987 LED Parking light - error displayed

[WizBribe]

Hi,

I upgraded mu 3500°K Philips W5W blue vision parking light bulbs to SuperBrightLed WLED-WHP9-T LED bulbs. The new bulbs use 9 SMD LED and consume 0.125W to produce a 8500°K ultra white light. As I feared, there's now an error displayed on the on-board computer. Let's try to translate it from French: 'Please check parking light left/right bulb'.

I read that I could add a resistor to consume 5W so that the on-board computer stops complaining. But:

1/ I'm pretty sure I'll do something wrong and get the resistor to overheat...

2/ France will impose the use of DRL on all new car on 2011, already licensed car will have to be operated with parking lights always on.

So I'm not sure using resistors will help. I'd rather do some kind of programming magic (PIWIS?) to remove the warnings and enable parking lights an automated way (don't want to use the switch each time I use my car).

What would you guys recommend? Going with resistors and manual parking light switching or give a try to some computer programming? How to?

Thanks a lot.

[JFP in PA]

If you went from an incandescent bulb to an LED, the circuit no longer has the resistance the DME is looking for and assumes the bulb has burnt out. Adding a resistor will end this issue. While the PIWIS can switch the car over to the DTRL configuration, I do not believe the PIWIS can do anything about it thinking the bulb is burnt out without a resistor in the circuit, which is in the DME software configuration..............

I've never understood the fascination with switching cars that were not designed for LED's over to using them and then having to rewire half the car to accommodate them..............

Edited December 18, 2010 by JFP in PA

[WizBribe]

Adding a resistor will end this issue. [...] I do not believe the PIWIS can do anything about it [...]

Thanks a lot, your explanation sounds quite clear to me. I'll now have to think about invest more (time, tests,...) or rollback.

I've never understood the fascination with switching cars that were not designed for LED's over to using them and then having to rewire half the car to accommodate them..............

I definitely don't understand how DRL will enhance my own safety. I think it's just a brand new way to help people getting less attentive to all other road dangers than others drivers. But well, as it will be mandatory to use DRL (or an equivalent system) in a near future, I rather use a bulb that use 0.125W than a 5W one. Anyway, I join your opinion regarding tail lights: I do think LED conversion is useless there.

[JFP in PA]

Well, here is where the LED conversion gets interesting; replacing the OEM bulb with an LED and a resistor will effectively end up at the same wattage power consumption; you will have saved nothing energy wise, and the lights will be marginally brighter, but you will have added both complexity and a small amount of weight to the car. That is why I don't understand the interest in converting...... the view just isn't worth the climb.........

Edited December 18, 2010 by JFP in PA

[jinijazz]

If there is LED fever, there must be some good reason, and here is the major one. Color Temperature. Most modern cars are coming out with "whiter lighting".

I myself replaced all internal bulbs and license plate bulbs with LEDs, the difference is huge. Once you see the difference, there is no going back. I even added Philips LED Daytime running iight, and it turned out to be one of my favorite mods of all time.

But some bulbs are not ready for LED just yet, and one of them is parking light. I recommend Polarg M4 to match with your OEM HID rather than LED. If you insist, you can always buy canbus 194 LED bulbs rather than attach external resistor.