The install took a few hours to complete. It is best to get organized. I started around 10:00 a.m., had lunch, went to home depot, looked around the store for a while, went back to work, and admired my work for a little while. It was just at sundown, 6:00 p.m. that I was lowering the car from the jack stands. It was perfect timing as I could see the results at night!

 

Phoenix, here are couple pics of my install (you can see the full process and more pics at this post: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...emoval-111318/). What I do like the most about Jaguilar's install other than the creativity is the fact that the LEDs actually sit recessed into the blade with that small lip to create a factory look finish. My install sits slightly infront of the opening and not flush which upon looking closely you can tell is a custom job and not original to the car. I imagine if you cut the opening perfectly to the size of the covering on the Philips then you could use the mounting brackets and place them to where they sit completely flush. Mine sit close to flush on one end and stick out a little further on the other end because of the curvature of the blade and the LED assembly being straight so I tried to point them straight ahead as possible without protruding too much. I've managed to push them in a bit further and used chrome vinyl wrap to cover the passenger side blade as I cut the opening a little too large on that side. I will take a few more pics this afternoon when I get home.

 

I thought I was pretty well oragninzed but when I began cutting the pieces it took a lot longer than I anticipated...lol. Doesn't sound like it took you nearly as long as it took me but I did save over $300 doing it my way . Nevertheless I like what you've done.

 

Thanks Jaguilar for the very comprehensive answers and information. I really appreciate it.

How do I find your pictures on 'Jaguilar’s Animal Kingdom' - it tells me your garage is empty. Am I looking in the wrong place?

And it mentions on ebay that the DRLs dim when the headlights turn on - is that what the blue wire is for if you want that feature?

 

Sorry - found the photos. Very helpful. Also couldn't help but notice the F-Type alongside the XF in the garage - nice!

 

Here are the photos Phoenix

 

Nice work!

 

Thanks!

 

I ordered two of these for my 2011 XF, even though they said they fit only the 2008-2010 models. The LED assemblies are fine, but one of the plastic mounting lips to the blade arrived broken. I got no help from the seller.


I spent many hours altering the grills (I purchased new ones from the dealer to allow me to complete this portion of the modification w/o having to disassemble the car) to accept the new blades from the second set I had purchased (which looked identical to the first set except for a different controller assembly). These blades are different in size from the factory units. The inner edges of the blade (the smaller ends) are about 1/8" too large in height. I didn't want to alter the bumper cover, so I notched the underside of the blade - using one of the broken blades for practice.


But the outer edge of the blade (the end that is about 2" tall) simply would not fit properly in the bumper cover cutout: it sat back from the front of the bumper cover by about 1/4", and was twisted backwards at the top edge (its front face also had a slightly different curvature and did not match that on the bumper cover to which it was supposed to mate.)


In fact, the back/rear top edge of the blade sat back too far by 1/4": I became convinced I'd never get the grill to connect to the bumper cover with this misalignment. So I pulled everything out and reinstalled the factory grills and blades, sans LED. If you are willing to cut, saw, file on your bumper cover, you may get these Chinese units to fit properly. Or perhaps my 2011 in fact differs slightly from the 2008-2010 models and that was the cause of my difficulties.


I have many pics if anyone is interested; let me know and I can fwd them to you.


I should note two other points: (1) the new blades lack the tabs that affix them to the grills, so they are in effect sandwiched between the bumper cover and grill. (2) the LED assembly has 6mm mounting holes, but the tabs on the replacement blades are not made correctly to fit these LEDs. I'm guessing the molds for the blades were designed with another LED supplier in mind. As a result, the holes in the mounting tabs do not line up properly with the holes in the LED fixture. Instead of address this problem correctly, the manufacturer substituted sheet metal screws for the 6mm machine screws, which allowed him to insert them at an angle and screw the parts together, even with the hole misalignment. This places uneven stress on the mounting tabs. Before I realized the blades were not going to fit properly, I removed the sheet metal screws, modified the mounting tab holes, used machine screws (and plastic washers to take up the remaining space so as not to stress the tabs too much), then applied a rubber dement to lock the screws in place. Of course, in the end none of this mattered! All the pieces are now stuck in a back drawer where they'll just gather dust.

 

I am a little confused…….how is this setup any better than the slip on blades (with leds included) that probably protrude just slightly forward of the original blades once they are fitted over the original blades. The leds here seem to set forward as well.

 

I've attached two photos showing the interference between the bumper cover and the new blade. Frankly, I never tried to fit the new blade over the old blade. I believe that would have made the problem worse. The first issue with these units is the lack of fit with the bumper cover. If one was willing to cut this cover, then this issue could be addressed, although how good a job one could do is questionable in my view...Any mistakes will be very apparent. Paying $400 for parts and spending a weekend to end up with a bumper that looks like it's been hacksawed just doesn't seem prudent to me.


Second, the photos how the outside end of the new blade is recesses 1/4" from being flush with the front of the bumper cover. I should note that the new blade fit the (modified) grill tightly (meaning there is no up or down movement possible), and when forced onto the grill all the way (as it has a tendency to want to slip forward) the back top edge of the blade matched the ridge on the grill. Now, if this new blade were to be slipped over the old blade (after cutting the required hole) the upper edge of the (outside) blade will not match the grill bead. The worst part is that the grill itself will now be displaced behind the bumper (meaning toward the rear of the vehicle) so that I serious doubt the mounting clip on the grill could be engaged with the bumper.


As I tried to mount the blade (on the grill, not over the old blade) I saw that the grill was pushed back - the same amount that the photos shows the blade to be back from the front of the bumper cover. This problem will be worse if there is now an (old) blade between the new blade and the grill...as both blades will have the lips (or projections) that extend beyond the bumper cover opening at both the inside and outside edges.


Finally, the setback you see in the photos was achieved AFTER I had cut the blades; the situation was worse trying to use the blades as they were shipped.


So....if you're good at cutting the bumper cover you can probably make these fit. I didn't mind modifying the grills (in a manner that would never be seen), but doing such a thing to the bumper was simply not acceptable. It would preclude ever returning the car to stock should the LED assemblies fail or not work correctly.


One last thing: You may be able to see in the photo of the outside end of the blade: the blade is twisted backwards slightly at the top, and lacks the same curvature as the factory blade. I can only assume the folks making these used CAD/CAM drawings, and never bothered to actually fit them to a car.

 

Okay here is a summary of XF DRL on the web, I am not endorsing anyone, but the fact of the matter is everyone of the USA or UK dealers essential buy from these guys and mark them up. Also it would not surprise me if the OEM parts from Jag are made by one these firms , if anyone works at the UK Jag plant they would know :-)

Popular Jaguar Xf Running Lights | Aliexpress

 

I just bought a 2010 XFR and, well there is a fog light button on the car.... factory.... but I don't have fog lights....
what are some good options for aftermarket fog lights????
Also, I have seen some drl assemblies for the 2010 XF and wanted to know if the grill is the same as the XFR for the left and right side
Thanks for any help