W3x16d Lamp: Find 35W Plug-in Bulbs

Hello,

I'm looking for a more powerful replacement bulb for the reversing light on my Golf VI. The factory-installed bulb is a dreadful W21W with a W3x16d base. 21W seems to be the limit for available bulbs. However, with that, you can barely see anything, especially since there's only one reversing light installed.

Has anyone been able to find something with more power? 35 or 50 watts would be great.
Before anyone asks: The BCM and wiring are compatible with this, and the heat is not a problem.

25 W waeren mit diesem Sockel noch erhaeltlich. Mehr gibt es m. Not even W.

I've already seen LED reversing lights in the same vehicle. I'm not sure if they're brighter, or if it was just about the tuning aspect.

Hutfahrer wrote:

25 W waeren mit diesem Sockel noch erhaeltlich. Mehr gibt es m. Not even W. I have already seen LED reverse lights in the same vehicle. I don't know if they are brighter, or if it was just about the tuning aspect.

Has anyone tested these on a motorcycle yet? The original 21W bulbs were so bright they almost blinded people.
It looks like I might have to somehow force a 50W pencil-base lamp into that space.

Do you have a source for the 25W specification?

Suzuki had these installed in the third brake lights.

Okay, thank you.

"Since I have several Suzuki Altos built in India by Maruti in my circle of friends, and I frequently accidentally knock out the lamp of the additional brake light located in the tailgate when closing it, I once bought a box of 10 of these bases and received 25W bulbs without being asked. However, neither the bulbs that were originally installed nor the ones from the purchased box are labeled."

The current Suzuki Swift also uses these lights. Interestingly, the reverse lights and fog lights are equipped with the 25W version. While the fog light produces a bright, vibrant light, the reverse light only emits a dull glow. For aesthetic reasons, the reverse light reflector, which is normally clear, had to be tinted with a gray cap. This was likely done to avoid a white appearance, as the rest of the taillight is colored red/gray.

Regarding your plan to use pin-based lamps: The pins are usually made of solid steel and cannot be bent. If you try to bend them, they will break off. It might be possible to solder to these pins. I don't know how the socket is designed in your vehicle. Perhaps it would be possible to solder a halogen lamp into place. Aside from the usual on-time of the reversing light, which is typically in the range of seconds, a 35W halogen lamp (also with a pin base) might also work. However, no one knows how much the reversing light switch can handle.

Hutfahrer wrote:

Regarding your plan with the pen base lamps: The pens are usually made of solid steel. They cannot be bent. If you try to bend them anyway, the pens will break. It might be possible to solder onto these pens.

Hi,

Someone at MT solved it by using uninsulated ferrule connectors, simply crimped on. I would be concerned that soldering it might get too hot.

Quote:

Nobody really knows how durable the reverse light switch is.

As mentioned above, this is controlled by the BCM (Body Control Module). And it definitely has a circuit for two reverse lights, each with a power rating of 21W. Even with the 50W bulb, there's no error message from the current monitoring system.

You can also solder quickly, for example, the contacts on a plastic frame. The important thing is not to try to solder with too little heat. A short application of sufficient heat is always gentler on the surroundings. I think it might be possible to solder it. But the solution you described should also work. The key is to ensure good contact. The 50W lamp will likely get very hot quickly, so the contact surfaces will expand accordingly. This should definitely hold; at 50W power consumption, a certain amount of current will flow. Otherwise, poor connections will eventually start to spark.

If the body control module isn't affected, that's great! I'm looking forward to seeing how you implement it! Please let me know how you did it!

Hutfahrer wrote:

You can also solder quickly, for example, onto the contacts in a plastic frame. The important thing is not to try to solder with too little temperature. A short application of sufficient heat is always gentler on the surroundings. I think it might be possible to solder that.

I didn't mean that the lamp would get damaged during the soldering process. Rather, I'm concerned that it might become desoldered during operation.

Here's what the base looks like.

A somewhat viable solution could also be to directly solder the component into a lamp holder (which would be purchased specifically for this purpose, to allow for easy removal if needed), as shown in the picture.

All images are "borrowed" from MT.
[Edit Admin: Please respect copyrights, thank you!]

Then just add a link to the image...

You can also use a fuse, as a halogen lamp doesn't have a built-in fuse. However, the connections of automotive halogen lamps are also soldered, specifically the lamp itself within its base.

Okay,

After discovering that even LED rear lights only use a meager 16W (W16W) with a 2.1x9.5d connector instead of the 21W used in standard rear lights, a final solution was needed.

The following only applies to the LED taillights of the Golf VI.

I bought a GY6.35 halogen lamp with 12V/35W (energy-saving version with 860 lm) at the hardware store for 3.79€. The base of the old W16W is 2.1 mm thick. To match this, I used uninsulated wire ferrules for 1.5mm² and slipped them over the pins of the new lamp. Beforehand, I had thinly tinned the pins. They solder perfectly. Then I soldered the wire ferrules to the pins. This must be done carefully to avoid any "built-in" contact resistance. I then pressed the ferrules slightly flatter until they matched the thickness of the old lamp, which was 2.1 mm. There was still about 1/10 mm missing. The resulting assembly fits perfectly into the socket instead of the W16W. Just wipe off any fingerprints - and it's done.

The brightness is now exactly as I envisioned. The BCM is not displaying any error messages, and even after a few minutes of operation, the lamp housing remains within a safe temperature range.

This is, of course, only permitted outside of public road traffic.

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Brilliant solution!

Awesome! Geometrically, they seem quite similar; the filament of the halogen lamp appears to be located where it should be. Energy-saving versions of common halogen lamps are typically wound more tightly, which results in higher temperatures at the filament and a visually whiter light. This often comes at the expense of lifespan, but the installed halogen lamp should be able to outlast your Golf if used as intended.


Unfortunately, the reverse lights on my 206 didn't produce much light, and what little light they did produce was scattered. Last year, I first replaced the original 21W bulbs (with BA15s base) with identical 25W versions. To be honest, the difference was only noticeable when comparing them directly. Then, I got some more reverse light bulbs with the same base (also 25W), but with the filament oriented lengthwise instead of across the axis. The filament is also very tightly wound, which allows it to reach higher temperatures. The difference was more noticeable here, and suddenly the reflectors in the reverse lights were able to focus the light, resulting in two spots of light shining towards the rear. Since both the sockets in the light housings and the bulb bases in the sockets had a lot of play, I used this to shift the light cones slightly downwards.

Despite this, I was disappointed with the color of the light produced (with too much yellow), and I somehow got the idea to measure the operating voltage of the lights while the engine was running. The result: at 13.6 V of the vehicle's electrical system at the trunk socket, I only had about 11 V at the reversing lights. The reversing light switch on the transmission only provides the "on" signal for the reversing lights; however, the operating voltage for these lights is actually switched by the interior control unit . It seems that these losses are causing the problem. However, the vehicle's electrical system voltage is present without loss at the electrical socket in the trunk. So, I added a small relay and tapped into the supply voltage there. The reversing lights suddenly became much brighter, but the external display of the car radio showed: "Partial rear light defect". Damn lamp monitoring system!

"Practice makes perfect," thought the tinkering hat driver, and he experimented to find the minimum requirement for a display that wouldn't cause any issues. The conclusion: A 21-watt bulb as a load was sometimes sufficient, but not always. A 25-watt bulb, however, was always sufficient.

Through a contact at a Citroen dealership, I inquired at the German headquarters whether the monitoring system could be deactivated. For the LED taillights, the lamp monitoring for the tail light and brake light (1 or 3 watts instead of 5 or 21 watts per light unit) had to be disabled anyway. They found information for the C2 and C3 models, as the onboard network structures are similar when using Magneti Marelli or Bosch control units. Hella also used to supply parts, but they offer very little in terms of adjustable settings. Most things can only be read, but not changed. After removing the ashtray, I found a Magneti Marelli unit and was pleased. For a small donation to the coffee fund, this change could be made after work using the "Assist" computer, which is also used by Peugeot, by removing another checkmark. Now, only the fog light and low beam monitoring remain; the rest (turn signals, parking light, license plate light, and tail/brake lights) were already disabled earlier due to my LED conversions (LED side markers and taillights).

I, however, introduced a bug with this! If I turn off the 206 with the reverse gear engaged and lock it using the remote control, the reversing lights turn on simultaneously with the long flashing signal of the turn signals. After the on-board computer goes to sleep (after about 1 minute), they turn off again. While measuring in the trunk, I discovered that there is a test voltage (?), of approximately 5.5 V, present there until the control unit goes to sleep. Only then is the connection de-energized. Unfortunately, these 5.5 V are already sufficient to activate the relay and provide power from the trunk socket, which is powered by a constant positive voltage, to the reversing lights.


My previous Suzuki Ignis had only one headlight, which was located quite low in the rear bumper, but it had the best reversing light of all the cars I've ever owned. Although its large headlight, with its toilet-bowl-like design, wasn't particularly aesthetically pleasing, it was surprisingly efficient, using 21 watts.

Hutfahrer wrote:

Awesome! Geometrically, they seem quite similar, and the filament of the halogen lamp appears to be located where it should be. Energy-saving versions of common halogen lamps are typically wound more tightly, which results in higher temperatures at the filament and a more white light. This is usually at the expense of lifespan, but the installed halogen lamp should be able to outlast your Golf if used as intended.

The specification states a minimum of 4,000 hours. Since I won't be doing much off-road driving with strong vibrations in reverse, it should actually last a lifetime. If not, it doesn't cost that much, and soldering it back together is a quick fix.

Quote:

However, I've introduced a bug with this! When I turn off the 206 with the reverse gear engaged and lock it using the remote control, the reversing lights turn on simultaneously with the long indicator light signal. After about 1 minute, when the body control module goes to sleep, they turn off again. While measuring in the trunk, I discovered that there is a test voltage (?), of approximately 5.5 V present there, until the control module goes to sleep. Only then is the connection de-energized. Unfortunately, these 5.5 V are already sufficient to activate the relay and supply power from the trunk socket, which is connected to the battery, to the reversing lights.

The only thing that might help is to connect the socket to terminal 15. That way, you're less likely to forget to disconnect a large power consumer in the trunk.

Quote:

My previous Suzuki Ignis had only one headlight, which was located quite low in the rear bumper, but of all the cars I've owned, it had the best reversing light. Its large headlight, with its toilet lamp design, wasn't particularly aesthetically pleasing, but it was remarkably efficient, using 21 watts at once.

I honestly didn't expect to have to make any modifications here, especially since I already paid over €1,600 extra from the factory for optional lighting. The G IV also had two 21W lights, and there was never a reason to complain about that. But it's quite outrageous that VW is putting such a weak 16W light in the LED reversing lights. If you're used to having xenon headlights and are maneuvering in the dark, you can't see anything at all. Instead of installing proper reversing lights, VW seems to prefer selling the rearview camera as a cheap bundle with the RCD510/RNS 510.

A circuit connected to terminal 15 is not available in the trunk. The socket was retrofitted; it could have been purchased as an option when new for a whopping 45 EUR. The connector for this socket was already glued to the side wall from the inside, within easy reach. However, instead of a cigarette lighter socket, I installed a more reliable on-board network socket ("older model").

I'm not bothered by the continuous power supply, as it allows you to charge things like a navigation system or phone in the car. The continued operation of the cooler box on longer trips is also not a problem. When camping, I have to run the engine for about 20 minutes every 8 hours to provide enough power for a 24-hour operation of the cooler box in summer temperatures – provided the contents are already chilled and the "furry creatures" aren't *too* hungry. If in doubt, you can use a battery monitor. I have one on hand, and it works great...

Otherwise, this bug isn't that bad. You conveniently also have "Follow me home" on the back... Which other car offers that?!

Hutfahrer wrote:

It's conveniently also located at the rear, with the "Follow me home" feature... Which other car offers that?!