[fluidicjoy]

Originally Posted by vaibhavyagnik

Hello Fluidicjoy. I want to do a similar mod with the headlights but with a 2016 skoda octavia. The car comes with halogen lamps and I want to upgrade these to OEM projector lamps. I sourced a pair of headlights from a scrap dealer for 20K, only to realise that each headlight has 3 ballasts and an adapter harness will be required. I feel I may have bite off more than I can chew, but your post gives me hope. I have a couple of questions for you.
1. From where did you purchase the ballasts?
2. How do I find out if my BCM has autoleveling functionality?
3. If my BCM indeed does not have the autoleveling functionality, I will have to live without autoleveling functionality. Is it the only compromise?
4. Are there any persistant errors if you upgrade the headlights without BCM upgrade?
5. Does the retrofit require tweaking like disabling the halogen lights and enabling Bi-Xenon lights?
6. Can you please share component costs?

Hi, I'll try and answer most of your queries. I purchased the ballasts from eBay. There are plenty of reliable sellers who will ship to India, although this will always be expensive due to shipping and customs, which is highly unpredictable. Here is a list of ballasts you'll need. The main beam one looks similar to the Polo Bi-Xenons.

• 8K0 941 597 E - Main Beam Control Unit
• 4G0 907 697 D - DRLs Control Unit
• 1T0 941 329 B - Control Unit for Cornering Lights

Car electronics on the Polo PQ platform are quite different compared to your Octavia, which is an MQB platform vehicle. On the MQB platform, it is not your BCM, but your Gateway which will dictate if it will supports Auto-Levelling. On MQB car, your Headlight Control Modules + BCM + Gateway + AFS Module will dictate a lot of things like DRL control, low beam, main beam, cornering lights, swivelling lights etc. When I share my next post, things could become a little more clear for you.

Unfortunately, there are no mainstream emulators available for the MQB platform. You will not be able to enjoy the confidence inspiring visibility and features if you do not do the entire wiring, headlight upgrade work. There might always be errors and functionality will be poor.

If you complete your Headlight retrofit in the OEM way, you will have to upgrade quite a few modules. This will involve both changes to coding (to account for the newer headlights), upgrades to firmwares and even swapping/upgrading or installing a few missing modules. From what I checked, there is no automatic headlight regulation on your present halogen headlights. Here is a list of parts that you will need as a minimal set:-

• Front Axle AFS Level Sensor - 5Q0 412 521 C
• Rear Axle AFS Level Sensor - 5Q0 512 521 E
• AFS Module suitable for Bi-Xenon Headlights - 7P6 907 357 D
• Headlight Wiring Adapter
• Ballasts, Headlights etc.

On procuring these parts and completing necessary wiring, the control units will need to be flashed to work correctly with your headlights. The Bi-Xenons on the Octavia are much better than the Polo Bi-Xenons. These also swivel with steering input, making them true cornering lights. I'd suggest you plan for upgrading them to Bi-Xenons in the original way. It won't be cheap, but I'm sure it'll be worth it.

[mukaan]

Originally Posted by fluidicjoy

When I received my OEM Bixenon Headlights, I still had not completed the BCM Max upgrade and so I needed to use an emulator to enable most of the primary functionality of these headlights. The emulator is wired in to the stock headlight connector, but it also needs an independent line of power, which we take from a small fusebox located next to the battery.

Hey Fluidicjoy,

I have sourced a pair of Bi-Xenons and I need a few pointers with the emulator wiring. Could you perhaps share a wiring diagram for the T10 to T14 adaptation with the appropriate emulator wiring?

Note: I do not have a BCM Max, My car has only a BCM High (087) and I also have a Chinese Auto headlight switch module with an external light sensor.

[fluidicjoy]

Originally Posted by mukaan

Hey Fluidicjoy,

I have sourced a pair of Bi-Xenons and I need a few pointers with the emulator wiring. Could you perhaps share a wiring diagram for the T10 to T14 adaptation with the appropriate emulator wiring?

Note: I do not have a BCM Max, My car has only a BCM High (087) and I also have a Chinese Auto headlight switch module with an external light sensor.

The emulator I used previously was nearly plug and play, with nothing special needing to be done to make it work. I can share a T10 to T14 wiring diagram with you if you'd like to install your headlights and attain basic functionality like Low-Beam, High-Beam (albeit with a tiny delay), Turn signals, Cornering Lamps (if your car is equipped with ESP). Without BCM-Max or a BCM higher than 87, you cannot achieve DRL control anyway, but you would be able to harness most of the functionality.

[mukaan]

Originally Posted by fluidicjoy

The emulator I used previously was nearly plug and play, with nothing special needing to be done to make it work. I can share a T10 to T14 wiring diagram with you if you'd like to install your headlights and attain basic functionality like Low-Beam, High-Beam (albeit with a tiny delay), Turn signals, Cornering Lamps (if your car is equipped with ESP). Without BCM-Max or a BCM higher than 87, you cannot achieve DRL control anyway, but you would be able to harness most of the functionality.

If you could share the wiring diagram, it would really help me out!

We can connect in PM

Thanks in advance

[mukaan]

Originally Posted by mukaan

If you could share the wiring diagram, it would really help me out!

We can connect in PM

Thanks in advance

EDIT: I do not have access to PM, so if you could drop your email/phone number to me, we can connect there.

MODS: Adding a new post because I’m not able to see an “edit” post button
Please edit the above in the previous/quoted post if possible.

[fluidicjoy]

Originally Posted by mukaan

If you could share the wiring diagram, it would really help me out!

Hi Mukaan, I believe it will help a lot of curious users if I replied here. Please refer to Graaja’s thread here (Polo GT TSi Install: OEM Bi-Xenons with BCM Max Upgrade EDIT: 6C RLS + Auto-dimming IRVM installed!). It is highly useful.

This is the same wiring diagram I referred to while wiring in a T10 to T14. I’ve linked it in the beginning of my headlight posts. It would be great if you could share pictures of your Bi-xenon hardware, bulbs, wiring kits etc. Hope you complete your installation soon. Please keep me posted. Looking forward to seeing your setup.

[rana_kirti]

Originally Posted by fluidicjoy

Trying Better Brakes
I’ve been unhappy with the brakes on my car right from the first day. Even after bedding in, I’ve found them quite a lot softer than I’d wish. This was not the case with a few other Polo TSIs I’ve driven so I associate this to be potentially due to some air in the brake line, something a pressure bleed or a good bleed should solve. However, it’s no secret that a good percentage of Automatic owners wish they had better brakes. I got in touch with a gentleman, who received my contact from the dealership and he really wanted some better braking, since he originally had FS3 calliper brakes on his original Polo back in the days. Sure enough, most folks who have driven a Polo Vento with FS3 calibers will appreciate how much better and stable the braking felt from high speeds compared to the Indian TVS Girling C54 calliper setup which frankly is just average.

I suggested him to upgrade to a Big Brake Kit, and had one ready in my circles for him to install. But he wanted to try better pads to begin with, and so I got him a pair of ATE Stock Replacement brake pads for our TVS Girling Calliper system. He also requested me to install the brake pads at his premise and brief him about the process. I packed my boot with all the tools I’d need :- a 12mm socket for the calliper slider pin bolts, a long screw driver, a brake piston compression tool, WURTH Brake Paste for backing plates, WURTH Silicone Grease, and also carried a pair of Gallop Jack stands in the Polo boot and I was off to my work site.
Attachment 2185745
Including coffee, and a very tutorial oriented brake pad replacement, the entire task was wrapped up under an hour, including two road tests. I found the ATE pads to be a lot better than stock, when it comes to the brake bite, and I say this after a mere 50kms of driving. I’m sure, once the pads are organically bedded in, they’d feel even better. The ATE pads are made in the Czech Republic and I’d highly recommend you to try them out if you want to try a road-friendly stock replacement pad. The ATE pads come with new calliper guide pin bolts and also come with new brake shims, something which I totally expected from ATE, considering the level they are at.
Attachment 2185746
The owner of the Polo was also looking at options like an EBC Ultimax, EBC Yellow Stuff, Brembo but he was a big ATE fan, and did not want to use something that would eat into the rotors and so was advised against the Yellow Stuff by few of his friends.

I tried to work on his car just as I’d work on mine, and spend a considerable amount of time on degreasing contact points, brushing off contact rust and brake dust. Notice the silver shine on the Passenger side calliper. All it needed was a little bit of love. I have asked him to drive about 300-400kms post which I will be tweaking the Brake Assist level on his car, to give him an even assuring braking on his car. For now, the brake pads have been really good and I was surprised as to how much difference the TVS and ATE pads could potentially make. I will cover my brake upgrade, headlight upgrade and a few more electronic updates in my next update. A parting shot to close this post!

Attachment 2185747

hi fj,

been researching better brakes for my 2014 gt tsi.

could you please share a link to:

1. ATE Stock Replacement brake pads
2. Replacement Discs

im not very techy, bit old and lost all over with multiple tabs unable to be sure which exact parts to order.

thank you.