VW Touareg headlights: maintenance rules and protection methods
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VW Touareg headlights: maintenance rules and protection methods

03.03.2023 /

The designers and engineers who took part in the creation of the Volkswagen Touareg provided many auxiliary systems that allow you to independently diagnose components and mechanisms and adjust their operation to the specified parameters. The system of self-diagnostics and automatic adaptation of the headlights of the car, called Dynamic Light Assist, relieves the driver of the need to use the low beam and high beam mode switch. High-tech "smart" headlights "Volkswagen Tuareg" may be of interest to car thieves or get damaged in the form of scratches and cracks. The car owner can replace the headlights on his own, having studied the technical documentation and understanding the sequence of actions. What should be considered when replacing Volkswagen Touareg headlights?

Volkswagen Touareg headlight modifications

The Volkswagen Touareg is equipped with bi-xenon headlights with discharge lamps, which provide both high and low beam at the same time. The principle of operation of the Dynamic Light Assist system is based on the fact that a monochrome video camera with a highly sensitive matrix, located on the mirror inside the cabin, continuously monitors light sources on the road. The camera used in the Touareg is able to distinguish the light of street lamps from the lighting fixtures of an approaching vehicle by interference. If street lights appear, the system "understands" that the car is in the city and switches to low beam, and if artificial lighting is not fixed, the high beam automatically turns on. When an oncoming car appears on an unlit road, the system of intelligent distribution of light fluxes is activated: the low beam continues to illuminate the adjacent section of the road, and the far beam is directed away from the road so as not to dazzle the driver of oncoming vehicles. Thus, at the moment of meeting with another car, the Tuareg illuminates the roadsides well and does not create discomfort for other road users. The servo drive responds to the signal from the video camera within 350 ms, so the Tuareg's bi-xenon headlights do not have time to blind the driver driving oncoming vehicles.

VW Touareg headlights: maintenance rules and protection methods
Dynamic Light Assist keeps oncoming traffic from being dazzled by keeping the high beams on

The headlights used on the VW Touareg come from manufacturers such as:

  • Hella (Germany);
  • FPS (China);
  • Depo (Taiwan);
  • VAG (Germany);
  • VAN WEZEL (Belgium);
  • Polcar (Poland);
  • VALEO (France).

The most affordable are Chinese-made headlights, which can cost from 9 thousand rubles. Approximately in the same price category are the Belgian headlights VAN WEZEL. The cost of German Hella headlights depends on the modification and in rubles can be:

  • 1EJ 010 328–211 — 15 400;
  • 1EJ 010 328–221 — 15 600;
  • 1EL 011 937–421 — 26 200;
  • 1EL 011 937–321 — 29 000;
  • 1ZT 011 937–511 — 30 500;
  • 1EL 011 937–411 — 35 000;
  • 1ZS 010 328–051 — 44 500;
  • 1ZS 010 328–051 — 47 500;
  • 1ZS 010 328–051 — 50 500;
  • 1ZT 011 937–521 — 58 000.

VAG headlights are even more expensive:

  • 7P1941006 — 29 500;
  • 7P1941005 — 32 300;
  • 7P0941754 — 36 200;
  • 7P1941039 — 38 900;
  • 7P1941040 — 41 500;
  • 7P1941043A — 53 500;
  • 7P1941034 — 64 400.

If the cost of headlights for the owner of the Tuareg is not of fundamental importance, of course, it is better to stop at the Hella brand. At the same time, inexpensive Taiwanese Depo headlights have proven themselves well and are in demand not only in Russia, but also in Europe.

VW Touareg headlights: maintenance rules and protection methods
The cost of headlights for the Volkswagen Tuareg depends on the manufacturer and modification

Headlight polishing

The owners of the Tuareg are well aware that after a certain period of operation, the headlights of the car can become cloudy and dull, transmit light worse and generally lose their visual appeal. As a result, the likelihood of an accident increases, and in addition, the market value of the car decreases. The way out of this situation can be polishing the headlights, which can be done without contacting a car service. You can polish the headlights with:

  • a set of polishing wheels (for example, foam rubber);
  • 100-200 grams of abrasive paste and the same amount of non-abrasive;
  • waterproof sandpaper, grit 400-2000;
  • masking tape, cling film;
  • grinder with speed control;
  • White Spirit, rags, bucket of water.

Having prepared materials and tools, you must:

  1. Wash and degrease the headlights.
  2. Stick strips of film on the areas of the body adjacent to the headlights to protect against ingress of abrasive paste. Or you can just dismantle the headlights while polishing.
  3. Moisten the sandpaper with water and rub the surface of the headlights until it is evenly matt. In this case, you should start with the coarse-grained paper, and end with the finest.
  4. Wash and dry the headlights.
  5. Apply a small amount of abrasive paste to the surface of the headlight and polish at low speeds of the grinder, adding paste as needed. In this case, overheating of the surface should be avoided. If the paste dries quickly, you can slightly dampen the buffing wheel with water.
  6. Polish the headlights to full transparency.
  7. Apply a non-abrasive paste and polish again.
    VW Touareg headlights: maintenance rules and protection methods
    Headlights need to be polished with a grinder at low speeds, periodically adding abrasive and then finishing paste

Video: VW Touareg headlight polishing

Polishing plastic headlights. Management.

VW Touareg headlight replacement

Dismantling of the Tuareg headlights may be required in the following cases:

Volkswagen Touareg headlights are removed as follows.

  1. First of all, you need to open the hood and turn off the power to the headlight. To disconnect the electrical cable, press the locking latch and remove the connector block.
  2. Press the latch (down) and the lever (to the side) of the headlamp locking device.
  3. Press (within reasonable limits) on the outermost side of the headlight. As a result, a gap should form between the headlamp and the body.
  4. Remove headlight from niche.
    VW Touareg headlights: maintenance rules and protection methods
    Replacing VW Touareg headlights with a minimum of tools

Installing the headlight in place is carried out in the reverse order:

  1. The headlamp is installed in a niche along the landing plastic slots.
  2. By lightly pressing (now from the inside), the headlight is brought to its working position.
  3. The locking latch is pulled back until it clicks.
  4. Power is connected.

Thus, the dismantling and installation of Volkswagen Touareg headlights is usually straightforward and can be done even without a screwdriver. This feature of the Tuareg, on the one hand, simplifies the headlight maintenance procedure, and on the other hand, makes lighting devices an easy prey for intruders.

Anti-theft headlight protection

Theft of headlights and ways to combat them are actively discussed on numerous forums of VW Touareg owners, where motorists share their personal developments and offer their options for protecting headlights from car burglars. Most often, metal cables, plates, tensioners, lanyards serve as auxiliary materials and devices.. The most popular and reliable method of protection is with the help of cables that are attached at one end to the xenon lamp ignition unit, and at the other - to the metal structures of the engine compartment. The same can be done with turnbuckles and inexpensive metal clips.

Video: one way to protect Tuareg headlights from theft

Adaptation and correction of VW Touareg headlights

Volkswagen Tuareg headlights are quite sensitive to all sorts of external interference, so after replacing them, an error may appear on the monitor indicating a malfunction in the external lighting control system. Correction is done manually with a screwdriver.

It happens that such a correction is not enough, then you can adjust the position sensor itself, which is mounted together with the headlight turn wire. It has an adjusting screw that allows you to move the sensor forward - backward (i.e. calibrate it) To gain access to the sensor, you must dismantle the actuator. It is easy to unscrew it, but not just pull it out (the sensor gets in the way, clings to the frame) in order to pull it out, you need to turn the rotary frame to one side until it stops and the drive with the sensor comes out easily. Next, with a small margin (so as not to remove the drive again later), move the sensor in the right direction, the final adjustment can then be performed when the drive cable is attached to the turning frame.

To fix the error, sometimes you have to disassemble, assemble the headlight several times and drive a car. If you made a gross mistake during the adjustment, then the error will again fall out immediately when the car starts when the headlight is tested. If not roughly, then when turning 90 degrees at speeds above 40 km / h. When driving a car, be sure to check both left and right turns.

Video: Volkswagen Tuareg headlight correction

Headlight adaptation is required if, after re-installation, the Light Assist system does not work in automatic mode, i.e. the headlights do not respond to changing road conditions. In this case, it is necessary to configure the software part, which requires a Vag Com adapter, which connects the car's local network to an external device, such as a laptop, via the OBD connector. The laptop must have drivers installed for working with Vag Com and a program with which adaptation is performed, for example, VCDS-Lite, VAG-COM 311 or Vasya-Diagnostic. In the main menu of the program, select the "Troubleshooting" button.

It should be remembered that the car must be in a strictly horizontal position with the hand brake released, with the standard position of the air suspension, the headlights off and the gear lever in the park position. After that, you need to select the brand of the car and click on item 55 "Headlight corrector". In some cases, instead of paragraph 55, you need to choose paragraph 29 and paragraph 39 for the right and left headlights, respectively.

Then you need to go to the "Basic settings", enter the value 001 and press the "Enter" button. If everything is done correctly, an inscription should be displayed stating that the system has memorized the specified position. After that, you can get out of the car and make sure that the headlights are working properly.

I took off both headlights and swapped the xenon lamps, everything worked, it began to switch, but the error did not go out. To my surprise, I notice that when the light was turned on, both headlights began to move up and down, before it always seemed to me that only the left was moving, but then I saw that both. Then it seemed to me that the right headlight was shining a little lower, I wanted to correct this matter, but all the hexagons were soured and did not turn, although I seemed to have moved them a little.

Now I take off the left headlight and take out the harness from it to the connector (the one that lives behind the headlight, 15 cm long), I checked everything, everything is dry, put it back together, but it wasn’t there, the connectors are not inserted into each other! It turns out that the pads inside the connectors are movable, and you can assemble them only by sliding along the arrow (it is drawn inside). I assembled it, turn on the ignition, and in addition to the previous error, the headlight corrector error lights up.

Block 55 is not readable, 29 and 39 write errors on the left body position sensors, but the tour swears at the corrector only when both headlights are in their places, when one of them does not complain about the corrector.

While tormented with headlights planted Akum. A lot of errors caught fire: the car went downhill, the differential, etc. I removed the terminal, smoked, put it on, I start it, the errors do not go out. I throw off everything that is possible with a vag, everything went out except for a triangle in a circle.

In general, now, while the car is still in the box, the light is on, that the trouble is on the left dipped headlight, on the corrector and a triangle in a circle.

Headlight tuning

You can add exclusivity to your car with the help of headlight tuning. You can change the appearance of the Tuareg headlights using:

In addition, the headlights can be painted in any color, most often tuning lovers choose matte black.

With proper and timely maintenance, the headlights installed on the Volkswagen Touareg will regularly serve the car owner for many years. It is extremely important to provide not only stable operating conditions for the headlights, but also to think over the conditions for their safety: the design of the Tuareg's front lighting devices makes them vulnerable to theft. The headlights of the VW Touareg are high-tech devices that, together with the Dynamic Light Assist system, provide intensive support to the driver and help reduce accidents. Among other things, the headlights look quite modern and dynamic, and if necessary, they can be supplemented with elements of the author's design.

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