My car seems t have problems with micro cracking in the middle of the plastic lenses , not surface fogging.








This is the Auto focus type, with Auto dip , and the cracking in the perspex is dazzling oncoming drivers. Trying to get Jaguar to accept this fault. Its BOTH headlights.

 

How old is the car?

 

Just turned 5. Its under Jaguar Approved warranty in the UK.....

 

I have the same problem in a MY 17, still under warranty and jaguar is not covering it. I presented an SSM which they told me was rescinded.

$8k to replace both headlights. Insane.

 

Disgraceful by Jaguar. These lights are a danger to all road users ( blinding oncoming drivers is not clever ). Why use plastic lenses when they get damaged by UV light and other common
environmental factors ?
In the USA they are far better at getting recalls for SAFETY items. In Britain they just dont give a f@ck......
How can they honestly say $4000 is reasonable for one headlight ?
My car is a 2018 spec car , so we have to replace headlights every 5 years !



Ive contacted Valeo ( france ) and they say "contact Jaguar" - I'll try and contact Jaguar " customer services " lol on monday.

 

That kind of micro cracking is usually caused by excessive heat from the bulb, exposure to a chemical from a cleaning or polishing product or from the bulb and/or UV light. Since it looks like the damaged area is centered over the bulb, did you ever have the headlamps on with a car over on to trap heat?. Alternatively did you ever have you car polished? Some headlight lenses have a protective coating to prevent UV damage that could have been worn off.

 

Those are LED bulbs aren't they? Not much heat.

And, I got the impression that the issue is on the INSIDE.




Sorry, can't help, but it's sweet revenge to be able to blind those SUVs (and idiots with aftermarket LED in their headlamps).

 

That's crazy. Is the car parked in the sun for long periods?

 

The car is in England , so not very likely lol !
I always thought Ultra Violet caused misting of the surface. This isnt like that , its cracks inbetween the outer surfaces of the plastic ( not on the surface ).
It looks like a manufacturing problem where they have moulded the lenses ( both sides ) and the plastic has been held in tension , as the heat changes the plastic forms minute micro cracks inside the plastic.
Over time these cracks are joining up and growing together.
These cracks then distort the headlamp light beam when in use , blinding oncoming drivers.....
the car has just 11,000 miles on it....
If you look from certain angles , you CAN'T see the micro cracks, then move angle by just a few degrees and there are millions of tiny cracks.
Ill take some more pictures tomorrow ( if you get the same thread of XFR haze of the perspex its not like that ie surface misting versus micro cracking of the inner plastic substrate )

 

What did Jaguar say caused it to result in them not covering it under warranty?

 

They told me the SSM (74497) was rescinded and if I wanted them replaced it was full price. They had no explanation for my cracking other than age and exposure to the sun.

I try not to drive in the rain so I don’t know if they fog. That was the only way they thought it would be covered.

 

I have attached the SSM mention up thread in case anyone needs a copy?
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Thanks. Can you comment on whether or not that is still valid? I have no reason to believe my advisor was lying, but I can’t believe a company could admit the issue and then block the replacement.

 

I would try contacting the next closest dealer to you and get their input…at least worth a try

 

It will all be up to your dealer I think?
But we did have a report that Jaguar denied coverage or the SSM was rescinded?
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See this TSB number.... Not for LED lights, but similar problem..... I know this TSB was reference and copied above, but at this website you can see the attached picture...

https://www.aboutautomobile.com/Tech...Type/Headlight

Make sure you look at companion TSB pictures of cracking that are referenced as examples in the TSB

My dealer just replaced both my headlights, covered by Jaguar, but in addition to the micro cracking I had two inch cracks that came from the edge toward the middle at the bottom of both front headlights. Car came off lease and all the black trim areas were faded so I know they let it sit out in the sun all the time... Car is Yulong White and the paint and clearcoat are still great... My car is a 2019 with LED lights.

New ones dealer put on are a different part number ( not the ...29 and ...30 that were original ) and have a large green dot sticker on each headlight... just like in the picture attached to the TSB

Also, if you look up polycarbonate and chemicals like acetone it can absolutely crack the plastic... Don't know what the person who had car before me used. Be very careful if your polishing chemical has anything bad for plastics...

My dealer in Tucson worked directly with Jag and Jag approved...

 

Just to give an update:

I pushed back on my dealers initial claim that it was not covered. I asked to speak with the warranty department and asked them which part of my warranty specifically excludes this issue. The women was very nice and said she was not familiar with my open work order. She said she would call me back with information.

About a week later, I got a call that my headlights were in and ready for replacement. I am not sure what happened at the dealership internally, but they replaced both headlights under warranty. I thanked them politely and that was that. My car was under the factory 5yr/60k mile warranty at the time I brought up the issue.

When I initially brought the car in, I mentioned the headlights and gave them both the TSB and SSM I found on this forum. They told me that neither were active and maybe didn’t even bother to ask for warranty coverage? Either way, I was made whole and I’m happy. I hope others can get this fixed as well.

 

My 400 Sport has microcracking in both headlights extending halfway down the light over the LED. It isn't super noticeable when the lights are not on but very apparent when they are. The car is under CPO warranty and I have contacted a dealer but they have not responded. Has anyone else had this issue and was it covered by CPO in the U.S? Also, the J blade LED is only illuminating a few inches of the driver's side headlight. Is this a bulb/LED issue, or something more?

 

I experienced the diminishing LED output in the J Blade function on my 2018 FTR -- specifically on the driver's side, too. The driver's side J Blade seemed to be more likely to have a problem than the passenger side (based on many past posts about this). I'm not sure about your CPO warranty covering the issue, but my headlight was replaced under the 5 year factory warranty from JLR.

 

Good to know, thanks for sharing your experience. CPO warranty states that it doesn't cover bulbs but this is much more than a bulb issue. With an LED failing and both lights with significant microcracking I am hoping this is will be covered.