Nissan vs. Depo OEM headlights

edk

Addicted to Torque
Staff member
After Liam told us of the difference in light output from the Depo unit I thought I would post some details which might give reason to why they are so much better, plus a few other differences.

I'll post some actual light output comparison photos once I've got my car up and running, both with Nighbreakers and aftermarket HID so all things are covered.

  • Wiring
  • Depo's is much thicker gauge. Nissan's looks too thin considering draw.
NISSAN


DEPO


  • Lens
  • Nissan's has ripples which will diffuse the light a lot. Depo's you can clearly see a more transparent glass.
NISSAN


DEPO


  • Surround
  • A small thing but Nissan's is more satin. So any light spill won't get bounced as well as Depo. Handy for picking up cat eyes and signage in the distance,
NISSAN


DEPO


  • Indicator
  • Nothing to do with light output, just showing the difference in lens design.
NISSAN


DEPO


Search tags: Poor light output, dim, upgrade, better, can't fucking see.
 

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Last edited:
Boom. Im still shocked at the difference of output. If I had a working DSLR id have posted pictures, phone camera does quite cut it.

NB. Depo pic showing wiring, the little black knob on the right of the picture is what you need to remove to fit adjuster motors. Twist it to unlock and then pull it out, they're in tight so dont be afraid to use a bit of force.
 
Just a note as well, the Depo lights can be had new from eBay for around £100 for the pair delivered.
 
Just a note as well, the Depo lights can be had new from eBay for around £100 for the pair delivered.
Sounds like its worth swapping over my depo set from the 1.5 into the DCi. May look into opening up the oem lights and fitting a higher gauge wiring if this hasn't been done already?


Sent from my  iPhone® using Tapatalk
 
Sounds like its worth swapping over my depo set from the 1.5 into the DCi. May look into opening up the oem lights and fitting a higher gauge wiring if this hasn't been done already?


Sent from my  iPhone® using Tapatalk
As you can see though it's the wiring AND the lens that makes the difference.
 
Have to admit light output was brighter on the other car with HID kit, but I put it down to the time since it was last driven & my memory being at fault. Now there is proof it's the wiring & lens that's are at fault.


Sent from my  iPhone® using Tapatalk
 
The Depo ones I got didn't have the levelling motor in them, so I was worried that they needed setting manually, until I discovered the unit from the Nissan lights is a drop in replacement for the manual levelling.
 
to be fair tho ed, which revision ph2 nissan lights are you comparing the depo's too?

I'm aware of at least 3 different revisions that nissan have made to the ph2 headlights.

The first and second versions of the nissan headlights came with a plastic projector. this is what led to poor vision due to them fading etc over time. they were also fairly prone to melting.

the 3rd revision nissan headlights use a cast alloy projector.
 
Had to remove this bit of plastic as it fouls the chassis. Odd they would get that so wrong. Its not on the OEM version.

uploadfromtaptalk1409800523043.jpg

uploadfromtaptalk1409800541772.jpg

-phone-
 
Now I've finally used these, I cannot stress enough how much better these are than the OEM Nissan units. Every single facelift N16 owner NEEDS to own these Depo lights. Now. Seriously.














Why haven't you bought them yet?










Bought them now?






.
 
Last edited:
Yes, with slight modification. There's a How To thread.

-phone-
 
Anyone knows if they make the Depo ones for LHD cars? I'm searching for a pair because I had to change the left stock one a week ago for my inspection, and I'm planning to use the ones I have when I can purchase the depo ones to make the HID conversion.
 
Maybe that's a question for Depo mate. They are going to know one way or the other.
 
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