Why does the LED bulb flicker when powered on after replacement in a Volkswagen?
2 Answers
It should be induced electricity, because many wires are sleeved together or placed very close to each other. When one wire is energized, the others will generate induced electricity, and LEDs can light up with very small currents. A decoder, to put it simply, is a capacitor or resistor that tricks the computer, or it could be a filter. It is recommended that you switch to xenon lights with bi-xenon projectors, as achieving the original factory xenon mode is the optimal solution. After all, the lifespan of LEDs is still under test and not very stable. Below is some relevant information: 1. The power of the original headlights is generally around 55W, with an operating current of about 4.5A, while the power of LED lights is generally only 20W-25W. The starting current generally needs to be 4A-8A for normal startup, and after successful startup, the operating current is only about 1.5-3A. At this point, the car's computer will detect abnormal current. 2. Some vehicles will give an alarm through the dashboard, while others will automatically turn off the lights. After turning off, because the vehicle's power switch is already on, the vehicle will light up again, resulting in the phenomenon of continuous flickering of the vehicle's lights. This situation requires the use of a ballast or decoder.
This issue is quite common in the tuning community. When Volkswagen vehicles experience flickering after installing LED bulbs, it's mostly due to compatibility issues. LEDs require constant current drivers, while the pulsed current from the original halogen bulbs can cause them to malfunction. First, check if you're using dedicated LED bulbs with decoders – those cheap no-name bulbs on the market can't handle Volkswagen's voltage fluctuations. Incorrect polarity at the connector terminals can also cause flickering, so make sure to align the positive and negative terminals correctly. Here's a lesser-known tip: if your dashboard shows a warning light when turning on the headlights, you'll need to reprogram the ECU to disable the light detection function. Last time I helped a friend with this problem, we discovered he hadn't replaced the dust cover during modification, causing poor heat dissipation and frequent overheating protection triggers. Final advice: don't try to force a solution yourself. Spend 200 bucks to have a professional tuning shop match the decoder properly – messing with the wiring and frying the ECU would be a much costlier mistake.
