Bought the 04 XJR from TexasCarsDirect that I was looking at. Had it inspected by Autocritic of Dallas and was advised all was well so I purchased the car. It was delivered to me in CT last night and already has issues. The headlights flicker (assuming its the ballasts) they are good for a couple minutes then driverside starts flickering then a few minutes later pass side starts flickering but not as bad as drivers.

To top everything off, my factory alarm randomly goes off in my garage about 10 minutes after I arm the car. This has happened both times I armed it.

Anyone have any ideas?
This is my first jag and im really disappointed considering that none of this was disclosed to me by either the dealer or the auto inspection company

 

This could be the bulbs themselves, i.e. about to fail, but haven't yet finally gone, or an earth problem. You have not reported any fault coming up on the dash, so this looks a fairly simple thing to sort out. Try new bulbs, and also check earths and supply to headlight units - unplug-plug and check again.

Also does this happen with the autoheadlight function, or both auto and non-auto ?

Are all windows and sunroof closed ? The internal air movement detection device can be sensitive; I know, the one on my Mazda Xedos drove me mad, so I always turned it off when leaving the car.

 

Jeff,

Don't dispair. There are always a few bugs to get worked out on a used Jag, Look at it as part of the charm and responsibilty of ownership. I'm dead serious. Stay the course. You will be glad you did. Let guys like Fraser and others talk you thru this.

WE will help!!!!!

 

my 04 xjr, also has the same headlight flickering. It has never really bothered me much, maybe a nuisance to other drivers. For me it usually happens when i am breaking. But I have had it for quite some time. I would choose that over the engine rebuild I am patiently waiting on, any day.

 

thanks for the replys all

the headlights flicker no matter what setting the switch is on. No faults have come up on the dash for anything. Ran a self check thru the nav as well and no codes.

the lights flicker when the car is sitting still even

as to the alarm. no windows open and the car is parked inside my garage. it takes about 10-15 minutes before the alarm will randomly go off

 

How bad of a flickering are we talking about? I just noticed that mine also appear to flicker very very slightly. It doesn't bother me.

 

On our XKs, flickering HIDs are the first indication of a failing alternator or just a bad battery. Mine did it before the battery was replaced. No more issues. Also, the random alarm is also indicative of a bad battery. I would do that first, then re-evaluate.

 

On other cars, the alarm going off could be a sign that there is a parasitic drain on the battery. Perhaps some accessory is shorting out or not getting turned off properly?

 

When I had the vehicle inspected they checked the alternator and it was putting out 14.4volts. I'll check on the battery, it doesn't appear to be weak at all tho, motor cranks over good and fast

 

Also the left headlight flickers much more than the right and I did notice it go out completely for a few seconds then come back on

 

There may be TSBs from Jaguar on these two faults, so I suggest taking car to a good main agent, (they can vary in their technical expertise), or a good Jaguar specialist. Actually, I think I have noticed one or two "flickerings" with my headlights, now the dark winter evenings are here. I'll keep an eye on it to see if there are any circumstances.

One thing I have noticed is that if one prods the button for a screen wash, it is very easy to move the stalk at the same time, and make the headlight go out momentarily, (at least I think that is what happened. This is a design fault IMO. I sometimes wonder if the designers of these switches ever drive a car around !!

 

Followed the instructions for a hard reset on the car as my transmission was jerking when taking off from a stop. I touched the neg cable to the positive terminal. It did not reset any of my radio presets though?

On a side note, it has been over an hour since I did the reset and armed the alarm, and the alarm has not yet gone off, knock on wood

 

If the alarm problem returns - I had this with my 03 X350 XJR, turned out to be the hood security switch, it can go bad and give false alarms, there's an easy test, the switch is built into the LHS hood catch (UK car so could be reversed on yours), you can get to it behind the grille, disconnect the wiring connector - the hood open warning should come on, link the two wires in the connector and seal it with tape, warning message goes out, if your alarm doesn't go off for say a week - replace the switch, it's a cheap part.

BTW - as I said mine is a UK car so the message actually reads bonnet open, I'm assuming your cars say hood.

 

Where are the instructions for a hard reset as you describe. Touching the negative cable to the positive terminal does not sound like a good idea to me. I want to check it out.

brdave

 

Searching this forum as well as the general 'tech advise' one, I've found multiple complaints about headlight flicker (even some from me!). There does seem to be a fairly common suggestion to check/replace the alternator/battery, but no follow up response to indicate which it worked or not. I'm thinking that I have a headlight sensor problem since all the lights go off and on together (the dash lights even flicker between day and night mode as the driving lights go off and back on). I've also got an additional problem where the HIDs (both together) get REALLY bright for a split-second then go back to normal intensity. The folks in front of me have gotta love that !

 

Another thought - check the grounding points to the chassis behind each headlight, I wonder if a bad ground could be causing your problem?

 

This is a common way to reset the computers in the car. It is like rebooting your computer when things get squirrely. Touching the removed battery cable to the the other cable just depleates the capacitors that may be storing voltage. If you are afraid to do that, just leave the cable off for about 15-30 minutes.

 

Glad I don't have the HID headlamps! They seem to cause a lot of problems and are very expensive to replace. I just upgraded my headlamps to SilverStar Ultra and have more than enough light to see anywhere.

 

So, did he resolve this?