Hi all

New to the world of Jaguar as well as this forum. Purchased my first Jag in November 2020. I noticed last week that I have a main headlamp (dipped) out. SO I took it to Halfords for a hassle free replacement, turns out it was HID and much more expensive, nevermind I thought. Anyway, still didn't work, so it seems that it is the Ballast that needs replacing.

My question is, is this something we as owners can safely do ourselves, or should it really be done by Jaguar.

I had contacted my local garage about it but they won't touch it, worrying about such things as the voltage and the car not recognizing the replacement etc without it being programmed in.

I've searched high and low for anyone doing the same or instructions but have come up empty, should I just bite the bullet and let the pros have it and pay the £400 odd it will cost?

I have a 2010 plate 3.0 D (274bhp) model XF.

 

If the bulb can be removed separately, its not a big issue. Most HID need to be unplugged before removal anyways. Make sure car is off. If its easy, i would swap front bulbs/balast and verify it follows the bulb/ballast. If not, you have a different issue. Note: dont touch bulb directly by hand. May ruin bulb with the oils in your hand.

 

The bulb has already been replaced and is separate, so I guess it would be ok to try myself? Can not find a person who has done it themselves so it worries me.

 

i think you’ll be okay, it’s only scary the first time you try it.

 

I've been told a new Ballast needs to be "programmed" to the car, although I see no evidence online about that process, so I may need to take it in

 

I don’t think that’s accurate. But replace the ballast first and see how that goes.

 

this is 100% absolutely NOT true. I had watched my mechanic replace my ballast a few years ago, its pretty straight forward

 

The dip headlight stopped working, so I replaced the bulb & it still didnt work. So I have assumed that it is the ballast.

 

I just replaced in 09 supercharged. no issue, no programming. Bought ballast on Prime.

 

On my 06STR there are separate relays in the front fuse box for left and right bulbs you might want to check you probably have two relays as well and one might be out

 

Am wondering what your experience is with ballast from Amazon Prime. At present I can find a range of low prices on Prime but don't want to buy one that only lasts for a week. But it would be nice to get a good quality ballast for less than $300 - $500 charged by Jaguar.

 

Bought this 2 years ago, still fine.

NewYall Xenon Headlight Ballast Control Unit Module 5DV 009 000-00

 

If in doubt do the easy things first?
Take the front bumper cover off and swap headlamps. Do they work or not? If you still have problems now let's swap the ballasts from side to side and see if the failure follows the ballast.

If you can't or won't DIY this simple repair just take to a shop.
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