It appears that a bulb behind the temperature display screen has burned out. Is there an easy fix or does all or part of the unit need replacing?

 

i think you can get the lights . if the screen has gone black as many of them do you will be replace the the unit . i would check on member parts for sale first .several members part out cars and you will get the best price good luck . ps i am shure we have a teck tip on this,

 

Supposedly, changing the rear illumination bulbs (2) can be done. I'm sure I've seen a video on it somewhere. I have one blown and the button light behind the flow sectors as well. Of course, the process starts with removing the center console, and I know there's a Reverend Sam video for that in here.

 

I rep[laced all the bulbs in my centre console - about half weren't working and I figured the other half probably wouldn't last long. The bulbs in the HVAC are a small bulb that fits in a holder - the bulbs can be removed from the holder and replaced. You can buy the bulb and holder from Jaguar for about £7 (UK) each, but I bought 50 of the bulbs for £5 from China from these guys:
50 pcs Dia.4mm Clear 12V Grain of Wheat Bulbs mini bulb Lighting Kits | eBay

For some reason the row of switches under the HVAC use a similar bulb, but are soldered into the plastic holders and are basically impossible to swap without melting the holder too much to reuse - for those, I just soldered the bulbs directly onto the board, in the opening.

They all work perfectly and look as they should, but for a lot less money than buying bulbs from Jaguar!

 

The bulbs can be found online. I found mine on eBay a few months ago and they are JLM 11965.

One of the forum members did a video on replacing them here:

 

I found the answer to my previous question - post #5 above shows how to replace the climate control bulbs. Thanks again to good ol' Reverend Sam. Sure wish he would pick up another XK8 and return to the fold here....

 

Update:

It appears that the very common KT925 bulb from candlepowerinc.com ($2.60 each) is equivalent to the OEM JLM11965 bulb ($6.90 each from SNG Barratt Group). After speaking with a Candlepower Inc. rep yesterday afternoon for confirmation, I ordered a couple of them. When I decide to replace the two bulbs behind the climate control temperature display in my wife's 2006 XK8 with them, I will try to remember to report back here regarding whether or not they are indeed compatible....

 

I think I have a couple of oem spares from when I did the XKR last summer. Hit me up if you need them.

 

Note:

Removing the center console on my wife's 2006 XK8 Victory Edition is very different than what Sam had to do on his 2003 XK8. On my wife's 2006 Victory Edition, you do not have to use two credit cards to pry up the black plastic gearshift surround to allow you to remove the wood veneer trim piece surrounding the gearshift. Instead, it has a chrome surround that is removed by unscrewing four 4mm hex screws right on top of the chrome surround. Once you remove those hex screws and the chrome surround, you can pry up the wood veneer trim piece, unhook the two electrical connectors for the Sport Mode button and ASL (Automated Speed Limiter) button that feed into the bottom of it, unhook the convertible top button electrical connector, and then you can completely remove the wood veneer trim piece and then proceed with removing the four bolts that allow you to remove the large center console portion. This is a much better design because you do not have to screw around with old credit cards trying to pop plastic tabs loose that you cannot see....

I wonder if this interior difference is just on the Victory Edition model, or if these changes were made to all XK8s sometime after the 2003 model finished its production run....

 

Update:

I finally did the HVAC climate control display bulbs replacement this morning using the two KT925 bulbs I ordered from candlepowerinc.com last month. The new bulbs are clear vs. coated blue or green, so they illuminate the display quite a bit brighter. Some owners may like it, others may not. I told my wife I am not going back in there again unless I have to replace another burned-out bulb, so she will have to get used to the brighter illumination....

Thanks to Reverend Sam for the two videos he posted years ago that show you how to properly remove the console, and then how to remove the bulb assembly above the stereo unit. My wife's console is slightly different than his was, but his video was still 95% accurate on what I had to do....

Next, I will have to replace the burned-out bulb behind the coolant temperature gauge. But that can wait for a cooler morning....