raymond g-

a little tricker. a couple of hrs or so of more fabrication, trimming, etc. here is
why: the mounting flange surrounding the projection is not a simple, flat ,
stamped sheet metal. it has raise mounting points...peaks and valleys which
do not easily attach to the Depo plastic mounting posts. so they need to be
smoothed over and some such ..... which can then be mounted.

some folks have simply cut off the RS6 flange....and soldered the RS6 bucket
onto the Depo surround flange (cut off from the Depo bucket). that makes
it a perfect bolt on.

i dunno, i may do this though was trying to avoid the unsightly seam unless I'm
convinced I can do this via smooth cut and professional weld/solder

oh, the RS6 I had also had the fresnel projector lens so I bought the clear lens
and am planning to swap those out....for clearer, crisper focus (i hope).

victorylap

...based on cost measure, the retrofit-depo-projector setup seems to be the best method.

it appears the "maxima projectors" seem to fit the best without any hassle.

seeking out to my fellow-mbworld-members where to find maxima projectors? i've checked eBay and much to my chagrin,... i get aftermarket or knockoff that appears to say maxima projectors. any other good sources?

many thanks.

victorylap

...in addition, any good testimonials who has purchased ZKW-R Projector Retrofit Bi-xenon? Thanks.

raymond g-

it is my experience that the E55 and Maxima fitments are identical when fitted
into a Depo headlight assembly. the difference is that the Maxima has a defuser
light shield inside the projector bowl (removable).

so for the purpose of this retrofit, the following should suffice E55 projector from
10+ yrs ago, Maxima bix projector, MB 211 bixenon projector, Retrofitsource's
EvoX - an updated E55 design.

the ZKW you mentioned is only a clear projector lens used in place of the fresnel
or bead finished glass.

(i think i still have maxima projectors and ZKW lens on the project bench still
waiting for my attention)

victorylap

Many thanks Raymond G-

miroxz

time for an update ?

Does anyone have experience with these supposedly new plug and play from depo?
Should i just get the regular lenses and do the retro myself?...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NO-ERROR-USA...#ht_3419wt_825

ohlord

just fitted with crappy cheap xenons and ballast.
Spend the 6-7hundrd bucks and do the retro fit.
It will still be crappy ,but at least it will let you see more than fifty feet in front of you.

illest

do the retro. It should not cost you +6 bill unless you look for the worst deals possible. I spent about $475 on my retro and the price of depos has come down since.

miroxz

Great! Thanks guys.

Based on what ive read, my best bang for buck is to mate a depo clear lens set with either a maxima or tsx bi-xen...right?

miroxz

do you guys agree?...anybody want to chime in?

raymond g-

no, we're not all going to agree. the purpose for this thread was to illustrate
how an E55 or Maxima (near identical construction) can easily fit into a Depo.
there are quite a few HID projectors whose performance far exceeds the E55
unit but the effort to retrofit requires more skill and a higher degree of difficulty.

for the most part, any OEM HID is a huge improvement over the Depo halogen
projector (bowl, lens).

before one undertakes the retrofit, you will need to perform numerous measure-
ments to see what is needed to make the HID unit fit into the Depo. designing
a solid mount, and allow for adjustments (to fine tune) are priority considerations.

good place to read and perform due diligence is HIDPLANET if you feel the need
to stretch your creative skills beyond the E55 projector.

one member on this forum chose the TL projector, a huge device and one
which required a lot more cutting and fitting. the performance of the TL is
roughly 2-3x more in horiz spread, sharpness, and color.

with each generation of new car models released, the OEM HID projectors
begin to pull away even more from the E55. but this thread hasn't been
updated to keep pace with this new units. it's simply an economical DIY
in getting the E55 into the Depo.

fortunately the price of ballasts, Depo and E55 projectors continue to decline
making the once $6-700 price much more affordable....now about $500 if
shopped carefully

miroxz

thanks raymond! i know youre an authority on this ;-).....so guess that means i heard it from the horses mouth

raymond g-

i've been labeled parts of other animal/anatomy

illest

side note: with the e55/maxima projector you can buy clear lenses that will make the cutoff clearer still not as good as tl's but worth it for the price imho. http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...roducts_id=136

tbone006

BEN'Z - Raymond is the man when it comes to sharing his wealth of knowledge !! He helped me out on a few occasions too...Raymond - still need to meet up and return yer tool kit!
Yer write is was AWESOME bro..super detailed and very easy to follow !! I am still a lil sketchy as to committing to that scope of work...where you located & how much for you to do this ??? hahaha
AWESOME JOB & thanks for taking the time to share with all of us...thats what makes this Forum such a special place! Aloha !!!!

raymond g-

i can help you with this if you decide to go that route. we'll just be sure to take
photos and even video so we can add to this thread and possibly fill in any gaps
for folks.

you do most of the work and if you need help, give me a call. at least you're
pretty close by

kari29

Hi friends. I have MB w203 with Depos



I'm thinking of making a change depo lights. I buy E55 projector and put it in depo. I would be grateful if I could get good links to ebay which ostasin E55 projector. or would it be better than the RS6 or evox? and sorry for the bad language skills, I will try my best to help the translator google

illest

e55 or nissan maxima projectors are easier to retrofit because they are very similar to what comes in the depos. rs6 or evo projectors will require more work and customization of the headlight housing to make them fit.

kari29

Is this good? http://www.ebay.com/itm/351164455064

kari29

This is my Depos model.





And I ordered this one Hella E55 projector : http://www.oemxenonshop.com/Hella-E5...ctors-HID.html

raymond g-

this is the forum for the 210 models. the Depo retrofit was created and based
on the collective experiences only for the 210 Depo design. your 203 may be
a completely different beast. so with that caution, as you proceed, don't be
surprised that the instructions and tips within this tread does not match up.
there is a chance that the E55 buckets will not blend in that smoothly into
the 203 Depo assembly

It might have been wiser had you gone to the 203 forum for any experiences
retrofitting an OE projector into a 203 Depo headlight.

IanB

Strange question I can't seem to find an answer to, but I figured if anyone would know, it's the guys that have dug into these and done retrofits.

I have DEPO's for my W210, came plug and play HID for cars originally equipped with Xenon, no self levelling hardware though. I got around to installing them and found the passenger side low beam has a "flicker" while driving, but it's more of a vibration when you hit a bump/expansion joint on the road than an electronic issue. I tried lightly striking the lense of the headlights with the bottom of my fist (squishy part), and the passenger side prjector seemed to shudder while the driver side did not.

I pulled the housings out for a closer inspection, and found the interior plastic surface that holds the projector housing and high beam bulb in place is not anchored on the bottom edge (oriented as though headlight was installed in car), allowing it to move around while the driver's side was tight in the housing.

Where/how is this piece supposed to be anchored? I can't see on my good headlight how it's held in place. Is this something that I can repair without separating the lense from the housing? Very annoying when driving at night and I'd love to find the solution.

raymond g-

try these photos. it is likely that one of the pivot linkages has fractured,
possibly during shipment or installation. methinks you're going to have
to perform a little surgery which will require opening it up. hoping that's
not the case, if you're super lucky. r-

IanB

Thanks for the pics! Really lets me see what I'm dealing with. I'm thinking the lower adjustment point is my issue, I'll have to pull it out again and have another look.