Got her smoked today. LOVE it!
This was done with a tint- lifetime guarantee as long as I own the car.
$100.00 cash
I will try and upload night time shots soon...



before:



after:



lights on:


brake lights applied in daylight:

 

I was a little concerned the dark film would make the stock (non-LED bulbs) dimmer. Not at all.


night time lights:



brakes applied:

 

Somewhat too dark for my taste but not bad. Where do they do this, and is it an installed film or some spray on treatment?

Doug

 

A place called ProMax in Alhambra did it for me, $100.

It is a 3M Tinted film. They do have different levels, this is medium dark. I was concerned it would be prone to bubbles or peeling, but this place does tons of high end cars, (Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley, etc...) and told me it won't, guaranteed.

I was going to attempt the spray on tint, but with the cops out here, thought if I do get pulled over, film would be easier to "correct"

Next, I plan to get a spare set of interior wood...sand the glossy finish off and re-stain in ebony semi-gloss. I really am not fond of the super thick shiny gloss on the wood, and am going for a very dark interior...

Alcantara headliner will go in after

 

Prettybluefin & WAFlowers,

This thing keeps logging off on me! This is the 3rd time I have started this Reply to you guys!

Anyway, I have installed the V-E Tail Lights and put the LED Bulbs that I have received so far! 4 of them have been back ordered. It'll be a couple weeks before I have them all but so far no "Check Tail Light" announcement has shown on the dash! That's a good sign and if it continues Bluefin will be able to have her Vinyl Lights 75% brighter than her Halogen Bulbs....That'll keep the Cops away! Good Luck to all!
Billy Clyde in Houston




2005 XKR with Victory-Edition Tail Lights

 

Had time this morning to put some LED's in my instrument panel. Bought a $10 tool set from CVS and got started. The hardest part was trying to be gentle in removing the screws, especially that top left! I almost gave up but finally got it off.. I am not sure they have ever been removed, but they were on VERY tight.

I only had the 4 larger bulbs, but when I get the smaller ones, I will take time to detail the interior of the panel. It sure was dusty there! Also going to get some felt tape and re-do the trim as the original was well worn off. AND re-silicone the tabs to hopefully take care of a squeak that annoys me on bumpy roads...

Can't wait to finish.

Thank you to Rev. Sam for the helpful youtube video, and Doug (Seismicguy) for the pointers. I did not disconnect the battery.













this one was a pain to get out!


removing the vent helps alot!



bulb housing not as burnt as i imagined it would be...

 

Nicely done! Yes, that upper screw on the left hand side is a pain. I imagine the LED bulbs last longer (indefinitely?) compared with the standard filament bulbs--yes? If so, and if these end up looking good, I should go ahead and order a set of the large and small ones. Do you have a link to where to get these?

Doug

 

You lead a charmed life

 

I like to live on the edge. But really, I just made sure to not touch any metal to metal. AND Doug said it was safe, sooo....

 

I'll post a pic when it's dark in a few hours...LED make a huge difference. I love the bright, clean true white light. And the colors are fun, not to mention how cool they stay, it's amazing how hot the regular bulbs would get in just a few minutes!

I will PM you the seller I bought from. Still searching for the smaller bulbs...

 

Quote:

I did not disconnect the battery.

This is mostly safe as long as you do NOT disconnect the two main plugs at the lower edge!!!

BTW: How did you manage to keep Hands AND Feet so nice clean while working on the car?

Greetings from Germany,
Wolf

 

I disconnected everything. Black & Yellow plugs, trip count plug, valet plug...left temperature sensor connected...
My hands were really dusty after, so when I take it all apart to install the smaller bulbs tomorrow, I will be sure to clean out the dust that was behind the display.

 

night time shot.
still needs the 4 smaller bulbs, but what a difference! look how dim it is with the OEM bulbs on the tach side.

 

PrettyBluefin, Looks nice! How about making a list of the LED Bulbs you used and give us the Bulb numbers and colors available...........Billy Clyde

 

I completed the dash mod this morning. Second time around it was much quicker, as I knew what to expect.

I went to Autozone and bought some new bulbs, as the ones from Ebay were not that great quality wise...

These are the bulbs I used. You need 4 larger, and 4 tiny ones...


larger bulbs: SYLVANIA LED "cool white" #168 $14.99 per 2 pack (4 bulbs needed)
tiny bulbs: SYLVANIA LONGLIFE #37 $4.99 per 2 pack (4 bulbs needed)

afternoon shot:



evening shot:



AAAAAND I got crazy and did some dark gunmetal grey carbon fiber around my shifter. Saw it being put on a gorgeous Lamborghini, and temptation got me...I probably will commit to a full CF dash soon...I was never a fan of CF, but the "genuine" stuff is really nice quality, not plastic looking...and it is very subtle, not the loud diamond pattern that I have seen in the Victory Edition...this is very low sheen and quiet...


before:






after:




early morning grey on grey shot:

 

It looks fantastic! I've put this on my list of "things to do ... someday".

 

What?!?! You covered up all the beautiful wood? You might as well flip your car for a newer XK!

I have to admit that is some of the nicest CF I've ever seen. But I'll NEVER hide the beautiful wood in my XKR. Admittedly, the wood in my car is some of the nicest burl I've seen in any Jag IMHO, plus I have been (and probably will be again) a woodworker. So I'm rather biased towards the wood trim.

 

The special elm wood in my wife's 2006 Victory Edition XK8 is some of the most beautiful interior woodwork I have ever seen in a vehicle. Like WAFlowers said, there is no way we would ever cover it with carbon fiber (or any other material for that matter). In our minds (and eyes), a true Jaguar interior requires gorgeous woodwork....

 

Agree--the gorgeous wood touches in the interior were part of what attracted me to the car in the first place. To me, the whole carbon fiber thing was a gimmicky cliche and most interiors these days just look to plasticky.

Doug

 

I have to agree on the wood. It is a touch of warmth in an otherwise dark and dreary interior. I don't think the CF look fits the character of the car, BUT, everything you've done thus far has been quite nice.