Will 2012 Headlights Work on a 2011?

[IamChap]

Took a mailbox out and damaged pretty much the front passenger side. Totaled up the cost to get fixed and decided to buy a 2012 Q5 2.0 for $1,200.

I’ve put the newer 2012 headlights in my damaged 2011 and they do not work.

2011 - halogen lights

2012 - HID

Can I make this work?

🤷🏻*♂️

[Smac770]

US MY12 Q5 and US MY11 Q5 are effectively the same vehicle. So the question is not one of model year, as they are both B8.0. The HID have a completely different plug and pinout vs the halogen. You'd have to address all the wiring change, not to mention the missing headlight range control module and the level sensor on the left rear suspension. And the J519 coding changes, and hopefully you don't need a different J519 to correctly run HID (looks like all the MY10-MY12 Q5 use the same J519 rev BE?).

I'm sure halogen to HID retrofit for B8.0 A4/A5/Q5 has been documented somewhere.

[IamChap]

Thanks for the info. Not sure how to search if there is anything out there. If you know, could you pass on? Or I can do some research and find a way.

[Smac770]

There's this thread for the B8.0 A4. pinout should be the same for all B8 vehicles. https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...rsion-Complete

Kufatec's website for the adapters for the Q5: https://kufatec.com/en/xenon-headlig...di-q5-8r/36845

As it notes, "without the autoleveling aspect", you're technically not legal running HIDs on US public roads. But if you have the whole MY12 Q5 vehicle, then you have the range control module and the level sensor. Just the work to transplant those and run all the wiring. But the adapters alone would be a start to just getting it running.

Do you have VCDS or such so you can review the long coding of the J519 (09-central electrics) on your MY11 and the MY12 (does it power up?) to assess what front headlamp related coding bits differ between the two, that you'll need to change on the MY11? VCDS has long coding helper, so just a matter of going through that.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear anyone has bothered to lay down a concise, accurate how to for this retrofit for a B8.0 Q5.