GOLFMK8
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Reverse lights LED install

JetTurbo

geezer
Location
South Florida, USA
Car(s)
2018 GTi Autobahn 6M
??? but why the switch..

so if the LED bulb should fail, or I decide I don't like them, I can quickly and easily make a change back to a filament based bulb without disassembling the car again.
 
so if the LED bulb should fail, or I decide I don't like them, I can quickly and easily make a change back to a filament based bulb without disassembling the car again.

bulky but smart.
 

MACH GTI

Ready to race!
Location
NY, NY
would other bulbs 1157-x12 LED bulb or 1157-x19 LED bulb work the same way? $23 for one bulb doesnt make me think its worth it
 

JetTurbo

geezer
Location
South Florida, USA
Car(s)
2018 GTi Autobahn 6M
1156

would other bulbs 1157-x12 LED bulb or 1157-x19 LED bulb work the same way? $23 for one bulb doesnt make me think its worth it
1157s won't work in this socket, the MK V tails have no lamps that require dual level, which is a different contact arrangment. When needed, VW accomplishes level changes by modifying the current sent to a single level bulb (1156).

There is typically an 1156 equivalent. I suspect any bulb with the correct socket and an envelope that fits through the hole in the fixture will 'work'. How well is another question.

I am still curious about '59-led reverse lights (bright white)' the OP is talking about?
 

Raven6t9

Noise Pipe Plugs FTW!!!
Location
Nomadic
Car(s)
~MKV GTI~
A resistor is the way to go though, by using the same amperage on an LED as an incandesant bulb may cause the LED to fail prematurely. Whether or not this will happen by reversing the wires is your guess, but I'd bet it would.
Go to AutoLumination.com and take a look at their bulbs, click on LED bulbs and look at the 1156 bulbs.
Just a tip, I installed a set of 'Xenon White' 1156 bulbs and theyre just about as bright as those LED's and only cost me $1.50 each, with no wire hacking.:wink:
 

UMassJ77

JawnY
Location
Mass
Car(s)
MKV GTI DSG
A resistor is the way to go though, by using the same amperage on an LED as an incandesant bulb may cause the LED to fail prematurely. Whether or not this will happen by reversing the wires is your guess, but I'd bet it would.
Go to AutoLumination.com and take a look at their bulbs, click on LED bulbs and look at the 1156 bulbs.
Just a tip, I installed a set of 'Xenon White' 1156 bulbs and theyre just about as bright as those LED's and only cost me $1.50 each, with no wire hacking.:wink:

X2, i went with HyperWhite Xenon bulbs for the Reverse lights after NUMEROUS attempts at installing LEDS, finally I gave up and ust got the above bulbs...and they are so BRIGHT and WHITE...most people ask me if they are LEDs and for $4 it was well worth it, no cutting or moding needed.
 

mikef2579

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
United States
interesting... I just cut the plastic tabs off the connector... flipped it around and works like a charm, and no bulb out warnings! No resister needed!

Where can i get a pic of what the pastic tabs on the connector look like, and how to flip the polarity. I have my LEDs but dont know how to do this. :frown:
 

JetTurbo

geezer
Location
South Florida, USA
Car(s)
2018 GTi Autobahn 6M
Where can i get a pic of what the pastic tabs on the connector look like, and how to flip the polarity. I have my LEDs but dont know how to do this. :frown:
Rather than hack the connector, you could simply remove and swap the pins.
That is what I have done.
You will notice one side of the connector is split.



Pry open the end on the wire side to release the primary pin lock.



Then just pop the pins free with a pin removal tool (or paperclip if you are handy).



Swap the pin positions and press the primary pin lock back in place.
Completely non-detrucive.
 

mikef2579

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
United States
Rather than hack the connector, you could simply remove and swap the pins.
That is what I have done.
You will notice one side of the connector is split.



Pry open the end on the wire side to release the primary pin lock.



Then just pop the pins free with a pin removal tool (or paperclip if you are handy).



Swap the pin positions and press the primary pin lock back in place.
Completely non-detrucive.

what are the pins? sorry im new
 

JetTurbo

geezer
Location
South Florida, USA
Car(s)
2018 GTi Autobahn 6M
what are the pins? sorry im new
The metal electrical contact inside the connector is a metal pin crimped to a wire.
That metal contact pin is removable.
Here is a much larger than life view of what a
backup light harness contact pin looks like removed from the connector body.



There are two types of locking mechanisms holding the pin into the connector body.

The primary pin lock is a void / groove in the pin shaft next to the wire crimp.
A plastic ridge molded in the housing drops into that void / groove when the connector pin lock is closed,
preventing insertion or removal of a pin.

primary pin lock open (one pin removed) - pin lock groove marked


primary pin lock open (one pin removed) - pin lock ridge marked


The secondary pin lock is two small metal spring tabs on two sides of the contact pin.



The red arrow above points to the secondary pin lock tab
(one release tab visible, there is another tab like it on the opposite side).
The green arrow above points to the primary pin lock groove.

When you pop open that flap on the side, it releases the primary pin lock.

You must then reach in through access holes (white arrows) on the connection end


and depress the two tabs at the same time to release the pin.
Here is the tool I used to do that:



Once you have popped the pins free, when you reinstall them,
you can swap their positions to flip the polarity.
 

Teknojnky

New member
Location
YUL
I tried to order from SuperBrightLeds.com and they won't ship to me (Canada) unless I have a 25$ order.
Autolimination I just can't understand their website, I can't find what I want/need.

I want a red led for rear fog and a white led for backup light. Are there any other sources for those aside from ebay?
 

JetTurbo

geezer
Location
South Florida, USA
Car(s)
2018 GTi Autobahn 6M
autolumination Eagle Eye 5 LED rear fog bulb

I tried to order from SuperBrightLeds.com and they won't ship to me (Canada) unless I have a 25$ order.
Autolimination I just can't understand their website, I can't find what I want/need.

I want a red led for rear fog and a white led for backup light. Are there any other sources for those aside from ebay?
Funny you mention Autolimination, i have bought from them three times over 5 years,
no complaints.

Yes, there web site sucks and pales in comparison to sbl.
They do ship to Canada. If this is about saving $10, maybe some Canadian contributor can help you.

But they have some specific items I have not found from other sources,
and the items fit the need well. By my estimation, for those specific items, better than anything else.

I have had good results, good service with them.
On my third and most recent purchase I received a defective item.
They were efficient, fair and prompt in addressing that.

------

I use one of their Eagle Eye 5 - RED -
5W Wide-Angle 180 degrees High-Powered 5 Watt Led + 4x super-powered SMT
bulbs in my rear fog.
Bright enough, it draws enough to satisfy the controller / no errors.
(click that link above and search the page for this string ' Eagle Eye 5 '.)


Oddly enough, the first one shipped to me was defective, only four of the five LEDs lit.
The center one that did not light is the extra bright one too.
So I contacted them, they issued an RMA, I mailed them the bad bulb,
and a new / good one arrived a week or so later.

It works as expected / as described above.

Have not shot pics of the good bulb yet,
although I did shoot pics of the bad one
when requesting assistance from the vendor.
Except for the last pic, the two are the same
When I realized it was NOT working correctly (it triggered a bulb out fault / shutdown),
I pulled it, put it in a similar circuit with a resistor (my reverse / backup light),
and discovered the bulb defect.







defective bulb
 

JetTurbo

geezer
Location
South Florida, USA
Car(s)
2018 GTi Autobahn 6M
Nice write up JetTurbo, very informative.

In regards to generic83's post, which portion of the harness are we cutting and flipping?

He was not suggesting cutting the harness,
he is suggesting cutting pieces off the connector.
The connector has raised ridges which only allow
the connector to fit in one way.
generic83 is suggesting cutting off the ridges so
the connector can be rotated 180° and put in the "wrong" way,
reversing the polarity.

I am suggesting swapping the pins to reverse the polarity,
which is non-destructive and maintains stock appearance.

You only need to do one or the other, either will work.

Bet I could remove and swap the two pins in about the same time or less
than the time it would take for someone to carefully slice off the ridges with a razor blade.

Is this the correct harness connector? lol

Maybe, it is hard to tell from that picture, would be easier to be sure if the other side of the connector was shown.
 
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