I just installed eBay hyper whites. They look very similar to my CREE bulbs in my other vehicles but were only $7 for the low beams and $8 for the fog lights. Tried to change the running light in the bright housing with an LED to match (they dont make hyper bulbs that small) and noticed the bulb always stayed dimly lit so i just threw the incandescent one back in.

 

Caliper covers arrived today everything looks as it should. I'm just getting back mobile from 3 days bed rest due to an ill advised jet skiing incident that thoroughly tweaked my lower back &/or medius glute. Going to detail the car & get the covers on this weekend barring I don't wake up feeling like I have been beaten by elves w/ spiked bats lol.

 

If you're really interested in knowing more you should read this link, has some of the best explanations of HID drop ins: Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply
If you don't want to read it, then TLDR: You cannot just swap out halogens for HID/Xenon.

The best thing to do is to get the nicest halogen you can get, with the least amount of blue coating on it. These will burn brighter, at the cost of slightly decreased lifetime, so you might spend $20 on new headlamps every 4 years instead of $10 every 7 years. Basically insignificant I think. The blue coating might make the light output look cooler, but an equivalent bulb with less coating will by nature ALWAYS shine brighter. I don't remember what I got, think it was either phillips H7XV or GE H755NHP

 

Thanks for the excellent article!

I will not change from Halogen to Xenon or LED.

I'm not dissatisfied with my current headlights, I had read the earlier post from the guy who says he changed to all Xenon & thought it might be worth doing.

Very different from home lighting, where you can use incandescent, CFL or LED in the same socket & get similar lumens & color temperature, with a reduction in heat & fewer Watts used.

 

Hi all,
I’ve received one or two PM’s asking if I was still about and driving Jaguar and the answer to both questions is yes. I’ve been quiet of late because I’ve been busy with the restoration of one of my other cars, plus I’ve had no need to use the Jag during the winter months. She’s been parked on my driveway under her cover, but in the next couple of weeks she’ll be back on the roads and I’ll begin working through a few little issues I’ve got chalked up.
I fitted a brand new Exide battery a couple of weeks ago, the old one was toast. I normally use Varta which is what Jaguar fit as OEM equipment, but the guy in the shop offered me a great deal on the Exide.
Upcoming work includes Front & Rear suspension overhaul including new OEM shock absorbers, new Catalytic Converters, differential oil change and new front tyres to match the rears. I’ll also be doing some little bits on the interior and tidying up some bits on the body that are irritating me. That should keep me busy for a year or so lol.

 

I sold it to my son-in-law.

 

Just spent nearly $200 on detailing supplies I plan on hitting every accessible area including the forever dirty engine bay lol.

 

Sounds like mandatory future pics!

.

 

Indeed w/ the recent paint,rims & tires, the interior & engine bay loom as the eye sores lol.

Going to lather the seats up w/ Gliptone in the heat of the day(90+ FH these days) leave it sealed up a few hours, then dive in. It's truthfully not that dirty but it is in need of some deep conditioning. Also pondering tinting the windows I don't want too dark but I do want some protection from the brutal Eastern NC sun. I wish there was a tint app where I could preview some shades/looks on my car.

 

Perhaps your window tinter could place (tape) some scraps of different tints on your side windows to show the effect. I remember my '93 having windows just a bit too dark for my taste, my wife's Subaru has lighter front side windows than the rear sides or rear window, and my '05 has it just right for me, maybe not for you. The other suggestion would be to take another car with the color and % you already like, and drive it to your window tinter and have him determine exactly what it is. Probably easy for an experienced guy.

 

My paint guy called said he's ready to have the car back & check/wet sand buff if need be, said he likes to wait 6-8 weeks then check back to see how it's doing. Never met a paint guy as meticulous as this one seriously.

 

Caliper covers installed.

 

.

OMG, that looks SO nice!

 

Thanks, she's certainly came a long ways !

 

I bought my 2002 XJR whilst we were living in Kansas City (2009-2012). The car was in excellent condition when I bought it, except for the driver seat. The usual wear. After checking with some folks, someone suggested to ask ColorGlo to have a look. Called them, they came over and in a couple of hours, really tided up both front seat. Essentially some cleaning and a very careful respray. Looked really good and it lasted a good long time. Since we have moved back to the Netherlands and the car has clocked close to another 85K miles on top of the 93K it had when I bought it.

So the front seats, especially the driver seats, were beginning to look shabby again. ColorGlo has gone bust in the Netherlands. At least for their services, you can still buy products from them. By chance I got in touch with somebody who used to work for them in the past, but has now his own (car) interior restoration company.

He came around our place a few weeks ago. We talked through several options and decided to go for replacement of the really bad patches of leather and a respray of both front seats. A few week later I took them out, easy job, but you do need a fairly large Torx to unbolt the seats. He picked them up the next day and has been working on them over the last couple of weeks. He send me regular updates. Here are the seats after I had taken them out and the wear and tear clearly shows


Both seats just removed

17 years of usage is showing

Needs a bit more than a lick of paint

Not goog

New leather patches

Looking good

So much smarter

Images on the company web page. Halfway through, before and after


Yesterday I received the seats back and we re-installed them. Looking great again, ready for another 175K miles I reckon!

Jeroen

 

Replaced the passenger side tie-rod end, and gave it a quick wash. Wasn't going to go into too much on it, since I still have a mile to go cleaning out all the stuff I have inside it. And unless I get a call from my marina saying they can launch my boat tomorrow, that's what the plan for tomorrow is - fully clean it out, give it a coat of spray wax, and get some pictures so I can list it for sale. At least the clunking and wandering from that side of the car is gone. And so is my centered steering wheel again lol

 

This picture made me notice my fender badges were reversed lol.

 

That would explain the decrease in acceleration and top speed................better get them changed around

 

Car's showing her true diva nature lol, freshly polished & hand waxed(via me) outdoors in 90° FH heat w/ 93% humidity, grueling lol. She throws me the annoying PO442 evap. code. I got this code once last year, but twice in one day/today. Always happens on a sweltering day w/ the AC laboring on the lowest temp. setting & just below a half tank of gas. I'm going w/ a new gas cap even if it doesn't remedy it, it's due for one.


I'm having the rear end looked @ to diagnose the exact rear shaft issue(creaking) soon, if the new cap doesn't work then I will have them check the canisters while on it.

But the car looks so damn fine right now lol.

 

KC, I bet a new gas cap will cure that P0442, like you say, it's probably time for a new one anyway. I replaced mine a little while ago, the seal was starting to look its 17 years and I figured a replacement was good insurance.