LED headlights

I'm thinking of upgrading my A6 (C6) to the new model so I've been thumbing through the list of extras to see what tempts me. My local dealer doesn't seem to have a demonstrator with many of the toys (which surprises me), and anyway getting a demo drive at night is a bit more difficult:)

So I'm looking for any comments from anyone who might have the LED headlights and has had a chance to really try them out. I have an A7-owning colleague with these fitted but I would appreciate feedback from a wider audience! Or I'm going to have to wait for the darker evenings and bum a test ride from my colleague...

Hi - I have the A7 with LED headlights and it is probably near if not at the top of my options list (hard choice since I love lots of my options). My previous car had bi-xenons which were great, but LED with adaptive lighting takes things to a completely new level. I have always had trouble driving at night and the LED lights have changed the game completely. I am actually enjoying every night time journey since the quality of light and visibility is just fantastic.

I think you should definitely bum a test ride from someone, and with the nights drawing in it doesn't even have to be at too unsociable an hour!!

For anyone who has the LED headlights, can you confirm if they do this? Looks truly excellent!

http://www.audi.de/de/brand/de/neuwa...uchtweite.html

Also, what happens if you drive to france etc, can you re profile them via the mmi?

Cheers

I have Xenons, but I can tell you that there is an option in the car section of the MMI to change between LHD and RHD.

I believe if you've got mmi touch with the hdd it should change automatically

Either way it has an mmi option

Will let you know in July :)


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I hadn't seen that video from audi. I knew they did something like that, but hadn't seen it visualised.

*So* glad I put them on the options list.

4 weeks until new A6 arrives!

G

Quote:

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Originally Posted by robbyg

For anyone who has the LED headlights, can you confirm if they do this? Looks truly excellent!

http://www.audi.de/de/brand/de/neuwa...uchtweite.html

Also, what happens if you drive to france etc, can you re profile them via the mmi?

Cheers

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The manual suggests that with the right level of nav system it knows which country you are in and dips accordingly, although mine (with LED) has the L/R dip option in the MMI anyway.

That video is good, but I'm not absolutely sure that this is how it works with LED headlights. It might only apply to xenon with adaptive/high beam assist/range assist (or some such - the manual and brochure are not really clear). My experience of xenon+adaptive is that the beam really does go up and down like that although I didn't see the half-main/half-dip effect. Steering lights round bends is also effective. Haven't really given my LED lights a good tryout in different conditions yet but a quick test last night suggested less variation, and the brochure if you read it carefully does seem to suggest that "range assist" doesn't happen with LED.

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In order, these are an unilluminated headlight, DRLs (engine running but note that these are a little dimmer if you switch on sidelights), dip (there seems to be a total of 9 light sources in an L-shape) and then main beam - adds another three very bright sources along the top.

It's very difficult to get a picture with similar brightness sources showing as you tend to be in or out of the beam of some but never all of them. Might be an interesting exercise one day to work out just where they all point... And then there seems to be a small diffuser/lens thing under the centre of the headlight assembly which might be the turning/corner light.

And no, I couldn't think of a way to get the adaptive bit to operate while the car was sitting on my drive in daylight!

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Originally Posted by nealeb

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In order, these are an unilluminated headlight, DRLs (engine running but note that these are a little dimmer if you switch on sidelights), dip (there seems to be a total of 9 light sources in a horizontal band plus 4 in an L-shape at the outside) and then main beam - adds another three very bright sources along the top.

It's very difficult to get a picture with similar brightness sources showing as you tend to be in or out of the beam of some but never all of them. Might be an interesting exercise one day to work out just where they all point... And then there seems to be a small diffuser/lens thing under the centre of the headlight assembly which might be the turning/corner light.

And no, I couldn't think of a way to get the adaptive bit to operate while the car was sitting on my drive in daylight!

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Small light underneath is the equivalent of the Fog lights - re-named All weather lights.........also comes on for turning corners.


From an American site

The LED headlights of the A6 feature LEDs for lighting functions. Each headlamp has a total of 57 LEDs together with accompanying heat sinks. A fan integrated into the headlight prevents the electronic components from overheating.

Reflectors or projection modules are used, depending on the lighting function. Thick-walled optics are employed for the DRLs, parking lights, and turn signals to achieve a homogenous appearance for these lighting functions.

High Beam
Horizontal ones - Low Beam symmetrical
Vertical ones - Low beam asymmetrical


Parking light - LEDs (white, dimmed)
Daytime running light (DRL) - strip of 24 LEDs (white)
Turn signal - 2x2 LEDs
Low beam headlight - 14 LEDs (5x2 chip and 4 single LEDs) - the first 4 units horizontal from the grille are 1x2 units then the rest - 2 horizontal and 3 vertical are 1x1 units
High beam headlight - 12 LEDs (3x4 chip, in addition to low beams)
Cornering light (static) - 4 LEDs (1x4 chip, in addition to low beams)
Coming home / leaving home - 14 LEDs (5x2 chip and 4 single LEDs)
Side marker light - 3 LEDs (white with yellow reflector)

That's an awful lot of LEDs!

In my picture of the dip beam lights, one of them appears to be much dimmer than the rest. I assumed that was because I was off the beam axis but I wonder if it is to do with the overall beam shaping? Maybe that's one of the "country" lights and not "town" lights!