The high - level brake lamp in my Octy 1 VRs was fitted with normal incandescent bulbs.

 

I started to get the right hump about how often these bulbs were failing - and even when they were working, they weren't that bright.

 

So, I found a seller on EBAY doing packs of 10 LED T5 bulb direct replacements. A pack of ten costs just 99p! You need 2 packs to replace all the bulbs in the cluster.

 

He's in the far east, so postage takes a couple of weeks.

 

Still, after paying two quid and waiting - I've now replaced all the rubbish normal bulbs in the unit with much brighter, more reliable LED's.

 

A couple of months on, they're all still working well. At night, when I press the brake pedal now, I can see 'red' reflecting off everything behind me!

 

Link here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300903012792?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

 

 

Any pics Ray....

I assume these also fit the estate light. Though it's apparently a pig to get to on the estate.

I assume these also fit the estate light. Though it's apparently a pig to get to on the estate.

I thought the estate light was completely different and is led to stat with.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I thought the estate light was completely different and is led to stat with.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

Dunno. Maybe I'll check

Estate Is already LED.

Just ordered these today

Any pics Ray....

 

Nope, but will take some when I get a minute and post up!

Found a problem with this at least with my car... I did the conversion and they are permanently on dim even with car off and locked...

 

The way I found to stop them being permanently on was by putting one of the proper bulbs in which defeats the object as in comparison to the rest it looks like you have a light out....

Weird, same with yours Ray?

tried bulbs in alternating order incase the light is in series just on the off chance.... swapped them all the other way and turned the connector round either way they're all perm on or off... ive even unplugged the switch ontop of the brake pedal and they were still on

I have a theory.... my bulbs use too little power...?

...ive even unplugged the switch ontop of the brake pedal and they were still on...

They are getting their power from the ECU.

Depending on the year/engine/body, the high level brake light is connected either to the brake light switch circuit or the brake pedal switch circuit (both circuits are part of the physical switch attached to the pedal). One is N/O and the other is N/C and both connect to the ECU.

so why when I change them to leds would they stay on?

so why when I change them to leds would they stay on?

TBH, without looking at the schematic and breaking open an LED to see what is in there, I don't know. I do know that with the switch removed, one end of the circuit is connected only to the ECU. When you put a single bulb in, they did go out so it could be that a pull-up resistor in the ECU can supply enough current to light them. I guess a bad ground in the tailgate lid may be involved somehow.

Weird, same with yours Ray?

 

Eh up.

 

Sorry I haven't yet taken a pic and posted it up of mine - will do this weekend.

 

Nope, no problems at all with mine - I just removed the normal incandescent wheat bulbs, and inserted the LED replacements. 

 

They are most certainly and completely 'off' when they're supposed to be 'off'. Press the pedal = instant light of armageddon

 

My car is a '51 plate - maybe later cars have a different system or something that, as other posters have said, includes the ECU? Mind you, my brake pedal switch has quite a few wires coming from it - and it also failed recently too, and after I fitted a new one I scanned my OBD port with my VCDS (for something else) and where my brake light switch had failed it had logged a fault code in the ECU of 'brake lamp switch - implausible value..' so it looks like on my car, the brake light switch is indeed linked to the ECU somehow.

 

But anyway, my LED conversion works a treat.

 

Did that poster buy the exact same LED's from the ebay link I provided, or somewhere else?

TBH, without looking at the schematic and breaking open an LED to see what is in there, I don't know. I do know that with the switch removed, one end of the circuit is connected only to the ECU. When you put a single bulb in, they did go out so it could be that a pull-up resistor in the ECU can supply enough current to light them. I guess a bad ground in the tailgate lid may be involved somehow.

 

+1

In electronics it is seen when the output driver is single ended rather than having the usual double ended pull up and pull down transistors. Just shows how old the design is of our cars.

 

The leds must be good as the leakage current from the driver must be a millamp or less. 

 

All of the above assumes that the high level brake light has its own feed from the ECU. If it had been driven in parallel with the normal brake lights, they would have acted as a low resistance pull down - unless they were blown.

 

Is it possible for you to measure the current in the brake light when it just glows slightly? Just out of interest.

Is there anybody on here who has ordered these but are still waiting?, ordered mine beginning of December, but I'm still waiting. Just wondered what normal turnaround has been in most peoples experience.

I have LED high and low, dim glow when running and for 10-15 minutes after turning off. Not an issue really.

Is there anybody on here who has ordered these but are still waiting?, ordered mine beginning of December, but I'm still waiting. Just wondered what normal turnaround has been in most peoples experience.

 

Just clicked the link and the seller is listed as away until Feb 7... might explain the delay... mightve sold out!

I've been in contact, and he says they are in transit. He seems a reasonable bloke in his messages, and he has offered to refund, which I have declined until end of the month. It is just that I wanted the product rather than a refund, which was why I was wondering about other people's experiences of the seller.

I ordered before Christmas and it arrived after about 5 weeks.Then,I realised I needed twenty of them.

Another box ordered two weeks ago...probably arrive end of February maybe March

 

PLEASE NOTE : Seller is Chinese.So as it's CNY,expect further delays...

PLEASE NOTE : Seller is Chinese.So as it's CNY,expect further delays...

 yeah, buying from china can be a looong wait. took 7 weeks for my convenience module to arrive...

Thanks guys, starting to feel a bit better now.

 

Can I just ask who gets the bulbs glowing and who doesn't?, wondering if there is any pattern to who gets it and who doesn't?.

Hello chaps, awfully sorry for being away from this thread for so long!

 

Shame to hear that some buyers have been waiting a long time.

 

All I can say is that I have used this ebay seller on three occasions now, both for the T5 bulbs and other things.

 

Each time, I would say that the package normally arrives to my door about 2 to 3 weeks after placing the order. It's never bothered me because the things are so cheap, so a long wait is no problem. But as another poster has suggested, it may be that the chap is away. All I can say is that in my experience, I am happy.

 

 

WRT the 'always on but dimly' thing...hmm, dunno...seems a weird one?

 

As I said, mine are definitely not lit in any way, even dimly, with the brake 'off.' And even after this time since I fitted them - they still come on with total brightness when the brake is depressed.

 

My car is a '51 plate Octavia VRS...can only guess that later models might have a different wiring setup or something? 

 

My model has CANBUS for some systems, but I am pretty sure that the cabling to the lamp clusters is good old, old-fashioned normal power and earth feeds. Maybe later cars are CANBUS to the lamp clusters, which causes a problem? I don't know...

 

Best of luck to all though, please continue to post your experiences...