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Can someone lead me to a post about the dreaded "LED Side Strip Defect"? My left headlamp side strip has gone out and I'm hearing that the entire headlamp assembly may need to be replaced. New ones cost from $3,000-$4,000. When I checked eBay, there are literally dozens of the 2018 - 2020 F-Type LED Headlamps and they all were either "LED Defective" or "not tested". Not sure why JLR wants to ignore a very specific defect with these specific headlamp assemblies...
Can someone lead me to a post about the dreaded "LED Side Strip Defect"? My left headlamp side strip has gone out and I'm hearing that the entire headlamp assembly may need to be replaced. New ones cost from $3,000-$4,000. When I checked eBay, there are literally dozens of the 2018 - 2020 F-Type LED Headlamps and they all were either "LED Defective" or "not tested". Not sure why JLR wants to ignore a very specific defect with these specific headlamp assemblies...
Thanks!
Not just JLR, many makes have this type of issue. Marker lights just went out on my wife's X7 headlights, fortune to replace. Welcome to LED
It's a very well known issue and there's no solution yet, apart from getting a new headlight which also will fail sooner or later.
There's a long thread about this over in the UK F-Type forum including comments from people working on a solution.
There's also a Facebook group called F-Type Jaguar DRL Failure Victims with some potentially interesting info on aftermarket replacement lights from China.
It's a very well known issue and there's no solution yet, apart from getting a new headlight which also will fail sooner or later.
There's a long thread about this over in the UK F-Type forum including comments from people working on a solution.
There's also a Facebook group called F-Type Jaguar DRL Failure Victims with some potentially interesting info on aftermarket replacement lights from China.
Would you be so kind to share the link to headlights listing? I don't do Facebook so I can't see the comments. I don't have the issue but been following it closely and hope Tim succeeds with his repair solution.
Yes, headlights. I'm dealing with the microcracking in both of my 2017s headlight lenses. There was a TSB and I pressed my dealer for action, but not hard enough. I have my tech and service writer pushing on my behalf. Chunk of change ...a $ 6500 hit if I can't get them to do what's right. Interesting that the lenses in my 2013 Golf are as clear as when new.
Would you be so kind to share the link to headlights listing? I don't do Facebook so I can't see the comments. I don't have the issue but been following it closely and hope Tim succeeds with his repair solution.
There doesn't seem to be any listing yet and a Portuguese (I believe) guy is in touch with a manufacturer over there. There's a whole bunch of pics and videos showing some additional features. Tim mentioned that he had talked to someone who had seen these in the flesh and was critical about the quality so I guess they're not fully developed yet.
@MajorTom I see. Thanks for clarifying. Yes, that gentleman who posted the photos is definitely Portuguese. I need to reach out to Tim and see if there's anything we in the business can do to help. We've been in advanced Electronics design and manufacturing for 40 years with emphasis on fault finding. I think I could get one of our engineers who's a car and repair enthusiast to look at Tim's findings, suggest or confirm the solution. This possible assessment would be done on a pro-bono basis, of course.
@MajorTom I see. Thanks for clarifying. Yes, that gentleman who posted the photos is definitely Portuguese. I need to reach out to Tim and see if there's anything we in the business can do to help. We've been in advanced Electronics design and manufacturing for 40 years with emphasis on fault finding. I think I could get one of our engineers who's a car and repair enthusiast to look at Tim's findings, suggest or confirm the solution. This possible assessment would be done on a pro-bono basis, of course.
Do you have any view on the likelihood of an aftermarket manufacturer managing to produce solid replacements? For me as a layman this all just seems like pretty simple technology in this day and age and I'm a bit puzzled about what quality issues there could be. If I understood Tim's concept right it was about repairing existing lights which sounds pretty impractical for most of us. The most attractive solution would arguably to be to be able to pop in a set of good new aftermarket lights instead of sending your lights away for repair or purchasing repaired OEM lights.
@MajorTom well, we're the founders of the #RepairDontWaste movement so if the headlights can be repaired rather than wasted, that's a wonderful thing. But not easily done especially with the required safe transport of these delicate units.
Here's my experience with headlights, OEM and aftermarket. I had aftermarket headlights supplied by a local UK distributor from a Taiwanese manufacturing company called Sonar for my Audi TT. Mine was a Mk2 (no LED) and the headlights were based on the Mk3 design with LED strips. They were well made and delivered in a very well-designed packaging with expansive foam, expensive stuff. I paid £500 for the pair and I was happy with it.
A year or so later, I needed replacement rear light units. I decided to keep them OEM. I had to send 3 back as they arrived with the lens broken/chipped. So yes, an Asian manufacturer like Sonar would be able to make a replacement. I also think repair is an excellent alternative but I worry about the abuse the headlights will get in transit and how this could compromise the operation.
@WSHudds Sounds good. I'm also a fan of keeping and repairing stuff instead of replacing but something as bulky and sensitive as these lights just seems too cumbersome to ship back and forth for repairs.
Good example with your TT lights. It shouldn't be more complicated than that.
There doesn't seem to be any listing yet and a Portuguese (I believe) guy is in touch with a manufacturer over there. There's a whole bunch of pics and videos showing some additional features. Tim mentioned that he had talked to someone who had seen these in the flesh and was critical about the quality so I guess they're not fully developed yet.
Those could be super promising if they are done well. I'd love an LCD dynamic anti-glare system rather than the mediocre auto-high-beams.
I don't know if anyone has seen them in person or confirmed they are real - or that they fit previous years as a replacement for the HID projector assembly
Drivers Side LED Headlamp Side Strip Defect
