Fog Lights opaque

[petermorjag]

My fog lights on 2005 XK8 convertible are opaque. Has anyone managed to clean them so the glass is clear? If so please advise what you used and best method to do the job, is it best to remove the unit from the bodywork; the owner handbook says "to replace the bulb take it to a Jaguar dealer"; well it would say that wouldn't it! Any help is appreciated.

[J44EAG]

If the dis-colouration is on the outside of the lens and is polycarbonate plastic, with some effort using initially P800 and then P1200 W&D paper together with some course rubbing compound, you will be able to remove the layer of oxidised and tired plastic surface. Older S-type head lamp lens are prone to this issue given age and strong sunlight. Acid compounds used at many car wash emporiums also add to the problem.

You may need several attempts with buffing up to remove the crud. It seems to build up in layers. In my opinion, the older the car becomes, the more frequently you may have to go down these lines to keep up appearances. The alternative is to perhaps replace the units for new if the ones you have fail to restore.

Mike K

[petermorjag]

Thanks for your reply, , however I have made a close inspection and have found that the outside of the lens seems not to be at fault as there is nothing to remove from the glass surface. Perhaps my original query should have referred to the glass having a "milky" and it appears to be on the inside of the lens. It seems very common as I have noticed it on a lot of XK8's where the fog light glass is flush with the bodywork i.e. post 2002/3 when a face lift took place. So the question is whether it is worth the effort of removing the whole lens light/body, or could the inside of the lens be cleaned via removing the bulb and poking a stiff brush etc. What have other members experienced?

[mark3267]

Hi there. Did you ever get to the bottom of this? If so, how?

I have one "milky" fog light and it really annoys me.

Asked about it when I had the car serviced and was told it's quite involved ( therefore expensive ) to replace the whole lamp

[FrankC]

Hi there. Did you ever get to the bottom of this? If so, how?

I have one "milky" fog light and it really annoys me.

Asked about it when I had the car serviced and was told it's quite involved ( therefore expensive ) to replace the whole lamp

I know this is an old post but sometimes out of sight is out of mind.

Try getting a bit of kitchen towel. Some paste metal polish, or even tooth paste, putting a good blob on the paper towel and working it quite hard on to the plastic or glass. If its exterior it should remove the discolouration.

[davidr]

I had this on mine and dismantled the lights to clean the inside which did the trick.

[mark3267]

I had this on mine and dismantled the lights to clean the inside which did the trick.

What year? I've been told that the foglights on the facelift 4.2 models (mines a 2003) are difficult to remove. Is that the case? How did you go about it?

[davidr]

Mine is a 2001 model. The issue is perhaps getting at the lamp in the first place. They are bolted through lugs moulded into the back of the front bumper. Mine are currently off the car as I'm giving it a bit of love including a respray. Getting the fog lamps on the bench would perhaps require removing the bumper first?

[mike020150]

Removing the fog lamps on a 2003 car should be possible after removing the radiator splash shield for access, disconnecting the wiring connector and the three lamp fixings. Mike.

[mark3267]

Removing the fog lamps on a 2003 car should be possible after removing the radiator splash shield for access, disconnecting the wiring connector and the three lamp fixings. Mike.

Thanks Mike. Investigating it as we speak! I've got the workshop manual and it looks like it should be possible assuming I can now find some car ramps wide enough to get the front end lifted. Onwards and upwards - so to speak