Well, I searched the forum to see if it has already been done, but could not find this specific topic for my 2011 XF sedan (saloon).

So to start with, I have no complaint with the standard high beam with the H7 halogen bulbs, but since swapping the originals out with Phillips Extreme Vision halogen bulbs, the occasional replacement seems to occur more frequently as a cost for the extra brightness and viewing distance.

I have been a long fan of LED bulb upgrades due to the lower power consumption and higher lumun/lux levels so I have been waiting patiently for the correct format/style of LED to arrive that is suitable for a direct replacement of the standard H7 halogen bulb.

Enter the GTR Lighting Gen 3 LEDs! I acquired a pair of these from a USA dealer, Headlight Revolution https://headlightrevolution.com/
These arrived and at first I could not fit them as the standard H7 bulb base is rectangular and the LED is 19 mm circular. So then I had to wait a further two weeks for an adaptor for arrive from China. Here is a pic of the two items needed to do the install:



H7 LED Bulb and Adaptor

The next part was to remove the headlight assembly ( three 10 mm bolts and headlight harness) and for those with Xenon low beams, the headlight washer hose needed a bucket underneath to collect about 1 litre of water that flows out if your water reservoir is full. I did a trial fit one side and check power to ensure it worked. Some photos of the trial fit:



Stock headlight assembly with H7 high beam bulb removed, LED Driver cable plugged into stock high beam bulb connector.

Next came the fitting of the H7 metal adaptor over the LED barrel collar and then into the base of the high beam socket:



Metal Adaptor fitted over plastic LED barrel socket for fitting into the high beam housing.



Metal Adaptor and LED barrel socket mated.

Then installing the mated Adaptor and LED barrel socket into the H7 bulb position:



Mated Adaptor correctly installed with the metal tabs seated firmly under the screws. Can also see the keyed slots inside the LED barrel socket.



The keyed slots are at a 45 degree angle from vertical or horizontal. Stock tension on the screws were not changed. Would need a special star head screw driver to do so.

Next I connected all of the cabling, LED driver to the standard H7 bulb connector, and the LED Driver to the LED H7 bulb:



LED driver cable connected to standard H7 connector. The standard H7 connector was not modified at all to facilitate return to standard halogens if needed.



All connections made. The LED driver connection to the LED bulb was hanging out of view. It was keyed and once located, it slid into place with firm pressure.

Next was the fitting of the LED bulb into the mated and mounted LED Barrel socket. Again this is keyed and once you slid it al the way forward, rotate 45 degrees. LEDs are oriented horizontally, that is the throw light to the left and right inside the reflector.



LED bulb on a 45 degree angle as it goes in.



Then rotate 45 degrees clockwise until you feel a slight click. Light finger tight force needed, not ultra male hormone tight!

Tested the connectivity and colour etc:



Drivers side (left of pic) done. Looks whiter than the left and also considerably brighter, though hard to see in the pic.

Now to mount the LED driver and secure the cabling inside the headlight assembly:



The LED driver was secured with a double sided sticky pad that came with the kit.



The cables were routed around the top of the outside of the high beam reflector. The other cables were bunched together and tied with a single plastic tie, also provided with the kit.

So, all done now, rinse and repeat on the other side!

Some shots of the completed with a before and after comparison of the colour versus the stock halogen:



This was the stock halogen high beam and stock Xenon low beam on the passenger side of a RHD vehicle. It was such a contrast, I could notice it while driving.



The drivers side of a RHD vehicle with the new LED in the high beam. Colour matches well.

The finished job:



And here are a couple of shots from the garage at night with a neighbours fence directly opposite.



Low beam Xenon HIDs, stock on my vehicle.



High beam with both Xenon and LEDs active. You can almost smell the fence burning! LoL

All bulbs close to the same colour. LEDS look brighter but that could be the angle of view.

All work done at my local mechanics workshop X3E Motorsports in about one hour including trial fit etc, as I was unsure about what issues I would find during the install and is always nice to be somewhere where all the tools are available.

Ivan at x3e has done all of my scheduled servicings on the Jag since I got it and has assisted with most of the mods, so if you are in Melbourne, look him up. Back on topic now...

All in all, very satisfied with the new high beam. Not cheap acquiring the bulbs out of USA, but I am happy at this point. Now to see how long they last...

 

Did you get the adapter from the same supplier of the bulbs?

 

Apologies Shark, I thought I did include the link to the adaptor but in review I can see that I missed it.

The adaptor came from a separate supplier in China via eBay:

H7 LED Headlight Bulbs Adapters Holders Retainers Mercedes C E ML CLK GLA GL GLS | eBay

I trust this helps. There are several suppliers of the same item from China so I expect this is a common adaptor for 19 mm LED bulbs into standard Hella headlight mounds.

I have also been in dialogue with another Jag enthusiast via his YouTube post, Hilton, from South Africa, and his headlight housing is different to mine. So, on that note, my recommendation to any how are about to embark
in this mod is, remove one of your headlight assemblies and do a detailed photographic analysis and comparison to the pictures in this post so you don't end up with items that do not fit your vehicle. The best 30 minute inspection you'll ever undertake.

 

Great write up. I will try to do this mod soon. You really did a lot to help me figure it out. Thanks!