# 2013 tail light /rear end swap



## RDME30 (Jan 25, 2005)

So i would like to use this thread to gather information about this swap. My wife was recently rear-ended and we will be getting paid for a new rear bumper and trunk repair. So the plan is to order a 13 trunk, tails and bumper (not to mention i have no idea whats going on for wiring in the 13). It wont be for awhile since i don't think parts are available yet, but it would be nice to get some comments from people who perhaps have been able to get hands one with the rear end of the 13's. If not i guess i will be the first.


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## Pookie64 (May 9, 2012)

opcorn:


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## Boosted2003! (Mar 10, 2009)

Won't work since the 09-12 rear 1/4 panels wont line up with the 13 rear bumper.


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## Rheinland Technik (Apr 2, 2010)

The consensus is the 1/4 panels are unchanged.


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## RDME30 (Jan 25, 2005)

q panels seemed to have not changed. 

A friend of mine is a vw tech and i sent him a lengthy message about my plan. He will be looking further into this and hopefully be able to get a side by side (specifically wiring). 

im going to look into availability of parts tomorrow.


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## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

I don't see why OEM parts wouldn't be available, the car is on the road with consumers.. If one gets into an accident, it would needs available parts to get fixed....

There was a thread on this a little bit ago, it was said that the trunk and bumper were changed for fitment, quarter panels stayed the same (not sure if the quarter panel thing was just a guess by looking fomr the outside) but I know the trunk was confirmed by a tech as being "deeper" for the tail lights.. As for wiring and any bulb errors, let us know what you find out.. Would like to know myself.


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## RDME30 (Jan 25, 2005)

Called dealer today parts are not available. 

Btw I work in auto insurance and I have told people before that the car is too new for parts and they usually wait about 6mo after a new gen. How long has the 13 been out? 2 mo?


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## ccturbo (Jul 27, 2011)

I want to do this as well so keep us posted!


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## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

rdm1 said:


> Called dealer today parts are not available.
> 
> Btw I work in auto insurance and I have told people before that the car is too new for parts and they usually wait about 6mo after a new gen. How long has the 13 been out? 2 mo?



Wow, really? I'd be pretty annoyed if I was in that situation..


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## demid (Feb 17, 2011)

you are not the first


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## RDME30 (Jan 25, 2005)

sweet!
Tell me more about it!

Was the wiring plug and play?


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## ccturbo (Jul 27, 2011)

Excellent! What parts, besides the bumper and tail lights, need to be replaced?


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## demid (Feb 17, 2011)

Sorry it's not my car so i don't know everything.
As you can see the rear bumper is modified 2010.
All i know is that the only easy thing was to buy lights)))
Only inner lights shape and rear fenders shape is the same.
All tail lights mounts are new, all wiring is new.

http://www.passat-cc.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=102&t=4233

9 pages but still no info


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## piperpilot964 (Aug 25, 2009)

All I can say is...Y, just Y?


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## akipal (Nov 28, 2009)

piperpilot964 said:


> All I can say is...Y, just Y?


cuz it is LED
i am tired of blown bulbs on my tails
within 20k miles dealer replaced 4 bulbs then last time on my 30k service 
they charged me $10 for a single light bulb
since there is no led alternative on our cc i think this is great

in the post i see 2013 led tails on pre 2013 (09-12) bumper
i think he patched (filled) the bumper to line up with new led tail
i might want to do this when more information released


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## jbcc (Feb 11, 2011)

akipal said:


> cuz it is LED
> i am tired of blown bulbs on my tails
> within 20k miles dealer replaced 4 bulbs then last time on my 30k service
> they charged me $10 for a single light bulb
> ...


I personally think the new tail lights with the old headlights is not going to look very good. The rear lights are scalloped and compliment the headlights. Wouldn't they look mismatched?

And I'm not trying to sound like a douche, but I don't think your situation is common and it is very easy to replace bulbs yourself. And even if you continued to buy the overpriced $10 dealer bulbs, you would be able to buy approximately 160 bulbs before you broke even on your swap. 

But to each his own. :beer:


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## DavidPaul (Nov 28, 2009)

akipal said:


> cuz it is LED
> i am tired of blown bulbs on my tails
> within 20k miles dealer replaced 4 bulbs then last time on my 30k service
> they charged me $10 for a single light bulb
> ...


Assuming you are not totally disabled and able to feed yourself, you seriously need to learn how to change a light bulb for yourself. They only cost a two or 3 bucks. plus, you will get a bulb that will last the rest of your CCs life. I have done this mod.

How many posts does it take to learn how to change a light bulb.

I am sure you remember the old Polish joke. Sorry, no offense meant to my many Pole friends and others on this site.

Now let's get down to economics. How many light bulbs does it take to equal the cost of several thousand dollars it will take to convert your current CC to an LED rear ended car?

Okay, now it's your turn.


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## akipal (Nov 28, 2009)

guys why are you so offense... 
i am just saying LED tail looks better and more efficient than previous regular bulbs 
i know how to do math 
i am not complaing with all bulbs i would replace i could retrofit to these led tails 
with aciddent of rear end i think it is good chance to retrofit the tail and bumper 

also i agree that pre 2013 front headlight doesn't match to the facelift rear tail 
i thought of retrofitting samething to the front leave old bumper and replace the headlights 

yeah i know it would cost lots of money... just my wish... 




DavidPaul said:


> Assuming you are not totally disabled and able to feed yourself, you seriously need to learn how to change a light bulb for yourself. They only cost a two or 3 bucks. plus, you will get a bulb that will last the rest of your CCs life. I have done this mod.
> 
> How many posts does it take to learn how to change a light bulb.
> 
> ...


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## Sammzway (Aug 14, 2011)

I love the new refreshed look with all the factory LEDs and HIDs. HOWEVER, at the rate everyone and I mean EVERY god damn person is throwing those LED strips all over their car, the old school halogen look is becoming attractive to me again. Obviously it's just my opinion but I hate cars with aftermarket LED tails/LED headlight strips/LED bumper DRLs and glared/improperly aimed HIDs. I just want to slap the driver silly for annoying other drivers on the road at night. UURGH!!  

Alright i'm done venting, now as for bulb replacement goes, it's easy to replace once you learn the technique. As far as upgrading to the new tails go, if you MUST have the tails and have disposable income to experiment with, just order the tails and harness and play with it. :thumbup:


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## baddceo (May 1, 2012)

Address the real problem here and that is the bulbs burning out as quick they do. Something else is wrong. Those bulbs should last for years. My last commuter car had 100k miles on it and none of the bulbs ever died. Come to think of it I have never had to replace a burned out bulb on any car I have ever owned. Am I just lucky?


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## DavidPaul (Nov 28, 2009)

baddceo said:


> Address the real problem here and that is the bulbs burning out as quick they do. Something else is wrong. Those bulbs should last for years. My last commuter car had 100k miles on it and none of the bulbs ever died. Come to think of it I have never had to replace a burned out bulb on any car I have ever owned. Am I just lucky?


 How many, many hundreds of dollars will it take to replace your tails with LEDs? 

Good grief, people, as I have said before, if it is just about replacing bulbs at a couple of bucks a piece, simply replace them with high quality Sylvanias or some other good brand. 

Guess what, you will save hundreds of dollars. I did. 

I really think this entire farce about needing to have LED tails simply because the bulbs are burning out too fast is nothing more than what I said in the 6th word of this sentence. 

As has been said prior to my post, if you have money to burn and really want LED tails, don't use the excuse of poor quality bulbs. Let's face it, you just want to change for the sake of change. 

Go for it.


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## RDME30 (Jan 25, 2005)

DavidPaul said:


> As has been said prior to my post, if you have money to burn and really want LED tails, don't use the excuse of poor quality bulbs. Let's face it, you just want to change for the sake of change.
> 
> Go for it.


 This is exactly why I wanted the led tails... It looks good. 
However if I have to modify mounting points I'm going to respectfully bow out of this swap.


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## piperpilot964 (Aug 25, 2009)

I think it 50k+ miles I have only replaced ONE tail light on my 09. In fact, now that I think of it...that tail light is THE ONLY bulb I have had go in the 50k+ miles I have on the car. Dunno why people have bulbs going out all the time...four wheeling with that CC? Bumpy roads?


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## DavidPaul (Nov 28, 2009)

piperpilot964 said:


> Dunno why people have bulbs going out all the time...four wheeling with that CC? Bumpy roads?


 None of the above. 

They burn out prematurely because they are made cheaply. Pretty simple, actually. 

You are either very lucky or don't do as much after dark driving as some of us. 

On a side note, you said, "I don't know why people have bulbs going out all the time". 

Actually I don't have bulbs going out all the time. After the first burn out, I changed all of my bulbs to high quality Sylvanias. That was over 2 years ago. No problems since. 

Go figure, Huh?


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## Sammzway (Aug 14, 2011)

DavidPaul said:


> None of the above.
> 
> They burn out prematurely because they are made cheaply. Pretty simple, actually.
> 
> ...


 +1 on the Sylvanias. Good quality light bulbs.


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## piperpilot964 (Aug 25, 2009)

DavidPaul said:


> None of the above.
> 
> They burn out prematurely because they are made cheaply. Pretty simple, actually.
> 
> ...


 I drive at night all the time. I'd have to argue that either not all the bulbs are cheap or I just got a wednesday car with wednesday bulbs. 

The tone is people all want LED because they are tired of changing bulbs often...I'm merely questioning why as my apparently lucky experience is not the same. At any rate, replacing an entire bumper cover, and tail light assemblies along with all the fun wiring changes, does not seem financially sound, but hey...go for it if you gotta have LED.


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## Juniorfeel (Dec 24, 2011)

I think the OP is viewing this as a functional mod. As he said, it doesn't boil down to replacing bulbs. Not only does he want good, working tails but also a facelift. I think people should view this more as what I said, a mod. This is like comparing air to coils. Coils are cheaper (I think) than air and although you can sit a car on the floor with air, that is something that aired out folks want, it's something they think is cool! Personally, if I had a CC, I'd look into this too. LEDs are not only for longer life but quality lights (not the inbred eBay ones) are safer. They respond quicker and can have better distance as far as light visibility. I say go for it, it's a fun and cool mod IMO, and a fun part of being on a forum as nice as vortex is seeing and supporting members and their mods. :thumbup:


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## HunterRose (Feb 16, 1999)

Just wanted to revive this thread and see if anyone has figured a way of doing this.


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## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

I did this

Traded in the '11 & bought a 2013


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## 1slow1.8t (Sep 15, 2009)

snobrdrdan said:


> I did this
> 
> Traded in the '11 & bought a 2013


 :thumbup:


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## anotheretc (Oct 14, 2012)

*Me too!!!*



rdm1 said:


> So i would like to use this thread to gather information about this swap. My wife was recently rear-ended and we will be getting paid for a new rear bumper and trunk repair. So the plan is to order a 13 trunk, tails and bumper (not to mention i have no idea whats going on for wiring in the 13). It wont be for awhile since i don't think parts are available yet, but it would be nice to get some comments from people who perhaps have been able to get hands one with the rear end of the 13's. If not i guess i will be the first.



Hey,

I'd like to do this also. please let me know your results when you're finished. I'm really curious about the price and sites to get the parts from. Thanks and good luck!


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## VWFSIB6 (Jun 12, 2007)

piperpilot964 said:


> All I can say is...Y, just Y?


cause the 2013 rear looks better than the 09-12 rear 

having owned 2 Volkswagens with the circle-tail-light design (B6 Passat & MKV GTI), I'm soooo glad they're done with that.


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## baye (May 6, 2009)

Bulbs aside, I thought our generation's tail light pattern looks pretty cool at night, with a bit of exotic car look to them, especially if lowered (or so I have been told by friends who followed me at night). The new LED tails look interesting too but I'm not losing sleep over not having them.


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## mtomaska (Sep 3, 2012)

I was just thinking about it today .. i will be fallowing this opcorn:


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## VdubXXIV (Feb 14, 2008)

Looks terrible.


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## vwcc1 (Jan 3, 2012)

Looks fantastic!! Im defiantly getting this done.


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## hussdog426 (Nov 20, 2011)

love the rear end of the new cc


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## HunterRose (Feb 16, 1999)

hussdog426 said:


> love the rear end of the new cc


:thumbup::thumbup:

Not a fan of the front but the rears are nice.


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## sdvolksGTi (Sep 17, 2007)

Almost completed mine, all I have left to do is the bumper, light are all in place


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## vwcc1 (Jan 3, 2012)

sdvolksGTi said:


> Almost completed mine, all I have left to do is the bumper, light are all in place


Can you please make a how to thread or just a quick guide on what to do list. It will be greatly appreciated. I bought some led lights and they are going to be delivered soon.


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## T16 (Apr 23, 2013)

lol what a lot of hassle for nothing.

So now you've spend money on lights you cannot fit, and need a new BOOT/Bumper and tail lights to finish this job!!?

wtf?!

Why not just get some canbus compatible LED's or get a facelift car...


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## under-pressure (Sep 22, 2009)

T16 said:


> lol what a lot of hassle for nothing.
> 
> So now you've spend money on lights you cannot fit, and need a new BOOT/Bumper and tail lights to finish this job!!?
> 
> ...


If you've followed the whole thread, you've seen that this _is_ possible and why some people want to do this.

I don't believe anyone has actually claimed that this is truly plug-n-play, which is why much of these "rear tail light" threads are full of questions about what has changed on the facelift CC vs. old, and yet at least a few people have figured this out, so good for them. 

I agree the new tails are much better looking than the old, while the old front is much better looking than the new, so I get why some pre-'13 owners want to go to the trouble do this. People sharing their modifications/customizations and posting DIYs is one of the biggest reasons these forums exist, regardless of how useful or useless any one person thinks a modification is.


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## vwcc1 (Jan 3, 2012)

Will require facelift rear bumper, boot modification , rear quarter panel modification. 
Will the new facelift boot fit my prefacelift cc?


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## TheBurninator (Jan 7, 2009)

vwcc1 said:


> Will require facelift rear bumper, boot modification , rear quarter panel modification.
> Will the new facelift boot fit my prefacelift cc?


It shouldn't require any rear quarter panel modification. The part numbers for the quarter panels are the same between all years.

You could make the bumper work too if you sectioned that part out of the facelift bumper. Yay panel bond.

The boot should fit. They are demmensionally the same just different mounts for the lights.


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## vwcc1 (Jan 3, 2012)

TheBurninator said:


> It shouldn't require any rear quarter panel modification. The part numbers for the quarter panels are the same between all years.
> 
> You could make the bumper work too if you sectioned that part out of the facelift bumper. Yay panel bond.
> 
> The boot should fit. They are demmensionally the same just different mounts for the lights.


*The quarter panel doesn't have any point so that you can screw in the new lights. 

*The inner lights don't go into place unless you cut off some metal. 

*Ill try to fit the bumper again, like you said it just require some bond but I might just get another bumper.


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## sdvolksGTi (Sep 17, 2007)




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## TheBurninator (Jan 7, 2009)

vwcc1 said:


> *The quarter panel doesn't have any point so that you can screw in the new lights.
> 
> *The inner lights don't go into place unless you cut off some metal.
> 
> *Ill try to fit the bumper again, like you said it just require some bond but I might just get another bumper.


The quarter panel is separate from the tail light mounting section of the body.
P/N 3C8813319A and 3C8813320A is the tail light mounting.

The inner frame of the boot lids are different. Hence the different part numbers between boot lids. Outer dimensions are the same.

You can either swap the bumper and the corresponding brackets or you can swap the upper bracket and graft in that section of the bumper to line up. At least that is what I am gathering from ETKA.


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## HunterRose (Feb 16, 1999)

This is getting interesting....

opcorn:opcorn:


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## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

sdvolksGTi said:


> Almost completed mine, all I have left to do is the bumper, light are all in place


Looks good!

PM sent about the exhaust tips


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## DaBz1981 (Oct 8, 2010)

hmm not sure i like it on the 09-12 CCs as much as I thought so i'll pass. but kudos for the hard work and research put into this.


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## Stero1D (Aug 8, 2012)

deffntly doing IT!


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## ivinioCC (Sep 24, 2013)

sdvolksGTi said:


>



Nice job man! Did you had to cut that inner part to fit new brackets? all light work as they supposed to? Can you list A to Z things you done an bought?


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## ivinioCC (Sep 24, 2013)

snobrdrdan said:


> Looks good!
> 
> PM sent about the exhaust tips



Hey bro, can you let me know the drop on your car, i like the way it's sits - not too low not too high. Just perfect.


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## vwcc1 (Jan 3, 2012)

Just an update on this...

I went to the dealership for the parts that sdvolksGTi has mentioned 

*sdvolksGTi* *list*









My list which is the same list but in UK.









I bought the new Facelift bumper so what parts do I need in order to fit it? 

Prefacelift 









Facelift









What should i get to fit the bumper?


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## vwcc1 (Jan 3, 2012)




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## jdeltree (Jan 6, 2014)

vwcc1 said:


>


Wow, I really love these tail lights but seeing everything get dismantled just to get this in is somewhat scary....
Do let us know if/when you complete it with pictures.

Thanks.


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## DiegosAnotherr1 (Sep 24, 2013)

anymre updates?


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## vwcc1 (Jan 3, 2012)

Gonna try wire it and code it on sunday.


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## 90 GT-G60 (Jan 18, 2000)

vwcc1 said:


> Gonna try wire it and code it on sunday.


Looks good, thanks for the pictures. My 2010 4mo has a 2013 ass done by the PO. it is interesting to see what the car looks like under the skin and what needed to be done to do it:thumbup:


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## sbkim (Mar 22, 2006)

Wow looks like a lot of work. I love the new tail lights. Def gives it an updated look. Almost reminds me of the 6 series grand coupe.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/lead4-2013-bmw-6-series-gran-coupe-fd.jpg


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## AE GTI #765 (Jul 14, 2005)

Anybody knows if Dectane GmbH will come up with some aftermarket lights that could fit in our 09-12 CC? I mean, they did a good job with the headlights!


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## vwcc1 (Jan 3, 2012)

*Taking the bumper off or doing the body work its not that hard as it seems. I bought a facelift bumper so I need to cut few plastic bits that is fitted to the car now as shown in the pictures earlier. 

-If you use the exciting pre-facelift bumper, its actually a cheaper project. Its the lack of information provided that makes it hard. Thanks to sdvolksGTi, it made a good start for me. 

-If you use the existing pre-facelift boot lid, it needs modification and thanks to sdvolksGTI, He provided the picture on where to cut.








-After cutting the boot lid metal piece, you will have to make a custom bracket for the facelift light to stay intact.

*For the Quarter panels, Theres two ways to do it. ( Light fits in perfect but wont stay on when driving due to that there is no where to screw in to make it stay intact)
1. Make customer brackets to for the light to stay intact.
2. Make a circle in roughly around the region with red circle shown below.

The existing whole is slight too high for the new lights screw fixture to go in. therfore need to made a hole for that. 

The new screw is shown below. Its just 1 Screw.


Bodywork its not very hard as it seems. I will post more pictures of the body work once its done. 

*-For the wiring*, A member (Jaraz) from UKpassats.co.uk is helping me out. (Mostly He is doing the complete wiring job and I'm just getting the parts he tells me to get.)

*The wiring is slightly difficult due to the lack of information therefore, you have to find out yourself on what wire is what. It does need coding done as well due to issues such as the rear fog light is the same as the park light. 

My project has been set back due to that the lights I bought didn't have Amber light for indicating (signalling) due to that its a North American spec light. Therefore Jaraz( UKpassats Club member that's helping me on the project) will need to make a whole in the light so that I can put in a amber light for signalling which is an UK requirement.

I will post on the complete parts list I used once the project is complete. The most expensive part is the Rear lights and the others are not too expensive. For me the bumper was the next expensive part.


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## jdeltree (Jan 6, 2014)

*How did it go*



vwcc1 said:


> *Taking the bumper off or doing the body work its not that hard as it seems. I bought a facelift bumper so I need to cut few plastic bits that is fitted to the car now as shown in the pictures earlier.
> 
> -If you use the exciting pre-facelift bumper, its actually a cheaper project. Its the lack of information provided that makes it hard. Thanks to sdvolksGTi, it made a good start for me.
> 
> ...




Any updates yet?


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## jrodrigo621 (Dec 22, 2010)

Any updates on this?

Thinking of doing it but need a little bit more info about the wiring issues! 

And alsoon the custom made brackets that were made to hold on properly the inner (were metal was cut) and outer lights (were they drill some holes)

Greetings


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## vwcc1 (Jan 3, 2012)

Currently in workshop getting the light fitted. Not sure was the bracket will look like. when i fitted the rear facelift bumper today i went through few issues. one of them is the pre-facelift bumper brackets doesn't match up with the facelift bumpers. It doesn't lock up properly and some of the screw location are different on the bumper so I'm guessing it needs a different bracket. I did put the bumper in with the pre-facelift bracket and it sort of locks in place but not perfectly. There's a small gap between the facelift bumper and the mudguard that's behind the wheel (can't think of the proper name for it). 

For wiring, its just the matter of finding out which wire does what. Eg 4 wire all together in each light and 1st wire might be reverse light then 2nd wire might be the ground then 3rd might be the power. My friend on UKpassat forum done this for me and he got a diagram for it. Ill try ask him for it. 

Codding its not hard with someone that knows vcds properly, you have to turn some checks off and that not sure exactly what it was. My friend took about 20 mins to get it done. 

Bodywork - The quarter panel will needs some metal cutting but I told my bodywork guy not to cut up too much metal so that I can put my pre-facelift lights back on. He said he's going to make customer brackets for quarter panel and the boot lid( if your using pre facelift bootlid) 

After changing the bumper, it started to look very nice indeed, the back bumper changes the whole look of the car from the back. It looks more sharp than before. 

I'm using facelift bumper and using pre-facelift boot.


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## vwcc1 (Jan 3, 2012)

Got the car back from the garage. 1 advice would be to get a facelift boot if your mechanic it not good at making custom brackets. However I got mine done. The outer lights were straght foward, there were no brackets but you have to cut some metal to screw in with screw that came with the light. 

This is what the boot looks like









This is the facelift boot that would make things easier and much more cleaner.










End result









Worth all the effort, but my expenses got out of hand. Getting the coding and wiring done by yourself can save money.


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## jrodrigo621 (Dec 22, 2010)

Congrats buddy!

Looks very impresive and the job was superb! The pics will definetly be very usefull for all of us that will want to do this mod ...

Appreciate all the inside information regarding this conversion, Im still looking for an used set of taillights and waiting to bring the car to my hometown and take it to my workshop and figure sometihing out with the original bumper (dont know if bond or fiberglass) Hope I can use the original bumper so I wont go over my budget!

Once again, congrats for the mod ...


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## vwcc1 (Jan 3, 2012)

Thanks. Using Pre-facelift bumper does save a lot of money indeed. I got no clue on fibre glass or bond strength level. I'm guessing fibre glass is more flexible but harder to do... I never thought ill get this done but I stumbled across some cheap '2014' rear lights and that's where it all started. Some people like it, some people think its a waste of money and effort. Personally I like the '14' rear end and the front end of pre-facelift. 

BTCC(British Touring Car Championship) car done a facelift for front and rear
















http://www.gpcars.co.uk/used_car_volkswagen_cc_saloon_4012.htm


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## Shobhz (Mar 3, 2014)

I'd love to do this on my '12 

However it feels like a lot of work that I don't think I'm Capable of doing myself


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## ivinioCC (Sep 24, 2013)

Can you provide more information about coding? If i'm getting new wires it's not just plug and play? what if i cut wire on both ends and figure out what goes to turn signals, reverse, brakes, why do i need coding to get done? What did your mechanic changed in the VAG COM? 

My car just got hit, so I already bought 2013 taillights, will get new 2013 model boot lid and a bumper. One thing that concerns me is the wiring job and how long does it take to figure that out? 




vwcc1 said:


> Got the car back from the garage. 1 advice would be to get a facelift boot if your mechanic it not good at making custom brackets. However I got mine done. The outer lights were straght foward, there were no brackets but you have to cut some metal to screw in with screw that came with the light.
> 
> This is what the boot looks like


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## ivinioCC (Sep 24, 2013)

Hi, would you mind sharing wiring conversion process? Wire Diagram, details, tips, recommendations? Thanks a lot dude. 



sdvolksGTi said:


>


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## Calyfelic (Sep 21, 2014)

I'm planning on doing the same thing


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## teknodogg (Nov 19, 2013)

anymore photos of end result or updates??


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## spakovw (Sep 8, 2010)

Looking forward to do the swap guys....how to do the wiring connection?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Mantvis (Jan 1, 2010)

So what has to be done with wiring and VAG COM??


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## hallucinogen (Jan 14, 2010)

Ok guys ! Let's revive this thread  I did the led tail lights retrofit to my 2009 euro spec. They are perfect fit - bought the trunk bumper and lights the same paint code as my car so it was a deal that I could not refuse. 
The wiring was done accordingly to Elsa electric diagram.
The only problem is that I can't make them work properly - they are shutting down after a few seconds ( are going in some protection ) 
Could someone help me with their coding from VCDS ? 
Thanks - will keep you posted










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## CCR.J (Aug 24, 2014)

I have a slight attraction to the new rear end lighting look as well - at night - but during the day time I personally prefer the more organic shape of the Gen1. The Gen2 does have a sharp look to it, granted - but then with the '15 they seemed to make the entire rear end of the car much narrower. This killed any desire I might have had for a new CC - as the long, wide, and lower look of the CC versus the standard Passat is one of its design advantages, IMHO. 

Naturally, the very first problem (of many) I had with my '11 was one half of the "inner circle" of tail-lights went out. Thankfully this was under CPO warranty - as not only were the 6-8 bulbs fairly pricey each compared to LED's - but when they went out, they burnt the entire socket as well.... which was definitely NOT cheap ($2-300 + bulbs). 

Before the repair ever began, the dealer service rep advised that it was common to have the bulbs "burn up the socket when they blow out"... So, perhaps another reason to justify this mod after all?


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## hallucinogen (Jan 14, 2010)

Hey guys ! A little update - figured out how to wire properly the connections so all the lights work as they suppose to without any resistors.










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## 90 GT-G60 (Jan 18, 2000)

Glad you figured it out!


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## hudeck (May 18, 2010)

can you make a how to....
with the steps you took to do the swap.. and solving the taillight problem.

because i also want to do this retrofit.

thanks


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## hallucinogen (Jan 14, 2010)

90 GT-G60 said:


> Glad you figured it out!


Thanks ! Finally it's 100% ready


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## hallucinogen (Jan 14, 2010)

hudeck said:


> can you make a how to....
> with the steps you took to do the swap.. and solving the taillight problem.
> 
> because i also want to do this retrofit.
> ...


Hey ! 

First of all you need to get the parts like trunk / bumper / stoplights - I bought them from allegro same paint code as my car.

Second you need to have a VIN number of a 2013 CC to get the parts that you need in order to complete the retrofit.

You can start from here with part numbers http://www.passat-cc.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=102&t=4233

And more info with some part numbers from some guys which did it in the states http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5707276-2013-tail-light-rear-end-swap/page2

I had to buy the exterior supports of both tail lights because the newer has a different bracket than the old ones. Costs like 120$ from the stealership

In order to have less intervention to the bodywork the inner support was cut and welded to the car.










The trunk was complete also plug and play 

The wiring part you can do it from the central electrics module in long coding or you can get the electric schematic and run with error anulators.



















I am here for more questions 

Take care !


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## hudeck (May 18, 2010)

What why do you have to cut out and weld in that part isn't there a other option to adapt it to the new lights??? 

The last part about the wiring that confuses me a bit.. 

What was the total price of the retrofit...


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## hallucinogen (Jan 14, 2010)

The supports of the new facelift stop lights are different. That's why you have to weld the new ones in order to fit them properly. You can adapt new mountings but not sure if will fit nicely.

Check the link to the other thread in order to make an idea what needs to be done.

I did it this way - of course they are some other ways but I wanted to do the retrofit as clean as possible.


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## hudeck (May 18, 2010)

hallucinogen said:


> The supports of the new facelift stop lights are different. That's why you have to weld the new ones in order to fit them properly. You can adapt new mountings but not sure if will fit nicely.
> 
> Check the link to the other thread in order to make an idea what needs to be done.
> 
> ...


That is also what I want to do so clean as possible.

So I need to cut the old mountings out and weld the new ones in.
But do I need to let them paint it in the car color??


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## hallucinogen (Jan 14, 2010)

Yes you do - but only the inner ones not the whole metal part. Less intervention to the body and no need to damage/repaint. You can use zinc spray and the same material ( I don't know what it's name ) which covers the weldings of the car. The mountings are covered by the tail lights 


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## d0n (Jan 5, 2015)

looks fantastic hallucinogen..

hopefully someone will make a plug and play fool proof version to upgrade these since I am not very car savvy..

i am in no rush though as i have another year and a half of cpo warranty anyways and this would probably void it


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## hallucinogen (Jan 14, 2010)

Thanks d0n ! Appreciate it - if I have a look at it now the retrofit is not as scary and complex. You need to get the parts and a good person in a body shop. 


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## ivinioCC (Sep 24, 2013)

*2013 tail light plug*

Where did you get a plug that goes to your new 2013 model headlights? I assumed you cut the wires on both ends and manually connect them to work properly. Also, have you used VagCom or any resistors? 

Multumesc!



hallucinogen said:


> Hey guys ! A little update - figured out how to wire properly the connections so all the lights work as they suppose to without any resistors.


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## Stero1D (Aug 8, 2012)

ivinioCC said:


> Where did you get a plug that goes to your new 2013 model headlights? I assumed you cut the wires on both ends and manually connect them to work properly. Also, have you used VagCom or any resistors?
> 
> Multumesc!
> 
> ...


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## hallucinogen (Jan 14, 2010)

I bought the connectors for the facelift stoplights - and connected the existing wires.

Made the connection not via Elsa wire diagram - I can offer the long coding that I used to my central electrics bit by bit. 

Take care


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## ivinioCC (Sep 24, 2013)

hallucinogen said:


> I bought the connectors for the facelift stoplights - and connected the existing wires.
> 
> Made the connection not via Elsa wire diagram - I can offer the long coding that I used to my central electrics bit by bit.
> 
> ...


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## 2012vwcc88 (Dec 30, 2014)

So if I did this swap... lights, bumper, and brackets. I would need a vw tech to do some kinda of coding? Could anyone shed some light on the wiring of these lights to a 1st gen. I could splice a new pigtailed harness on but I'm guessing that wouldn't be it


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## ivinioCC (Sep 24, 2013)

2012vwcc88 said:


> So if I did this swap... lights, bumper, and brackets. I would need a vw tech to do some kinda of coding? Could anyone shed some light on the wiring of these lights to a 1st gen. I could splice a new pigtailed harness on but I'm guessing that wouldn't be it


You will also need to find the harness adapter for your new Gen tail lights which i'm also struggling to find. Those who did it don't feel like sharing either. You might be ok going with out coding as long as you connect all the wires the right way.


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## flipflp (Dec 10, 2012)

hallucinogen said:


> I bought the connectors for the facelift stoplights - and connected the existing wires.
> 
> Made the connection not via Elsa wire diagram - I can offer the long coding that I used to my central electrics bit by bit.
> 
> ...


See this post, he bought the new connectors and wired them in to the existing wiring. No harness adapters were used. Unless someone assembles and sells one, that is the way to do it.


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## Stero1D (Aug 8, 2012)

Bump, i want to do it ))


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## sdvolksGTi (Sep 17, 2007)




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## sdvolksGTi (Sep 17, 2007)

*Swap Parts list "if keeping existing trunk lid"*

QTY: DESCRIPTION: PART NO:
1 2012.5-2016 Outer Left Tail Light 3C8-945-207-AA
1 2012.5-2016 Outer Right Tail Light 3C8-945-208-AA
2 2012.5-2016 Outer Tail Light Connectors 5K0-972-705
1 2012.5-2016 Inner Left Tail Light 3C8-945-307-R
1 2012.5-2016 InnerRight Tail Light 3C8-945-308-R
2 2012.5-2016 Inner Tail Light Connectors 7N0-972-704
4 2012.5-2016 Connector Wires 000-979-025-FA (For both inner and outer tail lights)
1 2012.5-2016 Bumper 3C8-807-421-K-GRU 
1 2012.5-2016 Spoiler (Single Exhaust 3C9-807-521-D-989)(Dual Exhaust 3C9-807-521-E-989)
1 2012.5-2016 Rear Left Absorber. 3C8-807-252-A
1 2012.5-2016 Rear Right Absorber. 3C8-807-252-F
1 2012.5-2016 Rear Inner Center Support 3C8-807-863-D
1 2012.5-2016 Rear Left Inner Side support 3C8-807-375-B
1 2012.5-2016 Rear Right Inner Side support 3C8-807-376-B
1 2012.5-2016 Rear Left Exhaust Shield 3C8-825-715-B (On this one I think there is one for the other side but we can't find the part # for it)
1 2012.5-2016 Rear Left Reflector 3C8-945-105-D
1 2012.5-2016 Rear Right Reflector 3C8-945-106-D
For CC's with Rear Parking Sensors (Existing Sensors are reused) (Holes are already marked for Placement on inside of bumper and drilling I found that a step drill work great for making the holes. Brackets are stuck on with supplied adhesive)
2 2012.5-2016 Rear Outer Sensor Bracket 3C8-919-491-B
1 2012.5-2016 Rear Right Inner Sensor Bracket 3C8-919-492
1 2012.5-2016 Rear Left Inner Sensor Bracket 3C8-919-491-C
4 2012.5-2016 Rear Sensor Bushings 1T0-919-133-C-989


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## hudeck (May 18, 2010)

@sdvolksGTi thanks for the list.. But did you change the connectors/plugs from the old taillight to the new ones or left it as is


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## sdvolksGTi (Sep 17, 2007)

hudeck said:


> @sdvolksGTi thanks for the list.. But did you change the connectors/plugs from the old taillight to the new ones or left it as is
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I just updated the list for you


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## sdvolksGTi (Sep 17, 2007)




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## Pacman14 (Aug 8, 2016)

*passat cc rear light conversion*

hi guys can anyone please give me the long coding for new style led rear light on passat cc i have done all rear end conversion but cant get lights to behave as coding is not right


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## Stero1D (Aug 8, 2012)

Found Mk2 Bumper, Trunk, Tails in my color..... really want to do it, but Im still confused what it takes to mount outer tails on the mk1 quarter panels.


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## keyleum (Mar 29, 2015)

want to know the coding and the cable connection


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## hudeck (May 18, 2010)

keyleum said:


> want to know the coding and the cable connection


That's also something I want know


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## Stero1D (Aug 8, 2012)

Visited my parts today and picked up connectors for new tails 


Follow me on IG: stero1d_cc


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## keyleum (Mar 29, 2015)

Stero1D said:


> Visited my parts today and picked up connectors for new tails
> 
> 
> Follow me on IG: stero1d_cc


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## Stero1D (Aug 8, 2012)

More work needs to be done, but all good in da hood


Follow me on IG: stero1d_cc


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## Stero1D (Aug 8, 2012)

Booom!


Gonna make a DIY with as much info as I can, cz im not a little b..... like others who went with conversion and dont want to share the info!


Follow me on IG: stero1d_cc


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## usaf-lt-g (May 16, 2012)

Stero1D said:


> Booom!
> 
> 
> Gonna make a DIY with as much info as I can, cz im not a little b..... like others who went with conversion and dont want to share the info!
> ...


When the 2011 CANBUS gets you down, and you're feeling low..... like the only kid in town, without a Christmas Tree. And Europeans send us honky wiring diagrams that make no sense in the U.S. of A. 

We make lights work custom.... Ukrainian style  :thumbup: 

Because when lights don't work..... We work the lights!


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## Stero1D (Aug 8, 2012)

usaf-lt-g said:


> When the 2011 CANBUS gets you down, and you're feeling low..... like the only kid in town, without a Christmas Tree. And Europeans send us honky wiring diagrams that make no sense in the U.S. of A.
> 
> We make lights work custom.... Ukrainian style  :thumbup:
> 
> Because when lights don't work..... We work the lights!


^^^^ killed it bruhhhhhhH!


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## hudeck (May 18, 2010)

Stero1D said:


> Booom!
> 
> 
> Gonna make a DIY with as much info as I can, cz im not a little b..... like others who went with conversion and dont want to share the info!
> ...


I'm looking forward to the DIY.. you've killed it


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## usaf-lt-g (May 16, 2012)

If you want to do this installation OEM.... then you need to replace the mounting for the tailight (where the tail light actually mounts to the car:

3C8-813-319-A - Left side Mounting
3C8-813-320-A - Right side mounting

In addition, you'll need a new trunk lid - 3C8-827-025-D

and a rear bumper - 3C8-807-421-K-GRU


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## Calyfelic (Sep 21, 2014)

Would u mind sharing


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## Calyfelic (Sep 21, 2014)

hudeck said:


> I'm looking forward to the DIY.. you've killed it
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


i dont think hes gonna share. ive messaged him and no answer. im planning on doing it. i will definitely post the wiring part


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## DBMKII (Jul 15, 2009)

I made a guide for wiring if anyone would like to see 🙌🏼

https://forums.vwvortex.com/#/topics/9382753


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## gman1881 (May 18, 2017)

*Link seems broken?*



DBMKII said:


> I made a guide for wiring if anyone would like to see


link appears to be broke to me?


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## DBMKII (Jul 15, 2009)

gman1881 said:


> *Link seems broken?*
> 
> 
> link appears to be broke to me?


Sorry I’m late, try this? Links to my forum post 








CC Gen 1 to Gen 2 conversion guide


Hello, I wanted to share my little plug and play guide to help those who want to know how to do the wiring to the Gen 2 lights with a Gen 1 wiring harness. This is the wiring guide only, I think that’s the hardest part, getting the Gen 2 parts is the easy part haha I hope it helps; happy modding...




www.vwvortex.com


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