DRL '' retrofit '' in the headlight with P21W

[LordHefner]

Originally Posted by M-A8

Hi Mark
I know how you feel mate, but you will have it sorted very soon.

Soooo, first question: have you got DAB?? If not, are you going to have one??
Why?? Well, best result you will achieve by fitting P21Ws with all CREE leds like in this link http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-P21W-50...item3f252e500a

...but, it's reported that CREE leds are causing some problems with digital reception, I think digital TV.

If you do have or planning to retrofit, then P21Ws with all SMD chips is your only solution, but they are not as good as CREE, lifetime wise and quality of the light.

Best sidelight I've ever fitted are the one from this link below, 2 years on and no problems at all, the construction is ideal for LEDs as there is no way 'head' will desolder it self from the base because of the heat and weight of the 'head' over the time. Main core is one piece of pcb and second one just slots in, very very solid. And they fit perfectly
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3706414008...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Wiring, it's really very simple, just connect sidelight's positive wire with DRL's positive, sidelight-red DRL-white, like on the picture if THIS thread, but page 1.
Then all you do is change one digit in the headlights coding, from Bi-Xenons with separate P21W halogen to Bi-Xenons with LED DRL. This way you wont get any errors because of fitting lower wattage LEDs, no resistors needed and if you code them as LED they will dim when you switch to main beam, like the original LEDS do.

I think it's one of the best lights mod you can do. See attached the most recent picture after upgrading to full CREE LEDS, plus on page one you have a comparison of LED vs halogen

Right in reply to your message I have simply just been and bought both sets of those lights as let's be fair when my headlamps get sorted I want to be seeing something for my money... I'm a firm believe in having something for what you spend, and even if I had my dream car set up exactly as I'd want it... if I smacked it around the next corner and it went off to be repair, my spending out on it would mean it would have to come back looking different, as to have back what you had before you spent out is madness in my opinion!

I do have DAB but no TV tuner (Yet! maybe one day!) and tend to listen to Radio 2 all day using FM

So I've got two set of bulbs, the D2's I already have to go in are 6,000k lights and they are new, I now have these side lights, and also the the P21W's as per your link. I have a new Ballast for my passenger headlamp, and you've already given me the correct coding for the headlamps I have to be changed to be recognised in my car. Awesome, I'm slowly but surely getting there. (I will be changing fog lights also, but not vital right at this very moment) So the clamping of the two positive wires is so that one activates the dimming of the other is that correct, am I getting that? Because I did wonder the other day with regards to the headlamps and what I should do as obviously these modern cars, when they have their indicators going the LED light in that headlamps dims for the duration on the indicator being switched on (not just whilst it's flashing) and wondered if that was something else I had to do, or if it's not a common thing to do, whether or not anyone has attempted to do it. Presumably it would be some sort of positive feed from the indicator feeding across into the main day time running lights of the same headlamp?

Presumably because I'm Auto electrically retarded and understand the basics, me and Scott with a tester should be able to breeze through this? However if not I've got Teamviewer on my laptop should you wish to peak in and make sure we are doing the right thing

The LED's I originally bought to go in my car was these THESE but sadly they just didn't quite fit through the opening in the headlamps However I had them on CC by VW and at dusk looking at them and turning away would leave the image burnt into your eyes for about five seconds before vision would return properly

Regards, Mark.

[M-A8]

Originally Posted by LordHefner

Right in reply to your message I have simply just been and bought both sets of those lights as let's be fair when my headlamps get sorted I want to be seeing something for my money... I'm a firm believe in having something for what you spend, and even if I had my dream car set up exactly as I'd want it... if I smacked it around the next corner and it went off to be repair, my spending out on it would mean it would have to come back looking different, as to have back what you had before you spent out is madness in my opinion!

I do have DAB but no TV tuner (Yet! maybe one day!) and tend to listen to Radio 2 all day using FM

So I've got two set of bulbs, the D2's I already have to go in are 6,000k lights and they are new, I now have these side lights, and also the the P21W's as per your link. I have a new Ballast for my passenger headlamp, and you've already given me the correct coding for the headlamps I have to be changed to be recognised in my car. Awesome, I'm slowly but surely getting there. (I will be changing fog lights also, but not vital right at this very moment) So the clamping of the two positive wires is so that one activates the dimming of the other is that correct, am I getting that? Because I did wonder the other day with regards to the headlamps and what I should do as obviously these modern cars, when they have their indicators going the LED light in that headlamps dims for the duration on the indicator being switched on (not just whilst it's flashing) and wondered if that was something else I had to do, or if it's not a common thing to do, whether or not anyone has attempted to do it. Presumably it would be some sort of positive feed from the indicator feeding across into the main day time running lights of the same headlamp?

Presumably because I'm Auto electrically retarded and understand the basics, me and Scott with a tester should be able to breeze through this? However if not I've got Teamviewer on my laptop should you wish to peak in and make sure we are doing the right thing

The LED's I originally bought to go in my car was these THESE but sadly they just didn't quite fit through the opening in the headlamps However I had them on CC by VW and at dusk looking at them and turning away would leave the image burnt into your eyes for about five seconds before vision would return properly

Regards, Mark.

Hmmmm....CREE LEDs do reportedly affect DAB signal, haven't seen it my self. If you don't listen DAB, just Analogue then you'll be fine.
If you need to switch to DAB, this isn't ideal solution, but then you can quickly switch DRLs off via MMI.

SMDs from your link are way too big, well, they should be round not square as the hole is very tight.

Additional wiring is nothing else than making two bulbs to be seen as just one by the system, same loop. Original headlights with LED DRLs don't have sidelights.
Sidelights job is done by the actual LEDs by dimming them to like 10% level of brightness.
So all you do by wiring them two is cheating the computer and telling it you have LED DRLs, this way, as you do have actually LEDs installed, system is detecting the right current consumption and in result of that yo do not have any no bulb errors.

They won't dim while indicator is on. I may not be correct, by they do only when a DRL LED strip is close to indicator. Because original LEDs are very bright, they make indicator less visible when DRL is very close to them.
In A/S8s the actual LED DRL is on the other side of the headlight.

So, you don't need to wire indicator with your DRLs , you'll be absolutely fine and legal.

What brand are the 6000k D2S?? If you got them off eBay for a very attractive price and they are Phillips then please be careful, I've read a lot about eBay being flooded with fakes from China which are poor. If you paid something like 40quid or 60 then the chances are pretty high. I'm not trying to put you off or pick on your choice, just to warn you to not do the same job twice if they are fake and you wont be happy with them as they are bas ta rds to replace.

If you want something more blue than a standard 4350k Xenons, the go for GE 8000k which are around 75quid only, surprising good price but genuine and quality.

[snapdragon]

Hi, I had problems with the 50w cree lights and my DAB tuner - took me ages to get to the bottom of my bad reception.

It would cut out with them on or sound like bubbling mud. They also caused a slight hiss on FM but I didn't really listed to FM
I think this was because they had inverters in them that kept the brightness contstant* (they stayed bright when cranking) but it gave off interference.

In the end they burned out in hot weather, so I bought 80w cree from HSUN on aliexpress, look pretty similar to the 50w but so far have lasted longer and don't affect the DAB at all but when cranking the engine they flash and flicker and go dim but no problem.

*When the car dimmed them for use at night the 50w bulbs did go dim as it uses pulse width modulation (flashing on and off ~100 times a second) rather than lowering the voltage.

Also, for anyone searching google about DAB interference, some of the smaller USB cigar lighter chargers also cause interference as they also have inverters in them.

[Johnmed]

Good read. Thanks for all the groundwork lads.

[Ant]

I want to do exactly what M-A8 has done to his lights. Would it be possible for someone to post the links to purchase the bulbs please. I don't have DRL's fitted. Am I right in thinking that the sidelight will act as the DRL in this instance..??...also is there anyone living near Swansea who could do the Vcds bit for me. Willing to pay obviously.