Successful Matrix headlight activation for US Taycan

[mystermykee]

I've been texting with the innovative Soft people.

It turns out the cost of this is a bit more than the $884, if you have a 2025 or newer vehicle.

It's $1,620, plus an additional $410 to rent the PIWIS. So $2,030 (USD).

Is it still worth it?

Wow a fee for renting a PIWIS? At that point, you might as well take the time to learn and invest in one yourself. Plenty of knowledgeable folks here and on Rennlist who can assist you. You can at least sell your PIWIS if you decide to move on from Porsche.

Once you sell the car, there goes $2k down the drain. I for one am petty and would revert back to stock prior to selling (but that's only because I don't have to pay for it to get done again), but it's hard to put a price on mods and who is willing to pay for them.

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[Rbwalters]

Wow a fee for renting a PIWIS? At that point, you might as well take the time to learn and invest in one yourself. Plenty of knowledgeable folks here and on Rennlist who can assist you. You can at least sell your PIWIS if you decide to move on from Porsche.

Once you sell the car, there goes $2k down the drain. I for one am petty and would revert back to stock prior to selling (but that's only because I don't have to pay for it to get done again), but it's hard to put a price on mods and who is willing to pay for them.

I was thinking the same thing for the PIWIS.

You'd still have to rent the PIWIS again, correct?

Good question. I'll get an answer....

 

[Rbwalters]

I was thinking the same thing for the PIWIS.

Good question. I'll get an answer....

Haven't got an answer yet, but it looks like I can get a PIWIS 4 (MY 2025) on Autosky for about $345, which is obviously less than the price of the rental.

 

[whitex]

I for one am petty and would revert back to stock prior to selling

Petty? Why the animosity towards someone who would buy your car?

 

[W1NGE]

I've been texting with the innovative Soft people.

It turns out the cost of this is a bit more than the $884, if you have a 2025 or newer vehicle.

It's $1,620, plus an additional $410 to rent the PIWIS. So $2,030 (USD).

Is it still worth it?

Nope

 

[ebarron]

Having done mine, I'll say its a great feature. Makes driving at night much better. The fellow who helped me had more reasonable rates, and I used the extra $$ to buy a tablet for PIWIS so I had my own. Until/Unless @ct14garage releases their software

Worth it? value? those are super subjective.

 

[Rbwalters]

Thanks Ed.

 

[Rbwalters]

You'd still have to rent the PIWIS again, correct?

Got an answer on this. Nope.

If the dealer recodes and it reverts back, then Innovative Soft will recode it for free, including the PIWIS "rental."

I also got them to significantly reduce the rental price.

We have a lot of mountain roads in Oregon, and I spend a bit of time on them.

 

[crazydane]

Looking at Innovativesoftnz website, I'm not sure what model year group to pick. I have a 2024 with a 08/2023 build date. Its a gen 1. So should I choose "Before 2024"?

Also, I see that the PIWIS rental service is optional. Does that mean they will work with a PIWIS clone I buy myself for the same or less than their rental cost?

Finally, does their coding disable the front side markers except as turn signals?

I'm also curious to see what ct14garage comes up with as it sounds like he's working on a solution to do this over ENET through his TCAN-PRO app.

 

[namihiro]

Looking at Innovativesoftnz website, I'm not sure what model year group to pick. I have a 2024 with a 08/2023 build date. Its a gen 1. So should I choose "Before 2024"?

You can send them a WhatsApp message and ask. I found them to be very responsive and they usually wrote back within minutes.

 

[crazydane]

I asked AI for the steps. These seem pretty complete:

To activate the dormant anti-dazzle matrix high-beams on your US-spec 2024 Taycan Turbo S (Gen 1), your PIWIS 3 setup must support Engineering Mode (E-Mode), often labeled as "E" mode (instead of "V" for Aftermarket/Dealer mode) within the system configuration.

For your vehicle, a PIWIS 3 Virtual Machine image (version 38.250 or 41.500) paired with a high-quality DoIP-compatible J2534 interface like the TOPDON RLINK or Eucleia Tabscan T6PT3G II is the optimal path for DIY coding.

Step-by-Step Matrix Headlight Activation Guide
The underlying principle of this modification is rewriting your vehicle's factory option codes from the restricted US mapping to the unrestricted European layout, followed by pushing an automatic coding cycle to overwrite the software blocks on relevant control modules.

Step 1: Connect and Stabilize

1. Hook Up Flash Power: Connect a stable flash power supply directly to your Taycan's front 12V jump posts. Ensure it maintains 13V–14V at 90+ Amps.
2. Boot PIWIS 3: Boot your laptop and launch PIWIS 3 in Engineering Mode ("E").
3. Establish Communication: Plug your DoIP VCI into the OBD-II port, turn the car's ignition to "ON" (do not start the vehicle/engage "Ready" mode), and let PIWIS scan the vehicle network.

Step 2: Modify the PR/Option Codes

1. Navigate to the main menu and select your vehicle model (Taycan / J1).
2. Go to Maintenance of Vehicle Data (accessible via the F7 global key).
3. Look for the physical PR (Production Option) codes currently written to your car's digital build sheet. You will need to change the US lighting parameters to their European equivalents:
   • Locate 8G1 (US Matrix/High Beam Assist) → Change it to 8G4 (EU Adaptive Matrix Beam).
   • Locate AV2 → Change it to AV1.
   • Locate B34 → Change it to B01.
   • Locate 8K5 → Change it to 8K8.
4. Hit F8 to compile and write these new values permanently into the gateway registry.

Step 3: Autocode the Target Modules *** I DID READ AUTOCODE IS NOT ADVISED? ***
Once the car's baseline build sheet reflects the EU layout, you must execute an automatic coding command across the vehicle's network so the individual control units reconfigure themselves.

1. Go to the Control Unit Selectionscreen and select the following modules simultaneously:
   • BCM1 (Body Control Module Front)
   • BCM2 (Body Control Module Rear)
   • KOMBI (Instrument Cluster display)
   • ZFAS (Central Driver Assistance controller—critical for the camera handshakes)
   • AIRBAG
   • LED HEADLIGHT LEFT & LED HEADLIGHT RIGHT
   • PCM (Porsche Communication Management center console screen)
2. Select Coding/Adaptations from the top tabs, choose Automatic Coding mode, and press F12 to execute.

Step 4: Fix the Collateral Homelink/Language Resets
Because a global automatic code cycle forces these modules to blindly pull settings from an EU profile, it will unintentionally change your garage door opener frequencies and dashboard language. You must fix this manually before disconnecting:

1. Select BCM1 standalone → Go to Manual Coding Without Rules.
2. Locate the parameter labeled Garage-Door-Opener-Coding-Values (or equivalent Homelink frequency line).
3. Change the written hex value back from the European string (0x21000) to the North American frequency string (0x25000) and write the code.
4. Access KOMBI → Manual Coding and toggle the default UI language preference back to English if it reverted to German.

Step 5: Clear Handshake Errors

1. Return to the main screen, execute an F7 global fault sweep, and clear the comprehensive vehicle error map.
2. Cycle the vehicle's ignition off, wait two minutes for the high-voltage system to rest, and power the car back up. The dynamic menu entries "Illuminate lane on highway" or "Highway Light Assist" should now be active within your PCM vehicle configuration screen.

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