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Tire pressure monitoring system (part 3)
I received new tire pressure monitoring sensors from AliExpress. I was a bit hesitant to buy new ones from AliExpress or eBay given my previous experience with the fakes ones. It were the reviews by other buyers and a price of 30 euros that made me buy it once more. This time I received the orange sensors, with the same part number:
5Q0 907 275 F. It does not contain a Volkswagen logo, and the text on the sensor is hard to read (it seems to be laser etched). This is not uncommon: parts produced by the same OEM are often sold via other channels, but without the vehicle manufacturers’ logo. A least the good thing is, is that it was produced this year (if this can be trusted). -
Installing dynamic tail lights (part 2)
I decided to buy the retrofit kit with part number
5G1 052 200 C. As explained last week, this is an official kit provided by Volkswagen for the Golf 7.5. The price I paid was more competitive than buying the four tail lights second-hand and sourcing the wiring separately. The only remaining item I need to purchase is the set of replacement connectors, part number1K8 972 928 B. -
Installing dynamic tail lights (part 1)
The dynamic tail lights are one of the features that really stand out. I really like how they add depth to the car. My e-Golf does not have these lights, but many people have retrofitted them—even on the pre-facelift model. I do not know if I will do this now or later, but since I still have all the panels removed from the trunk lid, it might be wise to prepare this for future installation.
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Swapping the key fob buttons
When I bought the vehicle, it was quite clear which of the two keys was used the most, even for a vehicle with keyless entry (KESSY). The buttons on one of the two remotes were slightly dented. I bought new buttons to replace the old ones on AliExpress.
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A short to ground
Whenever I modify the car, I am always concerned about making things worse. This was one such situation, but it turned out I was not at fault.
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ESC button (part 1)
Another retrofit where I probably have more joy in doing all the research then actually using it. But I also like to have more buttons in the center console.
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Upgrading the PLA module
My e-Golf has a PLA 3.0 module (German for Parklenkassistent) with 12 sensors to cover the full circumference of the vehicle It can park itself, which is a nice party trick, but I will probably never use it in practice. According to VCDS, the following module is installed:
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Tire pressure monitoring system (part 2)
After having received a fake TPMS sensor, I ordered a second-hand version from a Tiguan. This time, I knew it would be a genuine one. The seller of the fake one refunded me the money. At least the wiring loom was usable.
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High-line camera upgrade (part 4)
I got the new camera working, including actuating the servo motor of the logo. The quality is much better, especially in the dark. Here are two pictures before and after. Notice how the brick lines are much more detailed. The viewing angles are also different.
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High-line camera upgrade (part 3)
Yesterday I finished installing two CAN bus wires for the new rear view camera. Today I continued the installation and was able to test it. It is not yet finished, because I did not have all the necessary pins and connectors to install it properly.
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TPMS and camera preparation
Both the TPMS sensor and high-line rear view camera require additional wiring. The TPMS sensor requires four additional wires (CAN high, CAN low, 12V, and GND). The rear view camera requires only two additional wires (CAN high and CAN low) because the existing low-line camera already provides the power and signal wires that can be reused.
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VAS6350: taping 28 pieces of paper together
Tomorrow I will install the wiring for the new high-line rear view camera and the TPMS. Hopefully, it will go very smoothly. Today I prepared the necessary ‘accessories’ for after the installation.
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Testing a new body control module
The body control module (BCM) connects to many sensors, actuators, and lights within the vehicle. They come in different tiers, such as low-line, medium-line, and high-line. Depending on the vehicle and chosen options, a specific BCM will be installed. The different versions have very similar hardware but might differ on a few pins added or removed. Because 99% of the hardware is identical, you can often flash firmwares of high-line versions on lower-line versions. Obviously, this does not give you the new features that require physical pins.
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High-line camera upgrade (part 2)
I had less luck preparing the fake TPMS sensor yesterday. That did not stop me from trying it today with the high-line camera. I hooked up the camera to my test bench.
The CAN bus lines are connected to the infotainment CAN bus, which I have exposed using a gateway splitter.It turns out that it was the wrong bus, even though it worked. See this post for how I found this out. -
Tire pressure monitoring system (part 1)
The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) are something I frequently monitor on my primary vehicle. I have the impression that tire pressure is even more important on an electric vehicle. There are two types of TPMS: direct and indirect. The e-Golf uses the indirect variant, which cannot be monitored until it is too late.
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Active Info Display (part 2)
Today I visited the shop that would perform the installation of the Active Info Display for me. There were simply too many hurdles I would have to overcome to successfully complete it myself.
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A gateway on a test bench
Our primary car steers significantly stiffer than the e-Golf. This is something I could change using VCDS by adjusting it to a different value. However, on the e-Golf, this is managed using driving profiles. The e-Golf only has three profiles that cannot be changed:
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A list of small changes
This is a list of minor coding and adaption changes I applied since I own the car. I used VCDS to make these changes.
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Replacing the exterior temperature sensor
The HVAC air intake on the Golf is equipped with only a ‘simple’ temperature sensor, while the more expensive models have a combined temperature AND humidity sensor instead. This gives the auto HVAC system another sensor input to work with, so it is definitely an improvement (right?).
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High-line camera upgrade (part 1)
Like other Volkswagen vehicles, the e-Golf has a retractable camera mounted inside the rear logo. Whenever you put it in reverse, the logo collapses and the camera appears. Volkswagen offers two types of cameras: a low-line version (PR Code KA1) and a high-line version (PR Code KA2). From what I understood, you will only receive a high-line camera in combination with a towbar and trailer assist. This was never an option for the e-Golf.
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Bumper protection
I know the car is not new. The rear bumper has some scratches due to hauling stuff over the bumper. Preventing further damage is easy by installing a bumper protection film. On the other cars I own(ed), I also installed something similar. I chose to install a transparent one, which was easy to apply using plenty of soapy water.
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12 V battery replacement
As mentioned in the previous post, I already had plans to replace the 12 V battery of my car. The current one was still the one from the factory, and was stamped with date code week 35 of 2017. Given that the normal lifetime of a 12 V battery is somewhere between three to eight years, it is already on the longer side.
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Battery control unit software update
Today the car got repaired under warranty. They applied the software update for the battery control unit (J966, or block BD), replaced a relay that could potentially get stuck and tested the 12 V battery.
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LED light upgrades
The e-Golf uses LED lighting in almost every area. Only two places still used halogen lights: the glove box and the trunk.
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Charger investigation
Since I had a flat battery, I did not dare to charge the car overnight. But during this weekend, I noticed odd behavior with the car and/or charger. This behavior is something I never noticed with our primary car.
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Door hinge covers
A small one, and one you will probably never notice.
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Active Info Display (part 1)
Back in 2017, the Golf 7 Facelift was introduced with the Active Info Display option. This is basically an instrument cluster which uses an LCD display instead of analog gauges. This gives many additional opportunities, one of which is to show the navigation map. I remember visiting a dealership at the time to see how it looked on a Tiguan, which had received the same option a year earlier.
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Coding on a 3D printed tablet holder
I have spent quite some time sitting in the car, coding the vehicle with a laptop on my lap. Even with the seat moved to its furthest position, it was still far from comfortable—especially when entering or exiting the vehicle. I do not have a garage to work in. Otherwise, I would probably use a mobile cart to place my laptop on.
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22 degrees is too hot
A small one. For reasons I do not understand, the e-Golf always resets the climate control temperature to 22 degrees Celsius. Is this more efficient? I do not know. It is something that I — and former colleagues who drove an e-Golf — never understood.
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Steel pedals
When you buy a Golf GTD, GTE, GTI, or R-line spec car, you will receive much nicer looking pedals. My e-Golf did not come with them, but they are very easy to retrofit.
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A flat battery within 24 hours
Within 24 hours, the car had a flat battery, and that while charing. Around 07:00 in the morning, the alarm sounded. I quickly grapped the remote, an shut it off. The doors were unlocked. I cannot recall if I did that using the remote, but I could not get them locked anymore.
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Navigation update
The first change I made to the car was updating the navigation system—both the firmware and the maps, and while I was at it, I also updated the speed cameras as points of interest.
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Bye bye, Peugeot
Today I was finally able to pick up the car. As part of the deal, I sold my Peugeot 206+ to the dealer. That made today the final day I drove that car.
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The list of mods
It is still a little over a week before the car is ready for pickup, but that has not stopped me from looking into the possible modifications I can do. There are plenty of sources to find small coding-related changes. But some sources go one step further.
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The buy
My secondary car has been a Peugeot 206+ from 2009 for quite some time. It lasted well, but it was time for something else. Although it was still in good condition and it passed periodic inspection, it needed some serious investments if I decided to keep driving it.