08 A6 Headlight upgrade to 09 A6 Headlight with LED DRL
12-18-2011, 08:57 PM
#161
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is this the holder you guys talk about?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hella-D3S-Xe...ht_2294wt_1270
or this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400227566617...ht_2488wt_1037
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hella-D3S-Xe...ht_2294wt_1270
or this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400227566617...ht_2488wt_1037
12-29-2011, 06:49 PM
#162
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CEIFRO-NEED UR HELP PLZ!
Hello Ceifro, i have a 2008 a6 as well and would like to purchase 09 LED HEADLIGHTS for them. Will they still work in my car without changing the PIN and setting up the computer? I don't really care if there are some error lights on, just as long as they work. But if you can plz tell me how to do the pin change and setup of computer to my email:
samgot23@yahoo.com
thanks!
:-)
samgot23@yahoo.com
thanks!
:-)
04-20-2012, 06:24 AM
#163
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I guess if you've got money to burn you could go and spend thousands... but I don't.
What I am looking at is a Poor Drivers solution like this:
http://www.ebay.nl/itm/330714498555?...84.m1438.l2648
and to control it all:
http://www.ebay.nl/itm/230778380125?...84.m1438.l2648
Maybe after a while I'll be able to afford the Audi Led System package (http://audiled.eu/sklep/catalog/prod...products_id=36) which is still a factor 10 to 12 more expensive than my above mentioned solution...
What I am looking at is a Poor Drivers solution like this:
http://www.ebay.nl/itm/330714498555?...84.m1438.l2648
and to control it all:
http://www.ebay.nl/itm/230778380125?...84.m1438.l2648
Maybe after a while I'll be able to afford the Audi Led System package (http://audiled.eu/sklep/catalog/prod...products_id=36) which is still a factor 10 to 12 more expensive than my above mentioned solution...
04-20-2012, 06:48 AM
#165
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04-20-2012, 07:27 AM
#166
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Yikes! To be forewarned is to be foretold I say. Thanks for the heads up.
Guess all that's left is either shelve out big bucks, try my luck on bumper LED's or just go do something else.
Guess all that's left is either shelve out big bucks, try my luck on bumper LED's or just go do something else.
04-23-2012, 07:42 AM
#167
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I see there's still a lot of interest in the LED DRLs, and will continue to be as this generation of A6 starts finding second and third owners.
Thought I'd share some thoughts.. And see if anyone wants me to write up the wiring changes.
First a warning: even OEM headlights from facelift '09 MY and the RS6 have heat problems that can lead to premature failure of the LED's. I found this out the hard way when I ordered a pair of facelift headlights from eBay. Unscrupulous dealers (or employees at these dealers) were selling these broken headlights that Audi replaced under warranty on '09 and '10 cars. The reason Audi replaced the whole thing: there's no way to repair the LED board once the headlight is assembled; the front lens is bonded to the housing. I tried baking them to soften the glue, blasting them with a heat gun, but no dice. Looks like an RTV silicone was used as the sealant, which does not reflow. I had to dremel one apart, and then I was able to confirm the LEDs themselves were the culprit. They are wired in series, so if just one fails, the whole array goes out. It sounds like Audiled.ie was buying these broken headlights, cutting them open, replacing the LEDs, then gluing them back together--but not good enough to keep water out... and then hacking in a few changes to make them kinda work like the '09 lights but in older cars, without wiring/coding changes.
So with that in mind, here's a log of what's different from pre-2009 to 2009+ headlights:
- Bulb and ballast change. Old bulb was D1S, new ones are D3S. Ballast is different, mounts differently, and the headlight housing has a different hole for routing the wires. Also there is a new bulb holder.
- Inner light: on old headlight, this is the DRL light. On new headlight, it depends: with AFS, it's a cornering light that comes on when turning past a certain point. Non-AFS, it's an auxiliary high beam, as I recall.
- Wire connector: physically the same, but some pin assignments changed
- Wiring from Central Elelctronics Module (CEM) to the headlights is different. To do things right, you'd really need to run an extra wire or two (depending on AFS/non-AFS) from the CEM to each headlight. This wire is for the DRL control signal, also shows up on the diagrams as a PWM (pulse-width modulation) signal. This is what allows the DRL to dim.
- Turn signal repeaters: on old, these are lights on each fender. On new, these are built into the mirrors. The CEM no longer controls the repeaters on '09+ (now handled by a door control module), so the pins on the CEM are repurposed to provide the PWM signal to the headlights. A coding change to the CEM is required to effect this change. To preserve the repeaters on the fenders, one solution is to splice into the turn signal wires for the headlights.
- Coding change to CEM module. There is also the possibility of having to replace the CEM for a newer one, since software changes were made along the way.
The RS6 headlights offer something of a compromise: they use the same bulb and ballast as the pre-09 A6, and additionally the inner bulb is a fog light instead of a cornering light, but everything else above still applies.
I no longer have my A6, but I still have some notes on what I changed... I can write those up, if anyone wants to see. One caveat tho: I was never able to resolve an error message, with my CEM coded like a 2009 model, I'd keep getting a main beam bulb error. Really stumped on this one, because on the Bentley diagram there are no connections shown for the main beam pins on the CEM side... Even though on my car at least, there were wires present at those locations. I could only guess that these wires routed to some bulkhead connector in the A-pillar, but then stopped there; probably done for commonality purposes on the factory line.
You have to really want to do this upgrade... Even putting the headlights in is involved, requiring removal of the front bumper cover. I accidentally broke a headlight washer hose connector in the process, adding more complication.
If you are thinking about upgrading from halogen, even more to do: different headlight connector, not enough wires from CEM to headlight, need to add auto-leveling sensors (at least on US models, all HID lights were also auto-leveling), recoding the CEM, and maybe even adding AFS modules... If you chose to add this. A lot of work. Much easier to get the $1000 option (or however much it is) when buying the car new. On the new new A6 (2012), I can't even imagine how much it will cost to go from halogen or HID to the all-LED headlights, but I'm sure people will try it.
So, let me know if you'd like to see my notes, and good luck.
Thought I'd share some thoughts.. And see if anyone wants me to write up the wiring changes.
First a warning: even OEM headlights from facelift '09 MY and the RS6 have heat problems that can lead to premature failure of the LED's. I found this out the hard way when I ordered a pair of facelift headlights from eBay. Unscrupulous dealers (or employees at these dealers) were selling these broken headlights that Audi replaced under warranty on '09 and '10 cars. The reason Audi replaced the whole thing: there's no way to repair the LED board once the headlight is assembled; the front lens is bonded to the housing. I tried baking them to soften the glue, blasting them with a heat gun, but no dice. Looks like an RTV silicone was used as the sealant, which does not reflow. I had to dremel one apart, and then I was able to confirm the LEDs themselves were the culprit. They are wired in series, so if just one fails, the whole array goes out. It sounds like Audiled.ie was buying these broken headlights, cutting them open, replacing the LEDs, then gluing them back together--but not good enough to keep water out... and then hacking in a few changes to make them kinda work like the '09 lights but in older cars, without wiring/coding changes.
So with that in mind, here's a log of what's different from pre-2009 to 2009+ headlights:
- Bulb and ballast change. Old bulb was D1S, new ones are D3S. Ballast is different, mounts differently, and the headlight housing has a different hole for routing the wires. Also there is a new bulb holder.
- Inner light: on old headlight, this is the DRL light. On new headlight, it depends: with AFS, it's a cornering light that comes on when turning past a certain point. Non-AFS, it's an auxiliary high beam, as I recall.
- Wire connector: physically the same, but some pin assignments changed
- Wiring from Central Elelctronics Module (CEM) to the headlights is different. To do things right, you'd really need to run an extra wire or two (depending on AFS/non-AFS) from the CEM to each headlight. This wire is for the DRL control signal, also shows up on the diagrams as a PWM (pulse-width modulation) signal. This is what allows the DRL to dim.
- Turn signal repeaters: on old, these are lights on each fender. On new, these are built into the mirrors. The CEM no longer controls the repeaters on '09+ (now handled by a door control module), so the pins on the CEM are repurposed to provide the PWM signal to the headlights. A coding change to the CEM is required to effect this change. To preserve the repeaters on the fenders, one solution is to splice into the turn signal wires for the headlights.
- Coding change to CEM module. There is also the possibility of having to replace the CEM for a newer one, since software changes were made along the way.
The RS6 headlights offer something of a compromise: they use the same bulb and ballast as the pre-09 A6, and additionally the inner bulb is a fog light instead of a cornering light, but everything else above still applies.
I no longer have my A6, but I still have some notes on what I changed... I can write those up, if anyone wants to see. One caveat tho: I was never able to resolve an error message, with my CEM coded like a 2009 model, I'd keep getting a main beam bulb error. Really stumped on this one, because on the Bentley diagram there are no connections shown for the main beam pins on the CEM side... Even though on my car at least, there were wires present at those locations. I could only guess that these wires routed to some bulkhead connector in the A-pillar, but then stopped there; probably done for commonality purposes on the factory line.
You have to really want to do this upgrade... Even putting the headlights in is involved, requiring removal of the front bumper cover. I accidentally broke a headlight washer hose connector in the process, adding more complication.
If you are thinking about upgrading from halogen, even more to do: different headlight connector, not enough wires from CEM to headlight, need to add auto-leveling sensors (at least on US models, all HID lights were also auto-leveling), recoding the CEM, and maybe even adding AFS modules... If you chose to add this. A lot of work. Much easier to get the $1000 option (or however much it is) when buying the car new. On the new new A6 (2012), I can't even imagine how much it will cost to go from halogen or HID to the all-LED headlights, but I'm sure people will try it.
So, let me know if you'd like to see my notes, and good luck.
01-02-2017, 07:22 AM
#169
Hi, I know this is a old thread but,
Please do write up your knowledge on this how to's.
I have '06 C6 with AFS and trying to retrofit OEM RS6 headlight.
I read "http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/rs6-scheinwerfer-umbau-komplett-anleitung-t3074921.html" with google translate.
Do you wire the same way as they do? Rewiring at J519 (onboard supply control unit)? T10a connector and T32c?
Anyway, please share your knowledge, I know a guy who charges $$ for this mod on other forums.
thank you,
-tishi
Please do write up your knowledge on this how to's.
I have '06 C6 with AFS and trying to retrofit OEM RS6 headlight.
I read "http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/rs6-scheinwerfer-umbau-komplett-anleitung-t3074921.html" with google translate.
Do you wire the same way as they do? Rewiring at J519 (onboard supply control unit)? T10a connector and T32c?
Anyway, please share your knowledge, I know a guy who charges $$ for this mod on other forums.
thank you,
-tishi
I see there's still a lot of interest in the LED DRLs, and will continue to be as this generation of A6 starts finding second and third owners.
Thought I'd share some thoughts.. And see if anyone wants me to write up the wiring changes.
First a warning: even OEM headlights from facelift '09 MY and the RS6 have heat problems that can lead to premature failure of the LED's. I found this out the hard way when I ordered a pair of facelift headlights from eBay. Unscrupulous dealers (or employees at these dealers) were selling these broken headlights that Audi replaced under warranty on '09 and '10 cars. The reason Audi replaced the whole thing: there's no way to repair the LED board once the headlight is assembled; the front lens is bonded to the housing. I tried baking them to soften the glue, blasting them with a heat gun, but no dice. Looks like an RTV silicone was used as the sealant, which does not reflow. I had to dremel one apart, and then I was able to confirm the LEDs themselves were the culprit. They are wired in series, so if just one fails, the whole array goes out. It sounds like Audiled.ie was buying these broken headlights, cutting them open, replacing the LEDs, then gluing them back together--but not good enough to keep water out... and then hacking in a few changes to make them kinda work like the '09 lights but in older cars, without wiring/coding changes.
So with that in mind, here's a log of what's different from pre-2009 to 2009+ headlights:
- Bulb and ballast change. Old bulb was D1S, new ones are D3S. Ballast is different, mounts differently, and the headlight housing has a different hole for routing the wires. Also there is a new bulb holder.
- Inner light: on old headlight, this is the DRL light. On new headlight, it depends: with AFS, it's a cornering light that comes on when turning past a certain point. Non-AFS, it's an auxiliary high beam, as I recall.
- Wire connector: physically the same, but some pin assignments changed
- Wiring from Central Elelctronics Module (CEM) to the headlights is different. To do things right, you'd really need to run an extra wire or two (depending on AFS/non-AFS) from the CEM to each headlight. This wire is for the DRL control signal, also shows up on the diagrams as a PWM (pulse-width modulation) signal. This is what allows the DRL to dim.
- Turn signal repeaters: on old, these are lights on each fender. On new, these are built into the mirrors. The CEM no longer controls the repeaters on '09+ (now handled by a door control module), so the pins on the CEM are repurposed to provide the PWM signal to the headlights. A coding change to the CEM is required to effect this change. To preserve the repeaters on the fenders, one solution is to splice into the turn signal wires for the headlights.
- Coding change to CEM module. There is also the possibility of having to replace the CEM for a newer one, since software changes were made along the way.
The RS6 headlights offer something of a compromise: they use the same bulb and ballast as the pre-09 A6, and additionally the inner bulb is a fog light instead of a cornering light, but everything else above still applies.
I no longer have my A6, but I still have some notes on what I changed... I can write those up, if anyone wants to see. One caveat tho: I was never able to resolve an error message, with my CEM coded like a 2009 model, I'd keep getting a main beam bulb error. Really stumped on this one, because on the Bentley diagram there are no connections shown for the main beam pins on the CEM side... Even though on my car at least, there were wires present at those locations. I could only guess that these wires routed to some bulkhead connector in the A-pillar, but then stopped there; probably done for commonality purposes on the factory line.
You have to really want to do this upgrade... Even putting the headlights in is involved, requiring removal of the front bumper cover. I accidentally broke a headlight washer hose connector in the process, adding more complication.
If you are thinking about upgrading from halogen, even more to do: different headlight connector, not enough wires from CEM to headlight, need to add auto-leveling sensors (at least on US models, all HID lights were also auto-leveling), recoding the CEM, and maybe even adding AFS modules... If you chose to add this. A lot of work. Much easier to get the $1000 option (or however much it is) when buying the car new. On the new new A6 (2012), I can't even imagine how much it will cost to go from halogen or HID to the all-LED headlights, but I'm sure people will try it.
So, let me know if you'd like to see my notes, and good luck.
Thought I'd share some thoughts.. And see if anyone wants me to write up the wiring changes.
First a warning: even OEM headlights from facelift '09 MY and the RS6 have heat problems that can lead to premature failure of the LED's. I found this out the hard way when I ordered a pair of facelift headlights from eBay. Unscrupulous dealers (or employees at these dealers) were selling these broken headlights that Audi replaced under warranty on '09 and '10 cars. The reason Audi replaced the whole thing: there's no way to repair the LED board once the headlight is assembled; the front lens is bonded to the housing. I tried baking them to soften the glue, blasting them with a heat gun, but no dice. Looks like an RTV silicone was used as the sealant, which does not reflow. I had to dremel one apart, and then I was able to confirm the LEDs themselves were the culprit. They are wired in series, so if just one fails, the whole array goes out. It sounds like Audiled.ie was buying these broken headlights, cutting them open, replacing the LEDs, then gluing them back together--but not good enough to keep water out... and then hacking in a few changes to make them kinda work like the '09 lights but in older cars, without wiring/coding changes.
So with that in mind, here's a log of what's different from pre-2009 to 2009+ headlights:
- Bulb and ballast change. Old bulb was D1S, new ones are D3S. Ballast is different, mounts differently, and the headlight housing has a different hole for routing the wires. Also there is a new bulb holder.
- Inner light: on old headlight, this is the DRL light. On new headlight, it depends: with AFS, it's a cornering light that comes on when turning past a certain point. Non-AFS, it's an auxiliary high beam, as I recall.
- Wire connector: physically the same, but some pin assignments changed
- Wiring from Central Elelctronics Module (CEM) to the headlights is different. To do things right, you'd really need to run an extra wire or two (depending on AFS/non-AFS) from the CEM to each headlight. This wire is for the DRL control signal, also shows up on the diagrams as a PWM (pulse-width modulation) signal. This is what allows the DRL to dim.
- Turn signal repeaters: on old, these are lights on each fender. On new, these are built into the mirrors. The CEM no longer controls the repeaters on '09+ (now handled by a door control module), so the pins on the CEM are repurposed to provide the PWM signal to the headlights. A coding change to the CEM is required to effect this change. To preserve the repeaters on the fenders, one solution is to splice into the turn signal wires for the headlights.
- Coding change to CEM module. There is also the possibility of having to replace the CEM for a newer one, since software changes were made along the way.
The RS6 headlights offer something of a compromise: they use the same bulb and ballast as the pre-09 A6, and additionally the inner bulb is a fog light instead of a cornering light, but everything else above still applies.
I no longer have my A6, but I still have some notes on what I changed... I can write those up, if anyone wants to see. One caveat tho: I was never able to resolve an error message, with my CEM coded like a 2009 model, I'd keep getting a main beam bulb error. Really stumped on this one, because on the Bentley diagram there are no connections shown for the main beam pins on the CEM side... Even though on my car at least, there were wires present at those locations. I could only guess that these wires routed to some bulkhead connector in the A-pillar, but then stopped there; probably done for commonality purposes on the factory line.
You have to really want to do this upgrade... Even putting the headlights in is involved, requiring removal of the front bumper cover. I accidentally broke a headlight washer hose connector in the process, adding more complication.
If you are thinking about upgrading from halogen, even more to do: different headlight connector, not enough wires from CEM to headlight, need to add auto-leveling sensors (at least on US models, all HID lights were also auto-leveling), recoding the CEM, and maybe even adding AFS modules... If you chose to add this. A lot of work. Much easier to get the $1000 option (or however much it is) when buying the car new. On the new new A6 (2012), I can't even imagine how much it will cost to go from halogen or HID to the all-LED headlights, but I'm sure people will try it.
So, let me know if you'd like to see my notes, and good luck.
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