Hi. Could anyone tell me the type of bulb I need to replace the front indicator bulb on a 2009 Audi A4 S-Line with Xenon light units?
Save me taking them out.
Thanks,
Geoff.
Save me taking them out.
Thanks,
Geoff.
Indicator bulb type.
- Thread starter Geoff Morritt
- Start date
You may be best to google it by using your reg number in something like auto bulbs direct etc.
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You need 581 PY21W bulbs.
Use Halfords website to plug your reg plate in and it'll tell you all the bulbs for your car.
https://www.halfords.com/motoring/b...urers-standard-halfords-twin-pack-718019.html
Use Halfords website to plug your reg plate in and it'll tell you all the bulbs for your car.
https://www.halfords.com/motoring/b...urers-standard-halfords-twin-pack-718019.html
I'm not saying that for sure the above bulb type is wrong, but my early 2011 S4 has PY24W - I'd be very very wary about using Halfords bulb guides, in fact I'd never use them and look on sites like powerbulbs instead.
Eldeano2
Registered User
Hi rum4mo, the Powerbulbs site also quotes my A4 B8 with Xenon HID headlights as using the PY24W bulb in the front indicators. I'm considering changing the standard bulbs for LED's and wondered if you or anyone else on here had done the conversion? I've seen a video on YouTube where the guy pulls the headlights out and removes the ballasts to get access to the indicator bulbs. It looks tight getting them in out and installing the new bulbs as he got his wife with smaller hands to do it for him. Can anybody recommend a LED bulb which is guaranteed Canbus error free as I don't want to go through all the bother of the installation only to get Canbus errors every time I operate the indicators.
Thank you for any advice.
I'm afraid that you are ahead of me there, I had a look at my front lights today and then wondered how you get access to change that bulb as it is directly in front of the ballast unit. Also I went looking on ebay etc using the Audi part number which is N10737401 13.5Volt 24Watt Amber bulb, and lots of searches returned LED equivalent that claimed to be CAN friendly. Anyway you look at it changing them to LEDs makes a lot of sense, as long as they end up being MOT compliant. So far my 2011 S4 is still fitted with its factory fitted filament bulbs so they so seem to live quite a long time and the amber coating does not fail - which is the usual reason for replacing indicator bulbs - but there again my car only gets out of the garage now and again, roughly 25K miles currently!!
Anyone with useful comments/experiences?
Anyone with useful comments/experiences?
Eldeano2
Registered User
Thanks for the reply, like yours I believe my A4 B8 still has the standard original front indicator bulbs, but mine have done over 4 times the mileage yours has! I have found a video on YouTube which covers the subject, but unless you have tiny hands, it may be a struggle to remove the actual bulb holders. The guy in the video says he got his wife/partner to do the removal and refitting of the bulbs which was very tight and quite dificult but managed it in the end. When I pluck up the courage to have a go at the replacement, it is very likely that I will go with the LED Bulbs which Forum sponsor Trups at EM Tuning supplies.
The bulbs in question if you have Xenon HID headlights are PY24W and were at the last time of looking, £39 for a pair so hopefully will be worth the hassle and be reliable. As well as this video, it may be worth checking out other YouTube vids which show the procedure for removing and re-fitting headlight units in more detail. I think I have seen in one video that you need to disconnect and reconnect a drain tube, something which isn't mentioned in this one.
This is the link to the video
I'm hoping that the LED Bulbs would give a much sharper on off action and also be much brighter than the standard filament bulbs.
Thanks for that I'll check it out later, on the "removing of headlight" I seem to have copied something some time ago showing which screw to remove and which screws to only slacken.
I tend to like to do a "dry run" on these things, like changing a bulb, because if and when you need to actually replace a duff bulb is not the time to work out how to do it.
Prompted my someone that could not change bulbs on 2017 6C VW Polo, I did try to make sure it was possible to do - and it was, with lots of effort!
Size of hands, I am very lucky in that respect, small hands do come in handy some times!
That bulb type is what I had written down when I was trying to make up a list of bulbs for my 2011 B8 S4, but I'm not entirely convinced that the adaptor is the same as on our indicator bulbs, the actual bulb will be the same, so I'm planning to buy in a single bulb and use the VW Group P/N though I'm still a bit unsure if the ebay sellers of genuine Audi parts are doing their usual bit of slightly over charging, or if it is old stock so they are a bargain.
Edit:- I've already bought in a spare indicator bulb for my wife's 2015 6C VW Polo, and it again is a special and so quite expensive!
I tend to like to do a "dry run" on these things, like changing a bulb, because if and when you need to actually replace a duff bulb is not the time to work out how to do it.
Prompted my someone that could not change bulbs on 2017 6C VW Polo, I did try to make sure it was possible to do - and it was, with lots of effort!
Size of hands, I am very lucky in that respect, small hands do come in handy some times!
That bulb type is what I had written down when I was trying to make up a list of bulbs for my 2011 B8 S4, but I'm not entirely convinced that the adaptor is the same as on our indicator bulbs, the actual bulb will be the same, so I'm planning to buy in a single bulb and use the VW Group P/N though I'm still a bit unsure if the ebay sellers of genuine Audi parts are doing their usual bit of slightly over charging, or if it is old stock so they are a bargain.
Edit:- I've already bought in a spare indicator bulb for my wife's 2015 6C VW Polo, and it again is a special and so quite expensive!
Eldeano2
Registered User
I've been in touch with Trups at EM Tuning again about the front indicator bulbs and he believes the PY24W bulb is for the B8.5 model rather than the B8. The B8 should be a PH24W which seems to be a much less common bulb, and something he doesn't have in stock. I'm going to have to do a bit more research to make sure I get the right bulb before going ahead with the replacement though, maybe a trip to Audi Wakefield to question their parts/service guy.
I discovered that I had ordered in a spare front indicator bulb back in late 2017, and it was a Philips P12190 12V 24W Py24W Indicator Amber, so soon, when I take the front off my car to change the belts, I will check which bulb is in there, I'll also check what that bulb's adaptor looks like when compared with some genuine Audi parts being sold on ebay. What Trups has said to you does tie in with what I thought and wrote a bit earlier I think, ie my previous posting, so it looks very much like I bought the wrong spare Indicator bulb for a 2011 B8 car!
Well I've ordered what should be the correct genuine Audi part, ie N10737401, so within a few days I should have it and can compare it with the bulb I bought back in late 2017, and so give you a firm answer to which is correct.
Eldeano2
Registered User
Did the spare bulb holder/amber bulb you ordered previously have the original filament type round orange glass bulb fitted? Are you planning on changing the front indicator bulbs to LED's or keeping them as standard?
I've managed to replace my rear indicator bulbs for LED's and the difference is tempting me to go the full hog and change the fronts too. Just need to get the correct bulb and fitting sorted first
Horizon LEDs sell the correct PH24W LED that fits the B8 SLine with HID`s. About 50GBP. They need a bit of modification to fit correctly. You will need to shorten the diode pins and even when you have done that they still wont click securely in the bulb holder. I dabbed a bit of silicone sealant in there to hold them in. You will also need to make a rubber gasket( i used a rubber band) to fasten the holder back into the light unit. Top tip if you have large/average sized hands...use an open ended 16mm spanner to twist the bulb holder out of the housing. Mine are in working great! The light is more yellowish than the orange bulbs, but much brighter.
Did the spare bulb holder/amber bulb you ordered previously have the original filament type round orange glass bulb fitted? Are you planning on changing the front indicator bulbs to LED's or keeping them as standard?
I've managed to replace my rear indicator bulbs for LED's and the difference is tempting me to go the full hog and change the fronts too. Just need to get the correct bulb and fitting sorted first
The first bulb I ordered and received was bought as a spare so that I held a spare kit of bulbs in the car, when I say "adaptor" I am just referring to the built in interface that these bulbs get fitted to when built up, I suppose it is that that accounts for the suffix the differing amber 24W bulbs are given. Because of its age, my S4 came with LED rear light clusters, well most of the "lights" will be LED, I have yet to check what every "light" is.
Eldeano2
Registered User
Your rear light cluster is likely to be the same as my S Line A4 2011 model rum4mo. Only the tail and brake lights of the cluster are powered by LED's. The rear fogs are a bright special Halogen type bulb and I don't think anyone makes a LED equivalent. Not really interested in changing those as they seem perfectly adequate to carry out their purpose. I have replaced both the rear reversing light bulbs which are available from Trups at EM Tuning in T15/921 W16W fitting for our model and he also supplied the LED bulbs for my number plate bulbs. He didn't have the rear indicator bulbs in stock (awaiting a delivery due around the 20th June) so I purchased a pair from Auto Bulbs Direct (Abd) at a cost of £28 post free. These are the 382 bayonet fit and are Canbus error free. These are the ones I purchased and can vouch for their quality so far.
https://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/382-twenty20-hf0-led-indicator-bulbs.html
These are the reversing light bulbs from EM Tuning
https://emtuning.co.uk/product/audi-a4-s4-rs4-b8-b8-5-reverse-leds/
and these are the led replacement bulbs for the number plate lights
https://emtuning.co.uk/product/emt-number-plate-led-bulbs-canbus/
If you buy the EM Tuning variants don't forget to add the discount code ASN13 during the order process.
Eldeano2
Registered User
Is the black plastic bulb holder part of the actual construction of the bulb and not a sepate item, or can you remove the original round orange filament bulb and replace it with a suitable Led variant?
Eldeano2
Registered User
Seems like a lot of fiddling around to get those bulbs to fit Geoff. I'm not sure if you saw the youtube video link I posted earlier about a guy fitting LED Bulbs to his B8, he ended up getting his partner with much smaller hands to remove and replace the bulbs. He did it by removing the ballast on the back of the headlight but I wondered what the other cover closer to the indicator bulb mounting was? Looked like it might give easier access to the bulb if it was removed. It's only just over 4 minutes long so might be worth looking at to confirm what the other smaller panel is covering and if it's possible to remove it.
I'm sure that the black plastic part will be welded, or its contacts welded to a basic bulb in both cases to make these special amber bulbs.
Thanks for the info on the rear light clusters, I'm sure that my number plate lights are LED from factory, I have yet to investigate the rear indicators I think, but I'd need to check a list of bulbs I made up years ago using the official VW Group parts listings for clues or part numbers.
Well 1 year and 2 months later, and I have finally got round to removing a headlight to check which type of indicator bulb is correct for my 2011 B8 S4. Having smallish hands did not stop uttering lots of bad words though.
The bulb is definitely the version that has an inline socket on the back to accept the connector, both the DRL driver block and the HID unit need to get removed to gain slight access to the turn signal bulb, possibly a small, ie approx 6" set of water pump pliers would make life easier as if you had the right size of water pump pliers, you would be able to rotate the fitting bit by bit. Refitting the bulb was not much easier, getting to the initial correct rotational position relative to the socket it fits into took a bit of time!
Should I remove the other headlight and its turn indicator so that I can clean the dust off it - well maybe within the next 2 years!
Basically I'm posting to this thread because when I went looking on Google for PY24W bulbs, there was a link to this thread!
Edit:- there is another version of this basic bulb but that is listed fo use on BMWs, it has a larger diameter adaptor as part of it, with no connector on the end, so it must connect electrically to the car radially via its built in adaptor - that was the first version that I bought as many guides/websites, a year or so ago claimed that was the correct version for my car.
The bulb is definitely the version that has an inline socket on the back to accept the connector, both the DRL driver block and the HID unit need to get removed to gain slight access to the turn signal bulb, possibly a small, ie approx 6" set of water pump pliers would make life easier as if you had the right size of water pump pliers, you would be able to rotate the fitting bit by bit. Refitting the bulb was not much easier, getting to the initial correct rotational position relative to the socket it fits into took a bit of time!
Should I remove the other headlight and its turn indicator so that I can clean the dust off it - well maybe within the next 2 years!
Basically I'm posting to this thread because when I went looking on Google for PY24W bulbs, there was a link to this thread!
Edit:- there is another version of this basic bulb but that is listed fo use on BMWs, it has a larger diameter adaptor as part of it, with no connector on the end, so it must connect electrically to the car radially via its built in adaptor - that was the first version that I bought as many guides/websites, a year or so ago claimed that was the correct version for my car.
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