First, if one of the moderators can please copy this to: XK8/XKR - Non-OEM interchangable Parts Thread

Second, let me apologise to those who only insist on OEM replacement parts. There are times when I just refuse to pay the "Jaguar Tax"!

Last month I took my 2001 XKR to my indie in order to have the secondary tensioners replaced. As he was pulling my car into the workshop, I noticed that my hi-mount brake light wasn't working. Actually, only two of the sixteen LED's were working.

Upon checking around for a replacement unit (part #LJB5000AB) I found a used one on Amazon for $US150. That's around $AUD250 with shipping to Australia!

So, I went to the big auction site and purchased a white LED light strip that could be cut to size for $5 and it worked out perfect.

First, I cut the three plastic tabs holding the original LED strip in place and cut the two wires connecting it. By doing this I was able to retain both the original red lens and the fresnel lens behind it. Next, I cut the flexible LED strip to size and used black electrical tape to holdthe new LED strip in place against the fresnel lens. After that, you just connect the two red and black wires to one another and use the original plastic connector to hook it back up.

 

Stu - great fix - I take it the old led bulbs cant be replaced?

 

Each of the original bulbs are soldered at four points on a circuit board. Even if you could source replacements, the time involved just doesn't seem worth it.

I will have to see how long my "fix" keeps working. If I have to spend $5 and 20 minutes of my time every 4-6 months that's okay. I'm retired!


Cheers,

Stu

 

Interesting. I just had to replace one on a customers car earlier this year. I always try to help customers when I can. Is this a company on Amazon or a private seller? I've kept the old one and still have it under my work bench. Do you have the name of the seller from Amazon?

 

 

Stu,

A great workaround to avoid going for an OE replacement.

I never had a problem with my X308 third brake light but did have to replace the one on my X300. It was 'out of stock' from Jaguar at the time but I was able to get one from HELLA who manufactured them for Jaguar. Anyone noticed if there's a manufacturer's logo on the X308 or X100 third brake light units?

Graham

 

They can be replaced, and the parts are cheap from outlets like Digikey, even for "upgraded" super bright LEDs.

But, like Stu said, it is seriously time consuming to unsolder and resolder all those parts. I did it mostly to see if I could.

That was 4 years ago, still going strong!

 

Update on this old thread:

New to me '97 XK 8 coupe failed inspection due to the third brake light being in-op.
I reviewed what I could find about repairing it, confirmed that I had power (no broken wires) and found a 20" LED bar that could be cut every two inches (so making it 10" was no problem)
I changed the wiring connector from the old light to the new bar. Crazy glued it in place on the factory, plastic standoffs, and it works like a charm.
Biggest issue was the brittle nature of the old plastic parts.

Source of the LED bar was Oznium.com and the part is the Surface Mount LED Light Bar Red (P/N: 1276) (Note: I bought the RED LED bar because the white/clear ones can wash out the color in the old plastic lens.)

 

Never thought I'd be grateful I've a UK 96 car when a high(?) level brake light wasn't a legal requirement...so they didn't fit one!

 

Maybe better late than ever. Details from thread: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xk8-xkr-x100-17/2002-xk8-third-brake-light-81672/#post1965002

Br, T

 

UPDATE: I was so disappointed with the fit of the old light with brittle and broken parts that although it passed inspection and worked I replaced the entire unit with new. I now have a perfectly functional LED light strip that will pug into the car harness. It will need to be glued in place of the stock one. FREE to a good home. First to contact me is the winner.

 

Update for anyone wanting to go the LED light strip route to repair the high mount stop lamp, per this thread. The brand most available at retail in the US is Alpena Automotive out of Canada. I bought the Alpena Max strip, product number 77198. It has 18 lights per 12-inch strip (some have nine) and emits a bright red light equal to the OEM (white is too bright and washes out the red lens). I did not cut down the strip to 10 inches (length of original light bar), but simply circled it around the back of the light bar holder. Purists may shudder, but the price has not gone down for the OEM part - about $250. You may find used, but how much life is left in a 10+ year old part? Only question is how long the new strip will last in the sun and heat on the back shelf and what to do if the original thin plastic case finally crumbles and you have to find a replacement. But really minor problems for Jag owners.

 

I just did this repair on my '97 coupe. Bought a Third brake light from an X-type at the pick and pull. The LED strip , with just a little slight modification, fits well in the stock X100 coupe housing( at least what's left of it!). The plug is the same plug as the X100. I did extend the wire a few inches to make it easier to install.

As far as the brittle holder, I taped up as much as I could with thin aluminum tape, painted it all black, and then covered the rear of the housing with some leftover leather from the console lid recover project. The old leather actually fit pretty well. Just glued it on with contact cement. Put a piece of Velcro on the bottom to keep it in place on the package shelf.

 

I found 4 LED 12" strips from Amazon for $15 that fit very well without trimming. They are brighter than some others I also purchased. Here is the link:

 

Well done....

 

Rear third light rebuild lessons learned:
1. Once the original LEDs start to fail it becomes cascading. This is due to the current in adjacent LEDs increases when one fails.
2. The light's connector can be accessed by pulling the trunk's center carpet trim pin and lifting the carpet
3. The two clips molded on the painted plastic cover snap off easily. They are difficult to keep aligned when repairing. Hot melt glue wont hold - Trust me. Carefully attach with super glue first to fix location. Then epoxy around clip's base. Let set overnight.
4. You need a small cut off wheel and careful prying to break out the red reflector.
5. Gel super glue will out-gas for hours. I worked well for reattaching the internal red reflective cover but I the next morning I found a 3 inch haze on her boot. Fortunately, buffing compound got it off.
6. Bolster flexible LED strip in place with hot melt glue.

 

I have read 3 or 4 different threads on the high brake light and everyone of them talks about repairing replacing the lights. I have 2 98 XJ8s and I have come across three XJ8 parts cars (ranging from 98 to 01) and every single one of them has perfectly working lights BUT unusable plastic housing - my original light unit seemed to be good when I purchased it but it was hanging on only 1 tab - I swear the day I decided to reattach the tab the housing started to crumble as I got in the back seat to look at it - I think it broke another time when I was looking at it in the rearview mirror and started thinking how I could repair it. I am surprised I haven't found a forum or YouTube video where someone has built or replaced the housing.
thoughts I have had for replacing the housing include:

1. 3d printing (but research suggest most of the 3d material is not UV resistant)
2. 3d printing out of metal (no one in my area has this capability yet)
3. homemade wooden housing --but I think it would be hard to match the burl in the car - cover the wood with leather ?
4. salvage yard light from some other vehicle that also has a separate unit that hangs from the window (Anyone know of any ?)
5. some after market plug and play unit ? Anyone gone this route and have recommendations ?

 

I too am extremely interested in an option for a new housing, as ever since i bought my 97 xk8 coupe, the housing has been held up by a piece of wood from one of the previous owners. Also the housing looks like it was broken into at least 5 pieces and glued. I must admit that i have not even touched it since i bought it, due to the fear of it basically crumbling. That and not knowing how it was attached in the first place

 

I had a couple wasps expire under the cover and decided to suction them out with a vacuum. I got the bugs, but also two sizable chunks of the housing. It now mocks me every time I apply the brakes at night.

I'd like to remove it and repair it, but I'm pretty sure I'd do significantly more damage if I try to touch it.

 

The two flimsy tabs that hold the assembly in place broke on their own and now my third light is loose. All lights are operational. Just need to figure out a way to keep the light in place without paying $260 for a new one.