As soon as I ordered my car in december, I contacted the guy who transformed the dull grey parts
of the centre console of my F-Type to the British norm : wood .

He was booked full untill early march. This gave me time to investigate the material JLR used for
the black & shiny trim. Was it nylon, coated or drenched in dirt repellant : could it be painted at all?

The first thing I learned was the "tippex test" ; finding a bottle of tippex was really hard in the age
of wordprocessors ! And yes : after drying I peeled it off like a piece of plastic foil.. .. wouldn't stick..

Then I met by chance at the car wash a professional painter. He explained the "tape test" : select
4 or more types of adhesive tape. Stick it pieces on the surface you investigate and leave it for a day.
If any type would peel back or fall off all together , only a special silicon coating could help out.

Luckily none of the pieces of tape even peeled back. So much for the tippex test..

View from the driver position :






Navigation surround :






This is the max I can place in images : continue below...

 

Two doors :



Detail :

 

The radio "surround" looks good, in the wood trim. For our car, the other panels, on the doors and around the shifter, I ordered the "wood" trim as a factory option.

 

@Leadfoot4.
Thanks. I guess we're both 'old -s tyle' ! I could not order the car, I had to choose from stock as taxes would take a big hike before a custom ordered car could arrive.
For me its a big mistake that JLR does not offer the NAVI surround as wood too. I did the same 'bespoke' make-over with my F-Type, and never looked back !

central console F-Type :



Element above the navigation . Normally the company who treated the parts evens the pattern out. I wanted it to stay as the 'link' with surrounding patterns remains. Also it looks like a pistolgrip. The varnish is no-gloss, so you can see the pattern under almost any angle.

 

Looks fantastic, great job done! What is the name of that vinyl?

 

@Red_99
Hi Red,

Its not a vinyl. Its a printing process. You have to remove the parts, for each door panel about 45mins. The central console has to come out and there you also have to detach the chrome inner trim.
So its not a 'wrap' . Parts are spray painted in a primer, then two times in the basic background brown for the woodcolour. Then the 'water printing' is done to apply the wood grain.
Last its varnished two times. With me its satin to no gloss. What you get from Jaguar if you choose a wood trim is high gloss so you only see it mirror if the light shines on it..

This is the dipping where they transfer the grain :

 

Dan, that isn't quite accurate. I ordered the "Satin Burl" for our F-Pace, and as the name implies, it has a matte finish.

 

I have never see that for real. Only the version with the coarse grain. Anyway : the edge around the satav is never wood. This is for me the most important part.
The doors do not really matter as you can hardly see any of it.

 

Had the E-Pace looked at by the dealership the other day. They did not find any leaks or issues. They checked the front end around the wheel and suspension. Hopefully this is good news and that everything is just fine.

I had to spend some time cleaning the grease off again. It took some time, but I had a couple cleaning products that knocked the job out nicely. Chemical Guys Quick Detailer with a microfiber was definitely a big help. Took half a bottle, but came clean with no harm. Followed up with a layer of Optimum Quick Wax. The passenger side is now looking much shiner than the rest of the car.

Now that it is cleaned again, I will update after a couple of drives.