Ok, so I have now fitted the LED lights available on Aliexpress so i thought I share some pics. Here is the link to the lights: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-ORIGINAL-LED-TAIL-LIGHT-REAR-LAMP-ASSEMBLY-2PCS-set-for-2010-2012-SKODA-OCTAVIA/981876048.html

 

The are being sold as genuine VW China units and cost £130 delivered to the UK. Imports tax was £31 and Parcelforce charged a £13.50 'handling charge' :-( All in all around £174

 

First this is that the shopping experience was easy, despite me being very sceptical. Order was dispatched about 2 days after paying and took 5 further days to arrive in the UK. They spent longer getting through customs and to my door than it took to get them here from China. Despite people saying the are just 'copies' or 'fakes' they appear to be genuine. Box says VW shanghai on it, parts are embossed VW on them and the biggest thing that makes me think they are the real deal is both the fit, which is absolutely perfect both inside and out, and the light output itself.

 

I had to install 3 resistors each side to prevent bulb warnings, these are screwed directly to the body inside the car to provide an effective heat-sink (easy to do). I have also linked the brake light and fog light wires together using diodes, this means when you brake both the LED's on the top and bottom bank increase in brightness, but when you use the fog it operates normally. So here are some pics, first is the LED compared to the std tail light and then the others are just of the units. All pictures are tail lights only as the brake light is the same just brighter :-)

 

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Edited 19 September, 201312 yr by xpower

They look great. Would be handy if you could do a write up detailing installation of resistors/wiring.

They look bloomin good.

 

The resistor/diode issue is the one thing that has put me off buying these lights.

Is it me or does that look too bright?

Looks very nice,

 

 

 

Just like your Race Blue Hosepipe

Is it me or does that look too bright?

 

LED's always look brighter on photo's, mine aren't this bright in real life...

 

 

 

Edited 19 September, 201312 yr by silver1011

They look bloomin good.

 

The resistor/diode issue is the one thing that has put me off buying these lights.

 

The resistors are dead easy to wire in.

 

I'd like to see how you did yours Phil, any pictures? The back of the Octavia LED clusters looked pretty exposed in terms of all the wires and connections.

 

I used some self adhesive velcro strips stuck to the bodywork to keep the resistors away from the plastic clusters and bumper, I wasn't brave enough to screw them into the body though!

 

Luckily on the Superb they are open to the elements so the air flow should keep them cool...

 

 

 

Edited 19 September, 201312 yr by silver1011

Is it possible to install the LED clusters and then just "code them out" in VCDS so there would be no need to add resistors ??

The resistors are dead easy to wire in.

 

I'd like to see how you did yours Phil, any pictures? The back of the Octavia LED clusters looked pretty exposed in terms of all the wires and connections.

 

I used some self adhesive velcro strips stuck to the bodywork to keep the resistors away from the plastic clusters and bumper, I wasn't brave enough to screw them into the body though!

The resistors really need to be directly mounted to metal to act as a heat sink and keep the resistors cool, I would be worried that the Velcro would melt :-(

I can take a pic of how I mounted them so you can compare?

Don't know whether it is for Octavia or Superb, but I'm sure I've seen/heard about a tick box in VCDS for LED rear lights.

 

Mike

On a 2012 (and I believe all FL models) the rear lights are predominately controlled under byte 18 or directly off the EPROM.

You can change byte 18 if you had the correct code, but once you do that you can't ever go back due to the masking of that byte.

I decided it was less risky to just attach 3 resistors (only 4 wires) to the back lights and do it that way.

Is it me or does that look too bright?

They are brighter than the standard lights but that is more to do with the fact they are just more 'red' and the vivid colour makes them appear slightly brighter.

I tried so hard to find the correct coding for Byte 18 in VCDS for LED rear lights on the Superb (they are standard on the top spec L&K).

 

But alas it wasn't to be, hence the resistors...

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/280207-byte-18/

 

I'd love to know if there was a simple tick box on either the Octavia or Superb!!

The resistors really need to be directly mounted to metal to act as a heat sink and keep the resistors cool, I would be worried that the Velcro would melt :-(

I can take a pic of how I mounted them so you can compare?

 

That would be much appreciated Phil!

Just buy an estate and fit the Dectane LED lights.........didn't have to faff about with resistors or heat sinks, they were just plug and play  

Just buy an estate and fit the Dectane LED lights.........didn't have to faff about with resistors or heat sinks, they were just plug and play  

If only dectane released the ones for the hatch :-)

The resistors that are built in to the back of the dectane ones should really be mounted to a heat sink. Of course if they aren't it just reduces the life of the resistor. But if it lasts long enough anyway

The one thing i dislike about the Dectane lights is the fact that there is a built in reflector at the bottom of the light. It appears to reduce the size of the unit and i think takes away the look of a "full" rear cluster (if that makes any sense at all).

The LEDs that xpower has fitted look way more OEM (in my humble opinion) and just generally better

The issue I have is that if they were genuine VW parts - they why do they need to be modified?

I cannot see them significantly changing the way cold lamp warnings etc. work on Octavia's destined for the Chinese market.

So that alone means I personally will not be considering them.

The issue I have is that if they were genuine VW parts - they why do they need to be modified?

I cannot see them significantly changing the way cold lamp warnings etc. work on Octavia's destined for the Chinese market.

So that alone means I personally will not be considering them.

Im afraid that is exactly what they do. At the factory every car is programmed differently to suit the options that are fitted to that vehicle.

If you went to a UK dealer and brought all the parts for AFS2 xenons (an option which is available but not std on vRS) you would fit them but they wouldn't work correctly straight away. Does that make them non genuine? The car is just coded differently from the factory so they do work, something that would have to be done to make them operate correctly without errors if retro fitting.

The only downside is coding these genuine Chineese LED tail lights requires changing a Byte which has been known to cause issues. That's why I opted for the resistors. If there was a concrete proven code for byte 18 to make them work without resistors I would do that.

And the diodes were simply my choice, you don't need them and they work fine without them.

To xpower: What size resistors did you fit pls?

Thanks

Adam

To xpower: What size resistors did you fit pls?

Thanks

Adam

You need for each side:

1 x 15 ohm 25w

2 x 6.8 ohm min 25w

That would be much appreciated Phil!

Here's the pic of how I fitted mine.

Edited 20 September, 201312 yr by xpower

Thanks. Did you calculate those values or was it from a google search?

I calculated those to mimic the bulbs, allowing the resistors to run as cool as possible without generating a fault on the dash.

I have these on my hatch vrs aswell, been fitted for the last 6 months or so, they can be bought from a company in Poland with the resistors already wired in, just plug and play

Look good

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk.

I'd be interested in seeing the calcs if you had time to post them up here.

I agree, they look great.

Thanks

Adam

I'd be interested in seeing the calcs if you had time to post them up here.

I agree, they look great.

Thanks

Adam

 

 

Sure

 

Watts law -    W(Watts) = I(amps) x V(volts)

Ohms Law -  V(Volts)   = I(amps) x R(ohms)

 

To mimic the 2 x 5w (10w total) tail bulbs fitted we need to calc the resistance of the bulb when its lit (this is important as its resistance is different when its not lit)

 

W = I x V 

I = W / V (rearranged)

I = 10 / 12

I = 0.83 amps

 

put that in to ohms law

 

V = I X R

R = V / I (rearranged)

R = 12 / 0.83

R = 14.46 ohms

Use a 15 ohm resistor rated at 10w or more, I chose 15ohm 25w. You could use a 15ohm 50w no problem

 

Same thing with a 21w bulb

 

 

W = I x V 

I = W / V (rearranged)

I = 21 / 12

I = 1.75 amps

 

put that in to ohms law

 

V = I X R

R = V / I (rearranged)

R = 12 / 1.75

R = 6.8 ohms

Use a 6.8 ohm resistor rated at 21w or more. Mine was a 6.8ohm 25w but again 6.8ohm 50w is fine. 

 

Hope thats helped 

Clear as mud no doubt  :think:

Thanks for that. It makes perfect sense as far as the calcs go for resistance but I'm curious why you don't need to factor in the new lights' resistance? The total resistance will be partly affected by those lights in parallel with your resistors won't it?