Avant Facelift LED Taillight howto

[hk5ykw]

Upgraded my 2012 Avant from incandescent US-version to facelift European LED tail lights and thought someone may be interested in this writeup. Given the limitations of the Kufatec adapter at the time I embarked in this project, I decided to make my own adapters.

LED Tail Light units (ebay)
8K9 945 096 D
8K9 945 095D
8K9 945 094 E
8K9 945 093 E

Connectors (online Audi dealer)
8K0973705B 2 : Outer
8R0973605 2 : Inner

Cables with pins (online Audi dealer)
000979025E 5 : Outer connector pins
000979164E 4 : Inner connector pins
000979009E 2 : Inner connector pins (ground)

Note: Despite what's reported in other posts, with a little care, you may be able to release and reuse pins from the existing connectors by inserting a needle into the upper part of every pin and unlock the tab that keeps it in place. In my case, I was able to reuse the most of the outer pins, and used brand new pins for the inner connector.

Tools/Other:
*VCDS, to perform the coding to controller 46-Central Conv.

*Two rolls of speaker cable (one pink, one white in this guide) to run two cables from the outer adapter to the inner lights thru the trunk lid (pink), and two from the gray cables out of the controller compartment to the outer lights (white).

*Heat gun, to ensure the wire splitting for the above cable is insulated from the elements

Hardware Installation
Run the extra (pink) cables from both sides of the trunk lid into the D pillar as shown. While I had to remove the plastic covers of the trunk lid, I *did not* have to remove the headliner or D pillar lining; just run the cables using a hard wire or similar thru the D pillar into the lower portion of the trunk walls.

You will also have to run a second pair of cables (white) from the controller panel, with the left one going under the metal trunk lid trim over to the rear left side of the trunk, and the right one just being long enough to reach the outside. Again, with a little care and patience, no need to remove pieces to route the cable.



Build your adapters: Either remove the pins from existing connectors by unlocking their tab, or use the new pins.

To give an idea of the rationale, here's the wiring for an euro-spec car:


Now here's the wiring for my US-spec car (MY2012):

Left Outer
Pin 1: Turn, Green
Pin 2: Brake, Gray-Black (feeds Pin 2 left inner thru trunk lid)
Pin 3: Red Stripe (feeds from Pin 3 left inner coming from controller compartment)
Pin 4: Back-up light, Black
Pin 5: Ground, Brown



Left Inner
Pin 1: Turn, Yellow-Gray
Pin 2: Brake (feeds from Pin 2 in left outer)
Pin 3: Red Stripe, Gray
Pin 4: Fog light, Black-Blue
Pin 5: Ground, Brown



Right Inner
Pin 1: Turn, Gray-Blue
Pin 2: Brake (feeds from Pin 2 in right outer)
Pin 3: Red Stripe, Gray
Pin 4: Fog light, Gray-White
Pin 5: Ground, Brown



Right Outer
Pin 1: Turn, Black-Yellow
Pin 2: Brake, Black-Green (feeds Pin 2 right inner thru trunk lid)
Pin 3: Red Stripe (feeds from Pin 3 right inner coming from controller compartment)
Pin 4: Back-up light, Black-White
Pin 5: Ground, Brown



Use a crimp tool to punch together internal cables. Use a crimp tool plus heat gun, for binding together the additional cables going to the trunk lid and from the controller compartment, as they will be exposed to the elements.

Here's a detail of the wiring done near controller 46-Central Conv. (right side cover in trunk), in order to bridge the gray cable on each side over to the outer lights (see diagram above). Tip: Locate the gray cable on each of the square connectors (black at top, beige on bottom) going into the panel. Then cut where convenient and crimp to bind the extra cable.



I found convenient and ideal to run the outer cables thru the grommet next to the vents. Note how pink and white extra bridge cables go out to the outer light units.



Per Audi's install guide, make sure to vibration-proof loose cables before closing everything.

Coding
Much has been said about the complexity of coding these lights when, in fact, coding is pretty straightforward. Login to the control unit 46 by entering security code 16017. Then, using the Coding opiton, change the following channel values:

Channel Old Value New Value New Purpose
195 14849 14849 Red stripe left
196 14881 14881 Red stripe left
197 13320 5125 Brake right
198 13352 5157 Brake right
203 14849 12 Turn left inner
204 14881 44 Turn right inner
205 13 13 Reverse left
206 45 45 Reverse right
207 73 73 Fog left
208 105 105 Fog right
209 51202 12 Turn left outer
210 51234 44 Turn right outer

Optionally, if you want to enable your LED strips as DRLs, go to 09-Cent. Elect., long coding adapter, and enable the option "Daylight running lights via LED tail lights". Downside: This will also cause your plate lights to also light during the day.

Credit goes to our friends in Germany for this extreme useful 76-page thread:
http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/fl-ru...65.html?page=4

Here's the only picture I've taken of the new lights. The truth is, the car looks much better, even when they aren't on.

[Gts*Jason]

Nice

[SleeperCar]

Wow man, out of my league lol!!! Love the contribution though, and of course it looks miles better too!

[name.goes.here]

Wow man, out of my league lol!!! Love the contribution though, and of course it looks miles better too!

+1 - Great DIY. Great skills you have, OP. Nicely done.

[belzebutt]

I thought the coding was some kind of intellectual property of DavidB8? :)
Is this all open source now?

[ebi718]

^^ This. Nice job OP, btw..

[dscline]

I thought the coding was some kind of intellectual property of DavidB8? :)

How could Audi's coding become the IP of someone else?

[TDIaholic]

Great DIY, but the grimped connectors make my eyes water. I prefer to solder & heat shrink any connections I do to my car.

[BMWBig6]

Thank you for the quality post. Do you know if the Avant factory wiring changed colors from year to year (on North American models with incandescent/filament bulbs prior to the Allroads which came with LEDs)?

[belzebutt]

How could Audi's coding become the IP of someone else?

I just remember back when DavidB8 discovered the codes, there was some kind of "rule" that you had to go through him, perhaps that was only if you bought from Europrice? Also once the codes went out in the wild I was under the impression that discussing those was like discussing pirated software or knock-off VAG-COM cables.

[A4 Centaur]

Thank you for the DIY! Great work!

I wonder if we can order the lamps directly from Europrice through a GB? Alex?

[TCHUN003]

Beautiful! One of the rare few mods I'm still interested in doing to my avant.

[BrewDude]

Thank you for the DIY! Great work!

I wonder if we can order the lamps directly from Europrice through a GB? Alex?

I have found lamps on eBay significantly cheaper than any GB that could be had. Mine are sitting in the garage awaiting installation.

[A4 Centaur]

Could you post up pics of the version you ordered and the difference between PN#'s?

Looks like the "Tuning Fanatics Shop" has them for $929 USD and $49 shipping. Interesting.

Thanks much

[BrewDude]

I ordered the part numbers from this post. They fit, but the inner connector will have to be depinned to use the plug mentioned here, and the guide pin on the outer housing needs to be shaved down to use the OEM plug.

[hecren1]

I went to buy the connectors today. I told the parts guy at audi what I was planning on doing and he said that he advices me not to do it because the harness in the car can't take the load that the new LED tail lights output and the harness ends up burning. has anyone had any problems after switching to LEDs?

[Gunnark100]

I went to buy the connectors today. I told the parts guy at audi what I was planning on doing and he said that he advices me not to do it because the harness in the car can't take the load that the new LED tail lights output and the harness ends up burning. has anyone had any problems after switching to LEDs?

.

As i used speakercable for outer light aswell , where is not "home environment":) " - twice they have been oxidized(i hope the correct word) and broken, i cant say its "burning out" this is for past 1,5year, so my suggestion for extra cables running to the outer light dont use speaker cable.... All other cables still in good condition...halogen should need more power then led - i belive - not a expert. But members on this forum running those lights while now, have not noticed any complains!

[hecren1]

Thanks! I should probably invest on better quality cables. I was planing on using speaker wire as well.

[Gunnark100]

Thanks! I should probably invest on better quality cables. I was planing on using speaker wire as well.

They ok, just in my opinion try not use them-where they are outside hull behind outer lights- just opinion from my expirience-different weather in my country i belive aswell:):)!

[BrewDude]

I went to buy the connectors today. I told the parts guy at audi what I was planning on doing and he said that he advices me not to do it because the harness in the car can't take the load that the new LED tail lights output and the harness ends up burning. has anyone had any problems after switching to LEDs?

Uhh...the parts guy is just there to sell you parts, not give you advice on installation.

LED's draw less current than incandescent bulbs, so the load is significantly less. Why do you think everyone that puts in LED's into an incandescent housing gets a bulb out warning?

[A4 Centaur]

Great info! Thanks again.

[hecren1]

Uhh...the parts guy is just there to sell you parts, not give you advice on installation.

LED's draw less current than incandescent bulbs, so the load is significantly less. Why do you think everyone that puts in LED's into an incandescent housing gets a bulb out warning?

is there any way to get rid of that annoying bulb out warning?

[Gunnark100]

Im running "ebay" leds inside and licence plate lights, no errors yet...regarding taillights- correct coding should clear any bulb error and if i remember correctly bulb-out warning can be disabled as well:)

[forp]

I went to buy the connectors today. I told the parts guy at audi what I was planning on doing and he said that he advices me not to do it because the harness in the car can't take the load that the new LED tail lights output and the harness ends up burning. has anyone had any problems after switching to LEDs?

That's why he's the parts guy and not your mechanic.

[dscline]

Thanks for the great write-up! I've ordered the EU facelift tails for my Avant, so now I need to start thinking about how to wire all this up. I have a couple of questions...

First, regarding the pins... I may not install these for a while, but I want to be able to test the lights when they come, so I may not be able to re-use any of the existing pins. So regarding:

Cables with pins (online Audi dealer)
000979025E 5 : Outer connector pins
000979164E 4 : Inner connector pins
000979009E 2 : Inner connector pins (ground)

Are these all really significantly different? They are ridiculously expensive through Audi/ECS for what they are, well over $100 for what is probably $0.50 worth of material. I found some ebay listings that are MUCH more reasonable: 000979025E, 000979164E, and 000979009E. Obviously those are just the connectors w/o the wires, but they are selling sets of 6 or 10 for the same as a single one through VW/Audi/ECS. But their images for 000979164E and 000979009E look identical. Just going off of the pictures of what the connectors look like, you would THINK the pins would all be the same. What's the difference between the three different part numbers? EDIT: in the ebay listings, I see the difference between the two that look the same is just the wire size they are designed for. If I'm adding my own wire, that seems moot. The only difference in the 1st one appears that the latch part is turned 90°, but again doesn't seem like that would be critical?

My next question has to do with the wiring. I'm assuming in the following image the yellow jumper wires represent the wiring that is run from the hatch down to the outer lights? Maybe I'm missing something, but why can't that wiring take place at the controller, rather than having to run all that wire?


Thanks for the help!

[Gunnark100]

If i rememer right - Pins for outer and inner are different 64 and 09 are the same - exept 64 is for 0,75mm wire, 09 is for 0,50mm wire!!!
You can buy those from any vw,audi,skoda or seat parts seller as they are repair wires - prices are diffrent quit a bit:)!!!
Yes you can take those -just pins from ebay aswell - more work nothing else, with proper tools easy job!

Regarding wiring, you can modify plan as you wish - result has to be regarding channels the same - nothing else. My one is completly different.

Note:you have different climate, but still isolate connections properly from enviroment:)

Thanks for the great write-up! I've ordered the EU facelift tails for my Avant, so now I need to start thinking about how to wire all this up. I have a couple of questions...

First, regarding the pins... I may not install these for a while, but I want to be able to test the lights when they come, so I may not be able to re-use any of the existing pins. So regarding:


Are these all really significantly different? They are ridiculously expensive through Audi/ECS for what they are, well over $100 for what is probably $0.50 worth of material. I found some ebay listings that are MUCH more reasonable: 000979025E, 000979164E, and 000979009E. Obviously those are just the connectors w/o the wires, but they are selling sets of 6 or 10 for the same as a single one through VW/Audi/ECS. But their images for 000979164E and 000979009E look identical. Just going off of the pictures of what the connectors look like, you would THINK the pins would all be the same. What's the difference between the three different part numbers?

My next question has to do with the wiring. I'm assuming in the following image the yellow jumper wires represent the wiring that is run from the hatch down to the outer lights? Maybe I'm missing something, but why can't that wiring take place at the controller, rather than having to run all that wire?


Thanks for the help!

[dscline]

Thanks! After looking at the image closer, I realize the reason the wire is run is because that stock wiring has only four wires run to each light, not five. Another thing I'm confused about: if each connector has five wires (x4 connectors), why does the OP list only 11 pins to buy?

[Gunnark100]

Thanks! After looking at the image closer, I realize the reason the wire is run is because that stock wiring has only four wires run to each light, not five. Another thing I'm confused about: if each connector has five wires (x4 connectors), why does the OP list only 11 pins to buy?

You need:

1x Leitung 0,5 mit Pin außen 000 979 025 E

1x Leitung 0,75 mit Pin innen 000 979 164 E

4x Leitung 0,5 mit Pin innen 000 979 009 E

He pinned 2 new wires to outer, so you need regarding this 2x 00979025E

[dscline]

Ah, didn't realize there were two connectors on each one, I thought they were pigtails. Thanks again!

[Esoteric]

Out of curiosity, do you mind sharing where you got the lights? This is a mod, I would really like to do...

Thanks for the great write-up! I've ordered the EU facelift tails for my Avant, so now I need to start thinking about how to wire all this up. I have a couple of questions...

Thanks for the help!

[dscline]

I got them off ebay. I was going to get some new ones being sold out of Poland in this listing, but I ended up getting some used ones from Germany, as they were less. FWIW, I was quoted $83 for shipping for the new ones from Poland to Atlanta.

[A4 Centaur]

Looking forward to sourcing these this winter and completing this mod! Thanks for the great info thus far.

[Esoteric]

Perfect, thanks for the info. Like A4 Centaur, I'll be sourcing these over the winter, and installing them in the spring (well, I'll get a shop to do it, since I have little to no electronic experience).

I got them off ebay. I was going to get some new ones being sold out of Poland in this listing, but I ended up getting some used ones from Germany, as they were less. FWIW, I was quoted $83 for shipping for the new ones from Poland to Atlanta.

[A4 Centaur]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RUCKLEUCHTEN...item5d2db5e737

Thinking these will be a good deal and looking at getting these adaptors to help smooth out the installationhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/Audi-A4-S4-B8-8K-Avant-von-Vor-Facelift-auf-Facelift-LED-Ruckleuchten-Kabelbaum

Based on the price of these items and the fact they are OEM should make a fairly easy mod. (Fingers crossed)

[BMWBig6]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RUCKLEUCHTEN...item5d2db5e737

Thinking these will be a good deal and looking at getting these adaptors to help smooth out the installationhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/Audi-A4-S4-B8-8K-Avant-von-Vor-Facelift-auf-Facelift-LED-Ruckleuchten-Kabelbaum

Based on the price of these items and the fact they are OEM should make a fairly easy mod. (Fingers crossed)

Keep in mind those are pre-facelift lights with the larger dot-dot LED pattern (like the B8 sedans though 2012).

[A4 Centaur]

^ Thanks, yea I was looking closely and still haven't ordered yet. I am assuming the Part# would look like the OP's car as shown above though? Since I have a pre-facelift 2012 I'm ok with it, but those other Dectane don't look bad either. Its a tough choice.

8K9 945 096 D
8K9 945 095D
8K9 945 094 E
8K9 945 093 E

This is really gonna be a nice upgrade and less expensive than I imagined.

[gonny]

1. There are limitation of release year? I have a MY2008 so, is one of first cars

2. Pins in same order of older tail lights connector, I mean:
Older__New
Pin1 -> Pin1
Pin2 -> Pin2
...ect.?

[avantagg]

Just snagged a set of facelift LED tails from Ebay. Anyone using the Tuning Fanatics harness?

[ECDT]

Just snagged a set of facelift LED tails from Ebay. Anyone using the Tuning Fanatics harness?

I have seen those adapters but have not pulled the trigger on a set of used led tails so post your results if you go with that harness, it will likely give me the push to get a set if you have positive results.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jamesmaverix]

Does anyone know the part number of the comfort control module that is required replacement for the avant to achieve this modification?