# Anyone bought these ebay LED headlights?



## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...31597
Searched and couldn't find anything. Atleast they are cheaper than LLteck. you would ifgure somone would have come out with these in the US by now.
Any opinions?


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## tdotA3mike (Feb 5, 2009)

*Re: Anyone bought these ebay LED headlights? (2ndvw-audi)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif


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## MorettiMK5 (Jan 8, 2009)

*Re: Anyone bought these ebay LED headlights? (2ndvw-audi)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif


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## MisterJJ (Jul 28, 2005)

*Re: Anyone bought these ebay LED headlights? (2ndvw-audi)*

IMHO... If you want to use these with xenon bulbs to replace halogens, I see them as a viable alternative. Gotta get rid of that orange bulb though.
I was considering going with these and trying to plant some ulta-bright LED's in there but then I picked up some factory bi-xenon ecodes for relatively cheap. Still waiting for the darn Kufatec harness though.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

Although I didn't want to go with a non-stock-looking headlight, I am doing the aftermarket HID upgrade to my A3 so I have a pair of these on order. I havn't received them yet, but I'll warn you that it takes WEEKS to get them. The company took almost 2 weeks to ship them alone, and now the shipping is taking forever. I'm not happy about that. 
I'll be posting here with regards to their quality and how the install goes once I get them. I'm deeply concerned that they're either going to look cheap, crack and get condensation in them, or have an awful light distribution/cutoff when the HIDs are installed... but I'm taking the risk.
FWIW, I've got the Retro Solutions 35w 6000k H7 'plug n play' HID kit to go with them. The kit seems like its decent enough quality, and I added in the CAN-bus warning canceler that I understand *may* help prevent the wiper motor from going out.
(and yes, I have the vag com cable so I'll be making the programming change to also try to avoid the wiper motor burnout..)


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## Matt2.0T (Dec 21, 2009)

If a cheap mans Rolex was to be compared to some pair of headlights these would be it. *blingin*


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (Matt2.0T)*

maybe... i've seen a few other car's (a4's..) with these and they really dont look terribly noticeable. I'd say theres a good chance I wont even hook up the DRL LED strip -- unless they look alot more 'factory' than I expect them to.
On the other hand, if they're really really awful then I'll get rid of em and look for a pair of factory housings. Those just aren't easy to find for a 'reasonable' price. (IMO)


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

I'm typically not a big fan of not going oem, or oem style.
But I'll wait to see how these look, and how they are made to make judgement. I'd be nice to buy some Bi-xenons, but I can tjustify spending that much on headlights.


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## oreo8716 (Oct 15, 2005)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

the fact that the add says "FLY" http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif


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## Rogerthat (Oct 23, 2005)




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## Bezor (Jan 16, 2007)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2ndvw-audi* »_ I'd be nice to buy some Bi-xenons, but I can tjustify spending that much on headlights.

I have Xenons (not Bi-Xenon though) on my BMW which are OK, but better than Halogen or HID.
I LOVE the Bi-Xenons in the A3. Super bright and crisp.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (Bezor)*

wait ... Xenon is the gas thats inside of the vast majority of HID lights...


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

*Re: (Diranged)*

...and?
Did you get your lights yet?


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

still in shipping... on the 9th they 'left their country of origin', but im waiting for them to 'arrive'. I figure they're in customs somewhere. trust me, once they get here I'll do the install and post pics.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (Diranged)*

So I finally received the headlights from Germany today... I havn't finished the install, but I poked around a bit with it to make sure things were going to work. So far I have to say that the build quality of the headlight housing SEEMS to be very good. They're solid, good looking, and the wiring harness works perfectly. They were packaged VERY well in the box... Here are some pics, more comments below:
This box was double-boxed.. this is after I opened the first box. 








Heh.. sold from germany, made in Taiwan. Figures...








Opening that box, there are two more boxes.. one for each headlight
























Finally, the headlight! It really looks great in person, this picture doesn't do it justice. 








... and umm uh oh? no HID's? what? based on this picture, I emailed the vendor. they explained that there have been plenty of people who used HIDs with these lights... but I wasnt sure still... 








here's the back end..








now this made me feel a little bit better... the projector housing clearly says "H7/HID" on it:








I think this is the DRL LED power source... but I am not sure how I'm going to connect this up yet:








Here are a few pics of the Retro Solutions HID kit I ordered. H7 bulbs 6000K color with the Canbus Warning Canceler
(my roomate just paid me back some $$$.. thats why theres cash on the table)


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (Diranged)*

Now, its a bit late to start a real install... especially since the instructions I keep reading start with 'remove bumper'. Anyone know a short-cut that doesn't involve removing the bumper? 
In the mean time, I did plug in one of the lights to make sure that they basically worked. Clearly the LED strip isnt already powered, so I need to figure out how to run power up to it properly. Is there perhaps a harness I can easily pull from somewhere near the headlights?


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

tap power from your bumper light for your led.
no way around taking lights off w/o taking bumper off. there is a screw under the bumper that you need to get to which is like couple inches below.


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## drew138 (Dec 3, 2006)

*FV-QR*

I kinda like the quad headlight setup. 
Thanks for the details and pics. Keep us posted. They don't look to bad.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: FV-QR (drew138)*

Just read the instructions for removing the front bumper a bit more.. I think I can tackle it tomorrow without a ton of work. Before I do, I'm waiting to hear back from the vendor about which wires I really have to wire up for the LED's. 
I have a few issues with the headlights... they're not perfect.
1) Looks -- honestly they're probably going to be a bit controversial. Some people may like em, some people will hate them. However, for $350ish, I think they're totally reasonable. 

2) No ballast mount -- there's no pocket to slide the ballast into. I'm going to need to velcro or double stick tape the mount to the bottom of the headlights I think. It feels like there should be plenty of room, but I won't know until I've done the actual install.
3) Along with the no-ballast mount issue, there's a nice big round hole to run wires through... but there isnt a terribly easy way to seal the hole around the wires. I'll post more pics in a day or two when I figure the issue out, but its just a little tricky. This would NOT be an issue if I wasn't using the HID kit.


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

thanks a ton for the update. Can't wait to see more. 
Where did you order them?


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

I bought them from this seller on ebay (http://myworld.ebay.com/ebaymotors/flydesigngmbh/). It took over a month to receive them, btw... it took about 4 weeks in shipping, and a week for them to actually ship them. So plan accordingly...


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

thanks,
I just put HIDs into my reflectors and they suck big time. 
I'll wait to see what the LEDs loook like , then Im either ordering theses, or some FK's.


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## rick89 (Dec 2, 2008)

i saw these a while back but they are a bit pricey, until these come into the US then ill order as they are pretty expensive. 
http://cgi.ebay.ca/A3-S3-8P-03...t_952


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (rick89)*

I like the LED strip setup on that.. but I don't like the gold in the housings. To each his own I guess..


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (Diranged)*

Eek.. I think I need some help. I've got the bumper off, lights out.. but I'm trying to figure out where to tap in for the DRLs. I know that I want to get power from the side-fender lights, but without removing the fender, how do I tap into that? 
I'm heading down to the local radio shack to get some vampire taps and some wiring. Any advice ASAP would be really appreciated.


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

tap these lights
http://oooo-a3.blogspot.com/20....html


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

*Re: (Diranged)*

While you have the bumpers off- I would suggest creating a power line- by tapping from one of the parking lamps.. I used the driver side as the main source of 12v. Then routed extended wires for the passenger side and spliced w/ the driver side led wires. Then tapped into the parking lamp wires. I added a switch routed into the driver cockpit so i can choose whether i went them (lower or upper modded LEDs i have) to be On (or off).
e


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## rick89 (Dec 2, 2008)

*Re: (Diranged)*

o thats not gold its silver i think the picture on the ebay site might look a little bad heres a close up.
http://img198.imageshack.us/im...b.jpg


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Final Install Pics...*

So I just finished the install.. overall it took about 3 hours, but that includes a trip to Radio Shack and cleanup/setup/etc. I havn't had a chance to adjust the lights yet, because its just not dark enough. 
As suggested, I tapped off of the passenger parking light to power the LEDs. I hid the wire inside the weather stripping in the engine bay to get it from the passenger light over to the driver side. The headlights themselves are indeed all plug'n'play. The headlight housings have a rubber gromet that you can poke a hole through to run the HID kit wires in and out. I was able to easily mount the ballasts below the light housings and the canbus warning canceler on the sides of them. 

















Now, the LED strips look funny in these pics. for some reason, the shutter speed on the camera is faster than the lights refresh rate I guess and at any given moment a few look 'off' inside a camera. To the human eye, they look perfect. They're all the same color, no flickering, etc. 
































Overall I like these quite a bit. I am a bit concerned still about how they'll throw light at night, and whether adjusting them is going to be a pain or not... but I'll know later tonight about that!


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (rick89)*

Ah thats a much better picture. Those look quite nice... expensive, but nice.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

Now... I have the vag com cable, but I havn't yet done any changes or even hooked it up. What's the change I need to make to tell the computer I have HIDs instead of Halogen headlights?


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

needs:
lower
wheels
fog lights


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (Diranged)*

f***... 
it appears that the system fried my wiper motor already?!? I was under the impression it usually took some time to cause that to happen? Is it possible that it just needs a 'reset' or something? 
Technically the car is still under warranty (about 1500 miles left)... but I'm not sure its worth the hassle to remove the kit to get the motor fixed. How much is it?


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

yea u gotta remove kit and get it fixed. or dealer will say its your hid kit's fault and wont warranty it


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Looks great. Waiting for night pics to order. Thanks for going first.
i would take the car in with lights.....what are they gonna do.....deny the warranty? 
Might as well give it a try


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2ndvw-audi* »_Looks great. Waiting for night pics to order. Thanks for going first.
i would take the car in with lights.....what are they gonna do.....deny the warranty? 
Might as well give it a try

yeap they will.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

Can someone point me to the Vag Com codes I need to change to tell the car I have HIDs? I can't seem to find the link anymore..


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

diy section
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4130739
if your wiper motor blown then its blown ugotta get it fixed


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (tp.)*

Is it possible something else is going on? for some reason every once in a while when i turn the lights on my pioneer avic-z110 headunit sets the volume to ATT (essentially mute). not all the time.. 
im wondering if theres some kind of voltage drop that could be causing weirdness?


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

5 page thread abuot blown wiper motor using hid
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4446686


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

i raed last page wiper motor is $200+


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

ugh.. i thought I had a good vag com cable, but i have one of the 'cheapie' ebay ones. to make things worse, ive only got a windows 7 vm image at my disposal, not windows xp. 
it seems like 85% of the time, vcds says it cant find the interface. sometimes it finds it if its not plugged into the car. if its plugged into the car, it either fails to find the interface, or fails the 'self test'. 
is there some trick to connecting to the car? do i have to be in the On position, started up the motor, etc?


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (Diranged)*

fyi.. im using the retro solutions kit, which I thought was considered pretty safe. has that opinion been revised recently?


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

with the vagcom that i have i turn on comp
plug in cable
load program
plug in car
turn car to on position
edit settings
????
profit


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

*Re: (Diranged)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Diranged* »_fyi.. im using the retro solutions kit, which I thought was considered pretty safe. has that opinion been revised recently? 

Mine's still working to date (pic taken today) and yes wipers are fully functional. The wipers had a good workout last week with the series of storms in socal. Just keeping this in mind- HIDs before wipers. So if u already have wipers on, turn it off first then switch HIDs on. Its been almost 20k on these RS kit, in addition to 30k on VVME kits, same wipers motors (and i just have to do this "knock on wood") And beleive it or not, my car was never VAG'd for ''xenon" setting. luck?


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

I think they look great http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif and again, kudos to being the Forum guinea pig








If you wanted to run the LEDs as DRLs (I realize these (likely) do not meet DRL requirements...but you know what I mean)- in other words, when the engine is running, the LEDs are illuminated- where would you tap for power?


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

*Re: (skotti)*


_Quote, originally posted by *skotti* »_
If you wanted to run the LEDs as DRLs (I realize these (likely) do not meet DRL requirements...but you know what I mean)- in other words, when the engine is running, the LEDs are illuminated- where would you tap for power?

Then it would be best to use a fusetap into the main fusebox (inside the car/driversidepanel- and tap into the rear wiper fuse) 
Now as for aftermarket HID kit and wiper failure- i have new theory for possible solution- but will need an electrical engineer to test/fabricate.
see:
http://forums.fourtitude.com/z...age=5


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Cant you just pull power from both the DRLs/sidemarkers?
why wouldn't that work?
Sorry, bit of a electrical noob


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2ndvw-audi* »_Cant you just pull power from both the DRLs/sidemarkers?
why wouldn't that work?
Sorry, bit of a electrical noob

if so equipped and wired. But most aftermarkethousings does not have built in DRL wirings. Plus your car must be equipped too. 
Side marker is the other option- but LEDs only on if parkinglamps On. My set up currently


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

do sidemarkers stay on if headlights are on? High and low beams?


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

the sidemarkers stay on all the time -- during high beams and turn signals. thus, the LEDS stay on as well.


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Im hovering over the buy button now.
How do they look in the dark?


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2ndvw-audi* »_Im hovering over the buy button now.
How do they look in the dark?

How.........about.........a.........(dare I say it).......
GROUP BUY








(don't tell Drew, though







)


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (skotti)*

I gotta say they look amazing at night actually.. I dont have a good picture yet though. I do have an issue with the beam pattern though, I'll post a picture later tonight to get suggestions. I feel like it needs some serious alignment to be even reasonable.


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

*Re: (Diranged)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Diranged* »_I gotta say they look amazing at night actually.. I dont have a good picture yet though. I do have an issue with the beam pattern though, I'll post a picture later tonight to get suggestions. I feel like it needs some serious alignment to be even reasonable. 


here's your reference- at least for aftermarket projections


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (tiptronic)*

I took a few pics with a better camera, but had a harder time getting good pictures -- go figure. Here they are. Again, this is *before* ive done any adjustments to the projectors at all. 

















































Now the beam pattern itself isn't bothering me TOO much, but the fact that I have two identical beam patterns separated by a few feet is annoying. I'm hoping/assuming that i need to adjust the projectors so that they're aligned together? 


_Modified by Diranged at 9:24 AM 2-3-2010_


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

anyone in the sf bay area (california) got a vag-com cable working? mine works fine when its not plugged into the car, but once i plug it in it says interface not found.


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Pics not working


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

sorry try now..


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Damn! guess I'll quit holding off and jsut order the things.
I agree some may not like them, but I think they look great!

You need to make a DIY for the install. Esp. pulling power to wire up LED's and how to wire up the main unit.


_Modified by 2ndvw-audi at 9:46 AM 2-3-2010_


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

To be honest, I don't really like how I pulled power for the LEDs. I feel like the LEDs are wrecking havoc on the electrical system somehow. About half the time they turn on, my Pioneer head unit (with canbus connector for steering wheel controls) loses audio from the iPod. I have to switch tracks a few times to get it back -- its very strange.
For reference, I pulled Power + Ground from the Passenger Side parking light up to the passenger side headlight. I then split it and run one set of lines into the passenger side LED strip, and the other lines run across to the driver side LEDs. 
I'm starting to wonder whether I should get rid of the ground and use a 'local' ground right to the chassis for these lights.


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

I didn't think LEDs needed to be grounded. should need only a + and - . IIRC


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

why dont u run left to left and right to right
and "-" is grounded. If you look at battery the "-" is conected to the chassis


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (tp.)*

I thought about doing that.. and I still may. Just not yet sure..


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

the sidemarkers should be 12V. So we should be able tot pull the + and - from each of thtose into the LED strip to power. No ground.


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2ndvw-audi* »_the sidemarkers should be 12V. So we should be able tot pull the + and - from each of thtose into the LED strip to power. No ground.

indeed


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## Uber-A3 (Feb 23, 2002)

*Re: (tiptronic)*

wiper motor failure is just your cars way of telling you not to put cheap ebay headlights in any car but a Honda


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (Uber-A3)*

OK so last night my beam pattern looked like this:








I did a bit of adjusting today, but not alot. I wanted to get some advice about adjusting them before I went much further. At what distance should I be doing it? Should my goal be to get the two beam patterns to overlap perfectly? Is the 'arched eyebrow' looking part of the line intentional -- perhaps to give you long distance view down the right side of the road, but not to blind oncoming drives on the left side? Any advice would be appreciated.









Here's a picture roughly 10-15ft from a pole.. see the beam patterns are matching








but backing up about 10 ft, now you can see they dont match.


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## thea3kid (Jun 4, 2006)

*Re: (Diranged)*

Hope this helps


















_Modified by thea3kid at 4:13 PM 2-3-2010_


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

great! based on that, my headlights are way too centered and need to be straightened out -- which shouldnt be hard. i'll head back to the parking garage tomorrow and take care of this.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

can anyone point me to the wiper motor part that I need to order? through a funny (not really) set of events, turns out my vehicle warranty isn't active at the moment. (a separate post will come later on this). 
even more helpful would be any instructions on how to replace it?


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

I'll be the first to say thanks for the great write up and review. I'll be pm'ing you soon about how to wire these up.
as soon as they "arrive form their country of origin" lol


_Modified by 2ndvw-audi at 6:51 PM 2-3-2010_


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

I'll be happy to help.. honestly I'm too lazy to do a full writeup, so perhaps you can take more pics (and use mine) and create a better one. 
Just to add a bit of info here.. I was having some serious issues with my radio after doing the install. My Pioneer AVIC Z110BT which has a CANBUS interface to the steering wheel was really acting up.. there are two strange behaviors it had:
-) about 50% of the time, turning my headlights on caused the audio to 'mute'.. but it wasn't really muted, it was more like the audio source would lose the ability to send out audio. raising and lowering volume would do nothing, for example. 
-) on occasion it seems that the volume control gets 'stuck'. i don't know how this would happen, but i can go from volume 15 -> 30, and the audio doesn't change. then magically a few minutes later, the volume will shoot up. 
These behaviors started *exactly* after installing headlights.. in fact, I noticed them during the middle of the install. I *thought* they were due to the LEDs being powered by the Parking Lights -- but today I disconnected those, and was able to reproduce the audio issue. 
I think I've found the problem... I bought the CAN BUS adapters from Retro Solutions... I disconnected those today right after I reproduced the audio issue without the LEDS connected. After disconnecting the CAN BUS adapter, the issues appear to be gone. To be fair, I need to drive around for a day or two to prove it, but it sure seems like they're all gone now.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

well, they arent perfect but its better than it was.. 
















The first pic is with my iphone from in front of the car.. second is with my digi cam from inside the car.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (Diranged)*

Well.. count that theory out. I ran into the audio issue twice today with the canbus adapters disconnected. Interestingly though I think I have a handle on the issue. It seems like turning on the headlights while the stereo is running can cause the bose amplifier to go a bit haywire. Sometimes it will knock out the sub only, but keep the speakers. Other time the speakers will fade in and out.. and most of the time the audio just stops -- completely. 
Restarting the car fixes the issue ... 
I'm really starting to wonder if I should cut the ground wire from the headlights and wire it directly to the chassis...


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

That's actually a really clean cut off.
Mine shipped today!


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

*Re: (Diranged)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Diranged* »_well, they arent perfect but its better than it was.. 








v 

MUCH BETTER!!!! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

what does it look like at distance?
Similiar to the reference pic on page 2.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (Diranged)*

ok.. count one more idea out. I disconnected the ground from the HID light only (easier that way) and grounded it directly to the frame. It still caused the odd radio issues.
I now suspect that the initial startup of the HID lights can somehow cause a drain on the CAN BUS system that impacts the start up of the Bose system. I am theorizing here that the Bose system also draws more power at bootup than once its running from the canbus line. If theres a drain in the power during that startup, I am guessing it causes the bose amp to not bootup properly.
Sounds strange.. i know. but I cant come up with any other reasons for this behavior. For now, the fix is to turn the headlights on immediately upon turning the car on -- before the radio has started up.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

I'll need to take a picture of that .. unfortunately its been raining here, and without wipers -- im not exactly driving it much. :/ 
I ordered my wiper motor today... hopefully I don't really need that 'special tool' to replace it. I would really like to get my wipers going again!


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (tiptronic)*

I suspect that the reasons the cutoff lines don't match quite right is that the housing of the headlights themselves are somewhat off kilter. I'd love to fix that, but don't want to take the bumper off to do it. Do you know of any way I can get into those two bottom mounting bolts to adjust them without taking the bumper off?


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

you should be able to access the two bottom mounting bolts fromthe top throught the top holes.
Check the inside part of th lights and there should be hole sthat goe down to the bottom screws. You cna loosen them and take them out with out removing the bumper
hope that make sense too many cocktails tonight


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

so you know what kills me? go back to earlier in the thread and someone said you HAD to remove the bumper to replace the lights. I took the bumper off, then went 'wait, wtf... no you dont!' 
I guess I can go ahead and just remove them, make the adjustment, then put them back in. I just wasnt sure if there was an even simpler way to adjust them.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

So this is my 3rd post of this same quote... but its here for historical purposes (in case someone else finds this thread):
"So I installed the H7 Relay kit from Retro Solutions today... that seems to have solved my stereo cutting-out issue. I havnt driven around much, but starting up the headlights after the stereo is on 5-10 times hasnt reproduced the problem yet. The install was very simple, and pretty much plug n play. The only issues I had was finding places to mount the ground connections as well as the relay itself. I wanted as hidden of an install as possible, so I took a while to do that. Otherwise, everything went very easily and the cable lengths were just fine."


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

can we get some more pics of the lights?
Impressions after having them on for a bit?
Review?


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

so far, i love them... received a few compliments from random people so far as well. going back and looking at it, i wish i went for the 55w kit -- in fact, I'll likely do that upgrade soon and be selling my 35w kit.
i need to lower the beams slightly, so i'll take pics when I go do that... in the next few days.


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## xnox202 (May 18, 2009)

Just to drop-by on this thread and noticed something about your headlamps's beam.
As you know, and should had figured out why that they are indeed, not for Xenon HID Projector type headlamp. Looking at your pattern beam, there's a overcast towards the middle of the beam which shows that the HID bulb is actually sitting too close to the lens. What that projector meant are for Halogen type bulbs since they are shorter. I'm surprised though that your setup has no light emits over the cut-off too much.
You would need to mod the headlamp's bulb fittings so that your HID bulb sits a little bit further to the back. You have to adjust this yourself everytime, and see the beam on the wall until all of the beam 'area' at the wall, properly and uniformly litted.
With that, your beam pattern would be brighter and better.


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## LWNY (Jul 30, 2008)

*FV-QR*

Those light shields also does not seem to be installed evenly, given the left beam spills more light into the oncoming traffic.
The exaggerated shift of the cutoff from the left to right does indicate the bulb is too close to the shield, maginifying its shape and the allowed light to the right.
The problem with aiming and adjust the light based on one distance is that if your bulb is not centered exactly, you will get a proper pattern only on that distance. Your lights could be crossed eyes in order to get the desired pattern at the current distance, but when pointing the light farther away, the left and right patterns might not look right anymore.


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2ndvw-audi* »_That's actually a really clean cut off.
Mine shipped today!

Update- have they arrived or are they installed?


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Still waiting. Hoping to get them and do the install this weekend.
Where is diranged with a quick write up?


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

I just got my lights and installing them tonight. 
Have we figured out the best place to pull the power from? 
I'm assuming the Sidemarkers, but how do I get them to stay on all the time? 
Can sidemarders be VAGed to stay on as DRLs?
Help.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

2ndvw-audi,
so I never did a writeup because I'm lazy... so here's a few tips.
1) Worry about the LEDs second. 
2) The real work is installing the HIDs, and aligning the projectors inside the headlight housings. After blowing a wiper motor, I went the safe(er) route and ordered a wiring harness replacement for the HIDs that pulls power directly from the battery. This involved routing the wiring harness across the engine bay over to the passenger side, and attaching the harness to the battery. Few tips, if you went this route.
a) the fuse box in the engine bay has a very nice attachment point for additional power connections, so theres no need to go to the battery.
b) there are plenty of easy to use ground connections close to the headlights
c) I was able to zip-tie the power connection under the weather stripping on the front of the engine bay that seals the hood to the engine bay. this keeps it well hidden, without interfering with anything. 
3) With the headlights themselves, the safest thing that I thought made sense was to cut a small hole in the rubber gromet that comes off the 'high' beam side of the housing, to run my wires. I cut it VERY small, and ran all of the wires through there. It stretches extremely well without tearing, so it makes a very tight fit. 
4) The HID ballasts don't have an official mounting place, but I was able to velcro and screw them into the bottom of the housings. They look pretty hidden, but are still accessible. I did this before mounting the headlights.
5) The LED's I wired up to the corner blinkers -- not the main blinkers in the headlight housing, but the ones in the front bumper. Its easy to do, and theres plenty of power to power the LEDs. This is NOT the way to get 'proper' DRLs, but I don't mind.


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Got lights in, and bumper back on. 
I never had to worry about a wiper motor blowing. I tried my HIDs in halogen housings for two weeks and they didnt blow. 
I have everything b ack todether and plan on puling power from the sidemarkers tomorrow and adjusting the beam patter. I must say, they look good so far.
Diranged---Did you vag your sidemarkers to stay on all the time? Mine only come on with parking lights, and turn signal. If I wired it up to them won't they only come on when the parking lights or turn signal is on???
I'll post pics tom


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

I did not do that, although I'd consider if it I knew how.







If you get that working, let me know. 
As for the wiper motors, I think that I ran my wiper motors and then turned my headlights on and instantly blew them. Since then, I replaced the wiper motor, installed the lights with a relay kit, AND i've been meticulous about turning the lights on first before the wipers. 
That being said, once or twice I've left my wipers in the 'on' mode, turned the car on, and then turned the lights on. So far, just lucky I think.
Post pics.. btw, did you go with a 35 or 55w HID kit? I'm considering upgrading to a 55W kit.


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

Just to plug-in my suggestions for how to get the LEDs to power up:
a) pulling (tapping/splicing) power from the sidemarkers (the ones on the bumper) NOT the blinkers (side fender) is one option. On my custom LEDs- i added a line from the driver side front parking lamp (bumper) and routed it into the engine bay and created a central connection for all 4 LED lines on my car. I then spliced-in two wires for 2 switches and routed it to the cockpit so i can select which LEDs i want on. The LEDs power are only available when the parking lamps are set to 'On' position. 
b) the 2nd option is to directly tap-in to the fuse box (inside the car-driver side) Using a ''fuse-tap" to the rear wiper fuse will allow your LEDs to turn On as DRLs the instant you turn your car on (no need to set parking lamps to 'On' position). You should plan to add a switch so you can have the option to turn the LEDs off when the car is On, if needed be.
goodluck!


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Ive got an idea.
Since the LEDs only need 12V could I just use power from the cig lighter? I did the ashtrya delete, so I have an extra place to pull from, my only question, is whether this power stays on all the time, or only when the car is on. 
Because I have removed mine, could someone check and see if the lighter is powered when the car is off???


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2ndvw-audi* »_Ive got an idea.
Since the LEDs only need 12V could I just use power from the cig lighter? I did the ashtrya delete, so I have an extra place to pull from, my only question, is whether this power stays on all the time, or only when the car is on. 
Because I have removed mine, could someone check and see if the lighter is powered when the car is off???

The Cig Lighter power source is constantly on even if the car is OFF. I know cause some times i leave my portable navi or bluetooth speaker phone plugged in to charge... So technically yeah, your LEDS will be on -all the time....
The two method i've mentioned should be the easiest--- really...
If only i have the extra $$ to plunge on these headlights- I would have already done it- and also modified the LEDs w/ brighter output (and repositioned to take advantage of the reflectors in the led housing) -- but unfortunately, tuff times- (and i have a 2nd set of FK Angel eyes- pulled apart-- for my on and off LED project







).



_Modified by tiptronic at 8:10 AM 3/6/2010_


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

I would pull power from the rear wiper. Do you have a more comprehensive write up for this? I'm not that good at wiring stuff like this up. How do you know its 12V?
SOme quick pics:








With lights on:









Personally, I think these thing look absolutely awesome. Pics don't do it justice. Now to aim the headlights, and wire up the LEDs, although they look like they are on in these pics.
And Diranged, these are 35W HID's
_Modified by 2ndvw-audi at 11:12 AM 3/6/2010_


_Modified by 2ndvw-audi at 12:03 PM 3/6/2010_


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Ok, So I trie dto hook up the LED from the side markers. With no luck. I tried all combination of both the lead and ground from both sides to both led, and even goin across the engine from one LED to the next. I'm really clueless to this part.
If I pull from the fuse box, and go to the LED, which color should I put the power to, Blue, Black, or Red. Then, what do I do with the other wires? Do I hook them up to each other? Do I leave some not even wire?????

I don't know jack about electrical.


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

bump for help


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

F ME....
So I couldn't get the LEDs to light up, so I took them to Best Buy and had the auto guys look at them. They checked Voltage, resisttance, and whatever else, their only conclusion is that my LEDs are bad.
This suck, it took me over a month to get these things. Paypal resolution here I come!


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

*FV-QR*


_Quote, originally posted by *2ndvw-audi* »_F ME....
So I couldn't get the LEDs to light up, so I took them to Best Buy and had the auto guys look at them. They checked Voltage, resisttance, and whatever else, their only conclusion is that my LEDs are bad.
This suck, it took me over a month to get these things. Paypal resolution here I come!


Damn...that does suck!


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

did u tryo connect it to a 9v battery?


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

No, but we tested everything with a voltmeter. 
I'm still confused to why there are three wires instead of two.
Im thinking one is the positive,one thte negative/ground, and the third is for the signal???


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

they didnt give you wire diagram?
when u measure it did the loop close?


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

No wire diagram. I even emailed them to get one with no luck. 
I'm not sure what you mean by the loop closed, but we measured that they were getting 12v. Check
Checked to see there was no resistance. Check
not sure what else, Im an electrical noob.


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## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

i have no idea. LOL


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## MisterJJ (Jul 28, 2005)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

Pics of wires and where they go may help.


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

This is Diranged's pic on page one. These are the three wires for the LEDs. I'm still waiting for him to chime in to explain how he got his to light up.
Again, mine were checked by a competant source.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

Hey man, sorry I havnt responded. I saw your post last night, but just forgot to reply. Unfortunately I'm in Vegas on a business trip until tomorrow, so I can't help a lot. I am 90% sure that I didn't actually use those wires to power the LEDs. I'll need to check, but I think there were some wires in the main harness that clearly didn't actually connect to any pins in the factory harness, so I pulled them out of the hardness and wired them up. 
I'll be home tomorrow and double check...


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Ok, Got it!!!!!
the three wires inside have nothing to do witht he LEDs. Wish there would have been instructions to tell me that. 
Pin 10 is missing in the headlight eectrical fitting. I have on ordered from the dealer as explained here:
http://oooo-a3.blogspot.com/20....html
Now, I just need to figure out where I want to pull power from to have them on all the time. 
Tiptronic---
Can you show what fuse you plugged yours into, and what the orientation of the tap fuse is?


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

I just took a look at my setup, and although I didnt trace all the wires... the led's are powered/controlled by the little black module that is bolted to the back of the housing that has the Green and Black wires coming out of it. You'll need to trace those wires to figure out the best way to wire it, but I can tell you that Black is indeed ground (as expected). I think you need to run a power/ground into that box, then that box runs power into the LEDs inside the headlight housings. Again, you should double check that by tracing the wires.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

Got a question about DRL's... is there a way to tell the car to turn the headlights (only) on every time the ignition goes into 'on' mode? If you can, does that also set the interior lights to 'headlight on' mode, or does that still depend on the switch position?
I dont like turning my headlights on during the day because my navi unit goes into 'dark' mode... plus I don't need the break lights light up all the time. I'm hoping theres a way to avoid that, and just have the lights go on all the time. 
So lets assume the above is possible... now lets talk about wiper motor failure. Lets assume your lights go on the instant you hit the 'On' mode with the key. If you accidentally left your wipers in the 'on' mode, when do they go on? Is it afterwards? 
I figure if the lights are on all the time, then your risk of wiper motor failure is extremely low. However, if the wiper motor is energized before the headlights, then you would likely be risking wiper motor blowout EVERY time you turn the car on. Obviously I wouldn't want to do that...


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

I did some trouble shooting after tracing some wires around. As a quick test, I took the headlight plug off the headlights. After tracing the wires to their respective pins, I noticed the White wiret, or + wire, coming from the LEDs did not have any connecting pins on the car connection. So I hooked the whit ewire and black wires up temporarily. 
I did this by running the + from the sidemarker to the white pin in the connector, and running a ground from the battery to the black pin in the connector. Bam! the lights came on. 
So now I am picking up a negative pin connector from the VW dealer tomorrow and will splice a positive into the back of the female pin connector and the LEDs will light up. The ground is already connected.


_Modified by 2ndvw-audi at 6:29 PM 3/10/2010_


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

bad iPhone pic. Now I just need ot find a place to pull 12V from whenever the ignition is on.
Anyone got ideas?


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## JaxACR (Dec 6, 2007)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2ndvw-audi* »_bad iPhone pic. Now I just need ot find a place to pull 12V from whenever the ignition is on.
Anyone got ideas?


How many amps are they rated for? I use the rear wiper fuse to tap for ignition on, but I think the fuse is 5 amps. If these are drawing more than a couple amps I would use a relay off the battery and use the rear wiper fuse as a trigger. If you do use a relay with power straight off the battery, make sure to install a fuse inline.


_Modified by JaxACR at 11:08 PM 3/11/2010_


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Which fuse is the rear wiper?
Also, Can I use the fuse for the second 02 sensor. It isalready in the engine, rated for 10 amps? I don't know the voltage though.


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## JaxACR (Dec 6, 2007)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

The rear wiper fuse is in the fuse panel inside the car. I don't remember exactly what position, but it is in the manual and also should be stamped on the inside of the fusebox cover.
I like the rear wiper fuse because it is something that rarely ever gets used and if I happened to blow it from hooking something else up to it I'm not going to miss the rear wiper until I get a chance to replace it. On the other hand, if the LEDs managed to short and blow the fuse for your O2 sensor, it would be a little more noticeable. If you go this route just be sure that it is the rear O2 sensor, all that does is monitor your exhaust for emissions purposes and lights up a CEL if your cat is bad. The front O2 sensor is the one that your ECU uses to monitor AFRs and is very important for the proper operation of your engine.
Everything in your fusebox is 12 volts. 10 amps should be plenty to operate your LEDs and O2 sensor, but do check the rated draw of the LEDs first (it should be printed on the manual, the box, or the headlight housing itself). If it is rated in watts, post it here and I'll help you calculate how many amps it is.


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

*FV-QR*


_Quote, originally posted by *2ndvw-audi* »_Which fuse is the rear wiper?
Also, Can I use the fuse for the second 02 sensor. It isalready in the engine, rated for 10 amps? I don't know the voltage though.


IIRC, I think it's 41.


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

*FV-QR*


_Quote, originally posted by *krazyboi* »_
IIRC, I think it's 41.


Yup, I is correct!


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (krazyboi)*

You can always put a higher amperage fuse in the rear windshield wiper slot.


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Great info. Thanks!
Lights look great. After I run it to the rear wiper I will finally be done.
I can still run it to the rear O2 sensor. I already have APR stage 2 so the CEL is already disabled. The upside is that the fuse box is soo close to the lights.


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## JaxACR (Dec 6, 2007)

*Re: FV-QR (skotti)*


_Quote, originally posted by *skotti* »_You can always put a higher amperage fuse in the rear windshield wiper slot.

Not such a great idea. What happens if you put a higher amp fuse in that slot and then the rear wiper motor locks up or shorts out... Hope you have a fire extinguisher!







Much safer to just use that fuse to trigger a relay for the LEDs and leave the 10 amper in there.


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (JaxACR)*


_Quote, originally posted by *JaxACR* »_
Not such a great idea. What happens if you put a higher amp fuse in that slot and then the rear wiper motor locks up or shorts out... Hope you have a fire extinguisher!







Much safer to just use that fuse to trigger a relay for the LEDs and leave the 10 amper in there.

True. I didn't think of the rear wiper motor of a fire hazard, but I suppose it is!


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

So I tested around and ended up wiring Fuse F27 from the fuse box inside the engine bay.
In some models it is used for the secondary air pump. Oringinally it has a 40Amp fuse in it, but in my car the slot was blank. I used a 10Amp tap in, and it works. Lights only come on when the ignition is on, and turn off about 20 seconds after the key is removed. 
The benefit to this, is that there is nothing that can blow if something fgoes wring, and I only had to run the wires a few inches to spice in. Saves me from running wires through the firewall.


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## JaxACR (Dec 6, 2007)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

Good choice! I'm going to keep that one in mind for future mods. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (2ndvw-audi)*

Here's some irony for you... would you mind writing up a quick description of how you wired your LEDs and what changes you made to the computer? I'd really like to set mine up so they go on automatically as well. 
Do your corner lights also go on with the LEDs?


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Ok, so here is my DIY for wiring up my LEDs. Some of this is off OOOO-A3's blog.
1. Go to the local dealer and get part number 000-979-133-A, a female blade connector. Cut the wire in half to give you one connector/lead for each headlamp plug that you'll be upgrading (left & right). I will start with the passenger side first.
2. Now, remove the plug from the headlamp assembly. There's a little cap around the back side of the plug, release two clips and take it off. Locate position 10 - it should have a rubber plug in it with no wires. Use a small nail in a pair of locking pliers to pluck the rubber plug out. I used a small allen wrech and punched it out from the front side.
3. Now, pull th harness up and place a small screwdriver down the side of the harness and slide the pin over to unlock. See below:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blo...e.jpg
Now insert the new female connector into position 10 from the back side of the plug, until it clicks in firmly. It only fits in one way. I thten used silicone sealant around the back of the wire to seal it. Put the cap back on and it should look like this:








4. Splice the wire into a longer wire to run from the passenger side over to the drivers side. I ran it under the hood seal.








5. Repeat steps for splicing on drivers side.
6. Once both wires have been plugged into the headlight harness, splice them together on the drivers side.








7. Purchase a tap fuse from the local hardware or auotparts store. I plugged it into the secondary O2 sensor in the fuse box. I have APR stage 2 so even if the fuse blows I will not get a CEL. 
8. I drilled a small hole on the front side of the fuse box so I can plug the fuse tap in and run the wire out the frontof the box as shown:








9. Splice the wires togethter and go.









_Modified by 2ndvw-audi at 6:16 AM 3-15-2010_


_Modified by 2ndvw-audi at 6:20 AM 3-15-2010_


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

Sorry for bad pics and piecemeal instructions. 
LEDs come on with engine and ignition on. They turn off when key is removed, do not blink, and are on despite whatever the headlights/sidemarkers/parking lights are doing.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

Sweet... I re-wired all of the LED stuff today. Took about 2 hrs because I was working VERY slowly, and I had alot of old wiring to pull out and clean up. The end result is that I run off the fuse block, my wiring is simpler, and the LEDs go on as soon as I turn the ignition on. Yay!
Now I'm still waiting to find out whether I can make my HIDs go on every time I turn the car on, or not..


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (Diranged)*

Just curious... do you happen to notice your LEDs stay on occasionally after you turn the car off -- for a while? I find that there seem to be some cases where I turn the car off and the computer stays on for a while (you can even hear a slight ticking from something in the engine bay fuse box) -- and while thats on, the LEDs are on. Eventually they seem to go off just fine.


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## Col. Sandurz (Aug 23, 2009)

same happened to me when I ran out of fuse F47. I didn't like how that happened so I changed the fuse.


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

Hmm. Are you on fuse F12 right now?


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## mrgoodnit3 (Mar 22, 2010)

good stuff guys...do you recomend any sellers on ebay i can buy mine...and can someone please post the exact codes for programing


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

*Re: (mrgoodnit3)*

I'm taking mine off in a few days (got a good deal on some OEM ones), so if you want you can buy my entire kit from me. email me : wise (@) wiredgeek.net if your interested.


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## mrgoodnit3 (Mar 22, 2010)

*Re: (Diranged)*

you my friend might have a deal lol


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## Diranged (Dec 13, 2009)

fyi, i switched over to OEM HIDs.. so my set is up for sale:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4845818


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