GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk6 => Topic started by: gossa on 04 July 2009, 23:30
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The DRL's on the GTI are running off the main beam bulbs, I took a bulb out today and compared to a Philips Blue Vision and there's a lot more going on with the main beam bulbs than normal, dual filament perhaps? I don't know, not my area of expertise car electrics!
Can anyone have a look? I'm not really loving the DRL's but I'm wondering what will happen if I change the main beam bulbs to a regular Blue Vision. I fitted the Blue Visions to the dipped beam, looks nice, whiter than standard.
Also was struggling to remove the small sidelight bulbs, any tips? Do they just pull out of have you got to twist them?
Cheers chaps.
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Right, seems like the bulb for main beam/DRL's is a H15, anyone heard of that one? Also the sidelight bulbs seems to be very hard to access, you need hands a lot smaller than my meat clobbers. Any tips? Twist gently with pliers?
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Right, seems like the bulb for main beam/DRL's is a H15, anyone heard of that one? Also the sidelight bulbs seems to be very hard to access, you need hands a lot smaller than my meat clobbers. Any tips? Twist gently with pliers?
Try and get some plastic/rubber tubing that will fit snuggly over the top of the bulb. This should get it out
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Right, seems like the bulb for main beam/DRL's is a H15, anyone heard of that one? Also the sidelight bulbs seems to be very hard to access, you need hands a lot smaller than my meat clobbers. Any tips? Twist gently with pliers?
Try and get some plastic/rubber tubing that will fit snuggly over the top of the bulb. This should get it out
Comes out from the back though doesn't it?
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Right, seems like the bulb for main beam/DRL's is a H15, anyone heard of that one? Also the sidelight bulbs seems to be very hard to access, you need hands a lot smaller than my meat clobbers. Any tips? Twist gently with pliers?
Try and get some plastic/rubber tubing that will fit snuggly over the top of the bulb. This should get it out
Comes out from the back though doesn't it?
Oh well, didnt know, havent seen one. Give your pliers ago
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Ta fella, i'll get me best long nosers out!
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OK, sidelight bulbs fitted all OK but DRL's have a story. According to VAG.COM if you switch the DRL's off they can't be reactivated so I'm leaving them on and driving round with sidelights on instead!
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OK, sidelight bulbs fitted all OK but DRL's have a story. According to VAG.COM if you switch the DRL's off they can't be reactivated so I'm leaving them on and driving round with sidelights on instead!
Could you elaborate on exactly what you've done? I would like to change my H15 DRLs, as the stock bulb is really yellow looking.
TIA :)
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OK, I too found the stock bulbs too yellowy ( I guess they have to justify the Xenon price somehow!) so I've changed the dipped headlights (standard H7) to Philips Blue Vision which look a lot nicer white.
Now in the main beam cluster there is a lot going on as you have the small sidelight bulb and the main beam/daytime running light (DRL) bulb. This bulb is a H15 which seems to be completely new to the market and it does two jobs. With lights on auto the back part of the bulb lights up as a DRL's are on but very yellowy, when you hit main beam, the front part of the bulb comes into action and actually puts out a nice bluey white light.
I have changed the sidelight bulbs to Philips Blue Visions and am driving around with these on as when you switch to sidelights the DRL's go off. You can switch of the DRL function but APPARENTLY, you can't reactivate them.
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Thanks for that. I haven't been able to find much info about this mysterious H15 bulb, either. Apparently, there are two filaments inside: one 60W for the mainbeam and one 19W for the "grandpa's teeth yellow" DRL. Hopefully within a few months, manufacturers like Philips will start rolling out 'whiter' versions and then we can all change them on our Golfs :)
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Anyone else been able to get at the sidelight bulbs? No matter how much I struggle I just can't get my mitts round them. Tried using pliers to grab the holder but almost came close to ripping the wires out!
Edit: nevermind. Managed to pop them out after some swearing
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Although it sounds like a sledgehammer to crack a nut, its often a lot less time consuming and less hassle to remove the bumper then the headlight assembly and replace the bulbs that way. It sounds pretty brutal, but on both the mk4 and mk5 its easier than you might think. Can't speak for the mk6 obviously but I'm willing to bet its the same basic idea as the mk5 :smiley:
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Slightly OT but since you guys all have non xenon lights what are the standard lights like? Are they any good, beam pattern, visabilty etc?
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Slightly OT but since you guys all have non xenon lights what are the standard lights like? Are they any good, beam pattern, visabilty etc?
The headlights are excellent, I think all us 'non xenoners' just crave that whitey blue look rather than more light.
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According to VAG.COM if you switch the DRL's off they can't be reactivated so I'm leaving them on and driving round with sidelights on instead!
Not true in my case, have switched off using vagcom and back on again and all works fine.
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You can de/reactivate the DRLs using some weird ignition/cruise control on/off sequence. It's all in the manual.
Anyone have any news on nice white H15 bulbs.
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Theres a post in the DRL thread by GolfTi on how to switch the DRL on and off by using the indicator stalk if you don't want to read the manual.
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=124291.10
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Slightly OT but since you guys all have non xenon lights what are the standard lights like? Are they any good, beam pattern, visabilty etc?
The headlights are excellent, I think all us 'non xenoners' just crave that whitey blue look rather than more light.
i think the lights are pretty bad, I have had Xenons on all of our cars in the last 5+ years so the Golfs seem poor, I fitted the X Treme plus bulbs yesterday so see how they work out.
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The headlights are excellent, I think all us 'non xenoners' just crave that whitey blue look rather than more light.
I don't know whether they're good or not, as I rarely go out in the GTI when it's dark. However, as you say, I would like some nice 'xenon white' DRLs.
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You can de/reactivate the DRLs using some weird ignition/cruise control on/off sequence. It's all in the manual.
Anyone have any news on nice white H15 bulbs.
reading and re-reading the manual, things differ according to whether you have the xenon or standard lights. as far as i can tell, if you have xenons you can turn the drl on and off. if you have standard lights, you have to go to a dealer to do it (via vag.com i presume).
confusingly both sections of the manual are headed "Daylight running lights", its just that one header has a supercript number next to it!
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You can de/reactivate the DRLs using some weird ignition/cruise control on/off sequence. It's all in the manual.
Anyone have any news on nice white H15 bulbs.
reading and re-reading the manual, things differ according to whether you have the xenon or standard lights. as far as i can tell, if you have xenons you can turn the drl on and off. if you have standard lights, you have to go to a dealer to do it (via vag.com i presume).
confusingly both sections of the manual are headed "Daylight running lights", its just that one header has a supercript number next to it!
I have standard lights and have switched them off using the method in the manual.
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ok. have you managed to turn them back on?
as i said, the manual is damn confusing!
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Yes I can turn them on and off.
There's some info in the DRL thread.
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=124291.msg1162121#msg1162121
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Yes I can turn them on and off.
There's some info in the DRL thread.
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=124291.msg1162121#msg1162121
cheers, that's what it says in the manual. it just wierd how it says you need a qualified garage to turn off the DRLs.... then promptly tells you how to do it!!
i'm ok though, i quite like driving around with the xenons on all the time.
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i quite like driving around with the xenons on all the time.
Show off :wink:
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Yes I can turn them on and off.
There's some info in the DRL thread.
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=124291.msg1162121#msg1162121
cheers, that's what it says in the manual. it just wierd how it says you need a qualified garage to turn off the DRLs.... then promptly tells you how to do it!!
i'm ok though, i quite like driving around with the xenons on all the time.
Do you find you get flashed by other drivers during the day?
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actually no... no-one flashes me. ah well, the electricity is free! :laugh:
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actually no... no-one flashes me. ah well, the electricity is free! :laugh:
Technically it isn't, as this would violate the laws of physics. However energy efficient your bulbs, switching on the lights will result in higher fuel consumption. The light and heat has to be produced by something...