Does anyone know how i could get this installed on my XF? I really want to put some contrast on my black on black XF. If anyone knkws how it could be done please share. Im interested in doing it myself but i have no clue what kind of LEDs should be used.

 

I was thinking about how to do precisely that. I was thinking using a thick, clear or white adhesive over an LED light of some sort would probably work, but I haven't had time to really flesh it out yet. Where did you get the pic?

I've already done something like that on my grill, although I need to get back into it and make the light a bit more even.



Also, here's a thread about some customizing: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-09-xf-151134/

 

I found the pic on a shop's yelp page, apparently they specialize in led work like this. However theyre located in Cali, so they're not much help to me. I was thinking on the same line. Do you know if the jaguar tailgate emblem is strictly taped on? I know some emblems have holes underneath the emblems.

 

I took off the rear emblem and replaced it with another one, so I can tell you that it's solid (at least on an '09). You'd have to drill a hole to get wires through.

 

Drilling wouldnt be too big of a problem. My main concern is how to hide the LED and still light it up evenly. As to where to run the lines, i was thinking of either tapping into the brake lines or the running lights on the tail lights.

 

I'd suggest removing the Jaguar and then getting a thin piece of plexiglass. Cut it so it's the same shape as the Jaguar so you can stack the Jaguar on top of the plexiglass when you reinstall it. Drill a hole in the center of the plexiglass so that a LED can light the plexliglass (edges should light up and look more uniform than the one in the picture above. Double sticky the Jaguar to the plexiglass. Secure LED ligthing to the back in the hole you drilled. Drill through the trunk and wire up your lighting. Verify it works and then install over the hole you made in the trunk.

 

I was thinking a thick clear/white adhesive, but this would look much better. Great idea.

 

I've done all kinds of LED applications on my Jags and Rovers, and even a ton around my houses, including using strips, single diodes, bulb replacements, backlighting, etc. And, I've taken my Jag leaper on and off a few times (I experimented with a plastic carbon fiber-look version from Ebay, but ultimately settled on a gloss black version - I just PlastiDipped my original leaper, so I could peel it off if I didn't like it, and then sprayed a gloss clear coat on top).

Here's my take; the lighted leaper in the photo above looks phenomenal in that picture, and maybe it looks as good to the naked eye from every angle, but I think achieving the level of perfection displayed in that picture would be pretty tricky to accomplish as a DIYer. Using some type of custom-cut acrylic underlayment, as someone mentioned above, conformed to the outline of the leaper, as well as the contour of the trunk, would probably be a good way to go - but that's definitely beyond my skills at this point. I just don't know of another way to get light to emanate from behind a leaper that is supposed to be flush to the paint, without seeing a very visible gap between the leaper and the trunk surface, which would look pretty horrible to me.

To that point, whatever adhesive is used needs to be extremely thin, because if the leaper stands off the trunk at all, it's extremely easy to tell. I've used 3M double-sided auto trim tape cut to extremely thin strips around the borders of the OEM leaper with success. The reason I ended up scrapping the plastic carbon fiber-look leaper was because the trunk has a slight bend to it, and the leaper was extremely flat and rigid, so the tip of the leaper's tail raised off of the paint a tad, and the tape wasn't strong enough to bend it down to stay flush. Being a perfectionist, it was completely unacceptable. I thought about heating the plastic to bend it a tad, but thought it risked ruining the CF pattern, etc., so decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

All of that being said, if someone can figure out a way to do accomplish that LED leaper so that it looks as perfect as it does in that picture in person, I'm all in. Happy hunting, boys.

 

Why doesn't someone just call the shop in Cali that is doing this mod and have them produce for us. Tell them about the forum and Interest it's gaining.