High intensity discharge lights

DO55MAC · June 23, 2015

Hi. Has anybody ever fitted HiD lights to their X-Type? I have noticed the dipped beam is pretty awful, but high beam is okay, so I am thinking of upgrading just the dipped lights. If anybody has trodden this particular path, do you have any recommendations of type/model, where to buy from, how much and how easy was the embodiment? All advice gratefully appreciated.

Cheers,

Mac

the guardian · June 23, 2015

im glad i am not them only one that thinks the lights are poor i was thinking along the same lines paul but as its summer i haven't got round to it yet so as you have post this up ill go hunting too see what's about and keep the post updated

Ron

the guardian · June 24, 2015

it seems the best ones to go for are the 35w and color temp between 4 - 8k

ranging from £16.99 - £70 in price no hard and fast rules except pay your money take a chance on the ones you buy ??? ( loads of info out there on this subject )

if you are charging the fog lights to hid there has to be some modification so ive been told.

but as i am only changing the headlights that doesn't bother me for my upgrade so ive ordered a middle priced H1 hid kit 35w color temp 6k

at a cost of £34.99p free P+p

wont be putting them in until 2nd week in July ( holiday :) :) ) so will let you know how it all goes ( one other thing people check which type of blubs you have also, as i have been told some models are different.( em not sure)

Ron

Raistlin · June 24, 2015

Sounds fun, but in the back of my mind, I recall there being an issue with HIDs come MOT time, unless the headlight washers and auto levelling have been incorporated?

Just a thought.

Of course,, if the X Type was available with HIDs during manufacture, it might make an interesting retro-fit :D

Deadloud · June 25, 2015

Personally I hate them with a passion. They're not so bad if they're fitted as standard, but aftermarket ones tend to splash light all over the place because the focal point of the reflector array is designed for the filament on a halogen Bulb. Sticking a HID in the casing alters the way the lens/reflector works.

It's fine for the selfish prat in the car ... not so good for everyone else coming towards him, especially on a wet night.

They also produce excessive back-glare in fog.

If you have a separate light unit for main beam only they're fine for that job as you're supposed to dip when there's oncoming traffic, but as we all know, there are people who have no idea the facility exists.

I can think of good use for a 2kw laser cannon ... just to fire back at the idiots who fit aftermarket HID's to dipped beam.

the guardian · June 26, 2015

well lets hope one of the companies make a decent Bulb soon then cos i for one and many more think the headlights on the x type are very poor indeed so until that time comes hid's will be going in my car but i take on board what you say and there is a lot of selfish drivers out there but i will do my very best not too become one of them

Ron

Deadloud · June 26, 2015

As I said it's my own personal view, perhaps I stated it a tad too strongly but I didn't intend to cause offence. Apart from being an avid Jaguar fan I'm also a lifelong motorcyclist (currently Moto Guzzi Norge 1200). Many of my co riders fit HIDs to their bikes ... and report being flashed by blinded car drivers. They are fine for main beam work, but fitting them to dipped beam causes problems for other road users.

So, apologies if my post came over somewhat aggressive. As for the Jag lights being weak, compared to HID's they will be, although I've found mine to be adequate .... but if faced with an oncoming HID user they make no impression whatsoever.

the guardian · June 26, 2015

no offence taken steve we all have opinions as i say ive taken on board what you say and i may look into to the main beam option instead of the dipped beam

keep these post going its what make this club one of the best around is members post/threads etc

best regards Ron

Raistlin · June 26, 2015

Just a thought chaps. Is the option of HID as main beam viable? As far as I am aware, HID lamps take a finite amount of time from initial switch on to being fully bright.

For example, main beams are regularly used to give a flash of light for warning or beckoning purposes, which relies upon instantaneous light emission.

Bezza · June 27, 2015

The light emitted from X type dip beam headlights is very poor and I upgraded my headlamps several years ago. It is possible to do the conversion with the lamps in situ but I decided to do mine by taking out the headlamps entirely and working on the bench. Obviously this involves taking the bumper off but once that is done the job is a whole lot easier because working in the engine bay is so cramped and fiddly. Also my lamps needed new adjusters fitting so the lamps needed taking apart and they also benefited from a machine polish to the outer lens covers which brought them up like new.

I did both my dip and main beams and the kits IIRC cost £35 each and I made sure that they had fast start ballasts which means that the main beam gets to full power almost instantaneously. I opted for 55w lamps with 5k colour- this is just white anything over that starts to go bluish and by the time you hit 8k it is blue. The wiring is simple (well at least I thought so) and the only major modification is to drill into the back covers with a 22mm hole saw to accommodate the wiring.

As far as blinding other road users, with the dip beam this is not an issue because the headlamp has a projector lens which prevents this- the main beam not so but you don't drive at people with those on anyway. The lamps have now gone through 3 MOT tests and passed every time. Obviously like any lamp they need to be properly adjusted and I would say to anyone it is best to replace the crap original adjusters with modified ones when doing this job, because they always fail and then you will have to take the lights out to replace them anyway.

In use the difference is amazing, literally it's like night and day.

Deadloud · June 27, 2015

Stoppit Bezza .... you'll convert me

Bezza · June 27, 2015

Stoppit Bezza .... you'll convert me

https://youtu.be/KSYJZ0rjdDE

Just to give you an idea of the difference HID lights make to your overall vision give the above a quick watch. Not my video I might add because I think my lights are even better! :D

the guardian · June 29, 2015

The light emitted from X type dip beam headlights is very poor and I upgraded my headlamps several years ago. It is possible to do the conversion with the lamps in situ but I decided to do mine by taking out the headlamps entirely and working on the bench. Obviously this involves taking the bumper off but once that is done the job is a whole lot easier because working in the engine bay is so cramped and fiddly. Also my lamps needed new adjusters fitting so the lamps needed taking apart and they also benefited from a machine polish to the outer lens covers which brought them up like new.

I did both my dip and main beams and the kits IIRC cost £35 each and I made sure that they had fast start ballasts which means that the main beam gets to full power almost instantaneously. I opted for 55w lamps with 5k colour- this is just white anything over that starts to go bluish and by the time you hit 8k it is blue. The wiring is simple (well at least I thought so) and the only major modification is to drill into the back covers with a 22mm hole saw to accommodate the wiring.

As far as blinding other road users, with the dip beam this is not an issue because the headlamp has a projector lens which prevents this- the main beam not so but you don't drive at people with those on anyway. The lamps have now gone through 3 MOT tests and passed every time. Obviously like any lamp they need to be properly adjusted and I would say to anyone it is best to replace the crap original adjusters with modified ones when doing this job, because they always fail and then you will have to take the lights out to replace them anyway.

In use the difference is amazing, literally it's like night and day.

thank you philip for your coment above i always thought this was the case so i will go ahead with the upgrade

thanks once again. Ron

DO55MAC · June 29, 2015

Hi Phil.

Do you have a link to the lights you bought? Checking out the options on Amazon, there are so many companies and options available that a recommendation from a satisfied customer will help the final decision.

When it comes to making my purchase, what should I be looking for (I am assuming H1, 55W, 5000K), and what is the expected life?

Thanks for your help,

Mac

Bezza · June 29, 2015

Hi Phil.
Do you have a link to the lights you bought? Checking out the options on Amazon, there are so many companies and options available that a recommendation from a satisfied customer will help the final decision.
When it comes to making my purchase, what should I be looking for (I am assuming H1, 55W, 5000K), and what is the expected life?
Thanks for your help,
Mac

Hi again Mac, hope that you are well.

I'll have to have a dig through paperwork and find where I bought them from. I know they were off a company on eBay because I had them delivered to my local Argos for collection, I remember that much.

As far as longevity mine are over 2 years old now and still going strong, I know people that have had them fitted for twice that time and they are still working, other people may have had a Bulb or ballast fail in shorter time but they are not too expensive to replace as an individual item.

Yes you need H1 fitting and as far as the colour temp I would stick at 4300 or 5000 but no more as they start to look 'chavvy', 55w definitely there's just no point having the lesser wattage.

Virre · June 30, 2015

Hi all!

I am really thinking about upgrading to HID's too, but I have read somewhere that they can trigger a warning light on the dash? Is this the case or does it not apply to Jaguars?

Also, someone has mentioned about upgrading the adjusters on the headlights, where am I able to get hold of them and how much of a pain are they to fit?

Cheers

the guardian · June 30, 2015

just buy the canbus error free ones

ron

Bezza · June 30, 2015

Hi all!

I am really thinking about upgrading to HID's too, but I have read somewhere that they can trigger a warning light on the dash? Is this the case or does it not apply to Jaguars?

Also, someone has mentioned about upgrading the adjusters on the headlights, where am I able to get hold of them and how much of a pain are they to fit?

Cheers

Hi

Some vehicles operate a canbus system which if you fit a lower voltage Bulb such as LED it will trigger a warning light on the dash because it thinks that the Bulb has blown- thankfully the X type doesn't have this system so you can fit such as LED sidelights without a problem and definitely you can fit HID's.

The original adjusters were I think made of cheese or certainly plastic of the poorest quality that will always eventually deteriorate and cause the adjusters to break- this leads to an MOT failure. Jaguar main dealers will not sell you new adjusters because they don't have them available, they can only sell you a new headlamp(s) at the cost of about £360 plus VAT, then if you have to pay them to fit them you can add hundreds more then to the bill because the front bumper definitely has to come off.

Fortunately an enterprising bunch of Poles recognised the need for an economic fix so that what are otherwise perfectly good headlights are not consigned to the bin and they came up with a modified set of adjusters that have steel parts built in them and are pretty much unbreakable- the cost for the adjusters for two lamps is about £20. You can also replace the gear cogs if you want for a few pounds extra.

All these are available on eBay just pop 'x type headlamp adjusters' or similar into the search box to find them. I've now done about half a dozen pairs, including my own and can vouch for the replacements. If you go on You tube and pop in a search for 'X type headlamps' then one of the polish lads has downloaded a video of how to strip down a headlight, take out and replace the old adjusters and put it all back together. It depends on your mechanical skills whether you want to do it yourself but if you're unfamiliar with taking off the bumper for instance, I would allow a weekend to do all the work and be prepared that you may have to angle grind off some of the undertray and splashshield bolts that have to be removed. It's also an idea to soak all bolts prior to starting work with Plusgas to hopefully free any seized ones.

Finally a friend of mine who lives up in Leeds who is an X type nut, does offer a complete headlamp service and will fit at his workshop just off Junction 46 of the M1. On an exchange basis he will supply a set of refurbished lamps fitted with HID dipped beams. The lamps will have new uprated adjusters and the lenses will be machine polished so they look like new. If you wanted to go down that route then PM me and I will get him to make contact with you.

Hope this helps.

the guardian · June 30, 2015

hi phlip

you may wish to ask your mate if he'd like to become a x type trader within the club if he can offer better prices than indy garages or main dealers he could make some members very happy indeed.

ron

Bezza · June 30, 2015

hi phlip
you may wish to ask your mate if he'd like to become a x type trader within the club if he can offer better prices than indy garages or main dealers he could make some members very happy indeed.

ron

Hi Ron

I'll certainly mention it to him. He's a well respected member of two other Jaguar forums and has built a great reputation for service and advice within both forums. He's not a trader as such but a bit more than an enthusiast, if that makes sense? He would certainly be an asset to members here.

Virre · June 30, 2015

HI Bezza

Yes, please help me get in touch with him as I would much prefer to let someone who knows exactly what they are doing to help me,

Cheers!

DO55MAC · June 30, 2015

Phil,

Can you mention that I'd also be interested in getting the job done, obviously dependant on the cost!! How do we contact him, or will you pass on our details?

Cheers,

Mac

Bezza · June 30, 2015

I've PM'd you both with details.

HI Bezza

Yes, please help me get in touch with him as I would much prefer to let someone who knows exactly what they are doing to help me,

Cheers!

Phil,

Can you mention that I'd also be interested in getting the job done, obviously dependant on the cost!! How do we contact him, or will you pass on our details?

Cheers,

Mac

bertieboy9 · June 30, 2015

hi phlip
you may wish to ask your mate if he'd like to become a x type trader within the club if he can offer better prices than indy garages or main dealers he could make some members very happy indeed.

ron

Good evening Ron

I have in fact this evening joined and if I might say looks like a pretty good place to be, I do indeed offer a headlight refurb service, Anyone interested can PM me for details and I can supply before and after pictures, I will say that the 55w 6000k hids are the best in my opinion, They give out optimum light without attracting attention from the local constabulary or the MOT tester!!! I have had them in my car now for 2 years and have refurbed countless sets without issue.