Rear amber/yellow turn signal coding for 2015-2017 LED tails

chewblekka · Feb 17, 2020

Finally figured out the coding for amber/yellow rear turn signals. I despise the American-style red rear turn signals. All the threads I've read are for the 2011-2014, or base halogen tail lights. This coding is for North American 2015+ Touaregs with LED taillights. It will disable the small red side tail light, and enable you to have amber/yellow turn signals. This is just the coding, not explaining how to drill the hole in the housing or installing whichever bulb type you'd prefer.

VCDS (or OBD11), 46- Central Convenience; security login code 16017. Enter 10- Adaptation, then the following channels:

Channel 195 left outer brake/tail/signal 3336 to 2819
Channel 196 right outer brake/tail/signal 3368 to 2851
Channel 203 left side light 15219 to 13836
Channel 204 right side light 15251 to 13868

After you've drilled the hole in the back of the lens, remove the two-wire pigtail that's in the bottom of the bulb holder assembly. Install your new amber bulb (type 7507 or PY21W) in the now vacant spot, and re-assemble everything. Enjoy your proper amber/yellow turn signals!

DSLGATE · Apr 10, 2020

ouuu this is very intriguing. do you have any pictures of it in action?

chewblekka · Apr 10, 2020

DSLGATE said:
ouuu this is very intriguing. do you have any pictures of it in action?

No... just imagine the outer clear part of your lights blinks amber lol.

Brobb · Apr 13, 2020

I also like the idea of the amber blinker instead of the red. Interested in this. So the wires are already in place with the bulb plug adapter and it just needs drilled and a bulb or does it need wired up?

chewblekka · Apr 13, 2020

You are using the wire that currently illuminates the small side LED. With the coding change, you tell the BCM to make that wire operate the turn signal, and also remove the turn signal from the brake light.

Brobb · Apr 13, 2020

Oh ok. I gotchya. Makes sense. So are you using the same adapter as the one that’s in there. I was just looking in the clear section of the turn signal area the other day and couldn’t see a bulb. I wasn’t actually aware the break light was used instead of the clear section. Kindof odd that they didn’t use that area for a turn signal. I may have to try this mod out. Thanks for sharing your findings.

VWAffe · Jul 8, 2020

So I tracked down this video of the German version. It looks like it shows the tail lights lit up, but definitely the turn signals in operation. These don't look any different than the US '15-'17s. I want to do this to my new '15 Exec before too long, along with rear fogs, but don't like losing the side marker light.

2014 German Touareg Facelift LED Taillights/Turn Signals in operation

chewblekka · Jul 9, 2020

VWAffe said:
I want to do this to my new '15 Exec before too long, along with rear fogs, but don't like losing the side marker light.

You don't have any option but to disable the side marker light. Why do you want to keep it? It's pretty useless and a relic of the incredibly outdated US DOT lighting requirements.

VWAffe · Jul 9, 2020

Honestly I presumed the European models have both, and have been looking for verification, but haven't had time to comb through that part of the wiring diagram yet. In the video I found, it wasn't obvious that the taillights were on. I did notice there is no side marker bulb if they are on. If they've done away with (or never had) the rear side marker lights, all the better. I think I know what I'm doing this weekend!

My first VW was a '96 B4 GLX wagon I bought from a German soldier stationed in the US who had taken the car back and forth to Germany. It had the full euro light kit to pass TÜV... loved that car. He did, too... he regularly waxed the inside of the rims.

VWAffe · Jul 9, 2020

VWAffe said:
Honestly I presumed the European models have both, and have been looking for verification...

Found it! Should have looked in the manual first. German manual entry says it best (paraphrasing): "In the USA and Canada, the rear turn signal lamps (M6 and M7) are omitted... [and] the rear side marker lights (M37 and M38) are only for vehicles in the US and Canada."

Also confirmed/discovered that they only use one rear fog light (the driver's side)... a change from my old Passat.

Will look at the front lighting situation later...

n773ph · Sep 29, 2020

chewblekka said:
Finally figured out the coding for amber/yellow rear turn signals. I despise the American-style red rear turn signals. All the threads I've read are for the 2011-2014, or base halogen tail lights. This coding is for North American 2015+ Touaregs with LED taillights. It will disable the small red side tail light, and enable you to have amber/yellow turn signals. This is just the coding, not explaining how to drill the hole in the housing or installing whichever bulb type you'd prefer.

VCDS (or OBD11), 46- Central Convenience; security login code 16017. Enter 10- Adaptation, then the following channels:

Channel 195 left outer brake/tail/signal 3336 to 2819
Channel 196 right outer brake/tail/signal 3368 to 2851
Channel 203 left side light 15219 to 13836
Channel 204 right side light 15251 to 13868

After you've drilled the hole in the back of the lens, remove the two-wire pigtail that's in the bottom of the bulb holder assembly. Install your new amber bulb (type 7507 or PY21W) in the now vacant spot, and re-assemble everything. Enjoy your proper amber/yellow turn signals!

Thanks for the code! I have a 2016 TDI Executive and retrofitted the OEM tinted LED tail lights (found on EU R-line trim). My car accepted the code but I do have hyperflash and an error message to check tail lights. The amber lights are blinking fine though. I was wondering if you can share the value for channel 189. I read somewhere here in CT that you have to change value there too to prevent hyperflash. TIA

fredsyl · Sep 30, 2021

Thank a lot chewblekka and if you want to recover the side marker M37 and M38 pass two wires from bcm t32/30 for M38 and t32/31 for M37 on black t32 connector. Connect red wire from side marker to this wire and black wire to brown wire from rear light using a t2 connector. After change adaptation channel 209 to value 5124 and 210 to value 5156. And here is the result

VWAffe · Oct 12, 2022

I did this mod a while back and took some pictures of drilling the housings, but never got around to posting them. The first one I did left a big mess inside the light, so don't do what I did... those plastic shavings get static cling and are a pain to get out!!

TLDR: Mask the gaps and remove your shavings as you drill to minimize cleanup inside the lens afterwards.

First, the center of the hole actually lands in the valley of the back of the reflector:

Just make sure you drill it plumb to the fixture. I used a drill press and a 1" hole saw, and marked the side for reference:

On the first one, I just drilled it in one pass and got shaving everywhere inside the lens housing. It took forever to get them out, and there are still a few that won't budge. Not very noticeable, but not perfect.

Lesson learned.

The second time around, I masked all the gaps where shavings could get in except through the hole itself, then stopped and removed all of them before I broke completely through. Afterwards, the cleanup inside the lens was 100% easier.

That's a hank of PTFE tubing hooked to a portable vaccum. Don't tip the lens after you drill it until you've gotten all the loose shavings out. Once you've done that, you can tip it to see the stuck ones and suck them out. The second lens came out perfect.

20Ondaora · Nov 17, 2022

I just completed this mod on my 2016 Touareg TDI. But in my stupidity, I input the values for the 2011-2014 Touareg and did not save the original values. Would someone here be able to give me the original values to a 2016, that I may start over again and do it correctly?

Thank you in advance.

New2Tregs · Nov 17, 2022

20Ondaora said:
I just completed this mod on my 2016 Touareg TDI. But in my stupidity, I input the values for the 2011-2014 Touareg and did not save the original values. Would someone here be able to give me the original values to a 2016, that I may start over again and do it correctly?

Thank you in advance.

Doesn't post #1 have them. It says for 2015+. It also does say for those with LED so the values there would only help if you have LED taillights.

20Ondaora · Nov 17, 2022

New2Tregs said:
Doesn't post #1 have them. It says for 2015+. It also does say for those with LED so the values there would only help if you have LED taillights.

You are correct..

But I input the values for the 2011-2014 first. Then I found my mistake, and changed them to the values shown in this thread. But something still isn't right, as now I have both the amber turn signal and the outer taillight flashing together.

In addition, when the headlights are on, the inner taillight is slightly brighter than the outer light.

When braking, both of the taillights light up together, so that part at least is correct.

This is why I feel the original values for the 2015+ are somewhat different than the 2011-2014 values. Thus my wish to get the original values down first, and start over.

I've been using my Vag-Com for a few years now, and I went into this coding breaking my first rule of never changing anything without capturing the original coding first. My hubris has come back to bite me in the butt.

20Ondaora · Nov 17, 2022

So to be sure I had the right coding shown at the top of this thread installed, I went back out and checked it again. Channel 195 and 196 still had the codes for the 2011-2014 Touareg. Not sure how I managed that, but I got them changed to the proper values shown above. I then checked all four values once again, and they are now correct.

So now, my inner taillight flashes with the amber, and when the headlights are on, the inner taillight is brighter than the outside lamp. So obviously I did something else improperly. So if anyone has a 2015-'17 they could send a picture of the channels, I would be most grateful.

20Ondaora · Dec 1, 2022

I snooped on Autotrader and found a 2016 TDI about 45 min. from my home. Went out to the dealer with computer and Vag-Com in hand, and he graciously allowed me to copy the code I needed to reference against the 2014's code. The next day I spent about 3 hours going over each number, and while it was a bit of a PITA to do, I got everything to work properly.

I then installed my Amber LED's to replace the cheap temporary halogens, and it looks great. I used bulbs purchased from deAutoLED, and they are bright! So a successful conclusion and a lesson learned...never change your coding without keeping track of what you're changing.

andrewgerton · Dec 24, 2024

Do you happen to have that stock coding still? I went made the same mistake and input the 11-14 coding on a 17 w/LED tails. I'm having the same issue where the inner taillight flashes with the amber, and when the headlights are on, the inner taillight is brighter than the outside lamp.

andrewgerton · Dec 24, 2024

20Ondaora said:
I snooped on Autotrader and found a 2016 TDI about 45 min. from my home. Went out to the dealer with computer and Vag-Com in hand, and he graciously allowed me to copy the code I needed to reference against the 2014's code. The next day I spent about 3 hours going over each number, and while it was a bit of a PITA to do, I got everything to work properly.

I then installed my Amber LED's to replace the cheap temporary halogens, and it looks great. I used bulbs purchased from deAutoLED, and they are bright! So a successful conclusion and a lesson learned...never change your coding without keeping track of what you're changing.

Do you happen to have that stock coding still? I went made the same mistake and input the 11-14 coding on a 17 w/LED tails. I'm having the same issue where the inner taillight flashes with the amber, and when the headlights are on, the inner taillight is brighter than the outside lamp.

Rear amber/yellow turn signal coding for 2015-2017 LED tails

chewblekka

DSLGATE

chewblekka

Brobb

chewblekka

Brobb

VWAffe

chewblekka

VWAffe

VWAffe

n773ph

fredsyl

VWAffe

20Ondaora

New2Tregs

20Ondaora

20Ondaora

20Ondaora

andrewgerton

andrewgerton

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