Xenon versus LED Headlight option
- Thread starter glospete
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No I didn't that may have made me think twice. On the iPhone configurator for high beam assist it says "Not available in combination with Xenon light package or adaptive headlights with xenon plus headlights" . Sounds like I got that wrong. On the Leon and Octavia HBA only works if you have the camera on board for lane assist so will be interesting to see how the Audi system works.
If you have the Xenon Plus you get Variable Range control instead, which is similar to high beam assist but can also adjust the lights to anywhere in between dipped & full - ie, just up to the car in front / coming towards you, so it's a better option IMO. You have to have the camera, yes.
That's interesting do you have lane assist as well as high beam assist and is the camera a triangle one on the windscreen ? Just wondering if this VCDS mod will work to enable lane assist :-
http://www.stemei.de/pages/coding/seat-leon-5f/lane-assist-freischalten.php
I have lane assist, I don't have high beam assist. I have variable range control instead. No idea about enabling lane assist, the camera is just the normal video camera, which is the only type you can get AFAIK. The high beam assist without lane assist just comes with a light sensor array I think rather than a full video camera.
^^ ah not to worry. My mates 14 plate Octavia VRS had lane assist and we activated high beam assist in about 2 minutes on VCDS so I guess it may work the other way round on the 8V.
Don't regret opting for them one bit though and after passing a seat Leon with matrix led headlights this evening, if I'm honest they looked naff in sharpness and design in comparison, they reminded me of the Drl cluster from the 8p and think the Led headlights on the S3 trump them easily.
Any one like to contribute?
sorry to deviate slightly and in reference to my earlier post does anyone have any thoughts on matrix LED headlights over just LED headlights and why they are claimed to be any better? Why are they available on other VAG owned (slightly lesser) brands like Seat but not an S3? puzzled.
Don't think matrix LED is available on any Seat. Thought it was A6 / A8 / new Q7 only at the moment.
LED matrix are adaptive and hence can modulate their light pattern depending on conditions and traffic. So for example, keeping the side of the road you are driving on illuminated as brightly as possible while dipping for oncoming traffic on the other side of the road. In contrast, the ones in the Seat Leon and the 8V just project light down the road and can "adapt" at different speeds to project even more light further down the road. That's about it. There is a also an extra bulb that provides further cornering light at junctions etc. but there is no trickery using multiple LED bulbs etc to provide maximum illumination.
Think there are a few youtube videos showing how the Audi matrix version works.
Yep, to re-iterate Pulp, Matrix LED is only available on top end Audi at present.
I was driving home from work the other day with literally about 30m visibility it was so bad on a long unlit stretch of road. Coming towards me on the other side of the road was a line of cars and you could see the typical pair of orange (halogen) and slightly whiter (zenon) lights of each car. They all just reflected off the fog reducing my visibility further.
However, amongst this line of cars one set of headlights that really stood out as they were bright blue/white and just seemed to cut straight through the fog and really lit up the road. Totally impressed, but being dark I couldn't tell if it was an A3!
Pretty sure they were LED lights as it didn't have fog lights and the looked brighter than the rest. Just wondering what are people's experiences with driving in dense fog with the LED headlights?
However, amongst this line of cars one set of headlights that really stood out as they were bright blue/white and just seemed to cut straight through the fog and really lit up the road. Totally impressed, but being dark I couldn't tell if it was an A3!
Pretty sure they were LED lights as it didn't have fog lights and the looked brighter than the rest. Just wondering what are people's experiences with driving in dense fog with the LED headlights?
@ToniqR, the following Audi UK information may throw some light on the matter...(no pun intended)
In SE and Sport models, they can be specified as part of a new LED lights package costing £2,000, which also includes LED rear lights, light and rain sensors and LED ambient interior lighting. In S line and S3 models they are available as a stand-alone option costing £795.
Nine high-performance LED chips in two free-form reflectors generate the low-beam light in the new headlights for the A3, while the high beam uses ten high-performance LEDs to emit light through an aluminium aperture. Static turning and all-weather lights are housed in a separate module, while the daytime running and parking lights and the indicators are formed by a light guide that wraps around the upper and inner headlights.
Multi-function lights
The static turning lights further expand the breadth of illumination when cornering and direct additional light to exactly where it is needed, while the all-weather light eliminates the need for conventional fog lights and reduces glare in poor visibility. Motorway lights which elongate the field of illumination at speeds of over 68mph, and junction lights which widen the beam at intersections to improve safety are also integrated, as is a travel mode which, when a navigation system is installed, uses GPS data to automatically adjust the headlamp beams for right-hand-drive countries to avoid blinding oncoming drivers.
With a colour temperature of around 5,500 Kelvin, the LED light resembles daylight, helping to reduce eye fatigue. The light-emitting diodes are maintenance-free, designed to last the life of the vehicle, and are exceptionally efficient. The low-beam light, for example, only consumes around 40 watts, which is five per cent less than xenon plus units.
Nine high-performance LED chips in two free-form reflectors generate the low-beam light in the new headlights for the A3, while the high beam uses ten high-performance LEDs to emit light through an aluminium aperture. Static turning and all-weather lights are housed in a separate module, while the daytime running and parking lights and the indicators are formed by a light guide that wraps around the upper and inner headlights.
Multi-function lights
The static turning lights further expand the breadth of illumination when cornering and direct additional light to exactly where it is needed, while the all-weather light eliminates the need for conventional fog lights and reduces glare in poor visibility. Motorway lights which elongate the field of illumination at speeds of over 68mph, and junction lights which widen the beam at intersections to improve safety are also integrated, as is a travel mode which, when a navigation system is installed, uses GPS data to automatically adjust the headlamp beams for right-hand-drive countries to avoid blinding oncoming drivers.
With a colour temperature of around 5,500 Kelvin, the LED light resembles daylight, helping to reduce eye fatigue. The light-emitting diodes are maintenance-free, designed to last the life of the vehicle, and are exceptionally efficient. The low-beam light, for example, only consumes around 40 watts, which is five per cent less than xenon plus units.
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Wish I had them this evening, driving back from the office down the M5 thick sections of fog and turning my fog lights on just made it harder to see!
Matrix LED headlights, ohhhh lordy! I want, I want - but not with the expensive car that goes with them lol
Yes, There is a separate LED chip looking out to the sides to illuminate the area beyond each front wing. With a quarter turn or more of the steering wheel the corresponding chip will illuminate, like cars with lower fog lights do.
By pressing the all weather light (what was front fog light switch) this illuminates both the left & right sidewards LED chips together. This is to help illuminate the verges better. I don't believe you can have these on with just sidelights, like older cars.
If you have the Tech Pack high / connect like me, when you get to a junction, the all weather lights temporarily illuminate to greater improve your view of the junction as well as making you more visible from the side by other road users.
By pressing the all weather light (what was front fog light switch) this illuminates both the left & right sidewards LED chips together. This is to help illuminate the verges better. I don't believe you can have these on with just sidelights, like older cars.
If you have the Tech Pack high / connect like me, when you get to a junction, the all weather lights temporarily illuminate to greater improve your view of the junction as well as making you more visible from the side by other road users.
Very interesting tech thanks guys best description I've seen so far on the functionality of the LED lights.
Can any of these functions be turned on/off on the menus at all was thinking maybe the cornering function ?
Can any of these functions be turned on/off on the menus at all was thinking maybe the cornering function ?
But they come at a hell of a cost....
£2,375 as an option on the Sport
(admittedly only £945 on the S-Line)
I had a Clio once that had the cornering lights using the fog light and found it very distracting the different colour lighting didn't help admittedly - hopefully it's moved on since then and is more subtle and better integrated.
Again - this isn't an LED only option. The Xenon plus headlights do this too at least, possibly other types of headlight as well. They don't use the fog light as cornering lights.
What is the spread of the side lights on LED like? Equal to main headlight?
Xenon with adaptive gives you better view around the corner in the distance not just nearby to the side.
Is it progressive dependent on angle or just a full on/off single light?
Xenon with adaptive gives you better view around the corner in the distance not just nearby to the side.
Is it progressive dependent on angle or just a full on/off single light?
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Now I understand! I'm sure you'll be as delighted as I am with LED lights including the cornering function - there is no difference in colour, just a very useful extra illumination when you come to corners. The daylight (5500kv I think) colour makes driving much less stressful at night I have the High Beam Assist also and that works really well.
And of course if you have Connect then the lights change their dip side depending on what the Sat Nav tells the system which country it's in. And it takes info from the Sat Nav to change illumination depending on the type of road you are on and on motorways above 68mph (I think) it gives greater range on high beam. It's very clever
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I'm not sure if it's greater range on dipped for motorways? I keep trying to experiment but can't get a quiet stretch on the M1 on a Mon morn or Fri eve!
I slipped up as I thought LED's came with the full beam assist - they don't, you have to spec it. However I was told it doesn't always reilluminate fast enough on country roads after an oncoming vehicle has passed, so with that i'm not so fussed as I would be more annoyed with it not responding than having to do it myself.
The LED's don't swivel like the xenons, they just give a blundering great slab of pure daylight in front of your nose. I have been looking through VCDS to see if the cornering function can be enabled with slightly less steering lock. It's currently 25% / quarter turn. Found the static light setting on a friends xenon equipped 8V and tried this on mine but it must be listed as a different feature on LED'd cars as its not active.
Finally, yes you can turn the adaptive headlights off via MMI.
I slipped up as I thought LED's came with the full beam assist - they don't, you have to spec it. However I was told it doesn't always reilluminate fast enough on country roads after an oncoming vehicle has passed, so with that i'm not so fussed as I would be more annoyed with it not responding than having to do it myself.
The LED's don't swivel like the xenons, they just give a blundering great slab of pure daylight in front of your nose. I have been looking through VCDS to see if the cornering function can be enabled with slightly less steering lock. It's currently 25% / quarter turn. Found the static light setting on a friends xenon equipped 8V and tried this on mine but it must be listed as a different feature on LED'd cars as its not active.
Finally, yes you can turn the adaptive headlights off via MMI.
The high beam assist works perfectly and comes back on super quick. BS whoever told you it was slow to react.
Drove 150 miles tonight in my company car (which has adaptive xenons) and I wish on a drive like that I had my S3 LED's. So much better illumination. I'm a big advocate of them. Initially not impressed but won't have a car without them now.
Drove 150 miles tonight in my company car (which has adaptive xenons) and I wish on a drive like that I had my S3 LED's. So much better illumination. I'm a big advocate of them. Initially not impressed but won't have a car without them now.
Thank you for all your insights - been thinking about whether to add LEDs or not to my A3 Saloon and the fog light / "closer to daylight" descriptions have clinched it for me. Definitely yes! Now I just need to decide on the other options... :-D
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Welcome to audi-sport.net. Any pics of your car? Where you located? Enjoy the forum.
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My Focus ST has fixed cornering lights in the actual headlamp enclosure,and are activated like all of these types cornering lights when you turn the steering wheel,the xenons where not of the adaptive type on my ST, but i think this combo is far more effective than adaptive xenons,Audi A3 LED headlamps work in the exact same way,matrix led headlamps work on the principle of they are on "full beam constantly" ie a camera that monitors oncoming and forward traffic and cuts out the appropriate cluster of leds that would normally blind the above drivers,i was lucky enough to be a passenger in V10 R8 to witness this
I don't really know how many more times it has to be said... adaptive xenons (ie, xenon plus on the A3) come with the static cornering lights as well. Why it matters whether one is better than the other is rather irrelevant when you get both anyway!
You won't regret that decision - LEDs are excellent. I know there is some discussion re High Beam Assist but for me it works really well and would beat me to switching high beams on and off manually. And for what is not a lot of money .....
Welcome to audi-sport.net. Any pics of your car? Where you located? Enjoy the forum.
Thank you, Sandra and glospete! My current car is a (dare I say it?) 118d M Sport Coupe - which I love (sorry!) but my lease is coming to an end and I am now ready for a change! Had a SB 1.4 CoD for a test drive and it ticks every box.
Hi folks needing a bit of advice as going to order my 1.4 TFSI COD S Line sport back tomorrow and the one thing that is confusing is what lights to go for and from reading the Audi configurator and brochure I'm none the wiser so hope someone can shed some light for me (excuse the pun)
As far as I'm aware the S line comes with Xenon Plus headlights as standard. You can then spec this to have adaptive headlights with Xenon plus at £295
Or
You can go for LED Headlights option at £795 with all that those entail and described by others in the forum
If you go for the LED Headlights option does that totally remove Xenon plus or is Xenon plus always there and you just need to decide if you want to go for adaptive spec at £295 or LED spec at £795?
Hope this makes sense, The LED option is probably the one i want to go for but curious about what that would do to the Xenon plus aspect
Also with the S Line is it advisable to remove the sport or s line suspension option and go with the SE suspension? Love the looks of the s line etc but wonder if there is a huge difference in firmness etc if you revert back to SE and do you lose any of the fun element of driving a lowered suspension car?
thanks in advance for your thoughts
As far as I'm aware the S line comes with Xenon Plus headlights as standard. You can then spec this to have adaptive headlights with Xenon plus at £295
Or
You can go for LED Headlights option at £795 with all that those entail and described by others in the forum
If you go for the LED Headlights option does that totally remove Xenon plus or is Xenon plus always there and you just need to decide if you want to go for adaptive spec at £295 or LED spec at £795?
Hope this makes sense, The LED option is probably the one i want to go for but curious about what that would do to the Xenon plus aspect
Also with the S Line is it advisable to remove the sport or s line suspension option and go with the SE suspension? Love the looks of the s line etc but wonder if there is a huge difference in firmness etc if you revert back to SE and do you lose any of the fun element of driving a lowered suspension car?
thanks in advance for your thoughts
This isn't right.
Xenon plus is standard on s-line but is NOT adaptive. That's an option.
Thanks for taking the time to reply
a3 - phil when you say "this isnt right" do you mean that i can have xenon plus and the LED as an extra option?
or its either xenon plus or LED as you cant have both and the adapative part is an option for xenon plus?
you can see why im confused?
a3 - phil when you say "this isnt right" do you mean that i can have xenon plus and the LED as an extra option?
or its either xenon plus or LED as you cant have both and the adapative part is an option for xenon plus?
you can see why im confused?
Fair enough, just a naming thing then - all the Xenon packages available are called 'plus'.
No, you can't have the xenons AND LED lights at the same time. How would that work?!
No, you can't have the xenons AND LED lights at the same time. How would that work?!
As I understand it:
S-Line Standard Spec - Xenon Plus = Bi-xenon headlights + static cornering lights in the headlight (NOT static cornering fog lights) The cornering lights are only for tight turns at low speed and illuminate very close to the car.
Adaptive Xenons - £295 option = As above but the bi-xenons now bend with the steering to light up bends taken at higher speeds and is a much further throw than the static cornering lights (which are still included)
LED Lights - £795 option = Replaces the bi-xenons completely (and the static cornering?) and bends shapes for the road ahead like the adaptive xenons.
S-Line Standard Spec - Xenon Plus = Bi-xenon headlights + static cornering lights in the headlight (NOT static cornering fog lights) The cornering lights are only for tight turns at low speed and illuminate very close to the car.
Adaptive Xenons - £295 option = As above but the bi-xenons now bend with the steering to light up bends taken at higher speeds and is a much further throw than the static cornering lights (which are still included)
LED Lights - £795 option = Replaces the bi-xenons completely (and the static cornering?) and bends shapes for the road ahead like the adaptive xenons.
