Hi all I have been owner of my XJ for few months now and really wanted to do some upgrades and maintenance that i think the car has needed. One of the first things was upgrading the licence plate bulbs to LED just to give that nice modern look and i was missing bulb covers so good time to do all at once. The next thing on my list was to add LED puddle lights on the side mirrors are the standard bulb were not as flashy as i wanted. I noticed that there is no simple bulb swap under the cover, so i made this little guide for owners that want to change but were worried about breaking anything.

First step is to fold mirror forwards
http://flic.kr/p/dSHqwV


Then you will have to pull the small cover towards you till it drops reveling the wiring, which you simply pull down slightly then disconnect. You made find a build up what looks like sand but is in fact corrosion form the mirror frame. I didnt have any or much in my photos due to cleaning a few weeks ago when i had a suck mirror in the cold.
http://flic.kr/p/dSNZSf


Next you will need a few tools including:
small flat head
ipod plastic pry tool as they leave no marks
tape
sealer or glue (I used both due to english rain)
2 new bulbs 501 LED side lights not sure what US size is but same as sidelight and license plate
Also wifes hairdryer when she is not looking
http://flic.kr/p/dSNZLA

First take the bulb unit out the cover then chances are glue will not be to strong due to time on the car so start with the corner and slowly work along the edge pulling up gently until cover pops off
http://flic.kr/p/dSHqf4

Then everything will be out and should look like so
http://flic.kr/p/dSHy4T

Next job is to remove the old bulbs and put new LED bulbs on the wiring and take to the car to test with the lights on. Just due to finding out which way round bulb should be this is harder once you have sealed everything and put it back on the car.
http://flic.kr/p/dSNZzf

If all went well It is time to get everything back together. Once i knew which way round the bulbs wanted to be i wrapped the ends up in electrical tape. This was because i had condensation inside the hosing when i took them off and also stops bumps loosening the connection.
http://flic.kr/p/dSNZkG

With the glue apply a small amount on the lip then place on the housing and i wrapped with tape to keep uniform. I then when wrapped added more glue to outside and sealant to wire the wires are to fill any holes to stop water. My wifes hair dryer came in here as it allowed quicker drying.
http://flic.kr/p/dSNZdm

When all is dry place housing back in the cover and attach back to the cars wiring then push wires back up the hole may need a wiggle if corroded. Then sit back and enjoy no more wet feet and car looking 10 years younger.

 

To give you a hand and to make it a bit easier for others to follow the process


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nice write up! take a picture at night, i want to see how it looks.

replacing the interior bulbs with LEDis the FIRST thing i do, the white glow is pleasant

 

Thank you for re posting my pictures I have figured out how to do it now. Will take photo tonight if rain eases off . I am please with results nice blue glow down the door makes car really stand out. I think I will keep interior bulbs stock I like how the make a warm glow. My Lexus Gs had all led bulbs and was nice went we'll with the black leather.

 

That's awesome. I was looking for a headlight for my XJ8 today and i came across those LED swapin wondering if it was too good to be true or not. Looking forward to seeing the end result.

 

Just completed this mod this evening
One of the mirror lamps had gone so I thought I 'd replace both with LEDs
I've used the osram LED 5W5 unit successfully in my front park lights some time ago
Used the RING equivalent one here. 14 Euro for two so not cheap but not had good experience with the cheapo ebay ones
Anyway turned out the bulb I thought was bad was OK and the connector within the mirror was all cruded up.
Replaced both lamps with LEDs following the advice above. Cleaned the connectors and back together
Took less than an hour
Looks great

 

I have been VERY interested in this mod for a long time, especially since I had to swap my passenger side mirror when the ridiculous Mezak alloy Jaguar used corroded to the point that the inside frame broke from a bump with the recycling bin as I walked it past the car. I have no issues doing the bulb swap and like you, plan to use the best quality bulb I can find, since these are not easily replaceable. My main concern is sealing the housing against weather/moisture after swapping the bulb out. Can you describe how you re-sealed the bulb housing and got the clear lense sealed to the black plastic? I am sure there are several ways to attack this but any info you can provide will be really helpful, thanks!

 

I used silicone sealant/adhesive to refit the lenses
You will need an LED which is no bigger than the existing 5W5 lamp
A lot of the LEDs on sale are much larger and won't fit
When you get the lens off and bulb out don't be tempted to clean the reflector, as its very delicate and you'll end up wiping some of it off!!