# DRL Bulb Upgrade (Non LED Variety)



## ahaydock (Sep 19, 2006)

So not being content that the DRL bulbs in my TT as they looked very 'Yellow' compared to my Xenon's I went on a mission to replace these with a closer match. Now it is not a huge problem as it would appear that the DRLs and the Xenons are never on at the same time. I have the Auto Pack so just leave the lights set to Auto, thus when it is light enough the DRLs are on, and when it gets dark the Xenons and Side Lights come on, with the DRLs going off.

So firstly here is the OEM Factory DRL, which is the P21 variety:










I ordered 2 types of MTEC replacements the Super White and the Chrome Super White. The latter are slightly more expensive but do not give off the Blue Tinge that the non-chromes do.

Below is the Super Whites on the left and factory on the right and as you can see a much better look IMO:










However below shows the Super White on the Left again, with the Chrome Super White on the Right. Now there is a slight difference IMO but it is only slight:










I ended up staying with the Chrome Super Whites as a) whilst not too different I do prefer the light they emit, and b) when off they are not as noticeable and look more OEM.

Super White:










Chrome Super White:










The standard Super Whites do have a Blue Tinge to them, however this is only noticeable head on and with the car being quite low anyway so probably will never really be noticed:



















Compare this to the Chrome Super Whites, which whilst still not perfect as they have a slight 'pearl' effect are an improvement to me:



















Anyway I hope this may prove useful to anyone looking to upgrade the non LED DRL as these are not cheap especially not with the postage from Germany.

However if you do buy some I can say the Customer Service at Xenon White is excellent and as a result of this exercise I am selling the standard Super White's if anyone is interested.

Thanks and feel free to ask any questions, oh and nice touch Audi with the TT Logo on the DRL lense thingy!


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## conneem (Nov 4, 2006)

Yep they are a very good upgrade 

I also changed the sidelights to match the xenons and the license plate to an LED 

Have mine for over a year now and still going strong, so no quality issues either 

DRL's 









Sidelights


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## ahaydock (Sep 19, 2006)

What sidelights are they as they do look good.

I assume yours is not an MY10 and they are LED then?


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## conneem (Nov 4, 2006)

Not MY10 but the sidelights are normal incandesant type not LED's so should be ok 

Pity you did'nt get them with the DRL's as the postage is a large portion of the cost from Xenonwhite.

These are the sidelights I have (suitable only for xenon equipped cars, non-xenon needs w5w type)

http://www.xenonwhite.de/eng/parking-li ... te-h6w.php


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## wanta2009 (Oct 15, 2008)

great write up and great pics, loved your post. I think the changes you made look great!

Were they hard to install?


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## ahaydock (Sep 19, 2006)

conneem said:


> Not MY10 but the sidelights are normal incandesant type not LED's so should be ok
> 
> Pity you did'nt get them with the DRL's as the postage is a large portion of the cost from Xenonwhite.
> 
> ...


Doh! I have the Phillips Blue Vision Side Lights and they are OK, but yours look much better although it can be hard to tell in a picture!

Thanks wanta!


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## mattyherts (Jul 6, 2009)

I'm running LED side lights in MY10 slight blue tint but on the whole not bad however I do have a couple of other unopened bulbs that I also got, will take a trip to he garage soon and post up what they are, if anyone wants them then let me know.


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## ahaydock (Sep 19, 2006)

wanta2009 said:


> great write up and great pics, loved your post. I think the changes you made look great!
> 
> Were they hard to install?


Cheers - no they were very easy to install. I just pulled the rubber cover off without even taking the light unit out so took about a couple of minutes. Saying that taking the whole light unit is easy enough.


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## ttcool2006 (May 1, 2006)

Look fantastic with the white light.... can I do that if I dont have the xenons or auto light pack?


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## bozzy96 (May 26, 2009)

ttcool2006 said:


> Look fantastic with the white light.... can I do that if I dont have the xenons or auto light pack?


Yeah !!! I don't have xenons and / or light pack, mine are the high beam, so I guess i can't dol this, or can I ???? :?: :?:


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## ahaydock (Sep 19, 2006)

I'm not sure can a non-Xenon take a P21 bulb? If so then yes you can do it...


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## bozzy96 (May 26, 2009)

ahaydock said:


> I'm not sure can a non-Xenon take a P21 bulb? If so then yes you can do it...


But surely it would'nt work as a DRL because there is no way of switching it on in DIS !"!!


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## ahaydock (Sep 19, 2006)

Pass - I haven't seen an option for it in the DIS - I just set to Auto and leave them. Sorry that is not much help.


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## bozzy96 (May 26, 2009)

ahaydock said:


> Pass - I haven't seen an option for it in the DIS - I just set to Auto and leave them. Sorry that is not much help.


Ahhhh suddenly i emerge rom the mud and the world is a clearer place, yes we need auto light pack, oh crap, not got it !!! right lets get the tippex out !!! :lol: :lol:


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## conneem (Nov 4, 2006)

Non Xenon cars don't have DRL's as the central bulbs are used for your main beams, where on Xenon equiped cars the outer lights are used for both dipped and main.

You can still change your sidelight if you like but you need w5w type bulbs for them


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## Michael_Works (Sep 21, 2009)

Excellent write up!

My car is arriving shortly, I'm picking up 1st March, will these be compatiable? I have Xenons as well


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## ahaydock (Sep 19, 2006)

Michael_Works said:


> Excellent write up!
> 
> My car is arriving shortly, I'm picking up 1st March, will these be compatiable? I have Xenons as well


Thanks.

AFAIK yes as you have Xernons (regardless of the Auto Pack) these should fit. Let me know if you want the non Chrome ones, as if they are still here tomorrow they are going back to Germany for a Refund.


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## Michael_Works (Sep 21, 2009)

It's got to be the chrome ones 

Thanks for the help & offer though!


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Are these the chrome ones?

http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/mtec-mini- ... p-377.html

And H6Ws for sidelights?
http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/mtec-h6w-4 ... p-381.html

I think I'd be tempted to go for the ordinary ones for both since both have blue bulbs.

Oh, and is StVZO Germany?


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## hackers_88 (Dec 11, 2009)

I have xenon + on mine with DRL's but was wanting to change the normal DRLs to LED has anyone done this? 8)


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

You mean fitting LED strips? It's been asked many times. You have two options:
1) Get the upgrade from Audi for the better part of £900.
2) Buy some LED strips and DIY them into the side light channels. Of course to switch those on your existing DRLs become essentially useless. The sidelight channel also houses the indicators so it's possible that the indicator may become considerably less visible. I'm not sure how Audi manage this. I think someone mentioned that they dim the LEDs or something.


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## axelys (Apr 17, 2010)

I bought the MTEC bulbs Chrome from HID. It looks great (just a little blue) but after 1 month, one of them is out...
Same problem for my friend with is A4

So it look great but it works not long :evil:


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

That's poor really isn't it! They're guaranteed for a year so if I were you I'd contact the retailer and see about getting some replacements. I've just got some myself so will have to see how they go once I've fitted them. I'll be keeping the old ones as spares but hope they don't blow as they're a faff to change.


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

-.-


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## mailrush (Nov 20, 2009)

axelys said:


> I bought the MTEC bulbs Chrome from HID. It looks great (just a little blue) but after 1 month, one of them is out...
> Same problem for my friend with is A4
> 
> So it look great but it works not long :evil:


such a coincidence that you should bring this up this week - had mine in for 3 months and passenger side just went today.

very annoying but got mine from xenonwhite so hoping they will send me a repalcement!


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Does anyone know what the white nylon bolt to the right of the arrow head in this picture does?
http://www.********.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=503

It has a Philips rather than Torx head inside its hexagonal recess.


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## maxamus007 (Mar 9, 2011)

_I don't have Xenons and DRL's with the LED's_ but I want to change the bulbs on my *side-lights* and the *dipped beam* so its less yellow and more white.

What do you guys recommend?


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## hope88 (Mar 25, 2011)

conneem said:


> Non Xenon cars don't have DRL's as the central bulbs are used for your main beams, where on Xenon equiped cars the outer lights are used for both dipped and main.
> 
> You can still change your sidelight if you like but you need w5w type bulbs for them


For the sidelights you can buy compatible Led based bulbs but you need to make sure they are legal and also won't produce canbus error. Or else you could opt for the led strip mod as detailed in a kb here.

For dipped you can get xenon like bulbs. I think Phillips extreme has been mentioned in a kb here as well. Do note that they won't look close to a real xenon beam but certainly not as yellow.

Another method is to purchase a quality hid conversion kit with around 4300K colour temp. Note that this is classed as illegal and might cause Mot failure as you need washers and auto leveller for xenon headlights. However I've known people installing quality kits having no problems so far. You NEED to get a quality kit not those 45 quid ones.

Last option is to use Hazzy Dayz which will retrofit them. IIRC it's around £2100 fitted for whole lot but you need to book your car in his garage.

If you just want less yellow light I would suggest looking into canbus error free w5w sidelight bulbs and research into xenon like bulbs. You can stay legal should be easy to DIY.


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## BLinky (Jul 3, 2009)

hazzydayz comes to you.


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

maxamus007 said:


> _I don't have Xenons and DRL's with the LED's_ but I want to change the bulbs on my *side-lights* and the *dipped beam* so its less yellow and more white.
> 
> What do you guys recommend?


Per the above post:
http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/mtec-h6w-4 ... p-381.html

And for dipped beams you want any H7 bulbs that are a colour you like. Most on here seem to go for Philips X-Treme or BlueVision, or Osram Nightbreakers.


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## maxamus007 (Mar 9, 2011)

Is it deffo H6W bulbs and not W6W bulbs as mentioned above??


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Yes. I have them. See also here:

viewtopic.php?f=43&t=137208


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## maxamus007 (Mar 9, 2011)

ScoobyTT said:


> Yes. I have them. See also here:
> 
> viewtopic.php?f=43&t=137208


You are a legend!

Ordered some MTEC H6W 433c BAX9S XENON SUPER WHITE BULBS SIDELIGHTS + H7 Philips BlueVision Headlight Bulbs


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## hope88 (Mar 25, 2011)

BLinky said:


> hazzydayz comes to you.


I've got an email reply - if you want the full kit (lights, washers, autolevelling) which you would need anyway to make it fully legal its a workshop job.


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## hope88 (Mar 25, 2011)

maxamus007 said:


> ScoobyTT said:
> 
> 
> > Yes. I have them. See also here:
> ...


Can you please take some pictures of before/after the install if you don't mind? Would like to see the difference each bulb makes.


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Have you by any chance checked page 1 of this very thread? :lol:


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## maxamus007 (Mar 9, 2011)

hope88 said:


> maxamus007 said:
> 
> 
> > ScoobyTT said:
> ...


Indeed I can but I have no idea about technical stuff  
Is it easy to change the side lights and main beam? 
I don't have to start dismantling my car to get to them I hope.....


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Yeah, you have to remove the headlight units from the car. Instructions are in the manual [smiley=book2.gif] , and there's a guide in the KB.


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## maxamus007 (Mar 9, 2011)

ScoobyTT said:


> Yeah, you have to remove the headlight units from the car. Instructions are in the manual [smiley=book2.gif] , and there's a guide in the KB.


Think i'll give it a miss as i get nervous when i have to do technical stuff with the car.
Think i'll let Audi do it when they put the TTS kit on my car for peace of mind as i know i'll screw something up.


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## hope88 (Mar 25, 2011)

ScoobyTT said:


> Yes. I have them. See also here:
> 
> http://www.********.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... 3&t=137208


Whoopos lol 

I always thought the sidelights were W5W. This LED canbus error free one looks tempting but I think it's a bit too long to be fitted : http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/XENON-WHITE-LED-C ... 4156f8c832

Tried the MTEC sidelights (but w5w) and they look more blue/yellow than white. But in Page 1 the DRLs look really nice.


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Anything bigger than the standard bulbs could be tricky. The sidelights are a snug fit and you need nimble fingers to get them in situ at the best of times.


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## CWJ (Aug 24, 2010)

I fitted a set of these bulbs 4 months ago and today one of them has failed. They are under a one year warranty so I have contacted the company (Germany) to find out about replacements. They have agreed to replace them but but I can't say they are great quality if they are only going to last 4 months especially when normal bulbs last for years (brake lights etc). On the 'bright' side they do look shed loads better than standard bulbs!

Just out of interest, those of you who have had a DRL bulb fail, what error did you get on the DIS? I got a parking light error on the wrong side!


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## Jem (Apr 15, 2011)

I'm about to purchase the chrome DRL's as well as the sidelights.

But before I do, has anyone had problems passing these under their MOT?


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

I don't see why they would be a problem. They're not like having dodgy HIDs with no balast or other chavcy add-ons.

However, I would say that a few people myself included have found these bulbs to be unreliable. Mine lasted just over the 1 year warranty, and 2 failed within at the same time. Once sidelight and one DRL, so both are pretty poorly made. I was quite lucky as some have had them fail within a few weeks. I think Peter-SS even had one dead on arrival. They look ok, but I put the standard bulbs back in and they're still going. The standard bulbs are more visible in daylight anyway.

In my view, I can't recommend these replacement bulbs any more, purely due to their unreliable lifespan. If you want to get some anyway, I'd recommend getting spare set(s). They are available from HIDS Direct if you don't want to order from Germany.


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## Jem (Apr 15, 2011)

I would expect to get at least a year's worth with both sets just from the warranty. But you're right, their track record certainly goes against them.

Trial and error and hope for the best I suppose.

Still, it amazes me what little choice the market has to offer. We're not talking rocket science after all :?


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## Jem (Apr 15, 2011)

Just to add to the reliability of these bulbs, I purchased a set of DRL's and sidelights back in November and only managed to fit these last Saturday.

The driver's sidelight stopped working 2 days after install.

The passenger sidelight I noticed was out today.

The supplier is adamant the reliability on these bulbs is good and that they provide value for money. The usual broken bulb photos are required.

Can't think of a product that I've purchased recently that's failed so badly... I'll get the replacement and see how it goes.


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## CWJ (Aug 24, 2010)

I too have had issues with these bulbs. They have never lasted more than 6 months which given their price is ridiculous. The sellers have generally been good at replacing them under warranty which is the only saving grace.


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## Jem (Apr 15, 2011)

Well, after just over 48 hours of installing the replacement bulbs, guess what...

I'm really quite interested to hear what the supplier has to say now... [smiley=bomb.gif]


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Apart from Peter's DoA, that's a new record I think!


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## Jem (Apr 15, 2011)

They've asked me to send them back under warranty, so I'm requesting a full refund.

What are my alternatives to the horrible yellow light spread?


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## ScoobyTT (Aug 24, 2009)

Your options are as follows:
a) The full fairy light upgrade
b) LED bulb replacements with resistors
c) Don't worry about it and enjoy the car. No-one else cares what colour your light bulbs are, and when you're in the car you can't see them.


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## Jem (Apr 15, 2011)

Since they're sidelights, I don't mind option C to be honest. I only changed them after one of the regular sidelights went.

Would like to change the reg plate lights though!


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## Gizmo68 (Feb 26, 2012)

For sidelights fit some Philips Bluevision bulbs, despite there blue coating (which you cannot really see in the TT headlight) they IMO give off the whitest light you can get in a filament bulb.... even SWMBO noticed the difference!!


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## TT-REX (Jun 3, 2011)

*sneek peek*


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## conneem (Nov 4, 2006)

Costs about 1k to have that done to your headlights in Japan. That was the first car they did in 2009 and the only one I've seen done.










this is the what the car they are on looks like now


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## TT-REX (Jun 3, 2011)

1k [smiley=vulcan.gif]


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## Templar (Mar 9, 2012)

Backlighting the whole light unit..now there's a novel idea.
Don't think the rozzers would be too pleased with the blue though [smiley=gossip.gif]


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## GStatus (Jan 12, 2013)

sorry to revive from the grave but which one would be better?

http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/mtec-xenon ... 80-p21-5w/
or
www.hids-direct.co.uk/380-gen-3-p21-5w- ... lbs-white/


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## Templar (Mar 9, 2012)

I thought the sidelights required 501 type bulbs which are push fit. Are there different types depending on what light unit is fitted ?


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## GStatus (Jan 12, 2013)

its a DRL bulb i wish to change and thats a p21.
judging from the thread findings, changing the 501 is practical as they blow really quickly


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## shurcomb (Jan 6, 2007)

GStatus said:


> sorry to revive from the grave but which one would be better?
> 
> http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/mtec-xenon ... 80-p21-5w/
> or
> http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/380-gen-3- ... lbs-white/


I have a set of the Creed LED's which I fitted this weekend. Unfortunately they do give a bulb error but will fit some resistors to solve it.

Pic of OEM DRL bulb 









PIC of the Creed LED









Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4


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## GStatus (Jan 12, 2013)

link?


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## shurcomb (Jan 6, 2007)

GStatus said:


> link?


http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/382-p21w-5 ... lbs-white/

Not cheap and kinda disappointed they give a bulb failure warning and will need additional load resistors. 
They do look good though 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4


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## GStatus (Jan 12, 2013)

Ah okay
When you decide which resistors you get send me a pm I'll get them too
I'm a novice with electronics!


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## migueltt (Feb 25, 2014)

conneem said:


> Yep they are a very good upgrade
> 
> I also changed the sidelights to match the xenons and the license plate to an LED
> 
> ...


Hello from Portugal
I am trying to change my DRL to led but i cannot get any without error.
Your's don't give error?
Can you tell me wich led's did you buy and from who please?
Hope you can help
Regards
Miguel


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## jalms (May 24, 2009)

migueltt said:


> Hello from Portugal
> I am trying to change my DRL to led but i cannot get any without error.
> Your's don't give error?
> Can you tell me wich led's did you buy and from who please?
> ...


Also from Portugal and also in the need of that info

Enviado do meu ONEPLUS A3003 através de Tapatalk


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