Depo brand?

[buck91]

Has anybody used Depo brand headlamps? Broke the bulb retainer this weekend and got a very good price on Depo replacement headlamps for my mustang. Seems its a decently well reputed brand on the mustang forums just curious if anybody here has used them?

 

[kenv]

I never heard of that brand. Have you tried American Muscle? They are a decent place for Mustang parts. Don`t know if they will be cheaper or more expensive that Depo.

 

[Ethan1]

Do you ever drive it at night? Pretty common with any imitation headlamp for the adjusters to not work (Depo, TYC, whatever). The beam pattern is also never the same as OEM, which will be noticeable when you only replace one lamp.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Depo is not great.

The problem is they look good, but don't fit exactly the same and the optics are not good.

I had to replace lights on a '92 Buick, Depo was the ONLY choice. I could never get the lamps adjusted right, the pattern was just n/g. (either the high beams were too high, or the low beams were too low)

The best is OEM, but once your car is over 10 years old, OEM lamps are hard to come by.. Depo and other Asian companies do serve a purpose, if it was not for them, I would not have been able to replace the lamps and maintain the stock look.

Now OEM in the latter lifecycle of service support is not that great either, HOWERVER, they are using the original molds, so you will get very similar optics.

What happens with OEM service, the molds/processes don't run that often, so everything sits around, some vehicles forward lighting is well past 15 years since end of vehicle production. Very low demand. Things do get dusty, and any replacement lamp you buy, you best to shoot it out with a air gun.

 

[Trav]

Junk. Find a used OE one and recondition it.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

That car looks GREAT with GTO headlamp covers.

a '96 Mustang has some aftermarket upgrades, I would look into that, not the stock lamps.

VIPmotoZ lights.

 

[splinter]

Junk

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Junk. Find a used OE one and recondition it.

+1

 

[buck91]

Well they will have to do for a while, although I hope they aren't total junk as I do end up driving early mornings and late evening a lot (which around here this time of year means night).

 

[buck91]

Driver side showed up yesterday )passenger is delayed). I'll post a full review eventually but for now it seems ok. Not quite as nice a beam pattern as oem but a little effort aiming and it works well. Huge improvement in output compared to clean/clear oem GT style.

 

[buck91]

Couple beam shots. I took photos with my HTC phone, using the tap-to-focus feature one on the center of the beam and once on the dark outside the beam for both highs and lows. Driver side is new Depo cobra-style, passenger side is original 1996 Mustang GT. Both have Philips Extreme Vision bulbs of the same package and same age with a custom HD relay harness (10, 12 and 14ga wiring).

Low beams

Hi beams

 

[Colt45ws]

I have Depo in the CVPI and am happy with them. The originals were in horrendous state after 12 years. I was able to aim them satisfactorily.

 

[Michael_P]

Years ago, I put Lightning style headlights on my 1997 F150 because I broke a light hitting a deer and wanted to look cool. Long story short, I ordered from American Muscle and when the headlights came in, they were DEPO. Light dispersal isn't perfect but acceptable. The fact I have fog lights help fill in the lighting gaps, but I really only use fog lights like twice a year. After a few years, they have not faded or leaked. For aftermarket, they work, but not as good as OE.

 

[meep]

Watch for this: I put replacement lamps in our mdx recently. i think they were TYC, 6 months in, one started developing condensation inside. I tracked it down to a splitting between the body and the clear cover... the seam tore open. the small plastic hooks tore, the glue tore... like from internal pressure buildup. this allowed rain on top of the lamp to roll right in. I glued it lavishly with clear silicone caulk, and ran the shop vac to it to suck it back together and suck some caulk through the gaps, on and off, until it was thorough. then drilled a 1/16" air hole to relieve pressure when hot. I couldn't get all of the moisture out as it seems to collect on the bottom where I can't dry it out with heat from a heat lamp. Maybe it will dry out over time with cycling.