When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
My 08 XK was purchased with poor FM reception. I would get some station but they were sporadic and would fade out. Station information has never came in either. I did some digging on the forum and it appeared to possibly be a cable that's a pain to replace or the module. It has never bothered me since the car came with the external sound input and we've been using the it with our iPhones. We decided to let it be.
Last week, my wife took out the car while I was doing some yard work and I noticed the reverse light did not turn on while she backed out of the garage... Today I decided to dig in and replcace the bulb(s) and get that taken care of. Removed the cover and the back-up lights and discovered that neither is plugged in! Aha! moment. I located the left wire and plugged it in but was not able to locate the correct length wire to the right reverse light. The only loose cable found is short and would never reach the right reverse light but it 's a perfect lenght to plug into the module right across from it. I removed the wire that goes into the module with small connector and the wire that I removed is perfect lenght to the reverse light! Plugged everything in and the reverse light works. The fog light works and all of a sudden the FM is coming in perfectly clear and I get RDS and other station data.
Sorry for the long story but it possibly will help somoene one day...
Why would someone remove both lights and use the wrong wire for the FM? module is beoyond me.
Here's the wire that was loose in the trunk lid. This is the correct wire for the FM? module: FM module wire
Your 2008 XK came from the factory with only one backup light (it's on the passenger side), with a similar design fog light on the driver's side. That's just one of the quirks that make our beloved 4.2L Jaguar X150 models so bloody British!
Actually, it's a safety thing. Because it's often very foggy in London and the countryside, it's sometimes hard to see a vehicle in front of you. To minimize rear end collisions, Jaguars were equipped with a single fog light on the rear side nearest to the center line. That way, drivers behind you would know you're there and the location of the center of the road.
The easy way to remember is that both LHD and RHD 4.2L X150 models have their fog light behind the driver's side, next to the center line.
Note that the 5.0L models came equipped with the new design LED taillights and two backup lights, one on each side. Some Forum members have modded their 4.2L cars with the 5.0L model LED taillights. The easier way to get two backup lights is to replace your existing fog light with a used 4.2L RHD passenger side outer tail light assembly - that's a backup light! They show up occasionally on Ebay.UK, and it's easyrewire it to work with your existing backup light circuit.
No taillight mods for my 4.2L XKR. I like it quirky! And the first design is more reminiscent of the original E-type tail lights. Just because a design is newer doesn't mean that it's better.
Your 2008 XK came from the factory with only one backup light (it's on the passenger side), with a similar design fog light on the driver's side. That's just one of the quirks that make our beloved 4.2L Jaguar X150 models so bloody British!
Actually, it's a safety thing. Because it's often very foggy in London and the countryside, it's sometimes hard to see a vehicle in front of you. To minimize rear end collisions, Jaguars were equipped with a single fog light on the rear side nearest to the center line. That way, drivers behind you would know you're there and the location of the center of the road. ......
We compromised by giving you a steering wheel on the passenger side. What more do you want!
Excellent explanation of the fog light but woefully inaccurate on the English climate. I rarely get through a week without needing to use the windscreen wipers but probably only need fog lamps two or three times a year.
Your 2008 XK came from the factory with only one backup light (it's on the passenger side), with a similar design fog light on the driver's side. That's just one of the quirks that make our beloved 4.2L Jaguar X150 models so bloody British!
Actually, it's a safety thing. Because it's often very foggy in London and the countryside, it's sometimes hard to see a vehicle in front of you. To minimize rear end collisions, Jaguars were equipped with a single fog light on the rear side nearest to the center line. That way, drivers behind you would know you're there and the location of the center of the road.
The easy way to remember is that both LHD and RHD 4.2L X150 models have their fog light behind the driver's side, next to the center line.
Note that the 5.0L models came equipped with the new design LED taillights and two backup lights, one on each side. Some Forum members have modded their 4.2L cars with the 5.0L model LED taillights. The easier way to get two backup lights is to replace your existing fog light with a used 4.2L RHD passenger side outer tail light assembly - that's a backup light! They show up occasionally on Ebay.UK, and it's easyrewire it to work with your existing backup light circuit.
No taillight mods for my 4.2L XKR. I like it quirky! And the first design is more reminiscent of the original E-type tail lights. Just because a design is newer doesn't mean that it's better.
I was not aware of the fog light until I got the passenger side reverse light working but didn’t see the drivers side come on so I did a little digging on the forum and learned that it’s a fog light at which point I was able to test both.
The forum saved the day but what would have been a reason to disconnect both and plug the tail light wire into the FM module eludes me…
We compromised by giving you a steering wheel on the passenger side. What more do you want!
Excellent explanation of the fog light but woefully inaccurate on the English climate. I rarely get through a week without needing to use the windscreen wipers but probably only need fog lamps two or three times a year.
Graham
Hi Graham,
Perhaps my teacher was wrong about London's weather ...
Poor FM reception and how I fixed it
