Wunsch

Does anybody here have access to dig up a part number for the European taillights for a Q5 (specifically, the 2013 facelift lights)? Red turn signals bug me

spijun

8R0-945-093 C (8SK) left
8R0-945-094 C (8SK) right

Wunsch

Thank you, spijun! I don't know my way around Audi part numbering very well -- what's the distinction between 8SK versus 8SL?

Wunsch

Oh, European vs US, I bet. Now that I know what part number I'm looking for, I can see that other people have mentioned the "D" part is the US taillight.

spijun

Yes D for US market
8SL for (NAR) North America

Wunsch

Hmm, I guess the next challenge is that I see my NAR tail lights blink the brake portion of the light when I'm signalling. That likely means I'll need to make changes of some sort with a VAG-COM if I swap to European lights.

piotroosh

I got my Q5 via Euro Delivery.. When I picked up the car in Germany I had orange blinkers in tail lights. I'm 100% sure they were orange because I was happy I won't have to drive with the red ones (I hate red blinkers ).
Once I picked up the car in US... the blinkers were RED ;/ I know that they didn't replace the tail lights because I marked them in EU ;-)
So my question is... is the color somehow controlled via VAG?

90% of Q5s in my area have red blinkers, but I see one once in a while with orange ones. I even recently had a loaner from the dealer with orange blinkers. ( I didn't compare the part #s though).

idale

Interesting, especially on some loaners having had the amber turn signals. For whatever reason VAG's gone to red turn signals here while everywhere else does amber (and usually mandates amber). I had amber on my Passat, have amber on my Odyssey, and I'll be going amber on my Q5 even if it means I have to buy Euro-spec tails and do some programming in VCDS. But if we can do it without having to buy taillight assemblies then all the better.

For 2009-2012, it seems like you need to replace the taillight assemblies with Euro-spec ones. Europrice has Euro assemblies that you can get a harness with for converting US wiring to Euro lamps (to avoid things like the brake lighting up when you signal). No idea if the 2013 lamps are any different as far as having the turn signal color programmable or not. I wouldn't think so, but then with your story of marking the assemblies the only other way would be to have replaced the LEDs themselves for the turn signal portions (along with the VCDS programming for lighting turn signal+brake LEDs).

I'm definitely interesting in finding out any concrete information about the 2013s if we can easily change to amber turn signals or if we're still stuck.

spijun

With VCDs (vag-com) it is impossible to change the color of turn signals
Then the would not exist EU and U.S. version but only one

idale

Not necessarily, it could just be due to different light segments needing to be lit up, but that could as easily be done in software as with a different wiring setup. So highly unlikely.

I would assume you're right, though, and it's a difference in the LEDs themselves. I've heard rumors of changing LED colors, but as far as I can tell, it's just rumors and not fact.