I picked up my new to me 2002 XKR Conv. in Dallas on Saturday. Since I live in Iowa, I flew down and drove the car back. The car ran perfect the whole way home.

However, while driving on the Kansas Turnpike at about midnight, I almost hit a deer. I was driving about 75 MPH (Limit was 70) and with the factory headlights on low beam, they give maybe 2 to 3 car lengths of illumination.

The turnpike is not lit, so it was pitch black out that night. I was driving in the right lane.

Suddenly, I see a large deer standing in the middle of the right lane, maybe 2 car lengths ahead of me. I slammed on the brakes and turned to the left. I managed to avoid the deer but was now heading toward the concrete center divider. I turned right to try to avoid the wall, but the car was already squealling on the tires and I was sure this was all she wrote.

However, the car swung around, I heard a small clunck from the rear end and the car began to spin. I stopped a few seconds later sitting sideways inbetween the two lanes in a huge cloud of tire smoke.

I pulled over and got out and could not feel any damage, as there was no light to see by.

I collected myself and drove to the next service area on the tollway and pulled in. I found this on my driver's side rear bumper.











Notice how the bumper is literally sanded flat. As I spun past the concrete wall the bumper was sanded flat by the wall.

Now look at this.





This is the Driver's side tail pipe. It sanded the exhaust tip down too. That is probably the thunk I heard, either that or my laptop bag being thrown around the trunk.

As you can see, I am quite possibly the greatest driver ever. No wait, I mean that I am quite possibly the luckiest man alive.

The bumper can be repaired fairly cheaply. However, I will leave the exhaust tip the way it is as a reminder of how damn lucky I am.

So, the first upgrade is HID headlights.

I love my new Jag. My VW would have most likely rolled in that maneuver, however, it has awesome headlights, so I would have seen the deer in the first place. hehe

 

Glad to hear that you had the vehicle and the driving skills to pull it out! I kinda like the idea of leaving the tail pipe, makes for a great story!

 

Wow... I love my headlights, but I have the HIDs. If they are aimed so low I wonder if you have the self-leveling headlights and the link is broken in the front or rear. The self-leveling headlights automatically compensate for extra weight in the trunk. If the rear end is sitting low because you're carrying 400 pounds of plutonium in the trunk, the sensors on the front and rear suspension can sense that and they automatically aim the headlights down to compensate for the lower rear end. If one of the links is broken the headlight goes either to the fully down or fully up position. Lemme think about this... If the rear link is broken, the headlights will probably point upwards, and if the front one is broken it will point downward. So check the link in the front left wheel well.

Like I said, I love my headlights. They are so much better than any other car I've owned. There's a definite line that is aimed just below the horizon on level ground. My other car's headlights seem to just spray the light in a broad vertical swath.

 

By the way... awesome pics. Sorry to see that you bruised up the car, but the "bullseye" in the bumper is very cool. After they replace the bumper you should cut out that section and put it in a frame, along with some pics.

 

Hey Sam, bit off topic, but nice new sig pics!

Oh BTW I have meant to say thank you for your disclaimer !!!!

THANK YOU

 

You got lucky. The deer ... maybe not so much.

You knew you had about 3 car lengths of illumination.

That's not even good enough for in town suburban driving.

Now this bit is going to be possibly unpopular ...

No one should drive a car at speed at night unless they have personally aimed
the headlights in an optimal manner. Every car is different. A couple of hours on a
dark side road is time well invested. Other good locations are big box store malls. Be
prepared for curious cops stopping by. Using a "long throw" aiming method is not found in
any text book, nor is it the approved method in the US. *But* when done properly, it yields
a couple of hundred extra feet of illumination without blinding other drivers as compared to
the aim it at the garage wall method.

True, the car was new to you.

You had two options. Aim the headlights properly, or drive in daylight.

As for HID, factory HID - yes. HID conversions, no.

The factory halogens are perfectly adequate when aimed properly and will be more effective
than a HID conversion without the glare for oncoming drivers.

 

Wow, that is a real wakeup call and I am sure you shot a bolus of adrenalin in about 10 seconds flat. We have a real problem here in central Florida with wild hogs, particularly if you are driving any of the East/West rural connector roads at night. I never drive the rural roads at night without the high beams on and never over 65. You just can't react fast enough if a sow or a big boar decide they are crossing the road when you are a couple hundred feet away and it does happen. Count your blessings on the deer experience and the best of luck with the new XKR. They are great cars.

 

I drove around in gameblaster's 2002 XK8 last month, and I was too surprised to see the difference in those halogens compared to my HIDs...wow, huge difference. His did look low, and definitely not as bright.

Plumsauce, I don't think jeff is going to have any issues, nor will oncoming traffic if he puts in an aftermarket HID kit into the OEM projectors. I totally agree with not putting HIDs into a reflector housing. I feel the HID is a great upgrade for your car...and i can't believe how close you were to that wall to just 'graze' the bumper and tip...that is insanely close. A few more inches and you may not have been able to post any pics at all.

 

Either way, optimal aiming produces results that will amaze most drivers used to the usual sloppy aiming methods. 80 MPH on low beams becomes quite comfortable.

As for your recent ride, perhaps it was a combination of the aim and the colour your eyes are accustomed to.

bonus tip: if there is traffic ahead of you in an adjacent lane - scan using *their* headlight beams as they are that much closer to possible obstructions. this works whether being overtaken or overtaking.

 

It's good to hear you avoided a major incident , hadn't you reacted sooner it could have been worse
Happy safe driving

 

Glad you are ok! It's amazing what these cars can do in an emergency situation. They have pretty high limits before they completely go.

I've never had trouble with the lights on my XK8. They are by far the best lights I've had. I usually have the brights on though and they are great. HID are only on dim, correct?

 

Glad you got out of it unscathed even if the car didn't but it is only minor!

Just to clarify a bit on the lights, they vary, aim has a small amount to do with if not set up properly, but, I get to drive many XKs and experience there competence as far as lights go during night driving, I have been in some where you are better off lighting a couple of candles and holding them out the window and others with no problem at all!
One thing I can say, if you suffer from the ever unpopular condensation in your headlights, there power is reduced by at least 30% (thats an uneducated guess btw) due to the water on the lens itself and on the chrome backing.
I tell all my customers to fit a HID kit, for the money you cant knock them and the extra light is a god send.

 

Be careful man... this stuff happens in threes....

 

Of course I should have been driving slower. I should have had the high beams on, since there were no other cars around. I did drive with the high beams and the fog lights on the rest of the way home. hehe

I honestly didn't even think about the headlights until after the incident, then I noticed how poor they were compared to my other vehicles.

But, one never takes the blame when he can blame it on something else. hehe

The edge of my drivers side rear tire is melted. hehe

The bumper can be repaired. They are removing it, repairing it and repainting it for $411. That includes $48 for a new trim piece for the backup sensor. It was "sanded" down too. All in all, not a lot of money, especially since it could have been a complete loss of the car or me.

I am using the Doctor's Touch (Now Minor Wreck Express) in Des Moines, IA. They repaired my Wife's Infiniti when I backed into it. The quality of the work was perfect and I was blown away at their ability to blend the paint, since the Infiniti is pearl white.

 

No you didn't ..Front fogs automatically turn off when high beams are on. Rear fogs stay on regardless of high beams

 

Not to mention reducing driver fatigue on a long, night time drive. Straining to see the road takes a toll on the driver.

Cheers
DD

 

Well, yeah, that's exactly what they're there for !

The low beams on my old X300 are pretty pathetic but the high beams do a good job of lighting the road wayyyyy ahead....more than enough for the speeds I care to drive at night, at least.

Glad it wasn't worse :-)

It's amazing how deer jump out of nowhere. Totally unpredictable. I've had it happen myself. Only my extraordinary driving skills saved the deer.

Ok, ok......I got lucky. So did the deer. :-)

Cheers
DD

 

real life report ...

posting after 300+ miles @ 70-80 through heavy drizzle and fog on low beams only after a fresh "long throw" aim two days ago

... completely relaxed drive, minimum 200 yards illumination, road signage easily readable, overtaking at will, 1 coffee, 6 cd's

halogens with new DOT legal bulbs.

 

Wonder if the Dynamic Stability Control activated and had an impact on this incident?

Jack

 

You don't want to throw an ebay HID kit into your stock halogen housings. That will produce tons of glare and a poor beam pattern. You could retrofit factory HIDs or if you are skilled enough retrofit some HID projectors into your existing housing.

You could always try to get the stock lights working better. New bulbs, an after market headlight wiring harness, make sure the housing and lens is clean and a proper aiming.