i brought my 2011 xkr to an independant jag dealer to change gauge and dashboard color to red leds. he called later to say it can't be done because it's part of the circuit and can't be done. has anyone found a way to identify the specific circuit lead or work around this issue. pls respond as i've been chasing my tail for 2 mths. thanks guys - Ray

 

You probably should post this in the 2006++ forum HERE.

 

i'm not sure the issue is the same for the 4.2L xkrs which is why i chose this forum. make sense?

 

OK... I am not sure what the engine size would have to do with the dashboard lights, but THIS forum is for the 1996-2006 xk's and xkr's and I would think things have changed dramatically in your 2011 versus our models. Just tryin' to help a brother out

 

i have both generations - there are not a lot of common parts there. Unfortunately ( and this is gonna get me banned from the XK forum ), there is not as many dirty fingernails over there - so you have to dig deeper.

Perhaps the jagwrangler has a reference page, I remember he was playing with, and I believe, finally rejected brighter lights. He also has both generations, and can point you in the proper direction.

 

A few years ago someone went from green LEDs to white LEDs. Every illuminated component has to be removed from the car, the old LEDs removed and the new ones soldered on. I believe many if not all are surface mount SMD so it could be a fairly large project, but it can be done.

 

i very much appreciate the feedback i received. i was told it's part of the circuitry on the 2011. called jag dealer and was told i'm f..ed. nice guy, eh? could we pull the harness and get at it that way? if i really am f..ed, feel free

 

only if you like desoldering and resoldering REALLY tiny bits. It possible, I would use a SMD SMT soldering repair station- so you can really control the temps - lots of electronics websites have them.

 

jonscot - you are.very correct re; differences between xk8 and the newer xkr's. i'm not giving up quite yet. somewhere someone has solved this problem. your.continued feedback is very helpfull. fyi if.anyone lives in so. ca. area and looking for.a fair priced independant jag mechanic, contact JP's european repair. He's been working with jags for 15 yrs, Good guy

 

Try to find a good custom shop in your area that employs a qualified electronics tech who has experience working at the component level on circuit boards. This is not typical of most auto electronics techs, but there area few out there. Swapping surface mount parts is something you only want in the hands of an experienced electronics tech.

 

jonscot i think. you're right. you would.need.to find the correct contact and.do some.very.detailed soldering. the car is.still.under warranty until.2017.so their's.concern.that.if done incorrectly the warranty could be.voided.

 

you got my head thinking.

I've been working with a member on some replacement gauge faces for the 2000-2006 gen of XK's, and have been playing with translucent filters - for the lights to glow thru. Wondering if it would be possible to slip a thin photo-filter ( comes in a million colours ) section between the actual bulb, and the plastic gauge face.

I'd go look at mine to see if it's possible - about to take the entire dash out of my parts car 2007 - but my back is still not up to all that bending, yet.

 

Yes it could affect your warranty if any of the modified covered components fail and even if they were replaced under warranty they would be the factory color so you would be back to changing them again.

 

In 2011 the LEDs were still green so a filter is not going to be of much use. in 2012 and later the LEDs were white but not sure if they would be bright enough to filter. You might also be able to use a color pen or clear paint. Worth a try perhaps.

 

jonscot thanks so much. the car is still at the shop. when i go to get it, i'll have him read your post and get his reaction. i'll.f/u

 

i very much appreciate the feedback i received. i was told it's part of the circuitry on the 2011. called jag dealer and was told i'm f..ed. nice guy, eh? could we pull the harness and get at it that way? if i really am f..ed, feel free

 

Very few things are impossible - it's mostly a question of how much money you want to spend and how much risk you want to take. The reason the dealer says "It's part of the circuitry" is that the dash lighting uses soldered-on LEDs rather than screw-in bulbs that you can change easily. It doesn't mean they're a vital component and the car can't function without them. If you're really set on doing it, this is what I think you'd need to do:

• Remove the instrument cluster from the dash.
• Dismantle the instrument cluster (there are no instructions for that in the workshop manual, since it's replaced as a unit).
• Get all the circuit boards that have LEDs soldered onto them.
• Find someone who can identify the specification of LED used and order the equivalent red LEDs.
• Find someone with experience repairing surface-mount electronics to un-solder the standard LEDs and replace them with the red ones.
• Reassemble the whole thing, and hope that nothing has gone wrong.

I reckon it's going to be moderately expensive - but the risk of damaging the instrument cluster module (which is actually a computer system that handles a number of car functions, not just the dash display) is rather scary.