Need help aiming Depo lights

[jbach36]

I put Depo lights on my 1991 300d. I heard how much better they were than the OEM lights, but.... I'm still waiting to see that difference. In fact when I first put them in and did a basic adjustment in the dusk but didn't drive it until the next night, I was driving and they were so similar to my old ones that I even forgot I had put them in. I didn't see any 'wow factor' when I drove.

I went out tonight to aim them, and maybe aiming these type lights is different than aiming old style bulbs perhaps. The guide I saw on the internet was to get very close to a wall, mark the horizontal and vertical beams with tape, then back up 25 feet, and aim the lights slightly to the right and slightly lower than the tape mark you made. I did that but it seems the lights point down to the ground way too early.

Any suggestions?

[Bengoshi2000]

I assume you put in the depo ecode variant? Sounds like you might have them aimed a bit low. When I went to ecodes on my '91, the difference was remarkable.

Can you see the cutoff line when the lights are aimed at a wall?

Should look something like this: ___/ ___/


I've never had particularly good luck aiming euro headlights. Usually I'll just put the nose of the car within two feet of a wall, and adjust the cutoff lines to where they level with the center of the headlight lens (at night, obviously).

Then I'll go for a drive in our neighborhood (it has very few streetlights). I'll take notice of where the cutoff line hits the mailboxes when I'm on a level road. At a distance of 25-30 feet, if the cutoff line is hitting right about where the mailbox attaches to the post, I call it good. If too high or too low, adjust accordingly.

I know I'll get flamed for this method, but it's worked for me where the Daniel Stern alignment left me a wee bit frustrated.

Here's the Stern link: https://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

[Diseasel300]

Originally Posted by Bengoshi2000

I've never had particularly good luck aiming euro headlights. Usually I'll just put the nose of the car within two feet of a wall, and adjust the cutoff lines to where they level with the center of the headlight lens (at night, obviously).

Then I'll go for a drive in our neighborhood (it has very few streetlights). I'll take notice of where the cutoff line hits the mailboxes when I'm on a level road. At a distance of 25-30 feet, if the cutoff line is hitting right about where the mailbox attaches to the post, I call it good. If too high or too low, adjust accordingly.

I know I'll get flamed for this method, but it's worked for me where the Daniel Stern alignment left me a wee bit frustrated.

Flamed or not, I use the same method to aim lights on my own cars. There are way too many hills, way too many grass and tree lined windy roads, and way too many deer to have crapily aimed headlights. With all the modern POS cars with their poorly aimed factory headlights blinding ALL oncoming traffic with their damn HID lights, I don't feel bad about adjusting my ancient halogen lights to suit my own needs.

[vwnate1]

The crappy depo lights I gor for mt W123 weren't adjustable at all .

Sure they were much brighter than the old pitted headlights but not well focused .

[jbach36]

Originally Posted by Bengoshi2000

I assume you put in the depo ecode variant? Sounds like you might have them aimed a bit low. When I went to ecodes on my '91, the difference was remarkable.

Can you see the cutoff line when the lights are aimed at a wall?

Should look something like this: ___/ ___/


I've never had particularly good luck aiming euro headlights. Usually I'll just put the nose of the car within two feet of a wall, and adjust the cutoff lines to where they level with the center of the headlight lens (at night, obviously).

Then I'll go for a drive in our neighborhood (it has very few streetlights). I'll take notice of where the cutoff line hits the mailboxes when I'm on a level road. At a distance of 25-30 feet, if the cutoff line is hitting right about where the mailbox attaches to the post, I call it good. If too high or too low, adjust accordingly.

I know I'll get flamed for this method, but it's worked for me where the Daniel Stern alignment left me a wee bit frustrated.

Here's the Stern link: https://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

Not sure what the ecode variant is. I just popped the lights in, and then it has 3 screws to adjust for up/down and left/right but none of them make the left lens go right. It's pointed too far to the left. I've tried to adjust it so much I got blisters on my finger.

[vwnate1]

You're lucky, you got adjusters, I wasted $125 on total shyte .

If you need, you can use flat washers between the lights and the body to tilt the entire lamp assy. in one direction, it's not rocket science .

[party]

Originally Posted by jbach36

Not sure what the ecode variant is. I just popped the lights in, and then it has 3 screws to adjust for up/down and left/right but none of them make the left lens go right. It's pointed too far to the left. I've tried to adjust it so much I got blisters on my finger.

If you're out of adjustment, then you need to loosen the mounting screws and aim the entire headlight housing.


You can put a 13mm wrench on the plastic adjusting screws. That's why they're 6-sided.


I also don't use an official aiming procedure. Just do it on an empty street, then point the car at a flat wall and even them out.