Adaptive xenon headlights possible on FL

[langers2k]

It's been mentioned a few times over the years that the xenon equipped Octavia was marketed as having AFS2 (adaptive front lighting system) but never had the AHL (adaptive headlights) modes like the MK2 Superb.

 

Turns out they can be enabled!

 

All that's needed is to recode the xenon range module (then realign the xenon's) and you're good to go. Credit goes to Berryman and a few others as they've been working to decode the lcode on 5M0907357C modules. He kindly provided me with the code I've used so it's not my creation.

 

I logged a drive tonight with VCDS to see what happened with the new lcode. We have speed, steering angle and both horizontal/vertical angle of each headlight shown:

 

 

The data has been adjusted to make it easier to show on a single graph.

 

It's easy to spot that:

- The self-levelling system is constantly adjusting the headlight aim, the biggest adjustments during acceleration/braking

- Dynamic corning lights (bending xenons) working on steering input

- City mode moving the right headlight out and down

- Motorway mode moving both headlights up and the right headlight slightly out

- Rain mode is untested as it's dry here tonight

 

As it's sill not completely clear how the lcode works so I'm not going to add which I used but I'm happy to chat over PM if anyone is interested.

 

For more info about AHL, here is an extract from the MK2 Superb manual:

Quote

 

Out of town mode

The “out of town” mode is a basic mode. The dispersion of the cone of light in front of the vehicle is similar to the low beam. The mode is active if none of the following modes are active.

 

Rain mode

In the “rain” mode the dispersion of the cone of light in front of the vehicle is wider and the width of illumination is shorter, so that during bad weather (rain) the dazzling of the oncoming drivers can be reduced.

 

City mode

In the “city” mode, the dispersion of the cone of light in front of the vehicle is wider and the width of illumination is shorter. The aim is to illuminate also the adjacent footpaths,crossings, pedestrian crossings, etc. The mode is active at speeds of 15-50 km/h.

 

Motorway mode

In the “motorway” mode, the dispersion of the cone of light is adapted so that it also illuminates the left (or right) lane of the motorway, so that the driver can react in time to an obstacle or any other danger. The mode is activated gradually from a speed of 90 km/h. It is most effective at speeds above 120 km/h.

 

Edited 8 November, 2017 by langers2k

[Eddie-NL]

Nice find for when I get mine done

 

PM over the findings so I can have a look

[philbes]

So the 'Motorway' mode is most effective at speeds that are illegal in the UK!

[Eddie-NL]

So the 'Motorway' mode is most effective at speeds that are illegal in the UK!

it says most effective at 120 kph so around 74mph

[philbes]

it says most effective at 120 kph so around 74mph

So the 'Motorway' mode is most effective at a speed that is illegal in the UK!  I agree a driver is highly unlikely to be prosecuted for driving at that speed.

 

The manual does state, "The mode is activated gradually from a speed of 90 km/h. It is most effective at speeds above 120 km/h."  So it seems likely that much of the benefit will be obtained at legal motorway speeds.

 

My reference to the 70mph UK motorway limit was intended to be tongue in cheek.

[JR RS]

that's good news!!

 

care to share more details regarding the VCDS coding to enable AHL?

[langers2k]

that's good news!!

 

care to share more details regarding the VCDS coding to enable AHL?

 

I'll drop you a PM

[johnrowley]

Can you send me the coding too please

I have a 2015 Vrs

Many thanks

John

[langers2k]

I have a 2015 Vrs

 

The 2015 will have a different AFS controller, probably a 7P6907357A/D which has a much longer lcode so the info I have won't help.

 

I think it'll already do AFS/AHL assuming the switch is in the auto position and you aren't in eco mode.

[johnrowley]

Ah

Ok that probably explains the often wacky headlamp movements then !!

Many thanks

[Alexius727]

@langers2k sir i too have an octavia mk2 with the 1.8tsi motor and would like to upgrade my cars headlamps to the adaptive xenon headlamps. Would you please share the VCDS coding for me to activate it on my car and in case if its not much trouble direct me to a place where i can get the whole headlamp cluster. 

[langers2k]

@Alexius727 - Drop me an autoscan and I'll take a look.

 

I got my headlights new from an eBay seller. You can either try eBay, car breakers, or order brand new ones at a dealer/automotive parts shop. Try and get headlights with both control modules attached, one is the xenon ballast and the other is the AFS slave.

 

Just remember that to make the xenons work properly, you'll also need to fit a xenon range controller and level sensors on the front/rear suspension. If you don't fit these, you won't be able to adjust the headlight range at all. The range adjustment dial near the headlight switch will not work with xenons.

 

Ideally you should also fit headlight washers but that's your call.

 

Few pictures of the install are here: 

 

[dilksie]

Could you PM me the coding? I'd like to enable this on my car. 

[Stevie D]

Likewise - Could you PM me the VCDS coding? I'd like to enable this on my Scout - currently has factory xenon lamps...

 

Many thanks' in advance ;-)

 

Steve

[chrisund123]

I've got a 59 plate L&K with factory HID's - could I enable this with vcds?

[langers2k]

Drop me a PM with an autoscan and I'll take a look and offer any advise I can

[trevh]

Thanks Langers2k.  You have finally explained the behaviour of the Xenons on my 2015 MK3 Octavia Scout which has annoyed me ever since I bought it.

In Australia we drive on the left like you and I could never understand why at low speed the right headlight points to the right at town speed.  What I see is the lights swing to the right  as normal when I first turn right then stay offset to the right until I come to a stop or speed up.

So this must be remnant of the cars being set up for LHD drive in Europe and not being converted to RHD?  I can see that at town speeds it might help to have the near side light pointing at the edge of the road - the RH light in LHD - but it makes no sense to me to have the Offside light pointing at the oncoming traffic as it does on my RHD car.

Any Idea whether there is coding to swap this behaviour to the LH headlight so it is more appropriate for RHD cars?

 

Trevor

MIrboo, Vic, Australia

 

[Phil-E]

On my LHD car my left headlight drops down and to the right (into the oncoming traffic). So this sounds like the complete mirror image of what the RHD cars do.

 

It's perfectly normal and the light sits low enough that it doesn't dazzle oncoming cars.

 

The point being is that in the city (since it's city mode) while driving slowly you don't need as much light pointing far ahead of the car but it's more advantageous to illuminate the sides immediately In front of the car to help show pedestrians etc better.

[trevh]

Phil, Accept that it is a good idea to illuminate the roadside near the car where there are pedestrians, animals, cyclists power and light poles and all sorts of other obstacles that a driver needs to be able to see.  I cannot understand how canting the drivers side headlight out and down achieves this.  This position will either have cars in the outer lane on a two lane carriageway or oncoming traffic on a two way road.  At night the objects in this position, by law, have to have lights on them and drivers will be aware of them because they are sharing the road.  That is where the drivers attention is as they navigate their car.  Surely illuminating objects that are on the edge of the road like cyclists or potholes or off the road and capable of moving onto the road like children, animals or pedestrians before they move onto the road makes more sense.  Sounds like Škoda have got this little bit of cleverness arse about to me.

 

Trevor

Edited 4 March, 2021 by trevh

[langers2k]

21 hours ago, trevh said:

So this must be remnant of the cars being set up for LHD drive in Europe and not being converted to RHD?

 

As Phil mentioned, it's working as designed for your RHD car, it would be reversed on a LHD 

 

7 hours ago, trevh said:

[I] Accept that it is a good idea to illuminate the roadside near the car where there are pedestrians, animals, cyclists power and light poles and all sorts of other obstacles that a driver needs to be able to see.  I cannot understand how canting the drivers side headlight out and down achieves this.

 

My understanding of the design choice is as follows...

 

The RHD ECE cutoff is the sort of shape below (where the vertical lines represent straight forwards):

______      ______
      \______     \______

      |           |
      |           |
      |           |

 

As default, given the step, it will always illuminate the nearside side curb, including any pedestrians, bushes, ninja cats, signs etc. However, there will be very little illumination on the offside curb.

 

To try and improve this, the offside light moves slightly to illuminate the offside, poorly lit curb. A bit like this:

______
      \______   ______
                      \______
      |           |
      |           |
      |           |

 

This means the main hot spot of the light is pointing towards the offside curb and should help illuminate any pedestrians, bushes, ninja cats, signs etc which were hiding. By moving down, it shouldn't cause any significant glare to oncoming drivers either.

 

As for it's usefulness, it'll depend on what urban environments you drive in:

- in a well lit city, you probably won't notice it

- on wide or multilane roads, it won't help

- on narrower residential streets is where it's designed to 'shine'

- in fog it just looks odd

 

The UK, Europe and Australia have different environments and it's more useful in some than others.

 

At least for me, it was only 'helpful' down quieter, poorly lit, narrow residential roads. Mostly as pedestrians could be on either side and would step off the curb without checking properly or even just walk in the road

[trevh]

Ok Langers2k, that is a reasonable explanation I guess.  Certainly in rural Victoria and the parts of Melbourne that frequent it is more annoying than useful. 

Otherwise I find the Xenons really good. For a number of years I have upgraded the lights in various Peugeots to HID with success.  So I was really pleased that the Skoda came with Xenons standard and the adaptive functios were a bonus.  I do have a Ross-Tech VCDS and have tried to get auto high beam working without success. Apparently there is a problem in Australia and it is locked out.

 

Trevor

[langers2k]

Assuming you have an appropriate front facing camera, auto high beam should work...

 

Feel free to drop me an autoscan in a PM and I'll take a look for anything obvious to get it going.

[Phil-E]

There's actually a road that I use regularly to our house where this comes in handy.

 

Since it's a dark road that runs parallel with a railway line. Cars park on the right and on the left are houses, a path and driveways and side roads (where people tend to come flying out of since it's a funny road where traffic merging from the right has priority over the main road.

 

Since the headlights are usually illuminating the right hand side, having the extra light towards the left really helps. If nothing else but to throw additional light towards the side roads so cars see you sooner.

[setepai]

Hello, can I do that with Launch diagnostics?

[Speedy81]

HI langers2k, can you PM me the codecs. I have 2009 FL Octavia VRS (RHD)