XJ XJ8 / XJR ( X308 ) 1997 - 2003

Replacing Jaguar emblems on sides of fenders with lenses and lights?

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  #1  
Old 03-29-2015 | 06:41 PM
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Default Replacing Jaguar emblems on sides of fenders with lenses and lights?

I think Ive read about this somewhere before but now I cant find it. When I look up side marker lights, I come up with posts about the lenses in the bumpers. What I am wondering is are the rectangular Jaguar symbols on the fenders, on either side of the car wired underneath for bulbs? If so, what lenses do I need to buy to use them as side marker lights to replace the Jaguar badges? Any help would be appreciated. I dont want to tear one off and risk breaking old brittle plastic in the hopes of finding wires and a bulb holder under there. Would be nice to know ahead of time if thats what Ill find and to have parts in hand to replace them with.
 
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Old 03-30-2015 | 06:32 AM
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The right side is already wired, actually plugged in the back of the leaper, you have to wire the left side to the front turn signal.

Orange colored replacement indicators (they are called "side markers" in England) are a direct fit for the leapers and can be purchased on Ebay, usually from England because they were not installed on US spec cars. They snap in with the two metal clips mounted on each one. Removal of the leapers is best done with a plastic tool to avoid marring the paint.

You can use the white trunk lights, but they don't have the metal mounting clips so you may have to do some creative fabrication or try to buy the clips separately.

There are some threads on this, might have to search a bit more.

I did mine, easy job, nice results.

Vector
 

Last edited by Vector; 03-30-2015 at 06:37 AM.
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  #3  
Old 03-30-2015 | 10:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Vector
The right side is already wired, actually plugged in the back of the leaper, you have to wire the left side to the front turn signal.

Orange colored replacement indicators (they are called "side markers" in England) are a direct fit for the leapers and can be purchased on Ebay, usually from England because they were not installed on US spec cars. They snap in with the two metal clips mounted on each one. Removal of the leapers is best done with a plastic tool to avoid marring the paint.

You can use the white trunk lights, but they don't have the metal mounting clips so you may have to do some creative fabrication or try to buy the clips separately.

There are some threads on this, might have to search a bit more.

I did mine, easy job, nice results.

Vector
not 100% correct. Some years of the X300 had them in the USA,so you can find them here
 
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Old 03-30-2015 | 09:22 PM
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Originally Posted by luc
not 100% correct. Some years of the X300 had them in the USA,so you can find them here
I'll take your word that the 300's will swap with a 308, but....

All I can say is "good luck." I couldn't find any in decent condition here, but they are recently made, plentiful and relatively cheap across the pond, including shipping costs.

The problem is that the exposed lenses are usually weathered and the unfinished metal clips rust and tend to fall to pieces when you try to install them if you take one from a 20+ year old 300.
Vector
 
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Old 03-31-2015 | 01:53 PM
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The lights in the boot ( trunk ) can also be used if you want the clear lens look.
 
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Old 03-31-2015 | 05:40 PM
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Originally Posted by Vector
I'll take your word that the 300's will swap with a 308, but....
They're the same, but new from the UK ebay site is a much better solution since
they come with a new bulb and bulb holder for not much money at all.
 
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Old 03-31-2015 | 08:43 PM
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Originally Posted by plums
They're the same, but new from the UK ebay site is a much better solution since
they come with a new bulb and bulb holder for not much money at all.
Most also come with at both electrical plugs, plug retaining clips and cut wires attached, just ask for them. You will only need one since the right side is already there, but if you ask for two you may get one.
Vector
 
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Old 03-31-2015 | 08:55 PM
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Originally Posted by andrew lowe
The lights in the boot ( trunk ) can also be used if you want the clear lens look.
They don't have the metal clip you need to retain them in the fender, I know, I tried this approach.

If anyone can get the clips and wants some white boot lights, I have two I would sell for what I paid for them.
Vector
 
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Old 03-31-2015 | 09:11 PM
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Did not know that.


The car I saw was over here in the UK, so I assume he used the metal clip from the orange original .
 
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Old 03-31-2015 | 11:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Vector
Most also come with at both electrical plugs, plug retaining clips and cut wires attached, just ask for them.
I was referring to NIB(new in box) items which do not have any old harness to cut.

At two for $40 shipped, playing with old parts is not an attractive proposition.
 
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Old 04-01-2015 | 06:11 AM
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Originally Posted by plums
I was referring to NIB(new in box) items which do not have any old harness to cut.

At two for $40 shipped, playing with old parts is not an attractive proposition.
You still need at least one plug/wiring for the left side, but I guess you can source that separately?
Vector
 
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Old 04-01-2015 | 08:03 AM
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Just regular small spade connectors, some shrink wrap and silicone after replacing
the incandescent bulbs with LED. With LED's, the likelihood of having to
dig out the silicone is slim to none.

The wiring is non-standard anyways as the lights are wired function as
both markers and flashers depending on turn signal operation.
 
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Old 04-01-2015 | 12:33 PM
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Can someone actually point me to sets of them? Im not finding them on Ebay, I must be searching incorrectly. Id prefer clear if I can buy them that way without buying 2 of them + 2 additional trunk lenses. But I cant find the actual lenses and housings that are supposed to clip right in. Also, for the drivers side which youll have to wire yourself, are the wires right behind that part of the fender or do they need to be fished out from somewhere?
 
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Old 04-01-2015 | 07:50 PM
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Here they are: eBay item number:181703157430. These are in nice condition, but don't say they come with the bulb or wired socket which you will need at least for the left side as was previously pointed out.

I did this conversion about 2 years ago, and it works great. No need to cut anything or drill any holes. To me the main benefit is a higher degree of visibility when changing lanes.
 
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Old 04-02-2015 | 05:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Muti007
Also, for the drivers side which you'll have to wire yourself, are the wires right behind that part of the fender or do they need to be fished out from somewhere?
No wires are there on the left side for US cars, you have to wire it to the front turn signal light mounted in the bumper and run the wires behind the wheel well liner. You have to remove the front tire and liner and then the wires to the signal are clearly visible just behind the bumper. Find the correct two wires with a meter or simple lighted tester, test it, hook it up, put it all back together and you are good to go.

It is always a good idea to disconnect the battery before doing any work on the electrical system on our cars, so after you have found the correct wires to splice into, disconnect the battery, splice and then hook it back up to test and finish.
Vector
 
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  #16  
Old 04-02-2015 | 09:39 AM
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Old 04-02-2015 | 11:03 AM
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Yes, those will fit, but if I am seeing the pictures correctly, it appears that the metal clips needed to hold them to the fender are missing. Since I doubt these clips are sold separately, you may need to either scavenge them from an old amber pair, or engineer some other mounting solution.
 
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Old 04-02-2015 | 11:07 AM
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Thank you. Would my Jaguar emblems have the metal clips so I could just swap them over?
 
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Old 04-03-2015 | 04:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Muti007
Thank you. Would my Jaguar emblems have the metal clips so I could just swap them over?
No, IIRC, either there are no clips on the leaper or they will not interchange with the ones on the lighted marker.
Vector
 
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Old 04-03-2015 | 04:51 AM
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Youre right, I pulled them off today. But some of the lenses Ive seen for sale have plastic tabs on both sides of the lens, rather than the top and bottom tabs. I ordered a set of clear lenses like that, will let you know how they work out. The X308 has tabs top and bottom that hold them in. The older cars have tabs left and right of the lenses. Hopefully, they will still fit right and stay on.
 

Last edited by Muti007; 04-03-2015 at 04:54 AM.


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