Can DEPO smileys be used to restore Hellas?

[bignslow]

I have a set of Hella smileys with some damage. One of the bezels is broken, adjusters are messed up and bulb caps are damaged. I was thinking of ordering a set of Depo smileys off Ebay and using them to harvest all of the parts to restore my Hellas.


How comparable are Depos to Hellas? Are they basically cheap Chinese clones? Will different parts interchange between the 2?

[Lugnuts]

I don't know for sure, but I doubt it. I know the lenses and projectors from Bosch Bullseyes are physically incompatible with the same parts from '88+ Hella Smileys. The adjusters and adjuster nuts need to be compatible to work together, so again, I doubt Depo Smileys use exactly the same size/shape as those used by Hella.

Saying that, the silver rings on the lens front are compatible between Bosch Bullseyes/Hella Smileys, as are the plastic connector caps on the rear.

I'm speculating, but my experience with Bosch/Hella makes me think you'll have limited success. Happy to be wrong!

[reelizmpro]

Yes, that's why I sold my Bosch lights in favor of Hellas because Depos are based on Hellas ie the low beam projectors in particular. So one can run Depos with Hella housings and vice versa. The quality of the Depo parts aren't great but they're good enough. I ended up using original BMW stuff with my Hellas and Depo spares for my Depos but the parts are interchangeable.

[Blackout]

Just use Depo and sell Hella to someone here who needs lenses, housings brackets etc.