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DIY Guide and Review: AKD AliExpress MK7.5 LED Tail Lights for NAR MK7 Golf

Nissanskylinen1

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
'16 R w/DCC & Nav
First of all, big ups to @ZERO815 and @openlog figuring this out for us.


Hey guys, after doing some research, I have manage to successfully install the AKD AliExpress tail lights. This writeup is specifically for the MK7 (halogen) cars that are installing the MK7.5 LED tails (link below). These tail lights are actually really good quality and value for the money in my opinion. The lights are nice, crisp, and bright. Installation took me about an hour. They came packaged very nicely and in my opinion the harness included is much easier to install than the BEC or OEM ones since it is only one wire to work with. Here is my guide below with a wiring diagram included - I hope it helps:
Tools Required:
  • 2x Sewing needles (for repinning) EDIT: It is much easier if you shell out a few bones for an actual repinning tool - you can get them from Amazon for like $10.
  • 1x Weed trimmer line (for fishing the harness through)
  • 1x 8mm socket (for the inner tail lights)
  • 1x VCDS or OBD11
  • 1x Brain

STEPS:
  • Step 1) Run the yellow wires included in the box through the trunk and the hatch. Driver outer to Driver inner, Passenger outer to passenger inner. Lots of instructions online - it is actually really easy to do if you do some thinking. For these tail lights, you do not actually need to remove the big cover off the hatch because the harness is small enough to feed through easily!
  • Step 2) On the driver side inner connector, disconnect the purple and black wire from pin 4. You can do this by unclipping the lock at the top of the conector, and then putting 2 sewing needles into the holes on the top and bottom of the connector to unlock the wire. Pull the wire out gently. This will take a few tries.
  • Step 3) Take that wire and put it into hole #3. It will click in. Then press the locking tab back down on the connector. This will disable your driver side reverse light and turn it into the amber signal for the driver side instead.
  • Step 4) On the driver outer tail light, remove the wire going into pin 4 and tape the end of it. You will no longer need it.
  • Step 5) Code your tail lights so that:
    • a) Leuchte27 is your right turn signal;
    • b) Leuchte20 and 21 are no longer your turn signals;
    • c) Leuchte28 is your new left turn signal;
    • d) Leuchte 27 and 28 lasttyp are #35 (blinking LEDs); and,
    • e) Leuchte 20 and 21 are lasttyp #34 (braking LEDs).
  • Step 6 (Optional) ) Run a wire from the right side inner reverse lamp to the left side inner reverse lamp to bridge them. This will turn both of your reverse lamps back on. Use this wire for best results: VW part no. 000979025E
And now you are all done! Stand back and enjoy your work!

Link to the taillights: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32502102227.html
Link to exact coding instructions: https://golfmk7.com/forums/index.ph...7-to-7-5-tail-light-issue.364851/post-7470170

InkedIMG_4675_LI.jpg


EDIT:
Okay so I've been doing this install a number of times now for other people and here are some additional notes/tips:
1) I would highly recommend buying repinning "keys"/tool from Amazon instead of the sewing needles. The wires will come out on the first try this way and save you time and a lot of swearing.
2) When wiring the driver side reverse light, you will need the repair wire as mentioned in my original post. However, most of the sellers do not sell a wire that is long enough to go from one end to another. You'll need around 150cm of wire to do so. If you cannot find a wire that long, you can instead splice the reverse signal wire that goes to the camera near the rear camera. That way you can use a slightly shorter wire that you can find easily.
3) I would highly recommend buying a panel removal tool with a clip removal tool as well. It makes quick work of removing the tail lights and panels, not to mention the clip removal tool is a lifesaver when those asshole A clips get stuck in the car and you don't want to damage them.
4) Try to massage the wires through the rubber boots that go from the car to the trunk hatch instead of removing them.
 
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Cssoz

Ready to race!
Location
Toronto, Canada
Car(s)
Golf 7, 2017 1.8T
Congrats! On this guide!
For step 6, what did you use to bridge the passenger (right) reverse/signal light to the driver side besides the wires & connector?

Scotch-Lock? Or
 

Nissanskylinen1

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
'16 R w/DCC & Nav
Congrats! On this guide!
For step 6, what did you use to bridge the passenger (right) reverse/signal light to the driver side besides the wires & connector?

Scotch-Lock? Or
I used one of those crimp connectors on the passenger reverse light and then connected the wire into the driver side reverse pin.
 

Cssoz

Ready to race!
Location
Toronto, Canada
Car(s)
Golf 7, 2017 1.8T
I used one of those crimp connectors on the passenger reverse light and then connected the wire into the driver side reverse pin.

Could you take a picture of how that looks like?
Thanks
 

LVE2DRV

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
NYC
Curious how are these lights and wiring different from BEC?
I have a set of BEC lights and harness but can't find clear instructions on how to install it and code it properly. Anyone has done BEC lights/harness that can help out?
 

openlog

New member
Location
USA
I didn’t use a harness to connect mine, I think it’s unnecessary with these lights. You just need to repin two wires and run an extra wire.

I’ve heard rumors that the headlights are same lights as BEC (or was it Ed? I can’t remember if they’re the same person/company) but I can’t confirm that about the taillights. Do the BEC taillights already have a connector that fits directly for your car or is the connector different/needs to be adapted?
 

Chogokin

Autocross Champion
Location
So Cal
Car(s)
GTI Sport | Audi A3
So it's just one wire one? That's pretty awesome. How does this method differ from using the more commonly used third party harness like the ones from DAP and ECS?
 

openlog

New member
Location
USA
I haven’t had any experience with the other taillights or their harnesses. My bet is that they serve two functions - they firstly adapt the connector to be compatible with the car, as the taillights can’t physically fit (different connector types/sizes, etc). With AKD tailights, they already come with a modified connector meaning you don’t need an adapter to make the plug fit.

Secondly, they save the effort of repinning those two wires, as well as splicing and adding your own wire for the reverse lights.

The coding is basically the same for the taillights, I can’t recall having to change anything from BEC’s guide to work.
 

Fraysa

Go Kart Champion
Location
Israel
Car(s)
2016 MK7 1.4TSI
Awesome write up.

Personally, for the price difference between the aftermarket and OEM, I'd rather go OEM, but whatever floats your boat!

Looking great! Glad you got it working~
 

openlog

New member
Location
USA
I see the genuine taillights going for around $700 which is quite a bit more than than the $290 I paid for them, so I’m pretty happy with the price I got (esp. since I managed to get about a $90 discount on top of that with some sales)! but whatever floats your boat as well;)
 

Nissanskylinen1

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
'16 R w/DCC & Nav
Curious how are these lights and wiring different from BEC?
I have a set of BEC lights and harness but can't find clear instructions on how to install it and code it properly. Anyone has done BEC lights/harness that can help out?

They're slightly different from BEC - the Side LED/Bicolor on here lights up the ambers whereas on the BEC it doesn't.
 

Nissanskylinen1

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
'16 R w/DCC & Nav
So it's just one wire one? That's pretty awesome. How does this method differ from using the more commonly used third party harness like the ones from DAP and ECS?
So the DAP/ECS/BEC tail lights have one main difference. Their BiColor/Side LED pin on the outer tail lights does not turn on the amber turn signal like the AKD Aliexpress ones do. Therefore, If you use their harness, you will always have your ambers on. In addition, they use the driver's side LED on the outer tail light to turn on the DRL for the driver's inner tail lamp. Then they repurpose the original inner drivers DRL for the turn signal and the reverse light for the driver fog.
 

IanCH

Autocross Champion
Location
MA
Car(s)
'20 GTI
I bought a set of these lights and they fit like utter crap, even after trimming to improve the fit. I suppose of you are okay with huge gaps and taillights coliding with each other when the hatch closed then buy them... Or you can buy mine for $50 if you pay shipping...

Edit, turns out I had the adjustment wrong.
 
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