I'm sorry but what I'm talking about doing isn't for the purists. Let's face it, these control modules are UGLY, even for 2002 standards. Heck, even for 90's standards. I'm having trouble searching for solutions for this, mainly because I'm not sure what key words to search for. Obviously I'll need a new radio but where might a buy a kit to make an after market radio head fit? I did see one person in another thread simply make one out of wood.

Interested in what can be done about that climate control module as well, besides just putting a wood kit over the face.

 

There are a couple of companies that offer a double DIN bracket. Not sure about single DIN though. I have seen a couple flush mount screens on forum. Stickercity.com has wraps like carbon fiber or brushed stainless if u wanna cover it

 

Something I've considered is adding a piano black trim kit (like the one seen here)to the centre console only (not ashtray or gear surround), so the end result would be like in an XJ (pic below). However, I haven't found any place that would sell just those two trim kit pieces separately.


EDIT:
This just occured to me; piano black vinyl wrap. It even rhymes.

 

Is that leather interior Ivory?

 

No idea, I'd imagine ivory to be lighter in tone.

Also, I took off the fascia plates and got a quote for wrapping them in black gloss 3M 1080 vinyl; 50 €. Not bad, but I decided against it since my interior has nothing else black (since the upper dash and steering wheel are granite, not charcoal), so it'd just look out of place. Maybe I'll think of something else.

 

I wish I could get that wooden steering wheel from the XJ into mine (expecially since I have the curling problem a lot of owners do), but I understand that they have a different bracket.

 

That, and the connectors + airbag design may be different enough to make any such modification dangerous.

If your upper dash trim colour is one of those that didn't get discontinued in 2004 (first facelift, changed the steering wheel), the later-style steering wheel without curling issues is supposedly compatible with pre-facelift cars.

 

Could you clarify this "curling" issue please? Any photos? Thanks

 

I did the 3M 1080 wrap over my wood, but I have the two tone interior

 

Frank, just googling "jaguar xtype steering wheel" you'll see a lot of pics where the airbag doesn't look like it fits properly, many where the material has obviously warped, causing it to "curl" around the top and the bottom 5 and 7 o'clock positions, this one for example http://images.gtcarlot.com/pictures/79106652.jpg

 

The connectors and airbag on the X-type are different from those on the XJ or S-type.
The later wheels are 100% comparable and just plug and play.

 

Thanks for confirming that. Too bad the later-style wheels aren't an option for me since both the veneer (bird's eye maple) and the leather colour (granite) were discontinued when the facelift occurred.

Regarding the center console...I wonder how it'd look if I were to gloss-black the three fascia plates and also the ashtray & gear surround? I don't like those two wooden pieces because they don't match the rest of the interior. Then again while that would give a pleasing "continuous" look, it might be a too big slab of black.

I'm going to take the fascia plates off anyway sooner or later to re-apply a protective film (so that I can see my Jaguar satnav while wearing my polarized Jaguar sunglasses...) properly this time, so having them done simultaneously wouldn't be a bad idea I reckon.