Enable and Configure Advanced Bi-Xenon Lighting, MK7 Golf R

[saulster]

Just wanted to say thanks to the OP for the research putting this together and sharing. Joined this forum to post this, hope to see more interesting stuff here.

Have you considered posting this on the Vortex as well?

 

[KevinC]

So I've had some more street time in the dark since making these tweaks, here's what I've observed: the "city light" thing seems to be working, the lights disperse more widely at low speeds, and it seems really useful. When turning, there seems to be more swiveling action, including independently movement of the 2 lights to also illuminate a wider path. With HBA activated I have yet to have the high beams trigger themselves, but that's not surprising given the locations I've been in - I would prefer that it be very careful about activating them rather than too aggressive. No errors getting thrown of any kind. So far, so good.

 

[biglilsteve]

So basically this thread is not useful to me since I have a '17 without DAP?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

 

[ICmaker]

Maybe...

So basically this thread is not useful to me since I have a '17 without DAP?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

The best possibility anyone has suggested so far is that the homelink mirror camera might be coaxed into supporting High Beam Assist. I'll put it on my list of things to look at, and contact a supplier who may know the answer.

happy trails....

ICmaker

 

[ICmaker]

You're welcome

Just wanted to say thanks to the OP for the research putting this together and sharing. Joined this forum to post this, hope to see more interesting stuff here.

Have you considered posting this on the Vortex as well?

Without being too specific (no sense in hurting anyone's feelings), I considered several sites before picking this one to offer my lighting findings, and rejected most of them for reasons we all are familiar with. Wednesday's Dilbert, an allegory about a pig farm destroyed by a manure fire, comes to mind.

happy trails....

ICmaker

 

[biglilsteve]

The best possibility anyone has suggested so far is that the homelink mirror camera might be coaxed into supporting High Beam Assist. I'll put it on my list of things to look at, and contact a supplier who may know the answer.

happy trails....

ICmaker

Ok I saw that as I was flipping through the pages of this thread (avoiding the useless personal attacks in between).

Thanks for looking into it sir.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

 

[ICmaker]

I Think I found It.....

I think I've located the last two bits I need to set up full blow DLA (High beams with adaptive moving masks). The only problem is that OBDeleven won't let me change them, even on the long code page. Can anyone with VCDS verify that it can write to all the bits in byte four of the light controller long hex word? If it can, I'll order mine tonight.

happy trails....

ICmaker

PS - It is possible that the bits can't be edited because they aren't supported by our light housing - that they, and/or the hardware they reference, just aren't there. Without research, it's not possible to know what actually triggered the error message. But the other pieces are there - all the feature setting bits, software selection, central notification, etc. are in the system. Unless the ROW units are way more expensive than what we received, everything will be copacetic once I get access to those two bits. I've read posts that say our lights don't support DLA, but they only made the assertion - I haven't seen any documentation. I might believe it without proof if DLA wasn't five year old tech.

 

[breaking badly]

I still cannot imagine VW put the required hardware in if it isn't used thus required.
I didn't check NA spec part numbers, but for Euro Rs there are definitely different
ones for headlights with just cornering light (which comes as standard on the R)
and those with Dynamic Light Assist (with moving masks, of course this is optional).
If I were you, I'd compare the part numbers first. There are ETKA and ETOS sources
around.

 

[KevinC]

PS - It is possible that the bits can't be edited because they aren't supported by our light housing - that they, and/or the hardware they reference, just aren't there. Without research, it's not possible to know what actually triggered the error message. But the other pieces are there - all the feature setting bits, software selection, central notification, etc. are in the system. Unless the ROW units are way more expensive than what we received, everything will be copacetic once I get access to those two bits. I've read posts that say our lights don't support DLA, but they only made the assertion - I haven't seen any documentation. I might believe it without proof if DLA wasn't five year old tech.

There is absolutely another headlight option in Europe that uses more sophisticated housings and I'm willing to bet that's what you're running into - our lights would not have the same capabilities. I tried once to find where I'd read that info in the past but couldn't find it. I'm going to take another stab at finding it again and will post here if I do.

On a semi-related note - my gf's new 2017 Mazda3 arrived the other day, 4 months after factory-ordering it the way she wanted it. It has new-for-2017 bi-LED AFS headlights (and they actually use the term "AFS" so I'm thinking maybe the mfr licensed the tech from Hella?). They are freaking INCREDIBLE. So much more light output than my R's xenons, better uniformity, razor-sharp cutoffs, and similar AFS functionality. I'm totally jealous, these things are the shiznit. I suspect the new LEDs coming to the facelifted Golf will be a similar step up from our current xenons.

 

[ICmaker]

There is absolutely another headlight option in Europe that uses more sophisticated housings and I'm willing to bet that's what you're running into - our lights would not have the same capabilities. I tried once to find where I'd read that info in the past but couldn't find it. I'm going to take another stab at finding it again and will post here if I do.

On a semi-related note - my gf's new 2017 Mazda3 arrived the other day, 4 months after factory-ordering it the way she wanted it. It has new-for-2017 bi-LED AFS headlights (and they actually use the term "AFS" so I'm thinking maybe the mfr licensed the tech from Hella?). They are freaking INCREDIBLE. So much more light output than my R's xenons, better uniformity, razor-sharp cutoffs, and similar AFS functionality. I'm totally jealous, these things are the shiznit. I suspect the new LEDs coming to the facelifted Golf will be a similar step up from our current xenons.

You're absolutely correct that I could need whole new cans, and I have the part numbers & the will to pay if necessary. But I've run into this sort of question before, and I want to be sure before I act. The tech is old enough that it's been though a cost reduction or two, and the economies to reliability qualification, failure analysis, and inventory control through universality are compelling.

Either way, I have every intention of finding the answer, not assuming or wishing for what isn't proven. I think I would rather buy new units than know the hardware was in my car & I couldn't edit the control bits for it.

Have you done the full light edit to your car? I can't imagine your GF's DOT compliant setup being better than what I'm seeing at night with my R.

happy trails

ICmaker

 

[nate704]

There is absolutely another headlight option in Europe that uses more sophisticated housings and I'm willing to bet that's what you're running into - our lights would not have the same capabilities. I tried once to find where I'd read that info in the past but couldn't find it. I'm going to take another stab at finding it again and will post here if I do.

On a semi-related note - my gf's new 2017 Mazda3 arrived the other day, 4 months after factory-ordering it the way she wanted it. It has new-for-2017 bi-LED AFS headlights (and they actually use the term "AFS" so I'm thinking maybe the mfr licensed the tech from Hella?). They are freaking INCREDIBLE. So much more light output than my R's xenons, better uniformity, razor-sharp cutoffs, and similar AFS functionality. I'm totally jealous, these things are the shiznit. I suspect the new LEDs coming to the facelifted Golf will be a similar step up from our current xenons.

You are jealous for 180 hp ish FWD hatch? I am not jealous at all and I love my R even with xenon lights which are more than enough. I am pretty sure that guys with 2017 mazda 3 will be jealous when they see Golf R on the road.

 

[Urlik]

Glad to hear Mazda is making better lights. My wife's CX-7 xenons are horrible. I think the old sealed beams would be better.

 

[KevinC]

You are jealous for 180 hp ish FWD hatch? I am not jealous at all and I love my R even with xenon lights which are more than enough. I am pretty sure that guys with 2017 mazda 3 will be jealous when they see Golf R on the road.

Did I say that? Jesus.

All I said was that the light output is better on the Mazda. Period. It just is. The rest of the car? Of course I'm not "jealous" of it. How did you dream that up??

 

[KevinC]

Have you done the full light edit to your car? I can't imagine your GF's DOT compliant setup being better than what I'm seeing at night with my R.

Yes I have, and I can see the benefits.. but the light output itself is just so superior from the LEDs on the new Mazda3, it's dramatic. On a related note, my R has Valeo lights, while our '15 TDI has Hella xenons. The Hellas produce more light, have a much sharper cutoff (mine looks out of focus in comparison), and overall seem like "better" lights than the Valeos.

I found some info on the lighting option we don't have. HBA or High Beam Assist is what we can make work - the option we didn't get that cost 1000 pounds in the UK is called DLA, or Dynamic Light Assist. Some info here...

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/technology/comfort-and-convenience/dynamic-light-assist

I suspect this is why you can't get some of the stuff to configure in OBDeleven - we don't have the necessary upgraded hardware.

And here's a good YouTube demo of the technology...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11PbenBRVjk

edit: here's a link to the lights themselves.. pricey, at least from these guys...

https://www.kunzmann.de/shop/en/tun...r-head-lights-genuine-volkswagen-with-dla.htm

 

[warchieft2k]

thank you! im going to try this...