Prepare to be assaulted with noobness...

[strikerflo]

Greetings!

I picked up an '05 LR3 SE today to be used as a 2nd vehicle/tow rig/poor weather vehicle and so far I'd probably say that this is the best vehicle I've driven to date. On the way back from the dealership, I was caught in some very heavy snow, followed by a sharp drop in temperature, making things very slick. The LR3 was more than capable in handling the elements and made life so much easier.

That being said, I do have a few questions:

1.) I'm unfortunately cursed with having the standard halogen non-projector headlights, which I assumed would be sufficient. However, after taking a few of the county highways I was pretty surprised by how dim the lighting was. Is it possible to swap out to either the HID headlights or even to a non-HID projector unit? I forsee this being an issue that'll come up again and again...especially seeing as how there will be a decent amount of driving being done at night. Any other suggestions?

2.) The LR3 I had purchased came without the recessed fog lights in the bumper. Not a HUGE deal, but it would be nice to have them. I asked at the dealership if anything could be done, but they said it'd be impossible, just as they did to swapping out to a better headlamp housing. Any suggestions, or should I just go with adding a few driving lights?

3.) I picked up the tow package on the LR3 and will be using it to be trailering a lightweight open trailer (about 1,400 lbs) and my race car (about 2,800 lbs). I know I'll need to get a brake controller for trailering, but I was curious to know if anyone had any recommendations and/or installation tips. I know that the LR3 is rated to tow slightly over 7,700lbs, but I wasn't sure if there'd be any issues with towing something weighing in at nearly 4,500lbs. Also, are there any good, solid bang-for-the-buck easy modifications around to improve the power to help with the trailering?

Is there anything else I should be aware of as a new LR3 owner?

Thanks in advance for any help that can be provided!!!

 

[grommet]

Re: 1 & 2, Land Rover dealers won't generally do unsupported work. It's just not worth the grief and risk to them.

1) You can likely buy the Bi-Xenon (non-adaptive) headlight assemblies and it should work without ECU changes. Installation shouldn't be too painful. I'm not sure if you need to adjust/calibrate them after install. No guarantees, though...

2) This is likely more painful. I wouldn't recommend even trying.

3) Brake controller is easy. F-150 style connection plug should be under driver's side dash near pedals. You can use search and likely get some useful old threads on towing.

 

[strikerflo]

Re: 1 & 2, Land Rover dealers won't generally do unsupported work. It's just not worth the grief and risk to them.

1) You can likely buy the Bi-Xenon (non-adaptive) headlight assemblies and it should work without ECU changes. Installation shouldn't be too painful. I'm not sure if you need to adjust/calibrate them after install. No guarantees, though...

2) This is likely more painful. I wouldn't recommend even trying.

3) Brake controller is easy. F-150 style connection plug should be under driver's side dash near pedals. You can use search and likely get some useful old threads on towing.

Excellent! Thanks a ton for the help. I've already found a few good threads on the brake controller.

What's my best bet for locating a set of the bi-xenon housings? I'm sure I could wait until a decent deal pops up on eBay, but are there any other places that may carry them from time to tome? I've come across a few Land Rover parts websites, but not a ton of luck just quite yet.

Thanks again.

 

[techboydino]

as far as the lights go. I would recommend installing some fog's yourself, or at least getting some aftermarket that fit nicely in the factory holes. Hella and PIAA make some lamps that should come generally close to fitting and a good installer should be able to make them look real nice. You wont be able to use the factory switch but that shouldn't really be hard to get over. You can also try spending $60 or so and just get a good upgrade headlamp bulb. PIAA, Wagner and Sylvania all make some nice upgrades. I would stay away from the junk unless you want to buy twice. You could also buy a bullbar or brush guard and mount any lights you want on that. seems it would almost cost the same and be less hassle than trying to fit in the upgraded factory lamps. my .02

 

[davez26]

If you could find the headlamps used, they are a direct fit. There are no differences in the front harness, altetnator, etc. All of the transformers and what not are in/on the headlamp unit. We had a loaner running around here for a month or so with one of each before we caught it.
The trailer wiring #'s are around here somewhere via the search function.

 

[Houm_WA]

grommet, is it really that easy?

Xenon headlights are HID, which are high-voltage devices that use a ballast to regulate the electricity going to each unit. Halis are a bit different. They may sell kits, but this may be very expensive...

 

[grommet]

Yeah, it's really plug/harness compatible... and likely easy, if you can afford buying the headlight assemblies. Really, the hard part would only be finding the parts for something less than outrageous.

 

[Houm_WA]

what about the ballast?

 

[richpike]

what about the ballast?

I believe it is built in to the headlight.

-Rich

 

[davez26]

All of the transformers and what not are in/on the headlamp unit. We had a loaner running around here for a month or so with one of each before we caught it.

Everything is in/on the headlamp unit. Everything.