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OEM rear LED's for Mk5....


RedRobin
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Not to everybody's taste (especially on TSN where most are not particularly into modding) but these LED rear clusters are manufactured for and ordered by VW and are RUMOURED to appear on build 09 European GTI's (also R32's??) this summer. The existing Mk5 rear lights are poorly designed in that if you are on the brakes and also indicating, the turn signal is not clearly defined. The guy who owns this Steel Grey GTI has had them on for more than 6 months without any problems.

LEDtails.jpg

Being European the reversing and fog lenses are the wrong way round for the UK but 'tis a very simple matter to swop the inner lenses:

Approx half hour with cutting knife then hot glue gun:

Cut the plastic sealing tabs off.

Lift out the lenses.

Cut the inner tabs down.

Swap the lenses over (you might have to dremell the alignment holes).

Seal where the plastic sealing tabs were with the hot glue gun.

Reassemble.

Unlike the American Mk5's, we already have the 4th wire and so don't need to do any extra fiddling. Also we don't need to use VAGcom afterwards - It's simply a matter of plugging in the connectors. The ECU instructions are unchanged and also bulb-out warnings aren't affected. Apparently the connectors do need a strong push to ensure they work properly. Indicator repeat rate remains the same too but response of the lights is more instant - I'm guessing that the rear LED brake lights might illuminate a fraction before the non-LED strip brake light - I'll have to test that.

A pair of lights are available in the UK from VWSpeed for £249 incl vat & mainland shipping:

VWSPEED WEB PAGE (This page now needs updating re VAGcom not being needed for European cars)

Thanks to Neo (who I met through TSNer Chungster) for all the helpful info. He fitted them himself on his Laser Blue GTI and it has since past its first MOT with these LED's. 169144-ok.gif

I'll post pics and report further when mine is done in the next few days.

JesusSaysModify.jpg

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[ QUOTE ]

Not to everybody's taste (especially on TSN where most are not particularly into modding) but these LED rear clusters are manufactured for and ordered by VW and are RUMOURED to appear on build 09 European GTI's (also R32's??) this summer. The existing Mk5 rear lights are poorly designed in that if you are on the brakes and also indicating, the turn signal is not clearly defined. The guy who owns this Steel Grey GTI has had them on for more than 6 months without any problems.

LEDtails.jpg

Being European the reversing and fog lenses are the wrong way round for the UK but 'tis a very simple matter to swop the inner lenses:

Approx half hour with cutting knife then hot glue gun:

Cut the plastic sealing tabs off.

Lift out the lenses.

Cut the inner tabs down.

Swap the lenses over (you might have to dremell the alignment holes).

Seal where the plastic sealing tabs were with the hot glue gun.

Reassemble.

Unlike the American Mk5's, we already have the 4th wire and so don't need to do any extra fiddling. Also we don't need to use VAGcom afterwards - It's simply a matter of plugging in the connectors. The ECU instructions are unchanged and also bulb-out warnings aren't affected. Apparently the connectors do need a strong push to ensure they work properly. Indicator repeat rate remains the same too but response of the lights is more instant - I'm guessing that the rear LED brake lights might illuminate a fraction before the non-LED strip brake light - I'll have to test that.

A pair of lights are available in the UK from VWSpeed for £249 incl vat & mainland shipping:

VWSPEED WEB PAGE (This page now needs updating re VAGcom not being needed for European cars)

Thanks to Neo (who I met through TSNer Chungster) for all the helpful info. He fitted them himself on his Laser Blue GTI and it has since past its first MOT with these LED's. 169144-ok.gif

I'll post pics and report further when mine is done in the next few days.

JesusSaysModify.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll have a look into this tomorrow to see if they are definately OEM. I know VW offer an LED light kit under the Accessories programme but if they are standard from 09 Model year I'll be all over these like a Donkey on a waffle 169144-ok.gif

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RR, I agree when braking you cannot see the indicator and this is bloody annoying when you're following another Golf. Can't say I like the LED's though... looks like they are available on Fischer Motorsports website.

Incidentally I had a bit of a play with a red GTI on the way to work this morning, I often see it but the driver is a bit of an old fogey so have never bothered to play. This morning though I really gave it some beans coming out of a junction and he followed suit, and we were off... wink.gif

And yes to reconfirm grey GTI's are faster than red ones. grin.gif

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[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]

1K0052204.jpg

Looks like they've been part of the Accessories Catalogue since early 2007 tongue.gif Part number 1K0052204

[/ QUOTE ]

Is that a RHD version that doesn't need modding?

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....Andy, the one in the pic has the red fog lens on the left and is therefore a lefthand drive car. 169144-ok.gif

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[ QUOTE ]

I'll look into lights tomorrow re: RHD compatibility 169144-ok.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

.... confused.gif I thought we had already established that these lights are RHD compatible if you swop over the reverse and fog lenses (as my original post).

[/ QUOTE ]

I meant more do some research into whether there is a RHD part number available from Volkswagen Accessories. Or, if it is true LED's will be on 2009 Model Year, ETKA 169144-ok.gif

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....Thanks for clarifying, Nelson 169144-ok.gif. It's possible that they won't be available for the UK because the internal fog and reverse lenses can't be swopped over without some jiggery pokery. The screw holes don't line up when swopped - Hence drimmel and hot glue gun - I've just read an independent report confirming this on another forum.

If the VW design team were really efficient they would have designed the units to allow simple swop of lenses to cater for both markets. It certainly would have been my design brief! I hope I'm wrong but I reckon the UK will be left out.

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'lo all,

Don't usually post here but since I was mentioned here I am;)

LED tails:

[image] 2147220661_93c921e4f1.jpg?v=0 [/image]

at night:

[image]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2328/2142967665_8fe35ee679.jpg[/image]

As Robin has said, I just passed my MOT without any trouble at all with these LED lights. The procedure to do the red fog/white reverse is very simple and took me about 45 minutes; the light swap itself is just a straight go, so to speak smile.gif

Grr, my images aren't showing... alright, I can't figure this out. Someone hotlink my images for me smile.gif

Edit the Third:

Here's a link to the Flickr set with my photos:

Flickr Set

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