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Cold weather and holiday preparations got in the way of my work Lots of salt on the roads anyway, so no uncontrollable urges to drive the F.
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Finally was able to remove the speaker covers on both sides. MAN the clips they used grip tight! And the carpet resists application of a trim removal tool.
Only broke one. The inner clips needed to be bent 180 degrees to free them from the panel on a couple! Close-up pictures later.
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Anyway, next question: After removing the 4 "Hoop Bar" (Jaguar name ) mounting bolts on each one, there is still a reluctance to lifting them out. Should I just yank up on them harder? No hidden restraints visible on the Harper Jag parts list.
From what I recall you'll need to slide a thin wedge under the back of each hoop bottom to pry loose clip on which it is catching before you can pull them upwards. It's a bitch to get those out after the bolts are removed for sure. On the diagram above the magenta highlighted part tagged with X4 are the clips that you need to push in as you pull up on the hoop
Last edited by graybeardnw; Jan 2, 2026 at 10:01 AM.
Don't need a trim tool, just gotta give it a little persuasion. A sharp pull works better than gradually applying more force, which is why I suggest whacking it with your hand upwards instead of pulling with everything you got. It takes just enough to overcome the tension in the clips and it will pop up, but yes they are really in there.
Don't need a trim tool, just gotta give it a little persuasion. A sharp pull works better than gradually applying more force, which is why I suggest whacking it with your hand upwards instead of pulling with everything you got. It takes just enough to overcome the tension in the clips and it will pop up, but yes they are really in there.
Seems like a rubber hammer striking upward in the center of the hoop would be the right tool?
Just took a quick look at the car, after reading these replies (THANKS).
A few hefty 'yanks' upwards didn't get either side free. I could not see or feel any clips in the back-panel holes, behind the hoop's 'legs'. WHY-O-WHY did Jaguar make this so difficult?????
Could not get our scraper slipped into the top-side of the hoop base in an attempt to release any clips. VERIFICATION: Should be inserting them front-towards-back, right? From the pictures the clip would release when pushed towards the back but "From what I recall you'll need to slide a thin wedge under the back of each hoop bottom to pry loose clip on which it is catching before you can pull them upwards" indicates either feeling/prying on the back-side of the hoop bar, OR applying the thin scraper from the rear to release the clips towards the front.
PLAN B: A short piece of wood hammered upwards towards the ceiling, on the underside of the hoop.
(You can tell that I would rather caress my Cat than beat on it!)
No need to remove each hoop - just get your hands under the tray and lift straight up - it all comes out as one piece, hoops and all. Helps to have a person on each side to lift the whole assembly out and reinstall later.
No need to remove each hoop - just get your hands under the tray and lift straight up - it all comes out as one piece, hoops and all. Helps to have a person on each side to lift the whole assembly out and reinstall later.
I was wondering about that possibility. Again, didn't want to risk breaking anything 'plastic'.
Will solicit a second pair of hands, assistance for later.
@Carbuff2 You can do it yourself if you are careful. You need some open space next to the car with some towels on the ground to land it.
There's nothing plastic left to break at this point (LOL - I did warn you about the speaker cover in post #13 above - crazy design ). No worries though, the cover will pop back in fine with one broken tab.
Nice video showing how to remove the hoops but not needed for this particular task. The hoops and tray lift straight up altogether including the center panel piece covering the TCU.
Agreed, but I found it much easier to pull the hoops first then the plastic cover/panel. The hoops are a bit heavy/bulky and removing them independently is not that difficult
OMG there are TWO tabs on each 'leg' of the hoops???
Both locking tabs shown front-side tab Rear side tab, I bet this was bent away, during removal!
Again, Jaguar WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?
Obviously, designed to slap into place on an assembly line!
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Also... the securing bolts on our '14s hoops were two different lengths. The inboard two were shorter than the outboard two. Hopefully there are no other differences that will ruin my day.
PS @JagCode3 The F is underneath our 4-post lift...plenty of room to lift out the hoops alone, but not enough height to lift the entire rear tray with hoops attached. Of course, I can move it to our other garage in the sub-20F. weather. LOL
I will be spraying up & under onto the hoop's clips, with lithium lubricant, to loosen their 'grip'. THEN maybe I'll be able to pull the hoops up & out independent of the rear bulkhead.
Update to follow on Monday...
I will be spraying up & under onto the hoop's clips, with lithium lubricant, to loosen their 'grip'. THEN maybe I'll be able to pull the hoops up & out independent of the rear bulkhead.
Update to follow on Monday...
The yellow clips that attach the bulkhead to the frame can tend to break when you pop them out. You may want to pick up a box of these before you put it back together https://amzn.to/3LvwS4q
Maybe i'm not as gentle as you all, but I have removed those multiple times on cars and never needed anything other than a good pull once the bolts are out. You won't hurt the car, just yank them up and out. Like pulling off a band-aid, easier to go fast than slow on it.
With the help of a friend we were able to release the top-rear panel by lifting the left and right sides of it simultaneously.
However, the roll hoop clips retained their 'death grip' on the plastic so they didn't come free.
We were able to move/tilt the panel forward enough, to access the center electronics. The plan is to continue installing the Android Auto/CarPlay wiring in the coming days.
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BTW, none of the yellow clips were damaged or lost in the exercise. There was a block of foam that belongs at the top of the RH speaker surround that we found and glued back in.
Bravo, Buff - so glad you didn't try and remove the hoops.
Have your assistant on hand to guide it back in place when the time comes, especially the center piece that connects to the center console storage box.
There are two tabs at the bottom and metal spikes that are very difficult to thread alone.
Worked on it a while yesterday. Actually ONE hoop came unclipped by itself while we were trying to get the back panel back into place. < --MURPHY'S LAW
I needed to file the inner hoop bolts' 'reinforcement bar' openings wider to allow the bolts to be pushed into place more easily.
Have not replaced the speaker grills pending evaluation for any rattling. Some foam rectangles were found at the bottom of the speaker openings
We DID apply some felt cushions on a few places.