Taillights coding question

Hey, I've been looking to program the urban joke taillights on my mk7 GSW. There are different versions available but I haven't found the one I'd like. I want the inner lamps to turn on first, then the outer (without turning the inner off), then both off, then repeat.
So you'd have this sequence (on the right taillight):

1. |___ (only inner on)
2. |___ |___ (both on simultaneously)
3. both off simultaneously
Then repeat.

I think this is much better as direction indicator than the lamps blinking alternately, or the inner lamp being always on.
Has anyone seen this done? What would the coding be? I have the obd11 device, Pro version.

aditud said:

Hey, I've been looking to program the urban joke taillights on my mk7 GSW. There are different versions available but I haven't found the one I'd like. I want the inner lamps to turn on first, then the outer (without turning the inner off), then both off, then repeat.

So you'd have this sequence (on the right taillight):



1. |___ (only inner on)

2. |___ |___ (both on simultaneously)

3. both off simultaneously

Then repeat.



I think this is much better as direction indicator than the lamps blinking alternately, or the inner lamp being always on.

Has anyone seen this done? What would the coding be? I have the obd11 device, Pro version.

Click to expand...

I don't think it's possible but someone correct me if I'm wrong. I have an idea of what youre trying to accomplish but the coding has on-and-off, on-and-off. It would be unlikely to do on-on-off for any light. Does that help?

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DV52 is the king of lighting, or "leuchte" programming. If what you want is possible, you'll have to figure it out from his guides: http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/f197/mkvii-vcds-tweak-reference-thread-98034.html?

Specifically you'll want: https://www.dropbox.com/s/74b00lkimjonxl6/Lighting Explanation_5_2.pdf?dl=0

JM Popaleetus said:

DV52 is the king of lighting, or "leuchte" programming. If what you want is possible, you'll have to figure it out from his guides: http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/f197/mkvii-vcds-tweak-reference-thread-98034.html?

Specifically you'll want: https://www.dropbox.com/s/74b00lkimjonxl6/Lighting Explanation_5_2.pdf?dl=0

Click to expand...

Yes. DV52 would be the best to answer. He's a legend!

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I actually posed that question to DV52 over in the vwwatercooled.au forums - trying to get my rear signals akin to what the newer Mustang tails do.
He basically stated what dwu.48 stated above: The signal controller has two phases it can control - you can have the light either on or off for inner or outer on each phase, but you can't make it add a third phase ("on-on-off" for the inner; "off-on-off" for the outer).

I tried the alternate phase thing (Kensha mod, I think it was branded), but agreed that it adds more confusion to the back end of the car instead of plainly indicating, "I'm about to go --->"

I settled on having both inner and outer light up at the same time. Having driven behind the car to check it out, I like the no-doubt-about-it "indication" much more than the fairly weak OEM only-outer-blink.

Oh - and red LED bulbs in there that are way brighter and RED-red than the OEM incandescent bulbs makes the indication "pop" more as well.

Nuje said:

I actually posed that question to DV52 over in the vwwatercooled.au forums - trying to get my rear signals akin to what the newer Mustang tails do.
He basically stated what dwu.48 stated above: The signal controller has two phases it can control - you can have the light either on or off for inner or outer on each phase, but you can't make it add a third phase ("on-on-off" for the inner; "off-on-off" for the outer).

I tried the alternate phase thing (Kensha mod, I think it was branded), but agreed that it adds more confusion to the back end of the car instead of plainly indicating, "I'm about to go --->"

I settled on having both inner and outer light up at the same time. Having driven behind the car to check it out, I like the no-doubt-about-it "indication" much more than the fairly weak OEM only-outer-blink.

Oh - and red LED bulbs in there that are way brighter and RED-red than the OEM incandescent bulbs makes the indication "pop" more as well.

Click to expand...

Yes get the LEDs. It makes a huge difference. I installed mine just a few days ago. I didnt have to code them either.

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No biggie, it was worth a shot. Think I'll just leave it the way it is. Thanks, anyway!

I saw a guy that added a delay module , they cost like $4 and you select the delay to make it look what you want
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c8jCZzVvGU

Ordered.

And actually, after I placed the order, I realized that, with the extra bulb I have in the rear fog placeholder, I can put two on each side, and have a three-step signal.

Amazon's "two-day" shipping here in Canada....not exactly two days (ordered on August 7).

Ooh dang. That's not a bad idea!

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Little timer relays arrived today. The YouTuber linked above doesn't provide a great wiring diagram (and the fact that he's using sewing scissors to cut and strip automotive wiring...gonna go out on a limb and suggest he doesn't do a tonne of wiring(?)).

Anyway, I found a diagram on this page which might help anyone else interested in doing this (I haven't gotten to this yet, so I can't say whether it'll work or melt your car.)

The relay idea is actually genius-simple.

I'm sure user Cuzoe would have a heart-attack looking at the crudeness of my wiring here , but this worked to get the two bulbs on the hatch (rear fog position and regular tail light) lighting up in sequence.

Note that I'd previously coded (VCDS) these bulbs to flash in sync with the side taillights, and the rear fog was simply jumpered to the "regular" tail light.

To make the rear fog position light up first, I swapped the wire positions of the rear fog and regular tail.




(If this isn't blinking, right-click and "Open image in new tab" and you should see a few blinks)

Outer tail/signal light is fighting me - relay is working, but flash stays normal.

Edit: The sw/ws (black/white) wire in the outer tail harness I was working with is for the "M6 Left Turn Signal Bulb"...which is NOT the L-shaped light, but rather the clear strip light down at the bottom of the outer taillight housing.

"Left Brake Tail Lamp" is M21 - black/red - on my car.

Don't worry, I'll allow your wiring to stand. Couple pictures of wiring "issues" on aircraft...

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Please tell me that wasn't on a commercial aircraft.

Turned out fairly to close to what I was hoping for, actually(?!).
(Again, if animation doesn't show, right-click, "open image in new tab/window", and you should get it, at least for a couple of blinks.)



Waiting on two additional relays to arrive (next week) to do up the other side. But as a proof of concept, I'd say success (total cost for both sides will be $28CAD, plus some wiring and connectors I had lying around).

Wow. Turned out really well!

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The bright red led's really make a difference in the tail lights. I wasn't as concerned about the turn/hazzards as I was about tail lights being so wimpy so for now the rear fog sockets are solder bridged to the tail lights. i had to use valeo tail lights that had the sockets for rear fogs in them. The mk7.5's are very nice but sportwagon owners I guess can't use them.

Yeah - i haven't yet come across aftermarket tail lights for the Mk7 GSW, with Ed (BEC autoparts) confirming directly that Golf replica, while looking like they *should* fit, certainly do not.

This works for me.

Great, I'll do this! Which one did you buy? There's many options when you search Amazon for "12v NE555 Delay Timer".

Nuje said:

Please tell me that wasn't on a commercial aircraft.

Turned out fairly to close to what I was hoping for, actually(?!).
(Again, if animation doesn't show, right-click, "open image in new tab/window", and you should get it, at least for a couple of blinks.)

Waiting on two additional relays to arrive (next week) to do up the other side. But as a proof of concept, I'd say success (total cost for both sides will be $28CAD, plus some wiring and connectors I had lying around).

Click to expand...

So you used 2 relays for each side? Hmmm, I was hoping the installation was as easy as that shown in the youtube video, even though that guy has a different kind of taillights so I guess it makes sense the NAR GSW is different.

I made it a bit (or a lot) more complicated by making it a three-step light, thus (as you suggest), using two relays per side.
One relay is in the hatch, the other is in the side body of the car at the outer tail light.

I'm pretty sure the Golf Golf (not just the GSW) has the available opening (maybe not drilled yet - like mine were not) and wire traces in the bulb-holder for the rear fog.

As for which one I bought: I just went with what was cheapest (2 for $13CAD) and looked similar to what the guy in the video was using.

Important update: Not driving much these days, I'd been testing the functionality with just the hazard lights and just ran into a not-insignificant issue:
I kinda thought this might be the case, but with the delayed (and very quick) "blink" on the outer-most light (the one in the body), it triggers a "bulb-out" alert.

My planned workaround is to wire in one of those anti-hyperflash capacitors (like this) and see if that added resistance keeps the BCM happy.

Update: Resistors solved the "bulb out" error.
And restored cruise control.