List of North American mk3 bulbs (LED upgraders).

Here is a North American Mk3 bulb list:
Note: Bulb numbers taken from A3 TDI. B4 prob has added 2x side markers and 2x rear domes.
EXTERIOR:
Headlights 2x 9004 (single chamber) 2x 9005 & 2x 9006 (dual chamber).
Front turns 2x 1157. (Yellow Amber nice to have).
“3-pin LED Flasher Relay CF13” (eBay $2 free shipping) to replace the OEM “191” relay, in position 6 on the fuse/relay panel.
Ref: https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?7222631-MK3-led-blinkers-relay-question#/topics/7222631
Front FOG LIGHTS: 2x ????. (With metal reflector?)
Rear Fog Lights: 2x ???? (With metal reflector?).
Sidemarkers 2x 194.
Rear turns 2x 1156. (Yellow amber nice to have)
Taillights 2x 1157. (Red nice to have)
Reverse 2x 1156. (White)
License plate 2x 194.
*** All bulbs are white, housings are white or colored. If you install different lenses/housings, then it is your responsibility to put in the proper color bulb needed to produce the required color for its position/function: white, red, or yellow/amber . ***

INTERIOR:
Dome driver side K5618, search “44mm festoon” (osram 10w).
Dome passenger side W5W, T10, 194, 168, 2825.
Instrument cluster dash 2x “B8.4D” White. Source: https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2862314-instrument-cluster-bulbs#/topics/2862314?page=1
Glove box ???? Reply to thread if you have this bulb number ***
Hatch/trunk Search “39mm festoon” (osram 5w stamped on fuse style filament bulb with pointed ends).
Rear side domes (option) 2x 194.

All the info can be found here.
https://www.sylvania-automotive.com/

if your not buying $0.50 LED china bulbs with these numbers..... Shame on you!

best thing i ever did was swap out the interior bulbs for LED's spent 3 bucks total and WOW are they bright.

Mongler98 said:

if your not buying $0.50 LED china bulbs with these numbers..... Shame on you!

best thing i ever did was swap out the interior bulbs for LED's spent 3 bucks total and WOW are they bright.

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Where did you get the LED bulbs from for that price?

eBay FTW
used bulb number, 2 weeks from china with free shipping.

Mongler98 said:

if your not buying $0.50 LED china bulbs with these numbers..... Shame on you!

best thing i ever did was swap out the interior bulbs for LED's spent 3 bucks total and WOW are they bright.

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Exactly. My purpose in building up this list of all bulb numbers, is to make it possible to do a one-shot order on eBay to modernize all 20 or so bulbs on the car to LED for about $20 free shipping or $30 if you include headlights. Been wanting to do this for a while. So irritated by these old filament bulbs that waste 10x the power for 1/4 the brightness. On the road those old exterior lights make you stand out like a sore thumb out shined by just about every car out there model year 2010 or newer.

(1) 42mm fuse style HIGH Intensity (Front Center Dome Light)
(1) 194 wedge style HIGH Intensity (Front Map Light)
(2) 194 wedge style HIGH Intensity (Rear Side Dome Lights)
(1) 39mm fuse style HIGH Intensity (Trunk Light)
(2) 194 wedge style HIGH Intensity (License Plate Lights)

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That seems to be some of them.


Edit: or Also

http://www.modifiedlife.com/1997-volkswagen-jetta-car-light-bulb-size-diagram/

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Interior LEDs ordered!
Cost $3.35 free shipping
ETA 2-6 weeks by ocean going container ships...
With plenty of spare bulbs !
It’s enough for 2 cars actually...
For example the W5W (194) wedge bulbs come in qty 10...

Exterior LEDs ordered (except headlights - trying to get a better deal than $8 the pair)...

Total cost for the full set of exterior LED + 2x foot well lights for front and rear passengers + a pair of spares of each exterior bulb type (1156 and 1157) in case of any bad bulbs = $14 free shipping!
ETA 2-6 weeks, will post pics and review..

I’m curious what you’re going to find for the headlights. Most of my cars are fitted with 5050 SMD or COB style drop ins, but I always left the headlights alone. From what I’ve seen, $50+ will need to be spent on replacement capsules to be even considered decent. The reflector design comes into play, also.

I originally started using drop ins, so I wouldn’t melt the tail lights on my Rabbits, years ago. Warped lenses were very common. The added brightness was also great for some applications, but the front dome and map light in the B4s is too bright. It’s almost blinding with the festoon panel that I used. I never got around to replacing them, though.

I never really understood the “save money” or “save power” ideologically behind them, though. The marginally lower amperage draw won’t make a difference to your charging system.

-Todd

ToddA1 said:

I’m curious what you’re going to find for the headlights.

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This video from about 1.5 yrs ago is a pretty decent real life comparison of LED vs Haligen vs HID in regular stock factory halogen housings, including the lux measurements and how far forward they throw the light:
https://youtu.be/_Ck2Lsfn9fw

I never really understood the “save money” or “save power” ideologically behind them, though. The marginally lower amperage draw won’t make a difference to your charging system.

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The alternator produces waste heat which makes it wear out and die, the more heat the sooner it dies.
When the alternator has to generate less amps and watts because you upgraded to LED lighting, and this is on a constant basis second by second like when your lights are all on at night, then your alternator runs cooler, lasts longer, and has more headroom to generate watts when you really want to use them such as stereo, gps, cabin fan blower, radiator fan, ECU, phone tablet charging, passengers watching tv in the back, everything uses electric power so it’s best to use it as efficiently as possible to go easy on the alternator and its belt which is also under more strain the more Power you demand from the car, and will break esp when you go over bumps while it’s straining and in doing so you threw it some twisted moments of angular momentum from multiple directions. More power demand equals more wear and tear...

Filament bulbs incl headlights, lights on, draw = 20-40 amps.
LED bulbs incl headlights draw = 4-8 amps.
Alternator max generating capacity = 90 amps.

I'm not dissing the LED swap, I think some of it is ok but I've never been a big advocate for it, I think in older vehicles LED's can look a little ricey. Especially in tails that weren't designed for them, the light looks uneven for tails / parking lights markers etc. I guess that's a personal choice for me.

Where I have a problem with LED's (or any non-factory spec system) is in cases where headlight illumination technology that was never specified is retrofitted in existing cars and the lamp isn't designed to handle it, like with older DOT spec headlights when someone installs HID's and it blinds the pants off other cars but the owner swears it doesn't.

I have a friend who does this and I tell him not to do it, but it makes no difference. He swears up and down he's not blinding anyone, but when every car on the road flashes you because they can't see it's a big problem. I'm hoping law enforcement takes care of his issue so I can use the 'see, I told you so' response.

I'll be the first to admit that 55/60W H4 (or 9004 etc) halogen bulbs are not bright compared to current standards, I even run the ones in yellow glass balloons so it's even worse but at least they're in European headlights with a proper cutoff, but DOT lamps from the past are not really designed to accept newer tech even though people install it. I'm just really hesitant to think that with DOT spec lights there's much to be gained with with going LED, especially at the price point Todd mentioned.

Steve

I’ve seen that video, and a bunch other from the retrofit source. I can guarantee that those aren’t $8 per pair. There’s also an ongoing thread in the upgrades section about led bulbs. The last time I checked, there was a decent amount of money collectively spent, but nothing that was deemed far superior.

In addition, I believe some needed to modify the HL housing to fit the drop in’s heatsink and fab assembly.

The alternator charges 100% of the time that it’s spinning, with its charge rate being limited by the voltage regulator. How long does a factory alternator last, before it technically dies? Most of the time, all that’s at fault are the brushes, and they’re going to wear at the same rate whether at a limited charge rate or at a full charge rate.

If your TDI doesn’t have a 120A alternator, it’s been swapped. 120A is more than enough for the accessories that you mentioned.

I’m running a modest 500W stereo system (roughly 30-35A draw), in my sedan and don’t see any indication that the stock charging system is inadequate. I’ve run 1000+W systems in old Rabbits with either 90A or 120A alternators. Obviously the 120A alternator worked better, but it was still enough.

First step for better electrical everything would be to do the big 3.

Not looking to derail your thread, but just posting my opinion about the whole save power bit... I admit I was sucked into it, years ago.

Btw, when you’re running LEDs behind a colored lens, you should be running a LED of the same color... don’t run all white LEDs.

-Todd

Steve- the way COB diffuses light is far superior to the old bullet style LEDs. The lens is evenly lit, without any dim spots.

The flash rate is also much sharper, due to the LED turning off instantly, rather than waiting for an incandescent filament to cool off. Yes, it is noticeable, but I doubt most people pay it any mind.

I honestly don’t think 5050 SMDs have any issues, either.

As far as longevity, I purposely installed LEDs in the sedan because of the sub enclosure in the trunk, that blocked the tail.... major pain to remove the enclosure and I never wanted to go back in. I had to replace one of the COBs a couple weeks ago and I don’t think it was that old....

-Todd

Chris_TDI_98 said:

Filament bulbs incl headlights, lights on, draw = 20-40 amps.

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Just noticed this.... what the heck are you running to get anywhere near 40A...? Even with hi beams and every exterior and interior light on, I doubt you’d get anywhere near 25A.

-Todd

ToddA1 said:

Steve- the way COB diffuses light is far superior to the old bullet style LEDs. The lens is evenly lit, without any dim spots.

The flash rate is also much sharper, due to the LED turning off instantly, rather than waiting for an incandescent filament to cool off. Yes, it is noticeable, but I doubt most people pay it any mind.

I honestly don’t think 5050 SMDs have any issues, either.

As far as longevity, I purposely installed LEDs in the sedan because of the sub enclosure in the trunk, that blocked the tail.... major pain to remove the enclosure and I never wanted to go back in. I had to replace one of the COBs a couple weeks ago and I don’t think it was that old....

-Todd

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Thanks for the better info. I do like the way the LED's are instant on/off, that I like, and if they are more diffused than the early ones that's great too. I'm always concerned about melting tails because they weren't designed for a particular bulb and some cars are very vulnerable to that.

The one thing I've noticed about the H4 headlight LED's is there's a big apparatus behind the actual bulb that I doubt will fit inside the European headlights very well although I could be wrong. I've not checked to see exactly how much space is in there. The main reason I would be leery of these is because they still generate a lot of heat, but at the back of the bulb.

On European (and even US type) headlights B3/4 this means putting the bulb and the heat diffusing tech inside the lamp assembly, and also that longish cord. So what does that mean for lamp integrity? I do not want to melt headlights or reflectors...

I'll PM you for info on what you're running for tail bulbs etc.

Steve

ToddA1 said:

The alternator charges 100% of the time that it’s spinning, with its charge rate being limited by the voltage regulator. How long does a factory alternator last, before it technically dies? Most of the time, all that’s at fault are the brushes, and they’re going to wear at the same rate whether at a limited charge rate or at a full charge rate.

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The alternator will do a variable amount of work and therefore will make waste heat and strain itself and heat up its diodes and wear its bearings and belt etc, in proportion to how much Power it (or the ECU) puts thru its smaller (secondary) coil windings to make the electromagnetic field which ultimately causes the big field to generate the big amps that get used by all electrical loads is the car.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternator_(automotive)

If your TDI doesn’t have a 120A alternator, it’s been swapped. 120A is more than enough for the accessories that you mentioned.

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True! I had to swap in a 90A when the 120A original died. Still have it. It needs a set of rectifier diodes to start making Power again.

Chris_TDI_98 said:

The alternator will do a variable amount of work and therefore will make waste heat and strain itself and heat up its diodes and wear its bearings and belt etc, in proportion to how much Power it (or the ECU) puts thru its smaller (secondary) coil windings to make the electromagnetic field which ultimately causes the big field to generate the big amps that get used by all electrical loads is the car.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternator_(automotive)


True! I had to swap in a 90A when the 120A original died. Still have it. It needs a set of rectifier diodes to start making Power again.

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You'll want to make sure and either swap over the clutched alternator pulley from the 120A model or just buy a clutched pulley for your spare 90A alternator. The 90A from a 2.0L would not have had the clutched pulley.

I can appreciate that someone wants to convert over to LED's that apparently have a longer life, that I can appreciate, but if you're doing all this to extend the life of the alternator I have to say, with all due respect, that it seems like it's a solution in search of a problem.

Rarely...and I think that's a justifiable statement here, does the original alternator on a tdi fail before 200k miles although my AHU Mk3 alternator voltage regulator crapped out at 180k, but even then exactly how much longer are you really thinking that these changes are going to prolong the alternator's life?

I think if you could quantify that you'd have a better case for alternator longevity, but until someone can actually do that it seems like this is more just a bulb longevity exercise.

Steve

Steve Addy said:

The one thing I've noticed about the H4 headlight LED's is there's a big apparatus behind the actual bulb that I doubt will fit inside the European headlights very well although I could be wrong. I've not checked to see exactly how much space is in there. The main reason I would be leery of these is because they still generate a lot of heat, but at the back of the bulb.

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Yeah, that was something I mentioned earlier in the thread. The heat sink and fan assembly takes up considerable space.

Personally, I think my relayed Hella ecodes are fine, with stock wattage bulbs. My nonrelayed Depos are also fine... not bad for under 8A draw, on low beam.

I recently sold a new set of Depos to a forum member and he texted me telling me how great they were.

I’ve been sitting on a set of Morimoto HIDs and non fluted headlights for years... one of these days, I’ll get around to the retrofit....

-Todd

Pics of interior LEDs on their way on the slow container boat:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4UqETU2mSQCzJQew5

Pics of exterior leds (testing on utility trailer also) on way:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Vq8uyy7LkjC1987p9

In reply to those who feel skeptical about LED headlight upgrades :
https://youtu.be/VzE_i8BBL4Y
This brand “auxito” seems decent fanless quiet works directly in the factory halogen housing and should probably be ordered by someone here off amazon or any site that offers easy returns and tested and results shared.

Chris_TDI_98 said:

In reply to those who feel skeptical about LED headlight upgrades:

... and should probably be ordered by someone here off amazon or any site that offers easy returns and tested and results shared.

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Being that you seem confident in the brand you linked, I nominate that “someone” be you.

Let us know how they work out.

-Todd

Chris_TDI_98 said:

In reply to those who feel skeptical about LED headlight upgrades :
https://youtu.be/VzE_i8BBL4Y
This brand “auxito” seems decent fanless quiet works directly in the factory halogen housing and should probably be ordered by someone here off amazon or any site that offers easy returns and tested and results shared.

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I'm not skeptical but as I stated before, based on the construction of some of these it's hard to make them work in enclosed headlight assemblies, especially those with height adjusters.

While I would like to have brighter lighting I also recognize the problem of installing bulbs in lamps that weren't designed to have them. Like I said before, my friend gets flashed all the time yet claims he's not blinding anyone because he's never gotten stopped by the Police. I don't see his argument holding much water but that's his choice.

As for me I would prefer to not melt the reflectors on my European headlights so I will at this point refrain from making any changes.

Steve

Chris_TDI_98 said:

In reply to those who feel skeptical about LED headlight upgrades :
https://youtu.be/VzE_i8BBL4Y
This brand “auxito” seems decent fanless quiet works directly in the factory halogen housing and should probably be ordered by someone here off amazon or any site that offers easy returns and tested and results shared.

Click to expand...

It sure looked like he put them into a projector style housing though. The halogen looked more like the high beam on the inside.

ToddA1 said:

Being that you seem confident in the brand you linked, I nominate that “someone” be you.
Let us know how they work out.
-Todd

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Agree....And post back how long your alternator last....

Here’s a relevant video.
The guy tests five or so 1157 LED tail light/brake light bulbs and shows the tests on video.
He picks best working one, working as well as the filament bulb, as the winner.
https://youtu.be/uoAQ-3mRlA0

The white and blue 194/W5W LEDs arrived yesterday.
I replaced the license plate 194 filament bulbs with the blue 194 LED upgrades. Like the look! Probably 10-20% brighter than the rather old filaments they replaced. I don’t mind about slamming brightness in that position, the goal is to refresh this area with clean new modern tech durable color LED bulbs that sip the watt power. Goal achieved.


Next, tried to replace the passenger side dome map light 194 bulb with a white 194 LED. Flipped the switch on, a puff of smoke is seen drifting off the PCB, and no further bulb, neither filament nor LED, works in that bulb position.
Any idea why?
Is the bulb fixture base socket not expecting both leads to be present on both sides of the bulb tab that inserts into the base?

Turbs out the 2x dash bulbs are NOT the 194/W5W. In fact they’re much smaller. Anyone happen to know the bulb type for the two dash bulbs that illuminate the speedo and tach from above? Here’s a pic. Note sylvania does NOT list the vw mk3 dash bulb on their site...

I also posted it on your other thread, but I guess to keep everything together. They are supposed to be a B8.4D bulb. I cant remember which thread I found that in, but this is the link to a site more expensive than Ebay.
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/instrument-cluster-gauge/b8-led-bulb-smd-instrument-panel-led-car/223/2589/

My_name_is_Rob said:

I also posted it on your other thread, but I guess to keep everything together. They are supposed to be a B8.4D bulb. I cant remember which thread I found that in, but this is the link to a site more expensive than Ebay.
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/instrument-cluster-gauge/b8-led-bulb-smd-instrument-panel-led-car/223/2589/

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Would B8.3D fit also?
What’s the difference between B8.5D, B8.4D, B8.3D ?