A bulb in one of the front fog lights of my 1995 X300 appears to have failed. The driver handbook says that renewal is recommended to be done by a Jaguar dealer.
Can anyone tell me please how I can do this myself?
Thanks.

 

The recommendation in the Handbook is made because some dismantling is required to access the Fog Light bulb holder.

The bulb (arrowed in blue) is an H3 55w LongLife and is removed from the back of the Fog Light housing. The glass cannot be removed from the front.



To get to the back of the housing, the Undertray (arrowed in red) needs to be removed. This is secured to the Front Wing Liner with a Plastic Rivet (arrowed in orange) and to the Front Bumper with eight plastic Screw Rivets (arrowed in green).

The Screw Rivets are a poor design and are rarely a re-useable item. To release them, the centre cross head section is unscrewed and the rivet body can then be pulled clear of the Undertray.

Graham

 

sure, depends if you have the plastic cover underneath the bumper or not. If you do, then need to take it off, I my memory serves me well, there are torx screws. If you don't have it, then half a job is done. No need to lift the vehicle, although you can if you find it more comfortable. Some suggest turning the wheels to gain more access as well. Now time to get dirty best to lay on the ground and squeeze your hand in behind the fog light.
There are 2 tabs, one on each side, you can see one on the left on this picture



Just push the tab with your fingers and push the light outside, do one side at the time, makes it easier. Tabs might be difficult to pop out sometimes, but they will come out eventually, patience, mate, patience After it pops out the front of the bumper, just take the round rubber seal at the back and it'll give you access to the bulb. Hope it helps


Damn you GGG You were quicker than me!!!

 

But I didn't go and take one off the car to post a pic - that's really going the extra mile.

Graham

 

A very big thank you to those who have taken the trouble to reply. Much appreciated.
The plastic cover seems to be in a poor state, split down the centre (center!) and also some of the screw rivets seem to have been replaced with plastic ties.
Thanks again.

 

Brian,

The Undertray and it's fixings were always an issue on the X300 - easily damaged by grounding. The later X308 has a better Undertray but a.f.a.i.k. they are not interchangeable.

The Screw Rivets are also a better design on the X308 and these can be used on the X300.

Graham

 

What was the purpose of the undertray? Was it aerodynamics for fuel consumption and/or sound? Anything else?

Is there any negative to simply leaving it off for ease of future repairs? (superb reply BTW, excellent detailed pic)

 

Biffta, I changed out my fog lamp (some call it a bulb) a few months ago in the way described above, but, seeing how easily the assembly's tabs were pressed in and fit through the bumper opening, I made a note to try the removal process from the front the next time I needed to do this chore.

You might try using a putty knife to press in the tabs from the front of the bumper and pull out the assembly. Would save all the time (and hassle!) with the undertray.

Good luck.

 

I can see a number of advantages to having it:

1. STRUCTURAL
it creates a 'box' section in conjunction with the front wing liners and front bumper making these thin, lightweight components stronger and less prone to vibration at speed.

2. PROTECTION
for bottom of the vulnerable oil cooler where fitted

3. COOLING - Engine
prevents air being draw from beneath the front of the vehicle or just passing under it instead of flowing through the radiator.

4. COOLING - Front brakes
allows air to be directed onto the brakes

I'm sure Jaguar design engineers could come up with several more reasons for having it.

Is your X300 going to grind to a halt or suffer irreparable damage without the Undertray? I very much doubt it.

Graham

 

You could always try the stickies:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-please-32885/

or search:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...renewal-49540/

 

I took my undertray off and changed the bulbs from underneath without removing the housings. The bulb change itself was pretty easy and I didn't have to jack the car up or turn the wheel. I could get my head and one hand in there but that's all you really need. I tried to pull the housings out from the front, but I just couldn't get it to budge and I didn't want to use too much force and chip the paint. My undertray screws were all rusted solid, so when attempting to turn them it just spun the clips. Mine was a bitch to get off and I destroyed it in the process. I hate that thing.

 

The OE fixings are plastic. If the undertray has metal fixings, someone has been there before you and used an alternative - possibly self tapping screws and spring clips?

The Jaguar fixings along the front edge are "Scrivets" or Screw Rivets:



Pushed through the hole in the Undertray and into the hole in the plastic support bracket on the Front Bumper. When the screw (arrowed in blue) is tightened, it forces the shoulders of the rivet (arrowed in red) apart and makes a secure attachment.

To release, unscrew the crosshead screw. This takes the pressure off the rivet and it can be easily pulled out of the bumper bracket and Undertray.

Scrivets are an outrageous cost from Jaguar but a Google search turns up plenty of alternative suppliers.

Graham

 

Who said I did? :P It was an old picture I had stored on Photobucket, from my headlights conversion, which I finished yesterday

 

Reviving old thread...

My undertray is flat aluminum , probably made by the previous owner , On Edge. I don’t want to remove it.

I am getting increasingly F%@#ed off here in NZ with my fellow road users and their use of fog lights on clear nights - we have the same rules as the U.K. regarding their use.
My XJR has a low driving position as you are all familiar with, and it is now winter. I commute home 40km at night via a rural stop to feed a bloody pony, and one in three oncoming vehicles use their fog lights , or even worse, the new rural trend for light bars (totally illegal for road use and absolutely blinding).
Some of the new SUV fog lights are at the same level as my eyes.
There are times I almost run off the road, and last week I resorted to the old Tribeca I’m keeping up my sleeve for when number one son starts driving in 4 months - just to get higher up. But it is reducing XJR usage, which I perceive as sinful...

Anyway, I am thinking of mounting a roof rack and a light bar for a bit of revenge.. not really, but pretty exasperated. I might change my fog light bulbs for LEDs and dish it back, but I am wary of putting sharp kitchen knives down the sides of my foglights to pop them out.

Any ideas?