Hi guys. I was wondering, is there a way to mount a bonnet leaper on an european X-TYPE that doesn't have it as standard? There is no hole on bonnet, at least not on the outside, and it would be a shame to drill unless I have to. Even more of a pity to buy an entire bonnet just to get a leaper on. Any ideas, anyone from Europe with a solution?

 

I've fitted one on mine with just 3M automotive dual-sided tape. Has stayed on for nearly half a year now without issues, that tape is horribly strong. The only real challenge is measuring the proper location as there are no holes to guide you with placement.

The one I have is a knock-off leaper with a flat base, got it on eBay. The quality might not be as good as an original, though. The originals should be fairly easy to modify to have a flat base, some members on the Finnish Jaguar forum have done so.

 

How does it cope with car washing? I'm not talking machine brushes and all that, but regular washes, de-greasing etc? I'm constantly keeping it clean since the roads always tend to be wet or dusty. And what about auto inspections? Doesn't the EU regulations state that it has to be spring loaded?

 

The leaper itself that I have is mounted on the base with a spring. It actually moves around with a lighter touch than the OEM one, though it doesn't snap off completely.

I don't go to machine washes anymore, but I have my car hand-washed about once a month and so far there haven't been any issues. As far as I know, the 3M tape is what car manufacturers use to fit badges, side mouldings, small trunk lid spoilers, etc.

I have our equivalent of MOT in about two months and I'm not expecting any issues. Some here have passed MOT even with a completely solid leaper, but I don't want those as I'm not looking to skewer anyone

 

Fitted a leaper to mine, hardest part is drilling the hole in the bonnet. I marked where the hole is to be drilled, stuck some insulating tape over the part to be drilled then turned the drill by hand to stop it sliding before starting the drill. If I remember correctly my leaper needed 2 holes in the bonnet as i bought one of ebay with the spring fitted. A bit scarey but worth it in the end

 

Yes, two holes if mounting the EOM type - the larger, about 1/2" diameter to accept the support opening that the cable passes through and smaller one just behind that accepts a nubbin on the base to hold the leaper assembly in allignment. even Jaguar uses an adhesive of some sort to secure the leaper's base to the bonnet.

Here's an link to my illustrated post regarding the re-installation of mine that went missing when the cable rusted through. It may give you a bit insight with your project. The difference would be that you'd have to drill the holes if installing an OEM-type leaper:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...trated-114254/

If legal... Good Luck!







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