I believe The Retrofit Source has a range like that.
hahah right on!! I was going to ask about that white plastic piece and if its removable or not!! So thanks for pointing that out I had a feeling it was just for the LED light! Also, would it be an H11A bulb because the wide slot is on the bottom? How can I tell whether I need an H11A or H11B? So if I were to purchase something like this product https://www.theretrofitsource.com/h1...11A?quantity=1 would that be all I need to purchase? Or do I need additional parts like the ballast/kit like this instead https://www.theretrofitsource.com/h1...H11?quantity=1? which harness would be best in that kit?
At this point I think those LEDs are probably my cheapest option, if I have to buy an HID kit/ballast. Those ones you linked have a fan base, are those loud? I wont be able to hear the fan while the hood is open would I?
You want the return wire to be at the bottom of the bulb. The way the DEPO headlights are designed you won't be able to achieve that. See how the widest tab in your picture is not at the bottom but slightly to the side? However the H11A will be the best option because the return wire will be closest to the bottom.
You will need a complete HID kit with ballasts, unless you already have ballasts. You don't need a wiring harness since plugging in a 35W ballast to stock wiring is perfectly fine. But the kit is basically the same price as buying the ballasts and bulbs separately. So the kit you linked to would be a good choice.
Those LED bulbs I mentioned are completely quiet. You don't hear them at all.
11-10-2020, 09:23 PM
