Hi everyone.

I have an issue with my 2009 XF's halogen headlights (H7). They work intermitted at night by switching off, without warning, while driving. They then go on-and-off 2 or 3 times in a 3 second period and then work again. When this happens, I quickly switch them off and back on using the switch on the stalk to be able to see where I'm going in the dark. After an off-and-on cycle, the problem seems to be sorted out for a few minutes before it might happen again. Sometimes this will happen twice a week and other times there might be a month of it working perfectly without an issue at all. It does, however, seem more prone to happen when using the "Auto" or "Auto with delay" modes, thus I'm always just using the normal "On" and "Off" positions.

I have installed HID kits, LED kits, Philips bulbs, OEM bulbs and they all seem to have the same issue. The H7 bulbs only last about 2-3 months - probably due to the number of times they get switched off and on unintentionally. The car also has a brand new battery installed and is kept in good health. The car spent two days at the Jaguar dealer where they claimed to have checked all relays, the switch on the stalk as well as the light sensor in the windshield for issues but found no problems. It is difficult to recreate the issue in a workshop though as it always only seem to happen on the road - irrespective of the journey distance - sometimes after 2min into the drive, other times after 30min.

Sometimes, if I leave the headlight switch in "Auto" or in the "Auto delay" modes when parking and locking the car, the park lights (front and rear) will switch on intermittently and sometimes even stay on for a few hours - thus the reason I now always leave the car parked with headlights in "Off" position. Not sure if this is related to the headlights having a mind of their own when driving.

Spoke to the dealer again today and opted to replace the light stalk completely to see if the problem persists, but they can't "loan" me one as it is too expensive at ZAR5000 which equates to roughly US$345 - not spending that on a switch that might not even solve the issue! I also read that the headlights don't work with fuses, but rather have FET's that automatically switch the circuit off should they get too hot - this seems to be the part I should replace. Not sure how big a job that will be?

Any thoughts or ideas to solve this problem? It will be appreciated greatly!

 

I this taking place when the switch is in the auto position?

Gus
JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

 

Hi Gus

It happens with the switch set in any position. It might be my imagination, but it seems to do it more in the "Auto" position. That's why I now only use the normal "On" setting when driving at night, but last night it happened again - dipped beams going on and off erratically for a few times for no reason a few minutes into the drive and the oncoming traffic probably have no idea what I'm doing as they just see dipped beams switching on and off a couple of times before coming back to life again.

 

As with any car, there are DIY fixes and sometimes we need to seek out a professional. This could be one of those times. I've never heard of this problem before, so if it were me, I would be taking the car to my friendly auto electrician. Hopefully, he can replicate the problem and track it down. A lot of electrical problems are caused by a dodgy earth/ground wire. Finding which wire is the hard part.

Please keep us posted.

Cheers,

Stu

 

I have the same problem but only in the auto position. After talking with my friend who is with jaguar I am replacing the light stalk/switch.

Gus
JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

 

Hi Gus,

Please let us know if replacing the stalk solves the problem.

Cheers,

Stu