LED Sidelights - Update

[milnei]

Folks,

LED Sidelights that don't spook the canbus are now available for just £12.99, not the near £20 as previously seen.

Audi LED Side Light 501 T10 W5W HID no canbus errors on eBay (end time 24-Oct-09 19:32:10 BST)

Gonna get me some

[mannyo]

Oh no, also available in BLUE. So it seems my recent observations are correct. The blue washer jets have now been replaced by Blue LEDs and explains why the owners of these cars with blue LED sidelights like to drive with just the sidelights and fogs on, even in daylight (not DRLS due to age of cars involved)

[dstev2000]

Despite the morons who run blue LED sidelights with foggies (innit), WHITE LED sidelights complement OEM xenons nicely without the need for silly shunt resistors stuck everywhere.

The PIAA TERA sidlights are outrageously expensive so these might be a cheaper alternative provided they last. Some cheapo LEDs don't last very long due to the lack of voltage regulating circuitry.

I liked the white LEDs I had in my sidelights and the ones in my puddle lights are still going strong after 2 years.

I might take a punt on a set of these and see how it goes

[m0bov]

Do the puddle lights use the same bulbs as the sides??

[skippy41]

I put them in mine 3 weeks ago, even though they are white they look blue????

before you put them back in, turn on the light to see if its bright if not flip it a half turn and put back in then try again

[dstev2000]

Do the puddle lights use the same bulbs as the sides??

Yes they are the same, pop the colour coded housing off and the bulb sits in a plastic quarter turn fitting.

They don't trigger the bulb warning system but they do log faults in the door electrical system but you will only ever see this with a fault code scan with VAS or VCDS.

[dstev2000]

I put them in mine 3 weeks ago, even though they are white they look blue????

before you put them back in, turn on the light to see if its bright if not flip it a half turn and put back in then try again

Do they look blue against standard halogens or just on their own?

'White' LEDs always have a slight bluey white tinge to them.

[skippy41]

Yes they look blue against the headlights, mind you even a led torch looks as if its a blue light to me

[dstev2000]

Yes they look blue against the headlights, mind you even a led torch looks as if its a blue light to me

Thats my thinking, my LED lenser torch looks blue/white, the SMD chip LEDs seem to do this.

As long as they are not BLUE that is fine by me

[milnei]

Hmm, spoke slightly too soon about the no CANBUS errors......

There seems to be a minor glitch when the lights have come on automatically as I unlock the car, as when I start the engine the bulb failure warning lamp is on. Also the indicator tick and light in the cluster goes double speed but the actual indicators flash at the normal rate.

However within 10 seconds everything is fine, the warning lamp goes out and the indicators behave.

Maybe the built in resistance is right on the edge of triggering the warning when everything powers up for the first time when the ignition is turned on. I might pop a small resistor in series, just to increase the total resistance slightly and see if it makes any difference.

[wardth]

Hmm, spoke slightly too soon about the no CANBUS errors......

There seems to be a minor glitch when the lights have come on automatically as I unlock the car, as when I start the engine the bulb failure warning lamp is on. Also the indicator tick and light in the cluster goes double speed but the actual indicators flash at the normal rate.

However within 10 seconds everything is fine, the warning lamp goes out and the indicators behave.

Maybe the built in resistance is right on the edge of triggering the warning when everything powers up for the first time when the ignition is turned on. I might pop a small resistor in series, just to increase the total resistance slightly and see if it makes any difference.

How utterly pointless then - send em back mate!

[damianscott71]

Look here, good quality bulbs supplied by a reputable company..... I've had loads of stuff from them in the past and have ordered a couple of these for myself.

501/194/T10 Anti Bulb Warning Xenon White Wide Angle Led by Ultra Leds U.K

[AndyK11]

I got mine from AutobulbsDirect. Not the cheapest at £19.99 but they work well.

Unfortunately, I'd ordered them before I took delivery of my FL vRS and found out that the normal sidelights are disabled (the LED DRL's act as the side lights) Doh!

So I've installed them both in the boot, a bit of a waste but d*mn it's bright in there now

[m0bov]

I got mine from AutobulbsDirect. Not the cheapest at £19.99 but they work well.

Unfortunately, I'd ordered them before I took delivery of my FL vRS and found out that the normal sidelights are disabled (the LED DRL's act as the side lights) Doh!

So I've installed them both in the boot, a bit of a waste but d*mn it's bright in there now

:rotz::rotz::rotz: Ditto here :( Would they fit the puddle lights?

[jcdub]

I bought those £12 LED with no canbus warning and they didnt work on my 08 VRS. I got the blown bulb warning light instantly :-(

P.S I'm Sending them back for a refund :-)

[Car 67]

Yep, me too have been sucked in:rotz::rotz:

Gonna send 'em back for a refund and stick with the more expensive ones...

You live and learn !!!

[mannyo]

:rotz::rotz::rotz: Ditto here :( Would they fit the puddle lights?

Puddle lights are a sealed unit, and already LED.

[Nickynibbles]

I ordered a pair the other day myself but yet to fit, i'll try them out just in case but likely i'll be sending mine back too!!

[tom1362]

Lads, quick Q&A Please..... Has anyone on here Fitted Puddle lights to their VRS Octy 2.

[dstev2000]

Puddle lights are a sealed unit, and already LED.

The indicator is a sealed unit on the door mirror, the puddle light (or boarding light) is a W5W lamp in a plastic holder, pop the mirror cover off and there it is. The bulb failure doesn't cover the puddle lamps but fault codes are logged for the LEDs when fitted.

I too have been properly suckered by the £12 ebay lamps. 5 seconds and off they go with a parking lamp failure warning via the maxidot :rotz:

I was a little bit dubious anyway as the bulb failure system looks at the power being drawn by the lamp rather than the resistance across the lamp itself. Thats why you need to simulate the load of a conventional W5W bulb.

[dstev2000]

Lads, quick Q&A Please..... Has anyone on here Fitted Puddle lights to their VRS Octy 2.

For a kick off you need new door mirror bases. There is also extra wiring to be run, IIRC there is a black wire and white wire for the LED repeaters in a vRS door mirror, in a mirror equipped with a puddle light there is an extra red wire. Obviously this means there will be extra wires to run, most likely from the lighting control unit which is probably stuffed behind the dash somewhere.

[tom1362]

you need new door mirror bases.

Thanks for the reply:

I would have thought that VAG would have just manufactured all Wing mirrors the same to keep manufacturing costs down. So i presumed there was a Void in the mirror itself especially for locating a Puddle - Light unit.

[dstev2000]

They are different, I smashed one of my mirror units a few years back and ordered a new'un. The one that arrived didn't have the puddle light housing in it.

The entire mirror base which consists of the black plastic part and the clear lens element are in fact one moulded piece and is fixed to the mirror body by 2 torx screws IIRC.

Post #25 in This thread shows the difference between the two.

[Stoofa]

Those people who tried the LED's and got a blown bulb warning error.

Have you tried turning the LED around and refitting it - reverse the points.

I bought some LED "No Warning" side-lights ages ago.

Put them in, warning came on immediately.

Removed the LED, turned it around, refitted - they have been working in my car ever since.

[Nickynibbles]

Those people who tried the LED's and got a blown bulb warning error.

Have you tried turning the LED around and refitting it - reverse the points.

I bought some LED "No Warning" side-lights ages ago.

Put them in, warning came on immediately.

Removed the LED, turned it around, refitted - they have been working in my car ever since.

This instruction is given with these £12.99 sets, i know for myself i tried turning it around, wiggling it, trying the other bulb, cleaning the contacts up & it made no difference so its safe to say these bulbs just dont work!!