[geekiegeek]

Hi, I have recently purchased a 2006 TT Coupe 2.0T and I am struggling to understand how my headlights work or perhaps something may be faulty.

I have model 8J0 941 003 E headlights which I believe are bi-xenon. The problem I have is with the other bulb that sits next to the xenons.

If I'm correct the xenon is the outside bulb looking straight on and with this, I can do both low and high beams. What I can't do is get the inside bulbs to light at all. I've tried all the switch settings and everything else works (indicators, sidelight, fog lights) but no idea what the other large bulb in the headlights does or how to turn it on.

Can anyone (excuse the pun) shed some light on the situation?

 

[TT'sRevenge]

Those are the turn signal bulbs, heh

And yes if they are bi-xenons the main bulb is for both high and low beam, hence the term "bi" xenon, the bulb actually does not change in brightness, merely the shutter (aka shield) opens/raises when you switch to high beam.

 

[geekiegeek]

When I use the turn signal it lights up a strip across the bottom but the large bulb next to the xenon doesn't light up.

 

[FNChaos]

As TT'sRevenge stated, the inner bulb should be your turn signal lights..
If you shine a flashlight into your headlight housing you should be able to see that the bulb is tinted yellow.

There are some coding 'tricks' that allow you to configure your DLR bulbs to flash with your turn signals (which might explain why you see them flashing), but I would expect them to flash in conjunction with your indicators not as a replacement for your indicators ? Maybe someone who's played with this coding can verify?

 

[geekiegeek]

Thanks, I'll try the flashlight idea and see what's up.

 

[TT'sRevenge]

When I use the turn signal it lights up a strip across the bottom but the large bulb next to the xenon doesn't light up.

Hmm are you sure these are factory headlamps? Can you take a picture and post when you get a chance? Sounds like they could be aftermarket. The strip across the bottom should be white LEDs that serve as the DRLs. If they are amber signals or change to amber with the signal this is either an aftermarket lamp or someone modified it to do that.

 

[geekiegeek]

OK, I had a look at the manual and it shows that on this particular car (New Zealand 2006) that light is actually the DRL and the turn signal is below the Xenon and DRL and shines along a perspex type fitting (e.g. it's not a light strip, it's just a strip that gets lit up by a bulb at the end.

The manual says that the DRL needs to be switched on in the computer and there should also be a control switch marked DRL to switch them on and off. My car doesn't have a computer setting for DRL or a switch.

Everything else matches the manual so I'm thinking that the car wasn't speced with DRL but the bulb is there anyway, you just can't operate it. Or these have come from a car that had DRL aftermarket.

I did find that there is not much online that I could find for the E version of these lights so maybe its an oddity on the 2006 car.

 

[SwissJetPilot]

This may be helpful -

FAQ - Audi TT Mk2 (8J) Light Bulb List
https://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... &t=1919357

 

[Joba87]

I don't know what the heck people are talking about, those inside bulbs you're referring to are the DRLs, not the indicators.

Anyway there should be a switch next to your light switch that says "DRL" 1 or 0

If it's set to 0, your DRLs won't light up.
If it's set to 1, your DRLs will be on when the light switch is in the Off position.

(note that the DRLs are just halogens and quite ugly, not xenons)

 

[SwissJetPilot]

Those with Xenon headlights can convert the DRL OEM incandescent bulbs to an LED bulb without any retrofit modifications. However it does require a code change using VCDS or OBDeleven -

How To: Audi TT Mk2 (8J) LED Replacement for OEM DRL
https://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... &t=1777034

 

[Jezzie]

There's also a simple option to buy tinted bulbs - for example from LEDPERF - they're still regular incandescent bulbs but the colour looks like LEDs.
Jez

https://www.ledperf.co.uk/pack-of-2-bul ... -4629.html

 

[Graham'sTT]

The inner bulbs on my 2009 TT, which has bi-xenons, are the DRLs as Joba87 says.
However on mine they illuminate only when a) the ignition is on, b) the headlight switch is turned to position 'auto' and c) it is not dark enough to automatically switch on the xenon headlamps.
I had owned the car for 4 months before I worked out this was the case - the manual wasn't that helpful.

 

[SwissJetPilot]

When running DLR, if you want the tail lights to come on too, recode it to Scandaniva (VCDS) or East Europa (OBDeleven).

 

[FNChaos]

I don't know what the heck people are talking about, those inside bulbs you're referring to are the DRLs, not the indicators.

Anyway there should be a switch next to your light switch that says "DRL" 1 or 0

If it's set to 0, your DRLs won't light up.
If it's set to 1, your DRLs will be on when the light switch is in the Off position.

(note that the DRLs are just halogens and quite ugly, not xenons)

So it appears that the turn indicators in bi-xenon headlights with LED DLRs are configured differently than ones without LED DLRs.

Turn indicators blinking off / on

LED DLRs

Note: No switch to enable / disable DLRs (in the US anyway). DLRs turn on automatically with the 'autolight function.

 

[Graham'sTT]

I think we need to know where geekiegeek (the OP) is / what market his TT was built for.
Otherwise we are in danger of shooting advice in different directions / geographies.
Never seen orange Indicators located in the inner bulbs in the UK, always in the inner part of the strip below the two main bulbs, irrespective of xenon, halogen, LED or incandescent DRLs

 

[tttony]

The OP is in New Zealand but the car may be an import (pos from Japan).

 

[geekiegeek]

The inner bulbs on my 2009 TT, which has bi-xenons, are the DRLs as Joba87 says.
However on mine they illuminate only when a) the ignition is on, b) the headlight switch is turned to position 'auto' and c) it is not dark enough to automatically switch on the xenon headlamps.
I had owned the car for 4 months before I worked out this was the case - the manual wasn't that helpful.

I seem to have the same setup but using auto and ignition on they don't light up. Bulbs be be bad or something else. Car has been regularly serviced but DRLs aren't a legal requirement here so if there was a problem the original owner may have opted not to fix them.

Car was New Zealand new so not an import.

 

[Graham'sTT]

The OP is in New Zealand but the car may be an import (pos from Japan).

Sorry Tony, missed that point in the intermediate post from the OP.
Sounds similar then to the UK but with the DRL deleted or non-functioning.

 

[SwissJetPilot]

@ Graham'sTT - Orange side markers are a North American requirement -

Looking through one of the Japanese used car sites, it doesn't look like the Mk2's (or any cars in Japan) are fitted with DRL. Bit of digging on this topic and unlike Sweden, who became the first country to make them a legal requirement in 1977, Japan didn't impose DLR as standard equipment in their country until April 2020.

...DRLs aren't a legal requirement here...

@ geekiegeek - If New Zealand doesn't have a DLR requirement, it's quite possible your TT has no DLR fitment at all. It could be that all Asian-Pacific market TTs, including Australia and NZ simply don't have them.

Source: https://autoc-one.jp/used/searchv2/maau ... /grF002/+/

Headlight switch with DLR -

 

[Jezzie]

Sorry SJP - you can't generalise about what an "EU" light switch looks like! (Or were you excluding UK from EU?!!)
Here's my UK spec 2010 switch
Jez