Hi all

Quick question, I would like to upgrade my headlight bulbs to a more modern brighter white light. Anyone have any recommendations on types and pitfalls?

Regards
Paul

 

MrNash, the question that needs to start this is what type of headlights you have currently. Since you are asking this, I have to assume that you have halogens (ie, standard bulbs). Some X-Types came with HIDs (there will be a silver sticker in the driver's door jam near the hinge stating that the car is equipped with High INtensity discharge lighting). So, knowing this is the first step.

Making the assumption you are just after brighter halogen bulbs, you can check into Sylvania Silverstars. They say that they offer a whiter and brighter bulb without upping the wattage. I make a specific mention of the wattage as there are bulbs out there that will put out more light, but because they are pulling more power (wattage). X-Types are already known for having issues with the headlight bulb plugs melting due to too much heat. A higher wattage bulb is going to add just that much more heat and most likely lead to more problems sooner.

Option 2 is to switch over to HID bulbs. I know in England this may be more difficult than you may want to take on due to local laws relating to proper aiming of the headlights relating specifically to HID bulbs. Also, converting over to HID bulbs is going to require a bit of wiring modification (specifically cutting the wiring going to the headlight bulbs and redirecting it over to the ballast for the HID bulbs). Not difficult, but may be intimidating for those not familiar with wiring.

The silver stars will give you a fair bump in the brightness without a lot of the legaleze you may have to deal with. But, you are going to go from 1500 lumen to about 1800 lumen. Where the conversion to HID takes you from 1500 lumen to around 3100 lumen (ie, twice as much light, hence why they are so picky about how they are aimed and how the light is focused).

If you need more info on which way to jump, let me know. I will help you through this. I have converted a few cars here in the US and know the wiring all too well.

 

Welcome to the forum Paul,

I've moved your question from General Tech Help to X-Type forum. Members here with the same model will be able to help.

Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some info about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.

Graham

 

I recently had a bulb go out, so thought it'd be pretty easy to replace. Wrong. Found that the old bulb was fused into the socket, so simple bulb replacement morphed into having to replace the bulb socket (found inexpensive pack of four sockets on Amazon by the way). However I also found that my headlight adjusters on both sides are broken; most likely yours are too, as this failure is darn near guaranteed with this Hella assembly. I had to do the same repair on my E39 BMW. I'm now waiting parts coming from England for the X-Type. There's YouTube repair videos available. The adjuster replacement involves removing the headlight assemblies from the car (front bumper cover has to come off), then disassembly of the headlights to replace the adjusters. I'll post some pictures when I do mine. The good news is that this Sylvania bulb is brighter (not installing the second side until I undertake the adjuster repair). I paid $15 USD for the pack of two, also from Amazon.

 

One other thing about securing the covers on backside of headlight assemblies. They're held on by two spring clips; the inboard clips are very accessible. The outboard (fender side) clips are another story, as there's not a lot of room to get purchase. I found putting a screwdriver through the adjuster hole works great to pop the clip back into place. Put a flashlight behind the headlight and you'll see the clip clearly and where to place the screwdriver.

 

Dear Thermo


Many thanks for your excellent and detailed advice, much appreciated.
Yes I have the standard headlights, so I will try the Sylvania's rather than the full on upgrade, Interesting to hear about the bulb plugs melting, so will be avoiding that at all costs.


Again many thanks for the advice.
Kind Regards
Paul

 

Dear Swing wing


Many thanks for you excellent advice and photos, I will be going for the sylvania's, and hopefully my bulb replacement experience will not be as eventful yours, but lets see....
Thank you again for your advice, much appreciated.
Kind Regards
Paul

 

When you go to replace the bulbs you'll be able to tell immediately if your adjusters are broken. With the covers off try to move the headlights; if they flop around easily then the adjusters are bollixed. Another way to tell at night is if the light beams are aimed very near front of car. Good luck with your repair.