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My 1989 Canadian convertible has what I woul;d call 'trapezoidal' headlamps, large single ,irregular shape. Lighting is totally inadequate for such a fast car. Do headlight bulbs age? If so is it simply a question of replacing them or are there other problems.
My lamps have a pilot bulb which does not have a earth rerturn.
Anyone have insight re this please?

Inadequate lighting comes as standard with all XJ-Ss!

However, there are a few things you can try to improve matters.

First, check that the reflectors are not discoloured or rusty. Murky reflectors reduce the output considerably. This is also the case for headlamp lenses. In my case a blown bulb deposited a dusty film on the inside of the glass which neccesitated removal and cleaning of the affected lens. If you find degraded reflectors the only option is replacement with better units, more of which later....
It's interesting that your car seems to be fitted with the european spec lights. I was under the impression that a Canadian car would be fitted with the US spec quad set up and separate side markers. If these lights were fitted by a previous owner for ascetic reasons, it may be worth checking that they dip in the right direction i.e to the right. Mr Prev Owner may have fitted UK lamps in error!

The 65/60 H4 bulbs do not degrade over time, they either work or they don't! Do not touch halogen bulbs with your fingers as this WILL result in premature bulb failure. Oils in the skin will eat into the crystal and weaken the bulb.
Physically check that ALL bulbs are working, main and dip. The bulb failure light in the instrument panel only serves sidelamps, stoplamps and number plate illumination. It will not illuminate if a headlamp bulb goes out.

Okay, assuming reflectors/lenses are clean and clear and that all bulbs are functioning and pointing in the right direction, it may be worth having a garage check the alignment. After a while the front ride height on a big car like the S will drop due to the weight of the engine and wear and tear of the springs. The back end stays relatively unaffected due to the lack of weight (full gas tank and passengers are not common bedfellows of the XJ-S). This will affect the aim of the headlights in the vertical plane effectively shortening their range.
If, after all that you are still not satisfied with the lights you could try more powerful 100w bulbs (illegal on the roads in the UK but Canadian regs may be more forgiving) but I have found that even these are relatively weak when compared to todays Iodine lamps.

Replacement: If you want to keep the 'trapezoidal' lamps then eBay is probably your best bet, but make sure they dip right before purchasing. They will not be cheap though. New units in the UK are @ £150 (c$230) each! This will be reflected in their secondhand value.
Another option is to search your local scrapyards for Quad lamp US spec XJ-S's and purchase the complete units, surrounds, brackets and associated cabling. The 5.25" units seem to give better light and are considerably cheaper to replace when they break than the 'trapezoidal' units.

I hope I have been of assistance. Please let us know how you get on.

best regards

Tel

Further to Tel's very comprehensive thoughts, I'll just add my view.

I agree that the standard lights are not the best feature of the XJS. I have found very big improvements though with replacement bulbs. I originally went for 100w bulbs but then worried myself as to whether it would overburden the wiring so I took them back out. A quick phone call or email to David Marks to elicit his views on the safety of the wiring would probably be helpful.

I then fitted Philips X-treme bulbs and again noticed a huge improvement in light quality and visibility . These are a standard wattage bulb and not expensive. I reckon, pound for pound they are the best improvement you'll make if you don't want to move to a quad light setup.

I know that others have also had good results with various replacement bulbs. Try using the Search function in this BB and also the X308 BB to see other views on this topic.

Another approach could be to fit one of the HID Xenon conversion kits which are on the market and interface with the standard wiring. Good ones have digital ballast units that avoid any of the bulb failure warning messages etc. These have now come right down in price and can be picked up for about £50 for two headlights. I changed the lights on one of my motorbikes using one of these kits and they are fantastic.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Paul

As has already been mentioned, poor lighting is quite common. Just don't drive at night

I had the same problem with my XJS. Removing the headlight units and giving them a good clean inside and out gave some improvement. I then replaced the standard bulbs with some high output but same wattage bulbs; there are various makes available. They are certainly up to standard now and I prefer the look over the twin round types.

Phillips X-Treme are the way to go for best results and ease of conversion.(if you can call creeping under the front wheel arches easy). Tried the Bosch equivalent first then changed to Phillips when they were first marketed and they are by experience and review the best at the moment. Interesting that HID are down in price by £150 ish. They usually have a stand at Newby so expect a crowd. Phillips can be obtained on-line and when last looked at were doing a 2 for 1 offer. www.powerbulbs.com

I have fitted a pair of Halfords Extreme Brilliance H7 uprated lamps to my S-type. 90% extra lux density claimed at the standard road legal 55w power rating. Xenon gas technology.

The extra light claim is justified. I`m well pleased. At £23 for the pair, they are good value and I can recommend the product.

The standard lamps were hopeless.

Mike Kennedy

Hi I have fitted the american spec 4 headlamp setup and incorporated xenon units into each. All four operate on dip and main:the output is fantastic. Because the wattage doesn't change between dip and main you don't get a big contrast in lighting level between dip and main just a longer throw of light on the refocussed main beam. In addition, the bulbs run cooler; requiring only 35 watts each.

Tony

Don't know what's available in Canada but would agree that from a UK perspective.....

Check beam angle
Ensure silvering is OK and if not replace complete headlamp unit.....and
Fit Philips Xtreme bulbs.

This should give you a lighting set-up that matches (at least by 1990's standards) the performance of the car.

Personally I think that the Cibie headlamps are an intrinsic part of the XJS design and I would retain them if you possibly can. Sure you could ditch them and improve the light output but would it be the same?

Good Luck
Tony

I agree with you Tony. I would like to be able to like the quad set up (if that makes sense) and on so many other cars it looks great. But after 25 years of admiring the S, I still can't see that it ever looks 'right' for it - quite the opposite infact. Analysing it, I think its simply the shape of the front wing / bonnet that lends itself to one simple light unit, unlike say the XJ saloons (except XJ40) where the shaping does indeed dictate the quad set up. But I can certainly understand why owners have, in the past at least, changed over to quads given the quality of the standard units. Each to their own of course and no offence intended to those with the quad set up. By the way, I think that Canadian market cars did have the European style lamps, but I could be wrong.

I used to agree about the look of the single headlamp unit. I thought it an intrinsic part of what made the xjs what it is. However, when both lamps decided to rust at the same time, then, both the surrounds broke at the top fixing I had a decision to make. That decision was helped by being told that the pre-facelift surrounds were no longer available. I decided to make the change and managed to get, thanks to Ray at Jaguar Classic Spares, a new-old-stock quad headlamp set up. My reservations at changing the look of the car have completely vanished. The car looks mean, just like a real wild cat, albeit with four eyes and the improvement in lighting is staggering. I work abroad a great deal but when I'm back in the UK the car is driven whatever the weather (it's the only car I own) and I value the comfort the high light output offers. I didn't get my xenon units for £50; I seem to remember they were around £140 including delivery from HIDS4U. (based in Southampton) good service, including a database of your orders (useful if you want to upgrade to 4 from 2 as I did, and can't remember which colour bulbs you ordered two years before) and tech help over the phone.
Each to their own with regard to aesthetic appreciation of the XJS's details there's enough variety throughout the range to keep every one happy. What a car' I've coveted the XJS for years and now I've got one and had it for two years, I still get butterflies when I think about it.