Ellipsiod Headlight suggestions (Depo ZKW or Projector Retrofit)

[Mplfoster]

I know this has been covered before but i havent seen any recent updates on what is currently available and most trusted/tested. Looking for opinions from the E36 community on the matter. I know a a fair bit about automotive lighting and i am very picky when it comes to quality and output.

On my E30 i have Euro DEPO ellips with a morimoto HID kit running 4.3k H1 bulbs. Output is fantastic compared to stock E30 gear but not perfect by any means. And going even further back i did a projector retrofit on my old Honda Accord (CB7) using morimoto mini D2S projectors and they came out amazing. Output was incredible with Philips 85112 D2S bulbs and properly aimed and tuned morimoto projectors. The overall cost was quite low and the performance relatively high when compared to other „full-size“ projectors.

So what seems to be the consensus regarding headlights brands? From what I’ve read it looks like DEPO is a better value than ZKW. But is the fit just as good as the OEM stuff?

Also, has anyone recently finished a projector retrofit on stock (euro) halogen lights? I’ve searched and searched but havent seen anyone that has done this. Im interested because i would rather not buy new headlight assemblies if i can just do a retrofit myself with relative ease. Or is it wiser to get some cheap DEPOs and throw in some high-performance projectors?

Any help or info is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[boarder2k7]

I'm sure you've seen it, but theretrofitsource.com has a kit that's a direct bolt in to the DEPO/ZKW housings to upgrade the projectors. Retrofitting a euro housing is definitely possible but will likely be more involved. Excellent stuff on TRS' website though, tons of choices for parts, they'll even etch logos into the lenses which could look cool when the lights are off.

I had no fitment issues with my DEPOs, but have never used a euro projector so I don't know how fitment compares.

[bluptgm3]

There is a fellow vbb/forum member who is currently fitting DEPO housing with projectors and I think halos. I don’t recall his username. Contact him.


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[Mplfoster]

I'm sure you've seen it, but theretrofitsource.com has a kit that's a direct bolt in to the DEPO/ZKW housings to upgrade the projectors. Retrofitting a euro housing is definitely possible but will likely be more involved. Excellent stuff on TRS' website though, tons of choices for parts, they'll even etch logos into the lenses which could look cool when the lights are off.

I had no fitment issues with my DEPOs, but have never used a euro projector so I don't know how fitment compares.

Achso! Yes i am very familiar with TRS and their excellent products although i was unaware of their drop in E36 kit. That makes things very simple from here on out. Looks like ive found my solution. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

There is a fellow vbb/forum member who is currently fitting DEPO housing with projectors and I think halos. I don’t recall his username. Contact him.


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While I appreciate your reply, its a bit ambiguous and i wouldnt know where to look first since ive already searched through many threads regarding DEPO lights and retrofits with no luck finding what i was looking for. But thanks anyways.





So i think i will acquire a set of DEPOs and get the TRS E36 retro-quik kit and hopefully remember to document my progress for anyone else who may be interested in this topic.

[XnWarden]

If you are going to retrofit with HID's etc, just get the depos. The majority of the reasons ZWK's are so expensive is because of the quality of the projector it comes with. That would get replaced in a retrofit. The glass on the lens is also a bit thicker. And some like the hella's have a motor that auto levels the beam. But they are expensive $$$

[LockDots]

If you are going to retrofit with HID's etc, just get the depos. The majority of the reasons ZWK's are so expensive is because of the quality of the projector it comes with. That would get replaced in a retrofit. The glass on the lens is also a bit thicker. And some like the hella's have a motor that auto levels the beam. But they are expensive $$$

This.

I went with DEPO and gutted them for an FX-R retrofit. Not for the light hearted, and even then it's considered an easy retrofit but it does require some craftsmanship and additional parts. The output is fantastic though. See my thread here: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...X-R-projectors

[Mplfoster]

If you are going to retrofit with HID's etc, just get the depos. The majority of the reasons ZWK's are so expensive is because of the quality of the projector it comes with. That would get replaced in a retrofit. The glass on the lens is also a bit thicker. And some like the hella's have a motor that auto levels the beam. But they are expensive $$$

This.

I went with DEPO and gutted them for an FX-R retrofit. Not for the light hearted, and even then it's considered an easy retrofit but it does require some craftsmanship and additional parts. The output is fantastic though. See my thread here: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...X-R-projectors

Thanks for the replies guys. My plan is to get the DEPOs and FX-R kit. Im confident in my ability and have no problem performing the retrofit myself. Should be fun.


Very nice retrofit BTW LockDots. Looks fantastic.

[MParallel]

If you don’t want to go HID, best OEM option is the later H7 non-projector units.

[Mplfoster]

If you don’t want to go HID, best OEM option is the later H7 non-projector units.

I believe that’s what i already have. They work perfectly fine and have good output for halogen reflectors. Although the point is moot since i do want to go the HID projector route.

[MParallel]

I believe that’s what i already have. They work perfectly fine and have good output for halogen reflectors. Although the point is moot since i do want to go the HID projector route.

Ha you’re from Germany. Didn’t even check that as 99,9% of headlight upgrade topics are for the terrible US DOT units.

[wgknestrick]

I know this has been covered before but i havent seen any recent updates on what is currently available and most trusted/tested. Looking for opinions from the E36 community on the matter. I know a a fair bit about automotive lighting and i am very picky when it comes to quality and output.

On my E30 i have Euro DEPO ellips with a morimoto HID kit running 4.3k H1 bulbs. Output is fantastic compared to stock E30 gear but not perfect by any means. And going even further back i did a projector retrofit on my old Honda Accord (CB7) using morimoto mini D2S projectors and they came out amazing. Output was incredible with Philips 85112 D2S bulbs and properly aimed and tuned morimoto projectors. The overall cost was quite low and the performance relatively high when compared to other „full-size“ projectors.

So what seems to be the consensus regarding headlights brands? From what I’ve read it looks like DEPO is a better value than ZKW. But is the fit just as good as the OEM stuff?

Also, has anyone recently finished a projector retrofit on stock (euro) halogen lights? I’ve searched and searched but havent seen anyone that has done this. Im interested because i would rather not buy new headlight assemblies if i can just do a retrofit myself with relative ease. Or is it wiser to get some cheap DEPOs and throw in some high-performance projectors?

Any help or info is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

In the same boat as you. Have a stock or Depo headlight with a melted hole in the top of the housing by the bulb. Need to upgrade to modern headlights and suffering from option overload with this decision. Just way too many options with little feedback on them, and everything seems like a DIY project.

Does anyone make a decent PNP HID ready headlight for these cars?

[Mplfoster]

UPDATE: I did this.


I just finished a projector retrofit using some OEM euro ZKW housings, Morimoto Mini H1 (version 6.1) projectors and new DEPO glass covers to cap it off. I’ve actually had these little guys sitting in a box for years with the intention of using them for my E30 but i never got around to that and i ended up taking them with me over here to Germany. Finally decided to mount these up.


Install was super easy. All said and done it only took me a few hours of actual work to finish the whole build and get them tuned/aimed. I have to apologize for the grainy photos. I used my phone to document things as i went along. I get real nerdy about good headlights so im sure I’ll bust out my Canon eventually to try and capture some accurate output shots.




Modifying ZKW Housings



Morimoto Mini H1 mounted in housings



Unfinished assemblies without glass covers mounted on car for testing









Beam Pattern












Video of output
E36 Projector Retrofit on Flickr


Video or color flicker at the cutoff
E36 Projector Retrofit on Flickr


Finished headlight assemblies with new DEPO glass covers






Finished assemblies mounted on the car











































Output on the road after tuning and aiming properly



Pictures from my phone don’t do justice to how good the output is. Literal night and day difference from the original H7 headlights. Super wide beam pattern and lots of throw. Plus a pretty color flare at the cutoff is nice. These little Morimoto mini H1 projectors are great and super easy to work with. I highly recommend going this route if you can.