puddle lights for XK's
#61
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I did just that. Pulled the courtesy light (which came right out gently prying from the side with a plastic trim removal tool) and drilled close enough to reach in with my fingers to spin on the lock nuts on the LEDs, but not so close as to interfere with the existing courtesy light.
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Gray XK (04-16-2014)
#63
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Which Tyco quick splice connector did you use?
RED 20-18AWG Tyco Electronics Splice Tap Connectors Nylon 20-18 AWG, 5/Clam-CPGI-53440-9-5 at The Home Depot
![](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/attachments/xk-xkr-x150-33/80695-puddle-lights-xks-f9a97c72-79b1-4e68-aeba-8b9d325b20d6_400.jpg?dateline=1397616428)
or
BLUE 18-14AWG Tyco Electronics Splice Tap Connectors Nylon 18-14 AWG, 5/Clam-CPGI-53440-7-5 at The Home Depot
![](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/attachments/xk-xkr-x150-33/80696-puddle-lights-xks-70e8d51c-4ebf-4892-8068-bd5b501afbcf_400.jpg?dateline=1397616428)
Since the puddle light wires are very thin, I suspect you used the RED smaller size 20-18AWG. I don't have a wire stripper or wire gauge, so I'll bring a puddle light in to HD and measure the wire just to be sure which splice connector to buy.
Great suggestion - sure beats cutting wires and stripping and soldering them. Fast and a good, solid insulated connection.
RED 20-18AWG Tyco Electronics Splice Tap Connectors Nylon 20-18 AWG, 5/Clam-CPGI-53440-9-5 at The Home Depot
![](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/attachments/xk-xkr-x150-33/80695-puddle-lights-xks-f9a97c72-79b1-4e68-aeba-8b9d325b20d6_400.jpg?dateline=1397616428)
or
BLUE 18-14AWG Tyco Electronics Splice Tap Connectors Nylon 18-14 AWG, 5/Clam-CPGI-53440-7-5 at The Home Depot
![](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/attachments/xk-xkr-x150-33/80696-puddle-lights-xks-70e8d51c-4ebf-4892-8068-bd5b501afbcf_400.jpg?dateline=1397616428)
Since the puddle light wires are very thin, I suspect you used the RED smaller size 20-18AWG. I don't have a wire stripper or wire gauge, so I'll bring a puddle light in to HD and measure the wire just to be sure which splice connector to buy.
Great suggestion - sure beats cutting wires and stripping and soldering them. Fast and a good, solid insulated connection.
Generally, these types of taps are notoriously unreliable. They weaken the wire so eventually it may break due to vibration and the connections sometimes go intermittent. Maybe they are OK for something as non-critical as a puddle light, but I highly recommend these taps: Posi-Tap- No Crimp Tap for anything you care about.
I include these in all my kits and the reliability has been excellent. You can usually find them on ebay or Amazon as well as from the mfr.
Last edited by WhiteXKR; 04-16-2014 at 03:52 PM.
#64
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Generally, these types of taps are notoriously unreliable. They weaken the wire so eventually it may break due to vibration and the connections sometimes go intermittent. Maybe they are OK for something as non-critical as a puddle light, but I highly recommend these taps: Posi-Tap- No Crimp Tap for anything you care about.
I include these in all my kits and the reliability has been excellent. You can usually find them on ebay or Amazon as well as from the mfr.
I include these in all my kits and the reliability has been excellent. You can usually find them on ebay or Amazon as well as from the mfr.
That is why I went with soldering the wires then wrapping with electrical tape.
#65
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Nothing beats soldered connections, but the Posi-taps are the next best thing.
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richzak (04-16-2014)
#66
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#69
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The lights are nice though. The case is solid but, as others already stated, the wires are very, very thin. Telecom wires are solid 24 gauge and these are about half as thin (actual wire without the case) so, using inline splice connectors would be an issue.
I didn't feel like cutting in to the wire harness so what I did was cut off the excess wire behind the resistors and soldered on some 16 gauge wire instead. That was covered with heat shrink then connected to the wire harness with inline splice connectors and wrapped up with some electrical tape.
There was plenty of room to install them without pulling off the door panels - just be careful when drilling the holes to make sure you don't punch through and nick the wire harness with the drill bit.
The hole saw that comes with in the package is just a wee bit too small. A Dremel with a sanding bit takes care of that in a few seconds though.
Total install time was about an hour. (I left the puddle lights connected but I pulled the bulbs before I put them back in)
With the garage lights on
![](http://asphoto.smugmug.com/photos/i-4MhVVS5/0/XL/i-4MhVVS5-XL.jpg)
Outside in relative darkness
![](http://asphoto.smugmug.com/photos/i-7QwKpHz/0/XL/i-7QwKpHz-XL.jpg)
Last edited by Gray XK; 04-20-2014 at 08:59 AM.
#70
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Looks great. I have the same. I have now been fiddling with this for 3 weeks. Driver side no issue, passenger side when I have both lights on the come on and go off immediately. Either one alone works just fine. i will also pull the bulb on both sides and just go with the new logo puddles lights.
That is after bloody fingertips and torn fingernails form pulling the plug from the stock puddle lights repeatedly while troubleshooting the odd on off behavior..... tststs
That is after bloody fingertips and torn fingernails form pulling the plug from the stock puddle lights repeatedly while troubleshooting the odd on off behavior..... tststs
#71
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Looks great. I have the same. I have now been fiddling with this for 3 weeks. Driver side no issue, passenger side when I have both lights on the come on and go off immediately. Either one alone works just fine. i will also pull the bulb on both sides and just go with the new logo puddles lights.
That is after bloody fingertips and torn fingernails form pulling the plug from the stock puddle lights repeatedly while troubleshooting the odd on off behavior..... tststs
That is after bloody fingertips and torn fingernails form pulling the plug from the stock puddle lights repeatedly while troubleshooting the odd on off behavior..... tststs
The plug or harness that goes into the OEM courtesy light was 2 release clips (one on each side) and the plug just pulls out, very easy. The puddle lights I bought have a Cree LED diode wired into the puddle light housing/cylinder, there are no light bulbs to check or unscrew.
I have to suspect that somewhere you have a bad connection from the puddle light wiring into the power wiring that serves the OEM courtesy light.
The wiring on the puddle lights are very thin to extremely thin, and could break quite easily.
I suggest to use "solder" to the wires from the puddle lights to the courtesy wiring to complete the wiring and wrap with electrical tape.
Electrical wire taps may not work properly due to the thin wiring of the puddle lights.
#72
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That's weird. It sounds like some auto shut off triggered by the higher wattage of the combination? But the LED should draw so little as to be barely noticeable. That's the first problem anybody's had with these things that I've read.
#73
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I have noticed that one of my puddle light Jaguar logos has a tendency to rotate position, after opening and closing the door. The puddle light cylinder that inserts into the door is secure.
My question is.....Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone know what is in the cylinder to make the Jaguar logo? Could it be a removable logo disc that is inserted into the cylinder but is loose?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any response that might help myself and other Jaguar owners.
My question is.....Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone know what is in the cylinder to make the Jaguar logo? Could it be a removable logo disc that is inserted into the cylinder but is loose?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any response that might help myself and other Jaguar owners.
#74
![Default](/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I have noticed that one of my puddle light Jaguar logos has a tendency to rotate position, after opening and closing the door. The puddle light cylinder that inserts into the door is secure.
My question is.....Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone know what is in the cylinder to make the Jaguar logo? Could it be a removable logo disc that is inserted into the cylinder but is loose?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any response that might help myself and other Jaguar owners.
My question is.....Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone know what is in the cylinder to make the Jaguar logo? Could it be a removable logo disc that is inserted into the cylinder but is loose?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any response that might help myself and other Jaguar owners.
I had the same problem with one I installed. My problem was the internal lens with the image. There are several lens in the light. I forget exactly what I did to correct the problem. However, I did carefully take the light apart and reassemble it so the image would not move. When I bought my lights I ordered 2 extra sets just in case one of the lights went bad. For the cost they are disposable. Also, if the light is not inserted tight and locked in place the complete unit could move. The image lens was my problem.
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richzak (04-27-2014)
#75
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Looks great. I have the same. I have now been fiddling with this for 3 weeks. Driver side no issue, passenger side when I have both lights on the come on and go off immediately. Either one alone works just fine. i will also pull the bulb on both sides and just go with the new logo puddles lights.
That is after bloody fingertips and torn fingernails form pulling the plug from the stock puddle lights repeatedly while troubleshooting the odd on off behavior..... tststs
That is after bloody fingertips and torn fingernails form pulling the plug from the stock puddle lights repeatedly while troubleshooting the odd on off behavior..... tststs
I had this problem with my sold 175. Again, I forget what I did to correct the problem. I did one of the following:
1. I tightened the screw on cap to ensure good contact with terminals.
2. I reinstalled checking my connections.
3. I replaced the bad light.
The lights are so inexpensive it is worth having an extra set on hand if needed.
Since I installed them in my 2013 XKR when I got it I never had a problem after fixing the initial lens problem I mentioned in the post above.
#76
![Default](/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I have noticed that one of my puddle light Jaguar logos has a tendency to rotate position, after opening and closing the door. The puddle light cylinder that inserts into the door is secure.
My question is.....Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone know what is in the cylinder to make the Jaguar logo? Could it be a removable logo disc that is inserted into the cylinder but is loose?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any response that might help myself and other Jaguar owners.
My question is.....Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone know what is in the cylinder to make the Jaguar logo? Could it be a removable logo disc that is inserted into the cylinder but is loose?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any response that might help myself and other Jaguar owners.
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richzak (04-27-2014)
#77
![Default](/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I had the same problem with one I installed. My problem was the internal lens with the image. There are several lens in the light. I forget exactly what I did to correct the problem. However, I did carefully take the light apart and reassemble it so the image would not move. When I bought my lights I ordered 2 extra sets just in case one of the lights went bad. For the cost they are disposable. Also, if the light is not inserted tight and locked in place the complete unit could move. The image lens was my problem.
#79
![Default](/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
has any one seen the jaguar puddle lights with the R logo, would look good i think. Was thinking of putting one over the rear self, inserted in the roof lining and wired to the sidelights, would shine down on the self and look good through the rear window, would switch off when lights are switched off, what do you think, good or bad idea.
#80
![Default](/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
has any one seen the jaguar puddle lights with the R logo, would look good i think. Was thinking of putting one over the rear self, inserted in the roof lining and wired to the sidelights, would shine down on the self and look good through the rear window, would switch off when lights are switched off, what do you think, good or bad idea.
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powerhouse (05-22-2014)