steering wheel controls are they lighted?
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Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
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From: Ontario
steering wheel controls are they lighted?
Trying to get all back lighting working. Wondering if controls on wheel are back lit? Roof button? Has anyone used led back lights for speedo cluster?
Veteran Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 4,114
Likes: 1,273
From: North Carolina
Steering wheel controls aren't lighted, unfortunately.
I put LEDs in my instrument cluster and they were horrible. The were white LEDs, but they changed the color of the instruments, and the were only dimable (sp?) through a narrow range.
I put LEDs in my instrument cluster and they were horrible. The were white LEDs, but they changed the color of the instruments, and the were only dimable (sp?) through a narrow range.
Veteran Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 4,114
Likes: 1,273
From: North Carolina
If you're interested in trying out LED instrument panel bulbs, it only takes 20 minutes or so to swap them out. Here's a video on how to do it:
Jaguar XK8 Instrument Cluster Bulb Replacement - YouTube
Sorry for the lousy video quality. I had my camera on the low resolution setting by accident.
The LEDs I used came from Pep Boys and they were $10 for a pair of 2. They were supposed to be super-bright and white. However, they made the instrument panel lights look bluish, instead of green, so they didn't match the rest of the lights, and even though they were brighter than the incandescent lights, for some reason they looked dimmer once installed. Another problem was that LEDs are polarized. The sockets are polarized, but there is no markings to let you know which side is positive and which is negative. Plus, the LEDs had no markings to indicate what the polarity was. So, I installed them, powered up the instrument panel lights, and learned that two of them were in backwards. I had to pull everything apart just to swap the polarity on the LEDs.
Jaguar XK8 Instrument Cluster Bulb Replacement - YouTube
Sorry for the lousy video quality. I had my camera on the low resolution setting by accident.
The LEDs I used came from Pep Boys and they were $10 for a pair of 2. They were supposed to be super-bright and white. However, they made the instrument panel lights look bluish, instead of green, so they didn't match the rest of the lights, and even though they were brighter than the incandescent lights, for some reason they looked dimmer once installed. Another problem was that LEDs are polarized. The sockets are polarized, but there is no markings to let you know which side is positive and which is negative. Plus, the LEDs had no markings to indicate what the polarity was. So, I installed them, powered up the instrument panel lights, and learned that two of them were in backwards. I had to pull everything apart just to swap the polarity on the LEDs.
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 120,439
Likes: 17,005
From: Durham, UK
Excellent video which has saved me loads of time by NOT following the JTIS procedure to first remove the steering wheel.
Did you originally change bulbs because they'd blown or to get better illumination with LED's? Reason I ask is that all four of mine are blown and it looks as if the holders have overheated. Four bulbs gone together seems unusual.
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Graham
2005 XK8 4.2S Coupe
Did you originally change bulbs because they'd blown or to get better illumination with LED's? Reason I ask is that all four of mine are blown and it looks as if the holders have overheated. Four bulbs gone together seems unusual.
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Graham
2005 XK8 4.2S Coupe
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