Great write up!! A couple questions, though.

1. The tabs you refer to...I don't see them in the pics. Are they something that is clearly noticeable once you start separating the halves?

2. Did you remove (or make an effort) the old seal or just stick the new one on top?

3. Is this something you would consider difficult or more just PITA?

I only ask cause i would hate to attempt only to end up having to buy a new assy. cause I F'ed it up.

Thanks for the info.

 

Howdy Chief,
I also had cause to separate one of my headlight units, so I followed these great instructions.

I can tell you that it is not a difficult task.... but you wish you had two pairs of hands on occasion. ) whereas a willing assistant - would be perfect.

The mastic used to seal assembly has a stretchy consistency (like old chewing gum) ... therefore as you work around the join with pry device in each hand the mastic stretches and you need to run a sharp blade through it to release its grip on both halves of the assembly. Thats where an assistant is helpful.... but I managed to do it myself - and I think most others would too. As you work your way around the gap becomes wider and it becomes easier to cut through the mastic.

Yes, the retainer clips mentioned are self evident (x6) and do need to be wedged open initially and thus allow the Body & Lens to separate.

I found most of the mastic remained behind and so I only needed to clear out the slot around the edge of headlight body to allow the lip on the lens to go back into the slot sufficiently to re-engage the retainer clips.

Just remember when you have access to inside of the headlamp NEVER touch
the silver polished surfaces.... this is very thin and can be damaged very easily.

Take it easy and keep your patience....

 

Thanks for the info.

After looking again, I see the clips.

Might attempt this in the coming weeks. zip ties have worked for almost a year, but I'd prefer to actually fix it if possible. It seems I got the same answer from Jag on the fix...new $500 assy.

Have I mentioned how much I love this sight?!?!?!

 

I have more to report on my headllight saga. This week I noticed that the headlight was sagging again. I pulled it appart as I described last time. One of the adjustable mounts had broken again. The one I had made a brass replacement for the ball joint, that one held. The other one I stuck back together without making a new ball joint, and that one broke.

In this picture you can see the broken one on the left. Also note the adjuster screw on the right. The gear has pulled off the end of the adjuster shaft.


This picture shows the adjuster gear that has pulled off. The gear did not break but it looks like it eroded away. I have no idea what could have caused this.



I glued this back on the adjuster shaft with JB Weld and it seems OK.
Here is a repaired adjuster (again) but this time with a brass ball joint like I did with the other one.



I always had a terrible time removing the connector from the headlight assembly. This picture shows the connector housing with the engagment lock nub broken off. I could not figure out how to get them appart and I just pryed it apart and probably broke it off.








Here is the mating part.







The buytl rubber sealant worked very well. I had my doubts that it would stick to the plastic housing but it stuck well. I ended up breaking the third mounting point while reassembling the light. That one is not a ball joint bur rather a slot that a ball can slide in. I glued the part together with a wire frame similar to what I did before. I hope it holds.

Hope this helps,
Pete.

 

Well it finally happened to me. The driver's side low beam failed a few weeks ago and I had my local mechanic replace it but it only lasted a couple of days. On Saturday I had him replace it again, but when I went to pick it up he told me that the headlight assembly was wobbling and that was causing the blub to fail when the car hit a bump and the headlight assembly bounced around.

So, I'll be taking it to the dealer for repair. I expect my warranty to cover it but what should I tell them when I drop it off? Should I expect them to replace both sides? Can I make sure they do even if the passenger side hasn't failed yet?
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Jaguar - it's not an automobile, it's a Motorcar

 

Good luck. Unless they are stock HIDs, they won't be covered. I took my X to the dealer when it happened and they said it isn't covered. As a matter of fact...a lot of things don't seem to be covered.

 

I don't see why they wouldn't cover it if you're still in warranty. They will have to replace the entire assembly though as they won't just fix the broken components. I'd suggest getting the repair kit on ebay which is reinforced with metal and will ensure the repair lasts.

 

I thought the same thing, but no joy. I did however use these instructions to replace my adjusters today. Excellent write up. The first light took me awhile cause I didn't want to break anything, but the second one only took about 20 minutes.

Thanks for the info!!!

**Edit** By they way, I got the adjusters off Ebay from user jaguar11986. It doesn't look like he has any at the moment, though. Cost $66 for both lights...better than replacing both assemblies. I couldn't believe how bad those stock adjusters were. They shattered when I squeezed them with my bare hands. Total pieces of crap!!

 

Has anybody had the entire headlight assembly replaced to correct this problem? Are the outer lenses part of the assembly?

Just wondering if my headlight assemblies are replaced will I get new outer lenses and will that correct the hazing problems?
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Jaguar - it's not an automobile, it's a Motorcar

 

Hi Pab,
If you buy a new H'Light Assy's..... they are complete units and merely need to be attached to the Car - via the four bolts provided. (remember that the Front Bumper Bar Cover must first be removed to gain access to the lower two bolts)

Hope this helps....

 

A search on Ebay for jaguar x type headlights repairs produced two replacement products for the adjusters.
One was all plastic and the other had metal & plastic parts.

I suspect many will be happy to buy the replacement parts rather than try to repair the broken ones.

One of the sellers points to the following guides to repair and cleaning the light units.
They are not great may be useful to see views before dismantling.
( best turn off the sound).

 

Hello Henry,
Yes, the 3 videos are good giving you a general idea of going about the repairs.

However, and speaking from my own experience.... I would recommend NOT TO WASH the assembly as shown in the corresponding Video.

You see, it is not possible to completely CLEAN and DRY the inside of the assembly.... and what remains are residual watermarks on the inside of the clear cover. This is not so apparent until a few days after you have re-installed
the H'light assembly back into the car. (sunlight perhaps amplifies the problem - leaving it most unsightly)

As result, I had to remove the Headlight Assy again... then separate the clear lens in order to then properly clean the inside surfaces. (which were essentially fine - before that damn Washing process)

Take care... the Plastic & Metal replacement parts you mention - are the are the best choice.
Just remember...... do not do the Washing part.

Cheers,

 

I used the all plastic parts off Ebay. They seemed pretty solid...I didn't test their strength with weight, but I did try to break the the ball (I don't know how to explain that part or what the proper term would be, but when you see it, you'll know what I mean) off with my hands and was unable to. I think that would be strong enough for what it needs to do.

There is no need to purchase new assy for this...it really is quite easy to do.

I also had serious haze on my lenses and while the assy was out, I used a hand sander with 1200 grit sandpaper and rubbing compound on the lense. I think this is the best time you can do it as there is no chance of damaging the paint. I was running out of daylight, so I didn't get to fully sand and polish the lenses, but WOW what a difference it made!!!

Do not be afraid to tackle this project yourself. It isn't as hard as it seems or sounds. I was sceptical at first, but now that I have done it, I know it is no where near as hard as I thought it would be.

Side note...I did not wash the lenses. That seemed a bit much for me.

 

Ta da, just got a new headlamp assembly installed by my dealer and it was covered by my extended warranty. The explanation accepted was something that involved the word: "retainer" associated with the headlamp assembly.

Persistence counts... ;-)

Oh, '05 3L auto ~79k miles
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Jaguar - it's not an automobile, it's a Motorcar

 

Hi,

To be frank thought this issue had been covered a couple of times.

Similar to the above, I had the sames issues when I either burst the adjusters when fitting the HIDs or I may have been hamfisted when swapping the sidelight bulbs!

Anyway, suggest you go for the EBay adjusters, for the cost involved and given that you have to take the bumper off, I suggest it makes more sense to do the job with the robust replacements rather than attempting to glue them,
The Lights will split ( in the oven at about 90-120degrees for 10 mins ( If you leave in longer or at higher tempt, you may burn the top clips ( don't ask me how I know).

Any way it does split without too much hassle, then follow the videos! Just make sure you insert the adjusters in the given recepticals before you put the the glass back together!

B

 

I used to work on copiers with all plastic parts, My experience is this, where there is light there is ozone and ozone eats plastic, and heat removes the oil, the white powdery substance is the polymeres left from when the oil is gone from the plastic. J-B weld was a staple in our tool case, I used it daily until the new parts arrived. Also we were proficient in using a soldering iron to literally weld parts together. I'd superglue them together to get the form correct then use a piece of similar type of plastic to use as a filler and weld it together then cover it with J-B weld for extra strength, All plastics don't have the same compound, so say black is different than white plastic,and so is cream colored different from clear or white ect.BE AWARE THOUGH, DO NOT inhale the fumes they are deadly, seriously they are!!!, It works BUT beware.VENTILATE! also don't heat J-B weld it crystallizes and fails. White Silicon grease will keep the adjusting threads from freezing and is good where is heat.All that said there is nothing better that new parts if labor/time is a factor.

 

Hi,

I've had the repaired headlights with the uprated adjusters in for about 3 months without incident.
Given the fact that you have to remove the bumper to access the lights, I would suggest you don't want to be doing it too often, the uprated adjusters are a ONE TIME, piece of mind fix and for the cost involved makes a lot of sense.
As a cheap Scotsman, if there was a cheaper, more effective fix I would have attempted it!
IMHO the uprated adjusters are the way to go!
Incidentally, there is now a British Company selling them on Ebay Uk

 

Thank you for the CAD files Lcgi I will be making a 3D CAD file that can be 3D printed for everyone to use soon.

 

Hello all,

After a few hours of 3D modelling I have created 3D printable files (STL) of the headlight adjusters. There are three pieces in total that hold the headlight in place and you will find them respectively as A, B and C.

I have personally printed them out and placed them in my headlights, sometimes they require a little bit of a sanding but it's not too much effort. So far after 300km of driving they haven't broken off. Just be sure to set your solidity on the printer to max and layer height to minimum for these.

Please feel free to share just recognise the author "Lancervi50" when you do.

Thanks again to Lcgi for the 2D files!

Cheers!!

 

Just out of curiosity are your high beams on in that photo?