I recently bought a '14 2.0Tdi (not xenon/HID), and was wondering what type of bulb the DRLs are. The manual doesn't seem to detail the bulb types.

Also, would they be a straight swap for these LED bulbs you see on eBay, or is there more to it?

Unfortunately not a simple case of replacing some LED bulbs. I think factory DRL's are like a Cree LED lighting strip built in to the headlight.

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The DRL is a second filament (with its own small reflector) within the high beams bulb. You could replace the high beam bulb with another of the color you want, or you would have to wire in and program a proper LED DRL.

The DRL is a second filament (with its own small reflector) within the high beams bulb. You could replace the high beam bulb with another of the color you want, or you would have to wire in and program a proper LED DRL.

What type of bulb would that be then? All the websites I've visited show the high beam bulb as being a bog standard H7 when I put in my vehicle reg (although I've often found these to be wrong).

It should be a H15, the H7 is only for the dipped beam.

Andy, the Main beam/DRL's bulb is a H15, the dipped are H7 and if you want the same colour/Temp for all front lights the fogs are H8

 

I did some time ago find LEDperform sold me a set of 4,350k bulbs that all look great but, you have to play with the DRL's output in VCDS to get the same colour as when in sidelight mode they are dimmer, its all on here http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/328575-better-bulbs-for-mk3-headlights/?p=4014937

Edited 30 December, 201510 yr by themanwithnoaim

Only slightly related to this thread but WHY, OH WHY don't the DVLA get their arses in gear and type approve LED upgrade bulbs so they can be E marked and consequently pass a UK MOT. They're such a sensible and cost effective upgrade compared to incandescent bulbs.

I just bought some 'blue tinted' H15's and H7's to give a White(ish) look to my headlights, as replacing the Headlights with LED's, if the car didn't come with them, is an MOT failure!

 

The H15's are a tad more expensive than H7's (or even H4's) but a load cheaper than the LED equivalents.

You could put some aftermarket drls into the grille, would be cheaper than a new headlamp.

On 01/06/2024 at 09:32, Mr_Fube said:

Only slightly related to this thread but WHY, OH WHY don't the DVLA get their arses in gear and type approve LED upgrade bulbs so they can be E marked and consequently pass a UK MOT. They're such a sensible and cost effective upgrade compared to incandescent bulbs.

I believe the issue is that reflectors and lenses designed for incandescent bulbs are not correctly focused for LEDs - which will often cause unacceptable light scatter/glare.

Edited 4 June, 20242 yr by Warrior193
added information

Yeah for headlamps but led on any other lighting is ok.

12 hours ago, Warrior193 said:

I believe the issue is that reflectors and lenses designed for incandescent bulbs are not correctly focused for LEDs - which will often cause unacceptable light scatter/glare.

Actually, while it certainly was the case that the majority of LED bulbs claiming to be replacements for H7, H4 etc. used to have different form factors such that the light-emitting part of the bulb was positioned differently compared to the position of the filament in an incandescent bulb, therefore giving off a sometimes wildly different throw of light from the same headlight reflector - it is now possible to find LED bulbs which are true plug-and-play replacements, which have neither the bulky voltage adaptors at the back which would make it impossible to screw the dust cover cap over the back of the headlight unit, nor have the light-emitting part of the LED bulb in a different position so they DO actually have the same throw pattern of light as the OEM halogen equivalent. I found some on Amazon which lived up to this claim, and they were brilliant... but still an MOT failure because they are not E-marked. 

If anyone is interested, these are what I bought for my last car. Tested myself in the dark with one LED bulb in one side and the original halogen in the other headlight shining on my garage door. The throw pattern was the same, but a slightly sharper edge to the throw pattern on the LED rather than the more gradual fade off of the halogen. The LED was of course much brighter and whiter. For my last car I bought the H4 LED bulbs, but obviously for the Octavia, it's H7's and H15's which I can't vouch for personally, although the manufacturer makes the same claims for all their bulbs - I can only personally vouch for the H4's.
SinoParcel direct LED replacement bulbs

2 minutes ago, Mr_Fube said:

Actually, while it certainly was the case that the majority of LED bulbs claiming to be replacements for H7, H4 etc. used to have different form factors such that the light-emitting part of the bulb was positioned differently compared to the position of the filament in an incandescent bulb, therefore giving off a sometimes wildly different throw of light from the same headlight reflector - it is now possible to find LED bulbs which are true plug-and-play replacements, which have neither the bulky voltage adaptors at the back which would make it impossible to screw the dust cover cap over the back of the headlight unit, nor have the light-emitting part of the LED bulb in a different position so they DO actually have the same throw pattern of light as the OEM halogen equivalent. I found some on Amazon which lived up to this claim, and they were brilliant... but still an MOT failure because they are not E-marked. 

If anyone is interested, these are what I bought for my last car. Tested myself in the dark with one LED bulb in one side and the original halogen in the other headlight shining on my garage door. The throw pattern was the same, but a slightly sharper edge to the throw pattern on the LED rather than the more gradual fade off of the halogen. The LED was of course much brighter and whiter. For my last car I bought the H4 LED bulbs, but obviously for the Octavia, it's H7's and H15's which I can't vouch for personally, although the manufacturer makes the same claims for all their bulbs - I can only personally vouch for the H4's.
SinoParcel direct LED replacement bulbs

In which case, the manufacturer should not have an issue in obtaining the necessary certification for them - have they done that?

11 hours ago, Blue8793841 said:

Yeah for headlamps but led on any other lighting is ok.

Yes, you're correct. I noticed the (UK) government guidelines have been updated in April 2024 and now allow LED bulbs in rear lights, brake lights and indicators... but still not for Headlights (High or Low beam) - unless the whole headlight cluster was designed and built for LEDS straight from the factory. However prior to April 2024, the government guidelines excluded the use of LED bulbs in all external lights unless they were designed that way and were OEM fitted. That's a step in the right direction. 

12 minutes ago, Warrior193 said:

In which case, the manufacturer should not have an issue in obtaining the necessary certification for them - have they done that?

Unfortunately, I don't think so. It seems that it's quite a gnarly and complicated issue. I found this article online about it, which seems very informative and includes further links on the subject:
Are LED headlights legal in the UK?

I wouldn't necessarily advocate this approach, but you could of course keep some halogen bulbs in the glovebox for when the MOT comes around and use LEDs for the rest of the year. But if you were to have an accident and put in an insurance claim, your insurance company might (if they even discover this) try and leverage the use of non-road-legal headlight bulbs as a reason not to uphold your claim. I know that some of the motorcycling fraternity do something similar with aftermarket exhausts - put the Decibel killers in for the MOT and then take them out again for the rest of the year. Most aftermarket exhaust manufacturers include removable decibel-killers for that purpose.. so it seems to be a widely used get-around. (Not me, I hasten to add - I just have the stock OEM exhaust on my motorbike! I like to be able to get on with my neighbours).

The very valid point that unless the LED replacement has been fully tested and certified as being compliant, there is a distinct possibility of dazzling other road users.

Certification is critical, I can't imagine anyone would countenance purchasing, say, a child's toy that may have been coated with leaded paint - or an item that contained asbestos.