Got Depo angel eyes to work without cutting/splicing my car's wiring

[everest]

I got the angel eye part of the Depo angel eye headlights to work without cutting any of my car's wiring. This was easy to do. What I did was cut the wiring harness that came with the Depo angel eyes. I plugged each part of the harness(male ends) into the angel eye plugs attached to the headlamp(female), then cut off the rest of the wiring harness leaving about 8 inches of wires. Then I just popped each cut end (2 wires - red and black) partially into the parking light female plug (there are three holes in the female plug - 1 hole is to flash the turning signal - blue wire I believe - so put the wires in the other two holes) and then I plugged the parking lights back in (it squished the wires down in). The key is to not stick every thread of the wires in. Cut off about two thirds of each wire's thread and just use about one third - this allows the plug to still fit. Then I wrapped each plug in electrical tape and that was it. The angel eyes work just fine tapped into the parking lights like this. Thanks for everyone's help in my previous posts.

[Eric 95 540]

Depo lights? is this the same company that makes the headlight assemblies? broke a low beam this winter, unfortunately... thanks for the post and any info you offer.
Eric

[everest]

Yes, it's the same company. You can usually find them on eBay. I got mine for $250 shipped on eBay, but others on the board have paid more or less. Here is a pic of them:

http://i139.exs.cx/img139/4573/pict00059gh.jpg


I'm also going to add the lens protectors from www.bavauto.com because the Depo's are known to crack from road debris.

I'll let you know if my wiring holds up. Hopefully my lights won't start on fire or anything.

[everest]

Here is a picture of the RH angel eye wiring to parking light. I have the parking light plug half way pushed on. I was able to push it all the way down until it clicked. Then I wrapped the whole thing with electrical tape. Since the parking light bulb twists in, the tape won't need to be removed when replacing a burnt out bulb. Thought it might help for anyone else trying this method of hookup.


http://img223.exs.cx/img223/9043/pict00092gy.jpg

http://img182.exs.cx/img182/444/pict00018pb.jpg

http://img223.exs.cx/img223/3256/pict000109of.jpg

[jplacson]

Thinking of getting a set as well... how do the beams perform vs. the OEM Hellas? I have the Euro H1 lights... I think the Depo ones run on H1 bulbs as well. I was wondering if these angel eyes perform better than the OEMs.

[everest]

I originally had OEM Hellas with Sylvania Silverstars. However, my lenses were cracked, so I decided to put the Depo euro projector angel eyes in. The Depos do use an H1 bulb and I put the Sylvania Silverstars in my new Depos as well (according to others on the board - the bulbs have a very short lifespan). They do seem to project a bit further than the OEM Hellas. Mostly, I like the look of them because they are clear and I'm swapping out all my exterior lighting with clears. I would suggest adding the lens guards that bavauto.com sells, to add extra protection from the lenses getting cracked.

[rockyfeller]

Yep, that's another way to do it. I have wired like that on my ol Mercedes (pins are larger and easier to access) but it always leaves me in fear of a loose contact. Splicing is more worry free but in the long run it is damage to your factory wiring and should always be kept to a minimum. (The only reason I don't care that much is I don't plan to keep this car for longer than the next year). So you went the safer route. I'm glad it all worked out for you.

[rockyfeller]

OEM Hellas are better quality and better made but the low-beam US ellipsoids are PATHETIC! The Depos have a MUCH better low beam.....I will say though the original Hella high beams were AWESOME and the Depos can't match that though they're not bad. As for angeleyes, as I've said before, each ring has 4 small weird bulbs...Why the maufacturer didn't go the easy/cheap route of high power LEDs beats me. I had LED angeleyes previously and the Depo angeleyes are brighter and are more visible at dusk. OEM angeleyes use fiber-optics and a halogen light source so have a more high quality look. Something similar is available aftermarket. Both Depos and BMW OEM rings have that same "yellowish" hue. Guess the contrast is OK with my bluish HIDs but I would rather preferred a more hyper-white/HIDish hue. If you're looking for the best angel-eyes out there I'd say go for the new CCFL rings, seen them in person and they glow the best with an HID hue.

[everest]

Hey Rockyfeller, thanks for your help on this one. How have your lens shields held up? Were you able to apply them without getting any bubbles underneath (assuming you installed them wet)? I made the mistake of having the lenses too hot before I put the shields on, and I think it bubbled/boiled the water a little underneath. It doesn't look bad, but I'm wondering if it will go away after the water evaporates.

[bahnstormer]

not sure how the electrical tape will hold up in the long run
but congrats

[jplacson]

Have you checked out Airplex covers? Gives you the E39 look.

[everest]

No, where can I find info on those?

[everest]

Found it. Not sure that I like how they protrude.

http://www.airplex.co.nz/photos/photo234.jpg

[Nick.Hay]

I am looking at installing them in my E34, however, they are not available (to my knowledge) in Australia. I emailed BMC Motospares in UK (as they are a BMW parts specialist), as they had a set in Performance BMW magazine. The set they offer is a full replacement for the whole headlight setup (like the ones below). I am not keen on the ring-type inserts you can buy.

http://www.umnitza.com/albums/album15/IMG_1074a.sized.jpg

Any ideas??
Are these 'depo' ones like the image I have here??
I will most probably have to buy and import them from UK or US... so it could get expensive. Want to make sure I don't stuff it up!!

[rockyfeller]

Follow the directions accurately and you shouldn't have a problem. I was worried that the weather was too cold when I did them last month. I did them in a cold garage with a hair dryer and 50% isopropyl alcohol solution. I was tempted to forgo all the complexity and just stick em on dry but I'm glad I spent an extra 1 hr and stuck to the directions. I made sure all 8 lenses were absolutely clean....I even used Meguiar's paint cleaner on them to get all the grime off. I sprayed the solution liberally to the lens and covers and used the supplied squeegie together with the hairdryer to get the bubbles out. You gotta be careful of getting it TOO hot. I found that warming it slowly is a better effect than applying heat too high or quickly. The hair dryer should be close enough so the glue gets sticky and the lens gets more pliable. The more pliable the lens is the more it will conform to the surface of the headlight. Also get the headlight glass itself warm, it will help. (Turning them on can help) The best way I saw to get bubbles out is to apply pressure to the bubble with the squeegie from the inner part of the bubble and push it out to the periphery applying firm pressure while the hair dryer blows. I have no bubbles after install and the covers are barely visible. I did have a very slight haziness, which is normal and disappears after a couple days. I suggest that if you have bubbles now, take care of them before they dry, as later they'll become regions within which there is no contact between the glass and cover (no adhesion). Imagine if you had bubbles in the tint of your car. Wouldn't last as long eh? And the front-end is exposed to the elements.

[everest]

Yes, those are definitely the Depos. Here they are installed

http://i139.exs.cx/img139/4573/pict00059gh.jpg

I'm not sure about getting them in Australia. Here are a couple of web sites that sell them in the US. I got mine of eBay from Makoto Auto Trends for $242 shipped. How much extra does it cost for you to have them shipped to Australia?

http://www.procarparts.com/store-list2.asp?makerID=3&modelID=11&year=1993&cat=4&sub=31

http://www.makotoautotrends.com/store-list.asp?categoryID=4&subcategoryID=31&maker=BMW&model=E34+%2D+5+SERIES&year=1993