GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: Pretzel on 23 January 2020, 18:54
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I'm looking at a couple of cars, one has LED dynamic light assist and the other has LED Dynamic curve lights.
Can anyone tell me the difference between these two lighting systems as it may be a deciding factor in which car I choose.
I have done a forum search and looked at some of the videos but I'm still confused.
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Dynamic curve lighting is where the dipped beam adjusts to your steering inputs to help you see a bit better driving into a bend.
Dynamic light assist masks off your main beam when it detects oncoming traffic to prevent you from dazzling them.
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I think GTD/GTI's have had the Dynamic Curve assist for a while now. Its ok but nothing to shout about.
The Dynamic Lighting Assist is really good and has only been standard on GTI's only since the 2019 model year. It uses (yet another) camera behind the rear view mirror to scan for other cars and basically keeps the car on high beam all the time but, like Guzzle said, shuts off the light to stop blinding other motorists. There's a decent video of it working in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACIPrOs9KFw&t=285s
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Andy/Guzzle, thanks for the response.
In my simplistic view, it looks like curve assist is similar to Xenons on current car where a fog light is activated when turning corners and the Dynamic assist is similar to main beam assist on Xenons but more complicated with LED's and shutters.
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Andy/Guzzle, thanks for the response.
In my simplistic view, it looks like curve assist is similar to Xenons on current car where a fog light is activated when turning corners and the Dynamic assist is similar to main beam assist on Xenons but more complicated with LED's and shutters.
Yeah, that's about it. If it has the Dynamic Light Assist, it will also have the Curve lighting, plus the Traffic sign recognition (very useful but not foolproof) - so the speed limit is shown top centre on the dash. Its well worth having but obv not essential.
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Andy/Guzzle, thanks for the response.
In my simplistic view, it looks like curve assist is similar to Xenons on current car where a fog light is activated when turning corners and the Dynamic assist is similar to main beam assist on Xenons but more complicated with LED's and shutters.
Yeah, that's about it. If it has the Dynamic Light Assist, it will also have the Curve lighting, plus the Traffic sign recognition (very useful but not foolproof) - so the speed limit is shown top centre on the dash. Its well worth having but obv not essential.
Not quite. Dynamic curve lighting uses the headlights to illuminate bends at higher speeds, by deflecting the beams into the corner. Cornering lights use the fog lights, or, on cars with HID headlights, dedicated cornering lights, to illuminate bends at low speed. All performance Mk7s have both dynamic curve lighting and cornering lights. Dynamic light assist, as said, uses a camera to control shutters, providing the best possible lighting without annoying other road users. They became standard on GTIs in early 2019 and I find them very worth having. It can be amusing to be able to see down each side of a car in front without dazzling the driver!
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I have Dynamic Light Assist and I’d give my left testicle to keep it. Absolutely love the feature and would not be without it. Had High Beam Assist previously and that was good but this is a whole new level.
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I have Dynamic Light Assist and I’d give my left testicle to keep it. Absolutely love the feature and would not be without it. Had High Beam Assist previously and that was good but this is a whole new level.
Ouchy, I don’t think I’d go that far, but they are very good! 😬
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And being shallow, the start up routine for the DLA lights is really :cool:
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And being shallow, the start up routine for the DLA lights is really :cool:
Agreed. And as a former Audi owner - I do shallow. :evil:
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Swapping testicles for tech? The world has gone mad.
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Swapping testicles for tech? The world has gone mad.
….and it was also suggest he prefers one of his testicles to the other.... not something I've ever given a lot of thought too personally!! :grin:
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:grin: It does go to show how quickly these threads can go off topic.... lights to nuts in 6 posts!! :grin:
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Swapping testicles for tech? The world has gone mad.
Maybe VW should take note as a way to get around the 40k tax bracket?!?! :grin: :grin: :grin:
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Is it possible to identify the difference between LED and LED with Dynamic Assist by looking at the lights from the outside the car?
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Is it possible to identify the difference between LED and LED with Dynamic Assist by looking at the lights from the outside the car?
Headlights on illuminates both bulbs, dipped or high beam. Other than that, not sure.
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These are mine with the Dynamic light assist - not sure if they are any different externally to those with just the curve lighting?
(https://live.staticflickr.com/963/41865497202_a97a83baab_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/26MvBKh)
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Great picture thanks.
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These are mine with the Dynamic light assist - not sure if they are any different externally to those with just the curve lighting?
(https://live.staticflickr.com/963/41865497202_a97a83baab_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/26MvBKh)
Nice and sparkly!!! :cool: Great colour BTW!
Is it possible to identify the difference between LED and LED with Dynamic Assist by looking at the lights from the outside the car?
Headlights on illuminates both bulbs, dipped or high beam. Other than that, not sure.
agree..... dynamic will light up inner bulbs with the headlights on and the non-dynamic won't! I also suspect there must be an additional camera/sensor behind the rear view mirror somewhere to stop it being an easy retrofit!! :whistle:
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From an old thread, credit to Sootchucker, but this is what the mirror looks like from inside if it has the camera for DLA and traffic sign recognition- you can see the camera from outside too obv.
url=https://flic.kr/p/26YnSny](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/976/41988466962_8ec1383c60_h.jpg)
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Dynamic lighting (high beam masking)
On the Mk7 with Xenons the headlights had mechanical shutters that move to do the masking.
On the Mk7.5 the LED lights do it in software.
Both use a camera to spot the oncoming traffic. Its a different camera to Mk7's high beam assist, which was cruder and just dips the main beam if it sees something coming. High beam assist was like £150 to buy and dynamic lighting more like £1000+ if you had to spec it (late Mk7.5's had it as a freebie)
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Thanks for all the replies, very useful....... more so than trying to speak to VW dealers.
Does anyone know if the words on the dashboard 'Switch on dipped headlight beam' only appear on cars fitted with Dynamic Light Assist?
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Thanks for all the replies, very useful....... more so than trying to speak to VW dealers.
Does anyone know if the words on the dashboard 'Switch on dipped headlight beam' only appear on cars fitted with Dynamic Light Assist?
Don’t think so. Prettysure that happens on all cars with auto lights when the switch isn’t on auto and it’s dark.
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No that warning just means it's dark and auto lights isn't on.
I've never had dynamic lights but did have high beam assist. With hba you had to pull the stalk to activate it each time you get in the car, then you get a green lowbeam headlight symbol on the dash with an A next to it. I think dynamic lighting is the same, it's not automatically engaged.
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No that warning just means it's dark and auto lights isn't on.
I've never had dynamic lights but did have high beam assist. With hba you had to pull the stalk to activate it each time you get in the car, then you get a green lowbeam headlight symbol on the dash with an A next to it. I think dynamic lighting is the same, it's not automatically engaged.
Correct Fred. When you start you just have the light switch indication that the headlights are on. One push on the stalk produces a white headlight symbol, in the dash, with an A within it, showing that the headlights are dipped auto. Another push removes the A and turns the symbol blue, showing that the headlights are high beam manual. A pull on the stalk removes the symbol.
While the headlights are in auto, the system uses the road sign recognition etc. to decide whether it uses high beam or dipped. The masking system seems to operate with both high beam and dipped. Only problem I’ve had is that sometimes I would like high beam, when it thinks dipped, so I have to go manual. First world problem, or what!
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Not posted a picture before, but this is the message I'm referring to
(https://i.imgur.com/YqZaxfq.png)
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Not posted a picture before, but this is the message I'm referring to
(https://i.imgur.com/YqZaxfq.png)
As someone else already posted, you only get this message if you don't have lights set to auto and the car thinks the lights should be on.
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Thanks Jim, I don't get a similar message on my Mk7 with a conventional dash so wasn't sure.
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Thanks Jim, I don't get a similar message on my Mk7 with a conventional dash so wasn't sure.
I must admit I was wondering about this. Now thinking that, maybe, the analogue dash instrument lights went dim when it thought the headlights should be on, without that message?
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Thanks Jim, I don't get a similar message on my Mk7 with a conventional dash so wasn't sure.
Not sure on the old Mk7 but definitely on the 7.5 that's what it says when it thinks you should have the lights on.
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… and don't forget the static cornering lights. :wink:
Here is a video showing how the dynamic light assist works - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOSLMs5Pma8
As others have pointed out - dynamic light assist uses the lane assist camera located above the rear view mirror. I'm not aware of any difference in the appearance of the headlight unit :undecided:
I like the dynamic light assist. However, I have several issues with it. On my car - it can be slow and unreactive sometimes. Especially if the other vehicle lights are poor. Also, when it is raining - it will be slow and sometimes stop working. As I have said here before - it is more like a semi-automatic system. There is certainly room for improvement.
So the headlights have 3 systems -
1. Static cornering light.
2. Dynamic curve aka swivelling headlight that move with steering inputs.
3. Dynamic light assist - see video above.
Other cars have systems like Dynamic Light Assist. Audi call theirs Matrix (HD) headlights and Mercedes call their system Multibeam.
You should have a look at the videos of the new headlights expected on the Mk8. It looks similar to the Multibeam system that Mercedes use.
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No problems with reaction times of mine, nor when it’s raining. It even detects the reflection of my own headlights on some road signs and dips that area. Have you tried adjusting the sensitivity/reaction times in the settings? There are three to choose from, from memory.
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No problems with reaction times of mine, nor when it’s raining. It even detects the reflection of my own headlights on some road signs and dips that area. Have you tried adjusting the sensitivity/reaction times in the settings? There are three to choose from, from memory.
I have a tick box for Dynamic Lighting Assist. Then a tick box for Dynamic Cornering Lights. Just below that is a drop down menu for Switch-on Time - with the options early, medium, late.
It's not clear if the options will affect Dynamic Light Assist. I'll try the 'early' setting to see if it makes any difference.
I asked my dealer to check for errors and updates. They said there are none.
There was an error for the Instrument Display Screen. So that was replaced. The first night drive after that there was a message that DLA needed the windscreen cleaned. First and only time I have seen that message.
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The early, medium and late options are for the light sensor to switch the lights on in auto.
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The early, medium and late options are for the light sensor to switch the lights on in auto.
Thanks.
I do wonder if the DLA on my car is working properly. Or, as I regularly set-up data projectors - am I seeing things other people wouldn't notice - as often happens at work. I just don't want my car to be blinding other drivers - it's potentially dangerous. :undecided:
When DLA is working properly it is fantastic. My wife will be changing her car this year. I will be recommending she ticks the box for DLA. Though I'm sure the new HD lighting systems will be an improved.
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I commute on a really bendy road and find my DLA is slow to react at times and am often flashed by blinded oncoming drivers. Sometimes that split second between realising the lights haven’t dimmed and managing to flick the stalk (often the steering wheel will have lock applied so fingers not in easy reach) happens to dazzle approaching cars.
I think it’s designed for almost empty A roads and unlit dual carriageways that have excellent forward visibility in daylight rather than British country roads that swoop and bend. But even on a stretch of NSL road with a good quarter of a mile or more straight I still find it a bit slow to change beam pattern and times when a car comes round the bend at the end of the straight.
Like a lot of car technology, it’s great in ideal conditions but a bit lacking when real life scenarios are added in that the system requires manual assistance when really it should be assisting you.
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I really haven’t had any experience of annoying opposing drivers, or drivers I am following, but......
while driving in isolation on dipped beam, the lights seem a little low. Maybe yours, Exonian, are a little high?
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I really haven’t had any experience of annoying opposing drivers, or drivers I am following, but......
while driving in isolation on dipped beam, the lights seem a little low. Maybe yours, Exonian, are a little high?
They might be a little high.
They certainly light the road on dipped beam far better than my xenons did.
It’s the slowness to respond on full beam with approaching traffic that is of concern. The car had a new camera under warranty already as it was showing ACC and traffic sign recognition errors as soon as the engine was started.
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Something as well that I've just thought of (only had the car nearly 2 years ;D ;D ).
With the dynamic light assist system, when my lights are off (during the day) and I flash someone, all 4 headlight beams flash. When at night, again all 4 lights are on (but dipped beam), but when the lights are already on dipped beam and I flash, only the 2 outer lights actually flash (I assume as they are the only ones with the LED shutters and swivel capability, they are therefore the only true main beam units ?).
My question therefore, what exactly is the purpose of the inner headlights ? They flash in the daytime, but not at night time so are they just a dipped beam and are there to "fill" in the foreground when the outer lights are on main beam ?
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It’s happened again... :angry:
I saw car lights so I dipped manually. When the car was round the corner and should have been in view of the camera, I enabled DLA. I clearly saw the other car lit up by my main beam, then the other car flashed me, then the beam separated.
The other car was well within camera range and their dip lights might have been a little weak. I’m still annoyed that DLA blinded them.
I have little faith in my dynamic light assist. :sad:
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Might not work with a target light source already visible when you enable it. I suspect its looking for changes...
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Might not work with a target light source already visible when you enable it. I suspect its looking for changes...
I’d say that was correct.
The system would take a second or two to boot up and move the shutters and any light source wouldn’t immediately be acted upon.
Much safer if you need to dip headlamps manually to then treat it like a regular high beam and wait until it’s safe to have maximum light output for a few seconds (ie. nothing coming the other way) while the system does its start up thing.
Like any driver aid it’s just an assistant and shouldn’t be relied upon, full manual control should always be poised ready to override electronic gizmos.
It’s a system built to a price and I’m sure a few generations in will have it improved upon.
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I've been driving home with this system active recently and haven't had any issues, anyone flashing or showing any concern at it. In fact I think the only problem is my paranoia that I could be blinding people! It goes against years of driving to have that blue light on the dash with cars around!
There's certainly no 'boot up time' delay and definitely no idea that a light source 'wouldnt be acted upon' it just does it's thing, creating shapes around other light sources, it's fascinating to watch.
If there was any kind of delay it would be pointless and never used. Other than a genuine problem with the OP system, my guess would be keeping turning the system on and off that could be the issue. Leave it on for a while, let it work, it turns itself off in lit areas and back on again when required anyway :smiley:
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Depends on the road and angle of approach for the other vehicles.
I get flashed from time to time on my commute because the road is bendy as hell so tend to dip the beam myself on certain bends if I see any sign of approaching headlamps.
There’s a definite lag on start up on mine.
Flick switch.
Brief pause.
Beam then spreads and raises.
I remember studying LED’s in college zillions of years ago, they’re slower reacting to current than filament bulbs but I’ll assume most of the adaptive stuff is shutters anyway(?)
I’ll do some research when I can be arsed.
Being arsed is the problem! Probably why I ended up shining shoes for a living instead of teaching electronics :laugh:
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Ha! :laugh:
Maybe the flat lands of Cambridgeshire are well suited
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I remember studying LED’s in college zillions of years ago, they’re slower reacting to current than filament bulbs but I’ll assume most of the adaptive stuff is shutters anyway(?)
I’ll do some research when I can be arsed.
Being arsed is the problem! Probably why I ended up shining shoes for a living instead of teaching electronics :laugh:
I always thought LED's were faster reacting as there wasn't a filament to heat up.
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I remember studying LED’s in college zillions of years ago, they’re slower reacting to current than filament bulbs but I’ll assume most of the adaptive stuff is shutters anyway(?)
I’ll do some research when I can be arsed.
Being arsed is the problem! Probably why I ended up shining shoes for a living instead of teaching electronics :laugh:
I always thought LED's were faster reacting as there wasn't a filament to heat up.
More than likely, I never was much good at paying attention in class!
I think it was something to do with the LED’s being slower to react to voltage changes or something but bear in mind that it was about 35 years ago and LED’s were tiny and in their infancy. Times have changed a little.