Part Number Request

[Dan Halen]

Hello, folks. I've looked through the part number database that Sandra has posted in the forum stickies, but it looks short on saloon details. Hunting and pecking at ebay.de and such, I've managed to obtain the four part numbers for the saloon LED tail lamps- 8V5 945 093A (left inner), -094A (right inner), 095A (left outer), and -096A (right outer). The photos I've found, however, look to be the bright red units rather than a more S3-appropriate "cherry red" color. If any of you S3 saloon owners have cause to remove your tail lamps for some reason, could you be so kind as to provide the numbers stamped on them? Even one number (as it's probably just going to be a different suffix character) would probably be sufficient, whereby I could infer the remaining three numbers according to the lone number I'm provided.

We'll be getting LED tail lamps on our cars in North America, but we'll have the asinine red rear turn signals. I just don't play that game, so I'm looking to have a set of the proper lamps ready to install upon delivery of the car in, eh... who the eff knows when with the way AoA's handling this thing.

Of course, if someone has access to the parts catalog, that probably makes it much simpler...

Your rear turn signals are amber, right? I guess that's an important detail.

Thanks!

Brian

 

[RossR]

Can't help you with the part numbers but I'm sure someone can.

Ours are indeed amber. Out of interest is it legal for you to have amber?

 

[veeeight]

FMVSS 108 allows for both red and amber turn signals at the rear.

The decision to fit red or amber by the manufacturer is mainly driven by aesthetics and styling.

 

[RossR]

With the amber LED tail lights the lens still looks red when they are not illuminated, so I don't understand why Audi would choose to fit red ones.

 

[Dan Halen]

With the amber LED tail lights the lens still looks red when they are not illuminated, so I don't understand why Audi would choose to fit red ones.

You and me both, brother. The part that *isn't* US legal is the absence of the side marker lamp in the European units. The only thing I've ever been able to figure is that they recover a few pennies by not including amber signals in an attempt to offset the additional cost of building a new unit with a side marker lamp.

At least that's all I can come up with as I see absolutely zero benefit, aesthetic or otherwise, to red in favor of amber for a turn signal.

I've now had two Jettas over 12 years without rear side marker lamps and nearly eight years without front side marker lamps. They just aren't as necessary as the regulation would have you believe.

 

[veeeight]

Ah, you've not worked with Automotive designers and stylists then

It causes them sleepless nights to see a non-harmonious colour (such as amber) - it's perceived among the style gurus that a thin strip of flashing red at the rear is much classier than a horrid amber

They hate this so much, which is why we saw the move from amber lenses, to clear lenses with amber bulbs, to smoked lenses with amber bulbs.

I think the more up-market automotive manufacturers will always try to utilise the flashing read at the rear, rather than the garish amber, again, this is perceived by the fashion gurus as less offensive (to them).

 

[h5djr]

To me the worst type of lenses for indicators are the clear ones where they just use a colour bulb to give the amber effect. They are OK at night but during the day they are often very difficult to see.

 

[veeeight]

In vogue at the moment - amber bulbs, but with a silver mirrored cap - so from the outside, you don't even see the orange of the bulb !

All of which add to, of course, less direct light output from the bulb, and in turn, less visibility.

 

[Dan Halen]

Ah, you've not worked with Automotive designers and stylists then

It causes them sleepless nights to see a non-harmonious colour (such as amber) - it's perceived among the style gurus that a thin strip of flashing red at the rear is much classier than a horrid amber

They hate this so much, which is why we saw the move from amber lenses, to clear lenses with amber bulbs, to smoked lenses with amber bulbs.

I think the more up-market automotive manufacturers will always try to utilise the flashing read at the rear, rather than the garish amber, again, this is perceived by the fashion gurus as less offensive (to them).

I come from the land of tail lamp halfassery. It's been okay for years for auto companies to use one bulb for all uses- tail lamp, brake lamp, and turn signal. That's too much likelihood that a driver's intent can be misread, and frankly, I think it's just cheap and sloppy. I want my signaled intent to be clear, and there's no better way than for the turn signal to have a defined color, IMO.

My current car has the European LED lamps- the ones where the LEDs can emit red and/or amber illumination. I'm sort of a lighting nut, anyway, so seeing the same diode emit alternating red and amber is just... badass. It's the same reason I prefer the A3's LED headlamps for the way turn signals are integrated.

To me, a well-integrated amber signal is much classier than copping out with red. A manufacturer being able to hide a nice amber lamp behind a red lens is ideal for me, and with LEDs, it's much more doable without sacrificing intensity.

To me the worst type of lenses for indicators are the clear ones where they just use a colour bulb to give the amber effect. They are OK at night but during the day they are often very difficult to see.

Agreed on incandescent bulbs; not nearly as substantial an issue with LEDs, IMO.

In vogue at the moment - amber bulbs, but with a silver mirrored cap - so from the outside, you don't even see the orange of the bulb !

All of which add to, of course, less direct light output from the bulb, and in turn, less visibility.

Yeah. A fair intermediate solution, perhaps, but still not ideal.

I do love the integration VW and Audi have had for years. Hell, even my MkIV Jetta had very well-disguised amber turn signals behind a red-like lens. The A3 lamps are no different in that sense. I love that you have a blazing bright amber lamp stuck behind an otherwise red lamp unit.