Is it possible to buy rear indicator LED bulbs and reversing bulbs that positively have to be coded as I have the latest VCDS so may as well use the proper bulbs and not "so called" CanBus friendly bulbs?

Yes you can, I find that those bulbs don’t need coding to turn the bulb warning off but the channels are available to accept LED’s being used instead. I have them in mine

Can you post some links Shasha as all the ones I find appear to have some sort of resistor fitted - not sure about Osram though.

Edited 18 May, 20206 yr by YMe

This just sounds like being awkward for the sake of being awkward.

LED indicators and Reversing lights fitted - no coding, zero errors and they just work. Why code something when you don't need to.

"So called" Canbus friendly bulbs are just that - Canbus friendly.

Edited 19 May, 20206 yr by Stoofa

Mainly because I don't want the bulbs with the resistors if I don't have to have them.

 

Perhaps somebody can help here.

1. A filament bulb uses a set amount of energy.
2. An LED bulb with a resistor uses the same amount of energy?
3. An LED bulb coded no resistor uses a lot less energy?
4. So how much energy does a coded, resistor fitted LED bulb use?

I don’t think the amount of energy comes into it. It’s the resistance in the circuit. 
 

can you tell I don’t really know what I’m talking about? 😄

Edited 19 May, 20206 yr by SC03OTT

17 minutes ago, YMe said:

Mainly because I don't want the bulbs with the resistors if I don't have to have them.

 

Perhaps somebody can help here.

1. A filament bulb uses a set amount of energy.
2. An LED bulb with a resistor uses the same amount of energy?
3. An LED bulb coded no resistor uses a lot less energy?
4. So how much energy does a coded, resistor fitted LED bulb use?

2. Yes, the energy goes as heat into the resistor.

3. Yes, LEDs are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs.

4. Almost the same as an incandescent bulb - and coding it as an LED is unnecessary (and may cause an error as the energy drain is much higher than expected for an LED).

Edited 19 May, 20206 yr by PetrolDave

And that energy drain on 4 bulbs, 2 of which rarely switch on and 2 of which are off more often than on is going to be making "massive differences" to the overall power drain on the system.

I mean, if you want to do something "green" than using 4 LED's instead of 4 filament bulbs is really going to make zero difference to....well.....anything.

 

It's like there are literally 10s of posts where you could click a link and purchase a bulb that "just works". Literally slam it in and it'll work.

Or you can go out of your way to find a bulb that doesn't work, that throws up an error just so you can code it away.

 

I think people are going a little stir crazy.

10 hours ago, Stoofa said:

"So called" Canbus friendly bulbs are just that - Canbus friendly.

 

Well it's becuase they aren't 'CAN-bus friendly', nor can they be as a bulb has no CAN-bus communication to it...

 

It's more accurate to say 'bulb monitoring friendly', but even then I'd dispute the friendly part. The way to fool the bulb monitoring circuitry is to present a load that pretends to be a 21W halogen bulb. The most common method is to add a resistor between the postivie/negative connections of the bulb.

 

The issue with the resistors are they are potencially consuming 21W of power, this power is all converted to heat and unlike a halogen, will be contained within the bulb. This can cause overheating, melting the bulb, bulb socket or even the cluster. Just consider how big the seperate load resitors are, they are this size to disapate the heat! Some cheaper bulbs have gotten hot enough to melt the solder holding the resistor.

 

Obviously for indicators overheating is probably not much of an issue but for reversing lights or other functions, it could be...

 

It's your right to choose what you fit. I would always advise a quality, branded LED, ideally without being 'CAN-bus friendly' and then coding to remove bulb out warnings if needed.

 

38 minutes ago, YMe said:

Perhaps somebody can help here.

1. A filament bulb uses a set amount of energy.
2. An LED bulb with a resistor uses the same amount of energy?
3. An LED bulb coded no resistor uses a lot less energy?
4. So how much energy does a coded, resistor fitted LED bulb use?

 

1. More or less, yes.

2. It'll depend how closely it mimics a halogen bulb, but possibly, yes.

3. No - it should use the same amount of energy regardless of the coding.

4. Possibly upto 21W.

 

The coding is mostly to tell the bulb monitoring circuitry what to expect. It shouldn't change the current that the bulb or LED can draw although it may enable PWM or similar which will reduce energy usage.

The resistance of an incandescent filament is very, very different when cold/off versus hot/on. 

 

This may explain why there are so many SNAFUs with LED bulb replacement.  

 

The car may be trying to measure one or the other condition, or possibly even both with its bulb monitoring (or just the bulb driving IC) systems.  Coding to tell the car what is on the end of the wires no doubt helps...

 

Bugger all to do with CAN communication bus though. 

Thanks for all the input everyone. Can anyone provide a link to good quality bulbs with resistors or not.

 

Another question occurs - if I install a bulb that requires a resistor but don't fit the resistor but do code the bulb channel to LED should this satisfy the bulb failure circuitry?

 

8 hours ago, SC03OTT said:

I don’t think the amount of energy comes into it. It’s the resistance in the circuit. 
 

can you tell I don’t really know what I’m talking about? 😄

 

You and me both!!!😁

 

 

8 hours ago, Stoofa said:

..........................................I think people are going a little stir crazy.

 

So true. After watching paint dry and reading about my pension provision what else is there?

Edited 19 May, 20206 yr by YMe

I have...

 

Indicators - https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/philips-x-tremeultinon-led-gen2-py21w-twin

 

 

Reverse (these are actually in the post just now) - https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/philips-x-tremeultinon-led-gen2-p21w-6000k-twin

 

 

Pricey? Yes. But I didn’t want Alibaba specials. Meh. 

26 minutes ago, YMe said:

If I install a bulb that requires a resistor but don't fit the resistor but do code the bulb channel to LED should this satisfy the bulb failure circuitry?

Almost certainly.

39 minutes ago, SC03OTT said:

I have...

 

Indicators - https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/philips-x-tremeultinon-led-gen2-py21w-twin

 

 

Reverse (these are actually in the post just now) - https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/philips-x-tremeultinon-led-gen2-p21w-6000k-twin

 

 

Pricey? Yes. But I didn’t want Alibaba specials. Meh. 

 

Did you use the canbus adapter that Philips says comes with this indicator bulb?

 

I see a potential purchase coming here!😀

Just now, YMe said:

 

Did you use the canbus adapter that Philips says comes with this indicator bulb?

 

I see a potential purchase coming here!😀

No. I coded them. 

Thanks. Purchase is going ahead.

This is so damned annoying. Yesterday I found the VCDS German names for reverse lights and turn signal indicator - I even saved them but b*gg*red if I can find the note I made now.

 

Can anyone help which leuchts for reverse bulbs and which leuchts for rear indicators bulb

 

Thanks peeps.

Edited 19 May, 20206 yr by YMe

Just found them in the Admap I did in 2017 when I bought the car.