Licence plate lights

[Kendob]

I have been getting a 'check your licence lights' warning for a couple of weeks but a mixture of weather and laziness has meant that I did nothing about it till now.

 

The symptoms have been getting progressively worse and has now spread to the auto lights apparently being faulty.  (My hope is that one is messing up the other).

 

Went to have a look today and it seems the previous owner spec'd the special 'LED upgrade' units manufactured by that well known OEM supplier blueseatec. 

 

I don't see any product code on them so that I can just replace them and hope everything goes back to working.  They look pretty fogged up and generally of pretty crap quality.  If I just order OEM bulbs and lenses is it likely that I will need to get the car recoded?

 

O and one of the securing clips pinged off and is now rattling around in the tailgate.  Anybody have experience of trying to get the trim off (Power boot).

 

What a pain in the arse.

[pist0nbr0ke]

The Octavia never had an official LED upgrade IIRC. They are likely aftermarket units. If you have not had an error previously, they may have a resistor fitted which is causing issues, or they may have been coded with VCDS. If they have been coded, they will not throw a warning whether you replace with standard units or new LED's.

 

Resistors are never a good idea IMO. Search on here and you'll find lots of posts re OEM LED replacements from the Rapid etc., and coding with VCDS if required.

 

Removing the boot trim is not too difficult - remove the Torx screw through the handle/strap, and then carefully prise the cover off starting at the bottom near the latch. There's a helpful post here. A cheap set of trim tools might be a worthwhile investment to avoid damage. As mentioned in the linked post, be careful with the wiring for the power tailgate!

 

 

[Kendob]

1 hour ago, pist0nbr0ke said:

The Octavia never had an official LED upgrade IIRC. They are likely aftermarket units. If you have not had an error previously, they may have a resistor fitted which is causing issues, or they may have been coded with VCDS. If they have been coded, they will not throw a warning whether you replace with standard units or new LED's.

 

Resistors are never a good idea IMO. Search on here and you'll find lots of posts re OEM LED replacements from the Rapid etc., and coding with VCDS if required.

 

Removing the boot trim is not too difficult - remove the Torx screw through the handle/strap, and then carefully prise the cover off starting at the bottom near the latch. There's a helpful post here. A cheap set of trim tools might be a worthwhile investment to avoid damage. As mentioned in the linked post, be careful with the wiring for the power tailgate!

 

 

Thanks that's all great info!

 

I was being sarcastic about the lights.  :-)

 

Would the resistors be placed elsewhere or could the be part of the unit?  On first glance the loom doesn't seem to be touched.

[Kendob]

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Edited 21 February, 2017 by Kendob
Dbl post

[pist0nbr0ke]

22 minutes ago, Kendob said:

Thanks that's all great info!

 

I was being sarcastic about the lights.  :-)

 

Would the resistors be placed elsewhere or could the be part of the unit?  On first glance the loom doesn't seem to be touched.

 

Not 100% sure, I've never used them, but I would think they will be very close to the unit. Post a picture?

[Kendob]

9 minutes ago, pist0nbr0ke said:

 

Not 100% sure, I've never used them, but I would think they will be very close to the unit. Post a picture?

Thanks will do, will get on to the stealership and see what they want for a couple of units.

[pist0nbr0ke]

Check out this thread, TPS may be cheaper:

 

 

[Kendob]

5N0943021B

 

I think this is the standard replacement OEM part no?

 

Can anybody confirm?

[ahenners]

12 minutes ago, Kendob said:

5N0943021B

 

I think this is the standard replacement OEM part no?

 

Can anybody confirm?

 

Just checked the ones I ripped out (replaced with the OE Rapid LED units) and the part number was 5N0943021A. Not sure what's different between A and B versions.

 

edit* Yes looks correct... seems the A version is the previous revision https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-volkswagen-audi-parts/license-plate-light-assembly/5n0943021b/

Edited 21 February, 2017 by ahenners

[Kendob]

1 minute ago, ahenners said:

 

Just checked the ones I ripped out (replaced with the OE Rapid LED units) and the part number was 5N0943021A. Not sure what's different between A and B versions.

 

Did you have to VCDS or add resistors?

 

I'm not hugely bothered LED or OEM I just don't want the display moaning at me the whole time.

 

[ahenners]

1 minute ago, Kendob said:

 

Did you have to VCDS or add resistors?

 

I'm not hugely bothered LED or OEM I just don't want the display moaning at me the whole time.

 

 

Yes coded with OBDEleven (like VCDS) before fitting to avoid warning errors. They do look much better in my opinion, and weren't overly expensive (about £17 delivered from CZ).

[Kendob]

Replacement OEM bits has fixed that problem, still have a Auto headlight fault warning.  Headlights are still fully functional guess they will just be human controlled until the next service.

 

Thanks everybody.

[safire]

Any instructions how to open them ? i guess i know how take them off but from which side should i push the metal flap with a flat screwdriver ?

Edited 24 February, 2017 by safire

[ChrisWvRS]

2 hours ago, safire said:

Any instructions how to open them ? i guess i know how take them off but from which side should i push the metal flap with a flat screwdriver ?

 

I used a plastic removal tool to not scratch the paint, but if you're using a screwdriver I'd recommend using a cloth or something over the end. Just insert the screwdriver on the left hand side and gently try pop them out. I did mine in literally 10 seconds each.