Installing Ambient Lights - Jaguar XFR - Phase 1

[@mygodisable2]

There you go again Hilton. The MaGyver of Jags. Very creative.

[@carfanfan]

LoL 🤣 thanks Debbs 🤗

[@mygodisable2]

@@carfanfan 😆👍

[@bigsquatchsasfoot1964]

Wow ..wonderful Hilton very impressed didn’t think a jag dash could look any more classy but you’ve just proved you most certainly can , I shall defo be having a good think about doing this to mine thanks bud 👍

[@carfanfan]

Thanks man, I've inserted links to the items I used in the description below the video ;)

[@bigsquatchsasfoot1964]

Your a star thanks bud 🙏👍

[@hallyfella]

Well worth the effort . Good job Hilton Jag could learn a thing or two !!

[@carfanfan]

Thanks Keith ;)

[@richarddoran3877]

Very good. Still retains its classy looks.

[@indjanek]

lots of work, gosh... but it looks awesome Hilton, great job!

[@carfanfan]

Thanks Artur. Now for the doors 😱

[@nikKki112]

Looks great. After struggling for a few hours to install the frontside illuminated thread plates on my XF , I guess I don't have the confidence for starting a project like this. Or maybe I'll watch the video few more times :D

[@carfanfan]

Hey Alin, I've inserted links to the items I used in the description below ;)

[@colmoconnor1349]

Another great tutorial....Cheers Hilton.

[@andrewg3611]

Just to let you know I have a x250 2011 3.0d S is pretty rapid but not as quick as yours. I love the way these jags drive and am looking forward to making more modifications.

[@nevillefletcher7518]

A Great and very informative video. Thanks so much !

[@anthonyvening8642]

A really good job - thanks so much for showing us the blow by blow instructions. The cool blue light under the wooden strip looks a really good match to the original blue, and I would really appreciate the Ali Express link. Why did you go for the darker blue in the footwells? Thanks again for a class job!

[@carfanfan]

Thanks Anthony. I wanted a contrast to the cool blue because it can get boring as I experienced in my X260 when I made everything cool blue. The contrast of light blue at the top and dark blue at the bottom really adds to the overall look and breaks the monotony. 😉

[@M135iboost]

Looks great

[@carlossaez9389]

Hi Hilton, buddy the music in your videos is mind blowing i absolutely love it, do you produce it? do you have channel or anywhere , i can listen to it?

[@carfanfan]

Thanks Carlos. I wish I could take the credit for the music in this video, but its not mine. KZbin provide creators with a library of music they can use for free on their channels and all the music in this particular video came from that library. I do sometimes use my own music, but the style is a bit different. If you want, you can pop over to my music channel and check out some of my own stuff there kzbin.info/door/XXHehge63NHtw9GpdxkOWwvideos

[@mubarakx351]

Nice job bro 👌🏼

[@tongaming9402]

can you make a video on its interior features

[@andrewg3611]

Just spent 6 hours trying to install my ambient lighting. I was attempting to power the inverter (for the el wire) and the LEDs off the feed from the blue and white wire. I think the inverter was causing some sort of interference because the LEDs were flashing and the led controller was not functioning properly. So after 6 hours all I have is one strip of el wire on my dashboard lol 😤🤣

[@carfanfan]

Oh no that doesn't sound good. Check your ground and try swapping the led wires ground and positive as it might only have single polarity.

[@andrewg3611]

@@carfanfan I have given up now as I found it difficult to stick the LEDs under the footwell. I cut some carpet out but it was very tight. My ground was fine I think as they were working but then everytime I turned the car and off they would play up. At least I didn't break anything! Altho the pillar cover I lost the screw when I went to put it back so had to use one I had in my toolbox!

[@carfanfan]

@@andrewg3611 you won't believe me, but I lost that a pillar bolt too. It fell into the depths of obscurity never to be found again. 🤣. Luckily I have many spares lying around just like you 😉

[@andrewg3611]

@@carfanfan 🤣 mine went into a black hole too, I heard it fall and could not find it. I lifted all the carpet up and there's some many wires along there and an ecu it looks like. I was so annoyed! 😁

[@AndrewKNI]

Hello Hilton. Hows things in Jagland? Great video and superb effect on the XF. I love blue lighting. Very cool :-)

[@carfanfan]

Andrew! Where the hell you been? So nice to hear from you. Hope you are doing well that side of the world.

[@AndrewKNI]

@@carfanfan Hi. Its been a busy few weeks here, and time is just flying by. All grand here but we are still in a sort of lockdown. Good to see the ongoing enhancements to the XF. It's gorgeous in white ;-) My Tucson is going well, and I have been impressed by the new model which to me is the real successor to the ix35 (mark 2 Tucson in some countries). It's quite pricey though, as it has gone mild hybrid. Hope you have a great evening :-)

[@JoePineappless]

Looks fantastic, I'm not sure I would attempt this though. Scared of breaking something to be honest.

[@carfanfan]

LoL - thanks Jeff. I'm pretty sure with some patience you'd be able to pull this off yourself. You just need lots of time to do it and prepping that loom before you start taking the car apart helps in reducing the time taken.

[@theevilnen]

@@carfanfan Hello, Recently I've tried to locate the Inverter locally and it appears it is widely available already brought from China to Poland retailer and it has a TERRIBLE opinion. Pretty much 2 of 5 Inverters stop working instantly after 3-15 minutes, getting hot and noisy. There are a lot of photos of them burned and smoking. Please let us know what do You think and given an update. PS. Not willing to scare You. I've already ordered mine EL, LEDs and Inverters from ebay/ali and at the moment preparing to install them ;)

[@carfanfan]

@@theevilnen hey. I've had my inverters in my car a while now and now issues. They all work fine. There is a faint hum which is normal but they haven't smoked or caught fire or stopped working.

[@mohamedtoufahi4325]

hello hilton i have a question i want to mount the led light under the dash i saw on your video clip that you have taken the power from the sunroof panel there is no other place i can take it, you did it perfectly for your xf R thanks

[@carfanfan]

Thanks Mo. It really works a treat and I have run all my cables from that one cable by splitting them with little plugs. Makes it easier to add more lighting as you go along later in time.

[@mohamedtoufahi4325]

Thanks 🙏 for the information

[@pauljohnston712]

Great job, looks like an E-class. I really like the EL strip on the dash blade and would like to try something similar. Do you know if the light can be dimmed by varying the voltage? I think it might be a liability on unlit roads. It would be perfect if it could be wired into the instrument dimmer. Have you seen the jaguar logo projector puddle lamps ? I have those in the footwear projecting down alongside blue leds, I think it walks a fine line of cool / tacky but others have them projecting up onto the roof lining. Keep up the good work.

[@carfanfan]

Hey Paul, because I tapped into the overhead console's main light supply wire, all my ambient lighting dims with the dimmer. I will demonstrate it in a future video when I do the door cards ;)

[@pauljohnston712]

@@carfanfan Awesome, I hadn't realised that - definitely have to try this. Have you seen Dennis Blackstock's channel re the carplay install ?

[@carfanfan]

@@pauljohnston712 Yes I have actually. I referred one of my subscribers to his channel when he asked me to do a video on it. This is not something I'll be doing soon, but will look into later this year. Dennis did a very good video on how to install it, so hopefully it helps anyone wanting to do it now. Not sure I'll do a video on how to since Dennis already did one, but will probably do a post video of it already installed.

[@rajaakhan3876]

@@carfanfan can't wait for the door cards so I can watch your video and do mine.. love your videos 🤗

[@andrewg3611]

Would you recommend a scotch lock to tap into the blue and white wire or just expose the wires and then twist the new wire around and use insulating tape to finish it off

[@carfanfan]

Expose and twist is safer. Those scotch locks can be hit and miss and end up cutting the wire altogether. I just don't trust them. 😉

[@THA6reat1]

Woooooooow 😳😲 very amazing 😁 😁 you think it's possible I kin ship my car to you ☺️ 😂😂😂 man I have to say you do a great job every time no complaints from me but 10 Stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for a job great well done ...✅mate ....

[@carfanfan]

Thanks so much. I'm working on how to do the rear doors as I tried to film it a week ago but ran into a snag. The rear doors have a door control module into which all the electrics plug into, including the rear window switch, so it's not possible to tap into that for power. I'm not considering running a wire through the body of the car into the door to provide my own power source from my original loom I created to do the footwells :D

[@THA6reat1]

@@carfanfan great great you inspire me with everything you do to your cars mainly your Jags ... 👍👍👍

[@jaguarbelgium-BE]

Good job bro! Do you plan to install a "Carplay" navigation? If so, I am a taker 💪

[@carfanfan]

Thanks my friend. I'm thinking about it. Might see later this year, 2nd quarter 😉

[@iLoveTheseRemoras]

I may have missed it, by why not connect to the power lead of the footwell ambient light instead of all the way to the roof panel? Is it not accessible or too thin wire?

[@carfanfan]

@@iLoveTheseRemoras because the footwell lights only turn on when you open the door. In addition, connecting to a light source such as the overhead console allows one to dim the ambient lights using the dimmer on the dash.

[@TheCr9russland]

It looks so beautiful! Very good job. Have you connected 3 red wires on one side of the plug with the black wire at the opposite side and the other way around 3 black wires with red wire ?

[@carfanfan]

Yes. There are two main wires that lead to a main plug (namely black negative and red positive) the red one on this plug comes from the overhead console giving life to the system. The female end of the plug has 6 wires connected to it (3 red and 3 black) as these split out to my dash and two seats for under seat lighting. I used little plugs at the end of these 3 suppliers where my lights plug into. This future proofs the system so if any light fails, I can simply unplug it at the spot where its situated and plug a new light in its place without having to undo all the work I did in the first place ;)

[@TheCr9russland]

@@carfanfan Thank you for answering! Yeah I saw what you did and explained about the future system. That was not what I mean🙁 at 9:33 you are showing us the connected plug... at the top side 6 small wires ( left 3 red and right 3 black) and at the other side you have connected these two main wires (one from the lights at the top/one from the car body). Have you connected 3 small red wires on the left with 1 main black wire (car body) and 3 small black wires on the right with 1 main red wire(from lightning console) ? I want to install the same, but without the seat lights, only cockpit. :))

[@carfanfan]

@@TheCr9russland Hey, no each side has the same amount of wires. So for drivers, the main loom red and black connect to the main connector. I You then want to run all your plugs to the other side of that connector, 3 red, and 3 black. One for drivers foot well, one for passenger foot well and one for dash EL lights under the wood trim. Good luck 😉

[@andrewg3611]

I've just ordered all the bits. I am going to do it slightly different to you though. When you wired it up to the dome lights up top, do the lights come on when the headlights turn on. I want my el lights to only come on when the headlights automatically switch on. Is there a feed I can take off for this to happen? For example take it off the dimmer switch perhaps ?

[@carfanfan]

Hey. I think it was a blue and white wire I tapped into in the overhead console. That wire will ensure the El lights only come on when the headlights turn on. In addition, the El lights will dim when you dim all the interior lights using the dimmer switch. I would not recommend tapping into the dimmer itself.

[@andrewg3611]

@@carfanfan thanks so much for replying that helps alot. I am doing the plug thing that you did as I don't have the tools or knowledge. I have ordered some bits off a UK suppliers as I live in the UK. I'm hoping that I can figure everything out. I really appreciate you helping me and I love your videos!

[@sirrkerbin2525]

Hi Hilton. Have you any instructions or links to the construcion as in lenths and wire gauge of the major loom to supply your front and rear ambient under-seat lighting. Ideally, would be to have one feed with several low wattage drawing ports controlled from the headlight activation. Buy another JAG mate, you know you want to. lol TIA.

[@carfanfan]

I bought a rill of 18 gauge wire on Aliexpress. 10m should be enough to do your main loom as well as for your smaller wires you're going to mate to your main loom. Everything is low wattage if you're tapping into your overhead console. The amps are only 10amp so it's very low all the way to your connectors and finally your lights. I never had a fuse blow as a result as all the lights used were 12v

[@sirrkerbin2525]

@@carfanfan One more question, just to be a PITA. Why did you choose the blue/white wire in the overhead unit to splice your switching wire? Is there not a fuse or another link option under the dash? If I don't ask... Unrelated, as I am a 63yo old fart I am warming to your music. You have a gift. Again TIA.

[@carfanfan]

@@sirrkerbin2525 Ask away my friend. I chose to tap into the button lighting so that when I use the dimmer at night to dim all the lighting in the car such as yhe buttons and instrument cluster my ambient lighting dims as well.

[@andrewg3611]

What does the blue and white wire actually control and why does it come on and off with the headlights. Would just be nice to know 😁

[@carfanfan]

It feeds the buttons in the over head with light. So when you turn on the headlights the buttons light up.

[@ChiSoxsFan4Life]

Notification Squad 👍🏽

[@joshb9657]

So by connecting to the blue/white wire the lights only come on at night? Ive connected mine to the AUX in the fuse board but they are on in the day, is there another fuse that can be tapped into? or is the blue/white wire the only one you know of? Thanks again for your inspiration

[@carfanfan]

I've always hardwired mine in and the blue and white wire is the easiest way to do it. That would be your switched live wire and you can run the negative/ground to a bolt lower down in the dash. So the ambient lights are then linked to all the jnterior lights of the car and only work when you turn on the headlights. In addition they will also dim when you use the dimmer switch.

[@joshb9657]

@@carfanfan worked a treat and was seriously impressed when it dimmed them too, thanks for giving me the inspiration to carry out this project ❤️

[@carfanfan]

@@joshb9657 hey that's excellent to hear Josh. 🤗

[@miasmith3918]

Why would you not use a proper earth wire eye terminal ?

[@carfanfan]

The entire body of the car is earth, so you can use any bolt that is bolted onto the body of the car and that will act as negative.

[@adios2952]

did you manage to do back doors, I tried but seems like there is no tiny hole to pass through wire..

[@carfanfan]

Unfortunately I sold the car now, but gave up with the rear ambient lighting. There is just no way to get a cable through into the door. Even if you do, the rubber grommet extends quite far inside the door so it's a challenge to say the least.

[@carlossaez9389]

Can you post the link to aliexpress, and the matching cyan color you picked.

[@carfanfan]

hey Carlos, I've inserted all the links to the items I used in the description below the video

[@carlossaez9389]

Hi Hilton, at the point you tapped into the loom does it work with the dimming control.

[@carfanfan]

Hey Carlos, yes it does. All the lights I fitted dim because they all link up to that initial wire I tapped into the overhead console. Even the lights under the seats ;)

[@carlossaez9389]

@@carfanfan Great thanks for the info I'll use the same wires, area the EL wires Still working?, some guy said they burn out fast don't last long.

[@MrFabeRick]

👍👍👍😍