Hi there!

I am pretty much set on the light hue being around 4300K which should be close if not identical to the Oem light coloring.
The problem is that there are just way too many kits out there within quite wide price range. Then I encountered too many german car forums recommending only german made balllasts...
Speaking of ballasts, could anybody who has already installed xenon conversion kit in their XK elaborate on where and how do you mount the ballast modules in the headlight area?

Any insight into this is much appreciated!

 

Get a slimline set and fit them inside the light unit, much better than trying to mount them..... Go on eBay and search for G4 HID kit dont pay more than $45 you will on be paying for fancy packaging

 

Many thanks for pointing me in the right direction, XKRacer. Thanks for solid reasoning on the dimensions and also the price. I had no idea that you could fit the slim version into the actual assembly. Sounds Superb! In addition I am not going to feel compelled to get more if I pay more ...
Thanks for the word of reason.
Danny.

 

I went down this route myself with my 98 XK8 and ended up with lights that weren't as bright as my stock lights were. Turns out the projectors are designed for the bulb type and you'll likely drop brightness if you have the high powered bulbs like I did. Currently I'm going through full upgrade (twin projectors and current gen HID) on my XKR but it is pricey and it has taken over 2 months to have the conversion done. If I had it to do over again with the XK8 I would have stopped with the Mina Gallery brighter bulbs.

 

I have never had any problems with HID kits, had a couple of ballast failures which the original supplier changed with no issue.... It is the best way to improve your lights, I am unsure why Rob didn't get the brightness he wanted....

If I had my choice I would use 35w 6000k.... Perfect white light, not blue.... 100% improvement over the originals

 

I own a 2001 XKR with H-1 Halogen bulbs and want to replace with the HID unit. How do I remove the old unit and replace with a new HID kit. When I was attempting to install a D2S bulb, I noticed the front lens was cracked. Can I replace the lens when I replace the halogen unit. Does anyone know a part number for this passenger side lens?

The D2S bulb will not work as a halogen unit replacement.

 

@ stremsjg
The D2S xenon light bulb will not fit original halogen light socket for it requires a ballast unit with appropriate xenon bulb adapter...I think . Refer to XKRacer's comments above as well as enderle's not quite great conversion experience warning.

@XKRacer & enderle
I truly appreciate all the feedback, you guys. After I cheked out the price of Mina's bulbs ($59 each) I am definitely going to give Xenon conversion a shot. In my opinion there really is not a difference between the "optics" of the regular and xenon headlight from what I could tell after seeing xenon headlight fixture on a vehicle in a local Jaguar reapair shop
The Xenon gas has to be brighter to any afterrmarket light solution simply for it's chemical property...I think .

 

Yes, you should be able to replace only the lens. It is a clip on design so all you have to do is remove the headlight and take it off....Now, there is a thread in classifieds section where XJsc-guy offers numerous lenses and headlight for sale. Click the link below:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/p...97-06-a-72461/

Here's a reputable online parts store link to brand new oem lens in stock:
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sk...Passenger+Side

 

Xenon is much better than a "pretend" xenon gas filled halogen bulb,

 

XKRacer:

While we are on this topic we are doing the final wiring on the XKR HID to aftermarket HID with replaced projectors. Have you ever run into a problem replacing the stock HID with aftermarket? We'll be splicing directly into the harness (because i couldn't find a plug). Oh and I sent you an email earlier this week, did you get it?

 

Hmmmm..... My email has been a bit screwy lately I have not seen anything but I will check on the server...

What I have done in the past regarding replacing original HID with aftermarket is to swap out the entire light unit for standard type, yes this does mean changing the plug but removing the plug and selling it with the lights makes it alot more appealing to potential buyers, we actually sold the lights bought standard type, changed the front lenses to the darker type that we first had, then sold the silver lenses, done the conversion and the guy ended up with £100 in profit even after he paid me for doing the conversion.

This did make his self levelling unusable but he did not care about that...

In your instance the levelling connections go through the ballast, and as you probably know the dip beam comes off the 3 pin plug, you need to find which wire of the main plug you need to splice into, the other is just an earth....

Good luck

 

Funny I got lucky because I didn't want to pull the units out of my car for the conversion and used the set I had left over from my XK8 as the host body and then just swapped out the lenses for XKR lenses that have the cutout for the washers. Figured I'd lose the self levelers unless we can fabricate something. They should look really cool, body color inside and twin dual beam projectors with Halo surrounds and a heart beat LED turn signal. Really pricey, will post a picture when I get them done in a couple weeks.

The email was on the grill, you'd said you were putting together something special and to shoot you a note in a few weeks about what it was.

 

Sounds like a cool set up, I will enjoy seeing the pics..... I did do something similar painting the inside of my light units red, the same as my body color.... But we taped up the chromed indicator side.... So instead of the black setup you have with the HIDs we had red..... Sounded plausible.... Looked like crap!!!!!... Lol.... We then painted the whole thing black with bespoke made LED rings..... I much prefer that look... I will post a pic up when I get to the workshop.....

Must admit I had no joy looking for the emails.. I probably need to delve deeper...... But if it was about the grille idea I had then the answer is no not yet...... Simply not had the time and will probably be a bit longer as I am booked up until about April..... Just bare with me though, I know how to do it and I think it will look good

 

Got it, will check back in a few months (assuming you're email is fixed). I'm also having the rear lights redone with 3 halos and a sequential turn signal (stock light body). Sounds cool, hope it turns out... Looking forward to your pictures.

 

I have not figured out how to shrink pics using the photobucket app on my iPad so the pic maybe a bit big!

Not as good as a double lens set up as yours but you have got me thinking as you could keep all the internal workings but do a Aston DB9 style where the lens is held in by the lightning which uses the original internal reflector fixing points. I have pics and drawings for that....

 

Guys,

My left side low beam headlight is out. Changed the bulb and checked the fuses both ok. Is it the ballast? Can I do a conversion without pulling the light or setting off error codes?

Thanks
Mike

 

Do you still have the 1998 with standard headlamps......................?

Graham

 

Yes I do still have the stock units.

 

So I've finally done it. The Xenons are in, and I could not be happier .
I chose to go with after reading through old threads and per recommendations made by seasoned members of this community.
Per XKRacer's suggestions in many other threads I also opted for full enclosed headlight install (ballast and adapter) for cleaner look. However, I could not or rather did not take enough time to figure out how to remove the dip beam assembly to slip the stock wiring by and chopped it off instead. I also needed longer wires to neatly arrange the components so it all paid off at the end.
Took me about 2hrs for both lights to accomplish with rewiring...First light took longer than second as I was testing the waters with component placement etc.
Below are some for naysayers showing my 1999 XK8 stock beam next to the new Xenon setup.

Also have a picture of the arrangement within my headlight...and yes, I am still able to move all other bulbs around .

To sum it all up, thinks are disproportionately brighter now...
Below is a "messy" guide that I've compiled from pics I photographed during my kit fitment . Hope it'll help to inspire other drivers!
Xenon_HID_Kit_Fitment_Guide_XK8.pdf

 

Congrats, looks like a well organized, clean install. (I voted for 4300K, however)