European headlight adjust

[Xk john]

I will be registering my 2011 XK in France and will need to change the headlight direction for left hand drive. Looking on the internet it appears the XF has a lever that can be moved to change the headlight direction, has anyone any info on this - is there any instructions anywhere. I do not want to buy two replacement headlights if at all possible....dread to think of the cost.

[tony rigby]

 YouYou need to gain access to the "Touring Lever" for each headlamp.

Looking at Page 68 of the owners manual, this appears to be part of the Bulb mount.

[Xk john]

A very helpful lady at Jaguar informs me that apparently my model does not have the lever - see below:

Thank you for your email dated 9th February 2020.

 

I note your question regarding the headlights on your Jaguar XK when driving in France. I have taken this opportunity to liaise with our Technical Team and they have advised your vehicle headlights are of the bi xenon type. Therefore, they are a flat beam and do not require adjustment, hence the lever not being present.

I hope this answers your question and should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Sharon Casey

Customer Solutions Executive

UK Customer Experience Centre

 

Superb service from Jaguar Customer Care Centre for both my recent queries.

[tony rigby]

If it was me, I'd still take the cover off and have a look with my MK1 Eyeball.

[G2EOF]

I have a 2010 XK with bi xenons and the lever is definitely there as described. Easy to access and move. Poor advice from Jaguar, xenon beams are NOT flat, they are raised on the near side (left hand side in the UK), flicking the lever flattens the beam so this doesn't blind oncoming drivers when driving on the 'opposite' side of the road.

[Mark Five]

I'm in the process of buying a 2006 XK, and while I'm waiting to collect it I've been reading through the 2008 owner's manual. On this topic I see that the headlamp units need to be removed completely if you want to flick the lever or even change a Bulb. Is that correct, or can it be done without taking the unit out?

[XKJon]

June 8th - France. Well Jaguar were wrong and my XK must have levers as the car has just failed the Controlle Technique (MOT) here in France that I need to change the registration to France. So G2EOF is spot on, I will now investigate the lever situation and hopefully return to the test station for a pass!!

Thanks for the comments and advice. 

[Richard Sarre]

Hi John

I will be having the same problem shortly with a post-2006 XKR which I'll be importing into France from the UK.  Did you manage to resolve the problem and pass the CT?

Thanking you kindly in advance if you're able to help.

Cheers

[Andy_K]

Hello,

I have a 2013 XKR and have spent hours trawling sites, forums, user guides, techpubs etc...
I imported mine last year, thankfully the guy doing the French MOT said "well its a UK car so I didn't test the lights". 

So in fact I was able to get the paper I needed to register the car and now have a 2 year breathing space before the next test !

What I found was:

• There are a mind boggling number of combinations of headlamp, Bulb and configurations for the front light
• Jaguar don't know the answer despite providing them with the VIN number
• There isn't an easy way for the novice to work out what is fitted or what to do about it

How to find out if you need to change your headlights

• Park against a wall - maybe 5 feet away (just over a meter if you want to be European)
• Look at the shape of the beam.
• If it kicks up at one side - then the lights have to be fixed.
• This isn't just lowering the beam - there is a deflector plate inside the headlamp itself with a ledge cut in it to deflect the beam.

Now... how to do this

• Remove the bumper (Yes you do - or have a magical touch like Harry Houdini to wiggle out the light)
• Open the lens by baking it in oven
• Remove the beam deflector
• Fit european ones that you can buy on e-bay
• Reassemble
• Rebake in the oven to seal everything off
• Put it all back together again

Or  try these guys - a bit pricy but a lot easier...

https://www.reflektorklinik.de/

I should start this in February - but now I have to find a jack that will go under the sill cos its a tiny bit low !

Best

Andy