coefficient .32 Jaguar S Type X200 - PlAsTiC fAnTaStIc...

[Crispian_J_Hotson 3549]

Hey. Blank CDs arrived today. Done the biznis, whacked the disc in and...

Done. All that messing around was worth it because... Er.... Nothing has changed that I can see and as a bonus, I still have no satnav or clock. Excellent.

What else? Oh, yeah.... I thought that I'd take out the wood panel insert across the dash. The x202 wood 'just pops off m8', as does the xtype. Must be the same then right? Wrong. 

I had a poke and a prod with a set of plastic trim tools, the kind that take on the shine stuff that's coating the dash so that every time you go to pick them up you effectively throw it at your own face.

Hidden fixings were discovered which involved semi destruction of most of the air vents. There was also a weird slide tab made of metal securing half the dash insert on. I honestly thought at one point that I was actually disassembling a prototype. After 8 hours, it was liberated.

So why am I removing the wood? If you have to ask that then you haven't read the entire thread. I'm removing it because it's had it. It's faded and cracked.

Faded ∆

Cracked ∆

Also, the instrument cowling is pitted with white spots on a black finish.

Pitted with white spots on a black finish ∆

I have bought the panel indoors to warm up overnight which will allow fitment of my bespoke covering tomorrow.

Whilst I'm at it, I can access the head unit behind and check out the nav aerial connection, just need to remove some more trim, bolts and skin. I want to check out the sub connection area too as I may install one I have laying about doing nothing. It's the space between the back of the head unit and the heater box that's so tight, I don't know if I can plug in the connections.

[stripped fred 2489]

You're a brave man, removing that. I don't think I would dare as I know I would make it much worse....

[Crispian_J_Hotson 3549]

I very nearly did. You know when something is held on but you just can't see how it's held on, even after poking and proding several hundred times?  Once the first air vent had flown out into the back of the car in 200 pieces, I was commited.

[Crispian_J_Hotson 3549]

Soooo... Scratch up, degrease, cover, cut, fold, bit of heat, moar fold, reassemble...

El completas. 

Chucked it in the car to fit tomorrow. Need to mess about with an air vent to fix a couple of veins which had a hard time coming out and found the lead for the alpine that does all the accessories, so that's going in too. I may have a poke at the centre console if time allows. It's taking up a lot of room in my shed so needs to be fitted.

 

 

[Crispian_J_Hotson 3549]

Welcome to another installment of fun Jaag capers...

Today, we (me) fitted the dash trim as planned and removed the head unit/ AC/ other gubbins at the same time. I forgot how tight the space is where the plugs are on the AC control.

I checked the nav connection and it was all good and tight, I unplugged it and there were no messages appearing on the screen. Now the blank nav screen won't come on in full view, just half split with the radio mode. I guess it's the unit then. Shame really, it was good while it lasted. Google maps it is then!

I then proceeded to remove the whole head unit as I wanted to sort out the mass of wires stuffed behind it, fighting for space. With some clever* rerouting and might I add, relocating, I managed to remove all of the accessory wiring from the area and get it all through the worlds smallest yet sharpest hole behind the dash and bring it out into the glove box area where space is not at a premium.

How can you ignore that happy face? 😁  Actually think this car is laughing at me. Pulling those wires gave me this to work with...

All I need out of that lot is the AC, stereo and to make the aerial cable longer so I don't have to remove skin off of my hand unplugging it. With the right looms in hand, I separated them and taped them up good.

The other looms are for a car phone and I guess the satnav optional extra I don't have. They won't be going back.

Whilst poking around my newly cleared hole, I noticed a pretty rusty earth point, so cleaned that up...

Who knows what that does?

I finally got the cables rerouted, allowing for maximum space behind, all of about 2mm. Then I could fit up the dash trim minus the broken air vent, that's for tomorrow.

Centre console as well tomorrow if the rain stays away. I had a look today and that's held in with magic, so I'll need the replacement part out of the shed to see where this magic is located.

[stripped fred 2489]

Looking good!

[bezzabsa 1232]

these really are good looking motors

but scary stories about rust and chocolate engines/gearboxes (for cars in my price range) put me off

[Crispian_J_Hotson 3549]

They're not much worse than anything else from that time. Historic neglect and bodgery as well as a higher mark up on parts because Jaag/ LR is the real issue. On these early issue models, good, used parts are getting tricky, but on a later model, there's still a few kicking around.  

Whilst I'm here...

I have some more droll images of this morning's efforts. The rain came, weird sleety stuff, and one of the cats shite itself up the wall, so the first few hours were wiped out. Indoors, I set to repairing the poorly air vent. Here's the issue:

The back of the directional veins on two have sheared causing non compliance. So we have to gingerly remove them all and avoid any further damages.

The plan here is to drill the two damaged veins and insert pins. Ideal pins were sourced by using the very drill bit that was used to form the holes.

See? How can it not work? Reassembly was like heart surgery but we won.

Also needed to glue this partially snapped locator tab back on...

Home and dry, we (I) went and fitted the repaired HVAC system component (bunged the air vent back in the hole)

Here is a bonus 'thiefs eye view' of the refitted dash insert.

To me that looks much cleaner, keeping the period form of the dash whilst suggesting undertones of modernism. It also de-giffers it a lot. I'll try on the centre console again tomorrow.

 

[bezzabsa 1232]

I went the opposite way and Installed 'Burr Walnut' in the pickarse..try and wob a pic up later

[Crispian_J_Hotson 3549]

Each to their own, man. You must show that lumbered up beast! Bonus points offered for 'fresh woodland' scented air freshener.

 

In other news...

I've been searching for a clue on how to remove the console and this proved to yield good results. Apparently I can just rip it out as it's on spring clips! The cup holder comes out this way too... Never did I think that could happen, that sucker is tight in there! Will be interesting this one, plus I can have a tinker with the selector cable and maybe eat up some slack. This is just screaming of success!

[stephen01 2058]

looks great i must say . 

 

[Crispian_J_Hotson 3549]

Well, i obviously took advantage of the fact that we had run out of bread and milk. I ventured out into the darkness to see the speshal effect of my bespoke finishing reveal itself. The night sky...

The camera doesn't pick the full effect up but I love the night sky and now it is in my car! It's the adult alternative to sticking those glow in the dark stars on your bedroom ceiling!

[Crispian_J_Hotson 3549]

We'll blow me down, it does pull out!

How about that. Not too minging in here either so just a quick vac was needed to suck up 20 years of dust. I read on another forums thread that the cup holder can be removed first which I did but it's a pointless move as it is screwed from the underside and doesn't assist in removal. Leave it on! Another thing is that in the Jaguar workshop manual it shows the gear knob still fitted during removal. I removed mine because there is a pinch point as you lift the console around whilst sliding off the handbrake sleeve. I could see the hard plastic pressing against the leather so for the sake of a minute, might as well rip that off and get it out of the way.

I found treasure! If any of the previous owners want it back, just come and rummage through my Wheely bin.

I took the top off of the selector gate to see inside.

It has an issue where the selector always gets stuck in park. This came about a good few months ago so I've just been putting it in neutral with the handbrake on. It's a bit of a sod to get used to though and every now and then I put it in park and then have to smash the lever out of it. What's causing that? Well, nothing in here. I took the opportunity to lube up the moving parts though. The problem is the failure of the shift lock solenoid: 

If you look at the gold bit of metal, you will see a small bit of black plastic sitting on the horizontal bit. That's the shift lock pin that stops the selector being moved out of park without the brake being depressed. Most cars have an access hole to help disengage it in the event of such failure but not on this model. You just have to yank on it a bit, hard and fast works.

So I unscrewed this part and tested it by simply running the car and pressing the brake in park and no actuation happened. The pin is supposed to retract. Based on these results, I left it off and I will probably ignore it. Now, you have to be careful with these things on other models, it's a safety feature primarily plus it could bring up faults or render other systems inoperative, like brake lights for example. On the X200, it's just a switch with no onward consequences other than your dog slipping the car into drive whilst you post a letter, but I don't have a dog and even if I did, it certainly wouldn't be allowed in the Jaag.

Refitting was reversal of removal as they say for the console after having swapped the decent bits over from the doner part. The doner parts shell was not better than my existing, having a couple of minor stab marks through the finished coating. It was also a good opportunity to clean all those nooks and crannies not normally accessible.

It all went back rather well and now has lids that stay shut!

The last bit of original wood trim was also deleted from around the selector. Now it all looks so much tidier and a nicer place to be.

Last thing to do in the front is build the glovebox. It's a mission, to recap, I'm taking a x200 lid and x202 guts and trying to make something that fits in the hole so that I end up with a glovebox I can actually put things in because the original was full of factory mouldings for the multi cd player.

As expected though, none of the parts really interchange and the boxes are built differently, it's a bit of a conundrum... Watch this space!

 

[bezzabsa 1232]

as promished pic's of my Added wood in the Pickarse

Dash, vents, Gear knob, and steering wheel cover..loads better than fagburned black & grey plastic..

 

[Crispian_J_Hotson 3549]

That's just great. I've spent many hours inside Picasso's, mainly broken ones. It's always amazing how improving a visually poor or neglected dashboard can totally transform ones outlook on the entire car.

[bezzabsa 1232]

My 1st ever picasso, and must admit I love it... even more so now the Cambelt & waterpump have been done..7 years between belts, so at least thats one less thing to worry about.

Have new fitted mats to go in, wiper blades all round and need 2 rear tyres..

just been serviced too, so I think this is a keeper!!

[stripped fred 2489]

Have you seen this download for the workshop manual?

http://jagrepair.com/images/AutoRepairPhotos/CarPDFFiles/SType/S-Type 2002.5-2008-FSM-Workshop.pdf

It's a big file!

[stripped fred 2489]

It might also be for the model on from yours but thought I would mention it...