headlamp pattern drivers vs passenger side
 

My XK8 is an American spec ( LHD ) with halogen bulbs in both high ( main ) and low (dip) beams. The drivers side ( both high and low beams) seems much more dim than the passengers. I have changed the bulbs and the reflectors are not corroded and the lens is spotless.

I was in a parking garage the other day and was able to easily observe the pattern of the lights on a clean concrete wall. The drivers and passengers headlights have entirely different patterns. The passengers side had a very crisp horizontal cutoff on low beam and a nice defined pattern on high beam. The drivers side however on low beam does not have a clear horizontal cutoff , but has a "domed' pattern. The high is bright but the light pattern is very diffuse overall on both high and low when compared to the passengers side.

Does anybody know if this is normal ? And if not what the issue / cause might be ?

Thanks

Barry, my LHD drive era side has a cut off slightly lower dispersion than pass side. If this was just low beamid asking bulb was properly seated.

I always recommend pulling wheel for ez access. I think you have incandescent lights. I'd check voltage hot wire to chassis ground then hot wire to circuit ground wire.

Re cut off and garage image: cutoff is different than beam center image on the wall. Left and right images are same height. Is dim side at proper ride height? It can make a difference- was 1st clue to my latest upper shock mount replacement.

Let's see what you think.

John

Thanks for your reply but I don't understand all of what you saying. I will check to make sure the bulb is seated properly , but I am quite confident that it is. I will also check the voltage but again I am confident that it is OK.

I changed both The high and low beam bulbs last year so I am aware of how to access the bulbs

The ride height is correct on both sides. The vehicle does not have a "list" toward one side or another.

I have measured the cutoff on the passenger side and it is at the right height and the beam centre is where it should be. On the drivers side however the cutoff and beam centre is hard to measure because it is so indistinct....it s just a "blob of light"

BTW I changed the shock mounts over the winter.....it made no difference to light patterns :)

Sounded like drivers side was dim, that why I suggested checking voltage levels. If you have different volt readings depending on ground test point, the low one (ground wire to headlight in this case) you have a bad ot corroded ground.

FWIW all my bulbs cast a clear distinct image on the wall. When I had a garage, I put an X of painter's tape right in the center of each of the 2 low beam images when perfectly parked. After that I just aligned the car to the X, worked great.

Off topic I admit. Wonder what would happen if you swapped low beam bulbs. Does blurr follow bulb?

John

I put in brand new bulbs on both sides last year. It made both sides a wee bit brighter but the drivers side has been "odd" since I got the car. I don't drive a lot at night so it's not a major problem.

It seems strange to me that the light pattern on the drivers side would be SO different from the passenger side. I have been working n cars and was a hard core club rally driver (years ago ) I did lots of closed stages in the night and have had some experience with lighting. The difference between the sides IMO is mostly due to the odd light pattern on the drivers side.

Did you know you can put them in upside down on some models? That would explain a lot. Take a look through your headlight and see if they are the same way around. :D

If I were you Id fit HID. Easy to do (ish) and makes one heck of a difference to your driving at night. Have a read......... https://www.jaguarforum.com/showthre...=1#post1025402

Frankc, good point. +1 on HID, world of difference on the low beams. Waste of effort to put them in the fog lights, I tried it.

John

I will surely have a look at the bulb orientation. Thanks for the tip