sundaekim

I was thinking about tinting my tail lights and was wondering if anyone can recommend a replacement led bulbs to make the lights brighter. I saw some kits for VW like here but couldn't find anything for a Q5.

D3Audi

Q5 already has LED tails.. There is no way to upgrade them.. Unless you are in Europe and have one of the models with halogen lights, if so, yes you can put LEDs into it.. Otherwise, All 2009-2016+ Q5's came with LED tail lights that are not replaceable.

Dont tint them too dark and you'll be fine. The stock LEDs will be bright enough.

sundaekim

Thank you for the response. I didn't realize they were LEDs. Is there a way to increase the brightness of the tail lights? I read somewhere on the forum where you can adjust the brightness of the front LED lights when it's on for DRL. I did order replacement LED bulb for the reverse light.

D3Audi

to my knowledge there is no way to do that, only possible on the DRL brightness when it is on or the headlights are on. How deep of a tint are you going? You really shouldn't go any deeper then a dark cherry red look.. dark cherry red is probably about the deepest you can go without running into issues with the law.. I don't know where you live but where I live if you have tinted tail lights and get rear ended, the accident could become your fault for reducing the light output of your brake lights... That's the number one reason why tinting tail lights too dark is not a smart idea. (IMO)...

sundaekim

I bought a medium tint and was hoping for a dark cherry color, not blacked out. I just wanted to see if there was some way to make the lights brighter to compensate for the dimmer lights from the tint.

D3Audi

The tint won't drown out the light too much, especially if you're doing a medium tint. LED is a different kind of light source and the color stays true when shining through a tint. Brightness will be slightly diminished but it will be fine for everyday driving, everyone will still see your lights. Make sure you tint the bumper lights down below in the bumper so the rear end looks symmetrical. Keep in mind your rear fog lights are there and if you live in a place that requires rear fogs it may not be wise to cover them up. Good luck!

TJay74

I guess I missed the boat on this new mod of tinting the tail lights. I always thought the goal was to make sure people behind you can see you so they don't hit you, now it seems people are trying to purposely make it harder for people to see when you are driving at night or braking.

Redd

sundae-
In the US there are federal (DOT) requirements for both the brightness of the lights, and the visibility of the rear reflectors, which normally are a part of the "light" assembly. I have seen a disabled car with dim hazard lights literally get creamed by an overtaking car that just couldn't see the dimmed lights, and since the overtaking car went airborne, I'm pretty sure someone was seriously hurt or killed.
Not to mention, if the police anywhere you go aren't really busy with the donuts, all they have to do is see your car with modified safety equipment, and they can pull you over and hand you the summons, as they tell you to take a cab home and come to the tow yard to get your car flatbedded back from them.
Sure, a blacked-out car may look cool. But if you cut out the seat belts and air bags your car would also be faster and lighter, handle better and get better mpg.
Your car, your call. There are other, fully legal, ways to trick out a car.

tmfstyle

Agree. I have a tough time understanding mods which make you less safe.

timlocke

I have seen people complain that modern euro tail and brake lights are too bright. But they have to meet certain regulations for minimum and maximum output and I doubt that any factory lights don't meet them.