Just called my local dealer. I was going to wire the fogs but I think it will be to bright. Anyway he put me on hold to check. I guess the newer, mine an 03, can be programmed but he did say his tech said if you have Nav you might be able to program it through the Nav. I'll check when gets back from the body shop cause someone back into her.

 

Loxmth, A couple years ago, I decided I wanted something down in the lower grill of my 2005 XKR...It was only like a little 2nd opening down there with nothing going on....So, I ordered a set of Phillips Day Time Driving Lights with (2) separate little 8 Bulb LED Lights, which I mounted in the opening and followed the directions to install them. They come on when I start the Car and stay on until I cut the ignition and then they come back on for about a minute to help you see at night. At night, when the HID's headlights come on the DTR's dim so as not to blind the cars meeting you! When you push open on the Key Fob, they come on and stay on until you get in....then come back on when you start the Engine and serve their purpose as you meet other cars coming down the road! They are automatic and don't have a manual switch....I did this before I met Jandreu the Electrical Engineer on the Forum. He is helping me hook-up the English Fog Light to make it an extra Brake Light......... Billy Clyde in Houston


Phillips LED Daytime Running Lights in the lower opening of the 2005/2006 XKR

 

I don't believe DRL can be programmed through the NAV but I will try to remember to look at that during my lunch.

BC, nicely done job!

When (not if!) I move back to Canada and take Kat with me I will have to get my DRL turned on or do what BC did. Of course, I also have to solve the airbag 17 code or it will never pass safety inspection!

 

any year/submodel XK8 can have the DRLs activated through the dealer programming options. i have not activated it on the xk8, but on my other vehicles the high-beams are not at full brightness when in DRL mode so jumping the pin might be brighter than DRL spec.

 

Bob, You refer to the "Dealer Options, WDS/IDS Vehicle Config tab" . Is the Dealer Options info accessible to anyone? Where? What is WDS/IDS? I like the idea of using the Fog lights as Daytime Running Lights and one of the members said that he installed the switch nicely in his dash so that he could resume normal fog light operation,(like "off" with high beams). Any additional info that might help me in my project? Is it possible, or necessary to use a lower wattage bulb in the fog light when using them as running lights? Tom :-)

 

WDS/IDS is the proprietary dealership diagnostic and servicing hardware/software system that Jaguar utilized for these vehicles. Some Jaguar dealerships no longer keep theirs updated because they prefer to service only the Tata-era vehicles. Some Jaguar owners here on the forum have managed to acquire various versions of WDS/IDS privately....

The better indie shops have systems such as AutoLogic that can perform the vast majority of functions that WDS/IDS provide. Your best bet is to find one in your particular area and develop a relationship with them. That approach has certainly worked for me in the few instances that I have had to deal with an issue that was beyond my ability to diagnose, repair, and reprogram....

 

Thanks Jon,
Maybe someone with that info will respond to this post..I also see the word 'indie' used commonly. Does that stand for 'Independent'? So far I haven't found anyone with significant expertise that works on Jaguars. One such shop in Indianapolis specializes in German cars but told me that in their experience Jaguar is too finicky or unreliable for them. They feel that they would have too many call backs, or something? Tom

 

Tom,

If I had a 2003 again, and I wanted DTRL's, I would get the Jaguar DRL's hooked-up....I would take it to someone that knew their way around an XK or XKR and have them hooked up! I found a Jaguar Mechanic Shop in Muncie, IN. called Muncie Imports....Phone #888-398-4221 - 4301 N Old State Rd 3. These guys do everything! Mechanical, Paint & Body, Restoring....I don't know how far Muncie is but to get the job done right and have DRLs, I think I would look into it!! or I would take it to a Dealer as you really don't have a choice.....Go the Jaguar way!

The Bulb is an H-1 and I found an LED made by Oracle that I think will work in the Fog Light without tripping the "Check Light warning"!

But I just noticed ThomasL.....Your XK8 is a 2005 not a 2003, so you have the option of putting the Philips DRL's in the lower grill as I have done...If you like the way mine look (above) order a set for about $130.00 or so from CarID or SuperBrightLights. I've had mine installed now for over 2 years and they work great and look great, I think!
(See above in Post #22) They are great on these winter nights as when I leave the Office to go home and hit the Key Fob, they come on to light my way.....until I get in and shut the door! When I turn the Lights on, they dim so their not blinding with the Head Lights on!

Billy Clyde

 

Way to go Billy! I live about 40 miles from Muncie in Marion. Right now I am in Ft. Myers, Fl. If I don't find a solution down here, I will check with Muncie Imports when I get back to Indiana. That is great info. Tom ;-)

 

Tom,
I really like my Philips DRL's! I like the way they look and I like the way they work....Get them hooked-up by one of the Auto Accessory places and you are off and running....You will love them, as I do! All you have to do hit the key-fob and on they come on......

Billy Clyde

 

Billy, I will look online to see if I can find the Philips lights you recommend. The lights that I have seen so far have not had a mounting bracket and were designed to be mounted with adhesive tape. Your picture from the low front showing the car with the lights is really cool. Tom :-)

 

ThomasL,

Go to Amazon: Auto Parts & Accessories....Look for Philips Daytime Running Lights: They are $129.99 sold by Revspeed Automotive.....They are the exact same Lights as mine...Philips12824 w/LED X1...They have a great little Direction Book with them showing you how to hook them up so they will Dim and several different things......Mine are hooked-up to Dim when the Lights come-on at night...When I click the Key Fob, as I'm walking about 50' or so, they come on and stay on until I get to the car and open the door. They come on again after starting the car...At night, when the lights come-on (Auto), they dim....During the day they are nice and bright and have a little curve in where they all point (there are 8 individual LED Bulbs)in each light. The middle (2) point straight-out but the ones on each side point a little to the left or right....As they are not used for lighting it doesn't matter but it helps spread the light from side to side. They are pretty bright coming down the road but not blinding in any way. If they stayed bright at night when the headlights came on, that might be to much but of course they automatically dim....

Have fun with them! I think they really look good! Be sure to read the message I have sent to Bluefin below as She is thinking about them also.....She is doing a major Wrap and Color change to her 2005 XKR Coupe


Billy Clyde

 

do they mount with 3M tape, or have to be screwed into the bumper? I'm thinking...

 

Bluefin,

They have to be stable, so yes! The metal brackets have (2) Metal Screws holding them to the upper opening of the bottom grill...way over in the top edge...The wiring goes up and over to the left side and into the Engine compartment and on toward the Electrical Box up by the Water Bottle filler neck. I'm afraid two-sided tape would not hold up over the years.. The screws or their holes will never ever show as they are so low to the ground....If you want, I will get it up on a lift this week and take some photos of the set-up! Also, under the Hood.....You really can't see the Lights after they are mounted unless you get down on your hands and knees....I'll get you some more photos so you can see....For now you can go back to the Photo in Message #22.

Billy Clyde in Houston

 

ThomasL , Pretty Bluefin & All Jaguar XK lovers,

Here is the Texas Coupe in my Driveway with the DTRL's all cranked up...All I've done at this point is Click the Key-Fob....At night they light my way until I get in and shut the door......or at night, after I shut Her down and shut the door and Click the Key-Fob, they stay-on until I reach the Garage. All of this comes in addition to having them on while I am driving....Other Cars see you as the "Light" draws attention.....They know you are there! The Lights are automatic and there is no "Switch!" At night they dim themselves when the Headlights come on..to prevent blinding the Cars you are meeting.

I like the way they look and like the way they work...Fully Automatic! Old Chap! The 2005 & 06 Front Grill/Bumper came with a little lower opening that is a perfect place for these DTRL's to mount and it is so simple to hook-up.....

Billy Clyde in Houston



The Texas Coupe with Philips Automatic Daytime Running Lights

 

I will let you know how it turns out. Billy, good explanations. Thanks for your interest. Tom

 

After considering all the different ways to have DTL on my 2005 xk8, I think that I am going to see what the dealer can do to set mine up to the Canadian standard. I am assuming that the low beam( with the projector len) is the light that would be on, yes? Do the side marker lights and the tail lights also run? Besides some smart American’s, do any of you Canadians have any input? Thanks, Tom

 

Tom,

Sorry I'm from Texas, but from what I have read, They set it up so that the Fog Lights come on when you put the Key in the ignition a stay-on until you remove the Key.....What happens at night when you turn-on the Head-Lights is all Canadian to me!

Good Luck with it!

Billy Clyde in Houston

 

the Canadian system is the same as the newer US cars with DRL's, high (main) beams at low power. when the headlight switch is turned to running (parking) lights, they stay on at this setting. when the switch is turned to the final setting, the high beams turn off for the low (dipped) bulbs at full power. some Scandinavian and Northern European countries specify low beams and parking lights whenever the key is turned to the run position. in this case the switch and darkness sensor only affect the dashboard illumination and activation of the high (main) beams, which will extinguish the low (dipped) beam when activated. the fog (cornering lights) are unaffected by any setup and are activated independently as long as the parking lights are on. there are only three settings that can be programmed in the settings. old US, DRL (new US and Canada) and the European.

it is actually nice with the old US system (which may also be British, please check me) that you can turn on the parking lights and just the fogs, no low beam. this eliminates the glare from fog while illuminating the road. the fogs are too low to be an effective DRL.

i may switch to the European setup as it is legal in the US to use the parking lights as long as a dipped or main beam is on. the dark blue just disappears into the background, trying to maximize my chances.