I think my headlight sensor-thingy is busted. If I switch the lights to 'auto' the lights will come on regardless of the ambient light level. Is this any easy fix? Obviously I won't bother if it means pulling the dash to pieces, but if it's something simple (can always hope!), I'll give it a go.

cheers

 

The solar sensor is a part of the PATS indicator bubble in the center of the demister panel on the dash on the 2002.5 and later cars; I am not sure about the arrangement on the earlier cars. A word of warning if your sensor is mounted in the demister/defroster panel and you have the later style setup - the demister panel is no longer produced and as they age the plastic part becomes quite brittle. If you crack/break the panel in attempting to replace the sensor, replacements from breakers go for crazy money on eBay and from used parts specialist firms as well...

 

Thanks for that. I'm guessing the round dome closest is the sensor? If getting to it means dismantling the dash, then I'll just ignore the issue and go 'old school' and use the switch. I thought it might pop out from the top, but I guess that would be too easy :-(

 

Actually, I believe it is the lozenge shaped unit closer to the windscreen.

The demister panel is a separate piece; removal/replacement requires removal of the A-pillar trim on both sides. The demister panel is held in place with spring clips, but extreme caution must be exercised to avoid breakage of the panel...

Here is a link to the part:

http://www.fordonlyparts.com/2000-20...w4t-14a597-ab/

 

Similar problem here on an 06 str....my sensor fell off and down, so basically i have a permanent night for my auto lights.,..i started to remove the demister panel and got an instant crack....project halted....the culprits are the stuck on insulators that are impossible to release on an aging panel....when you read the procedure in the shop manual, it seems simple.....not.....if you could get a used intact panel, then it would be doable..,i have been searching 2 years for one.....good luck my friend

 

There are two demister/defroster panels on eBay right now. One is black and the other one is grey. They are all the same part from 2004 to the end of production.

 

Thanks i will check them out...have not hunted for one in a while

 

On my X202 S Type R only one sensor is present, the lozenge shape plastic bubble piece which sits north-south not east-west unlike Ian's photo of his earlier X200.
I assume that the sensor that sits under this piece is the culprit that needs replacing, and that the A pillar caps need to be removed to prop up the trim to access this sensor.
And it sounds like that this trim piece therefore (that sits in front of the main moulded dash) is plastic and not steel thus creating all the issues...
That's crazy then, what's the point in trying to change the sensor if the bloody thing is going to crack? Very obvious place too, would not look very nice with a crack in front of the dash..
Anyone tried with success?

 

The sensor is attached to the demister/defroster panel with two screws; it comes out with the panel. My solar sensor was not functional when I purchased my 2003 S-type. The panel on which the sensor was mounted developed a crack after driving on a very bad patch of road that was being rebuilt and had the car vibrating all over the place.

The panel is no longer produced, so be extremely careful in prying it up after removing the a pillar covers. In my case, I finally located a panel on eBay, after an unsucessful system-wide Jaguar dealer search for a NOS part. Unfortunately the only panel that was available was light beige and mine was "slate". After getting my local body shop to respray the panel to match with a paint that would not damage the plastic, I now have an intact panel and functioning sensor. The total cost, however, was close to $300.

 

heh heh. It seems I don't have to stress about breaking the dash panel. I just noticed a small crack coming from the driver's vent ;-) You might be able to just see it in the pic above. Looks like someone has been here before. Not to worry, I've got a sensor coming, so I'm less afraid of doing damage now. I've had the A pillars off already for my DAB radio antenna, so I'm not scared of those either ;-)

cheers guys.

 

Just been sent this awesome video by a fellow member. Thanks Paul.

 

The foam anti-squeak/rattle strips on the bottom of the replacement panel for my car were literally crumbling from exposure to the heat of the sun. I removed the crumbling foam and as much of the old adhesive as possible and replaced the strips with new weatherstripping of a similar width found at my local home improvement store. In the video above you will note that the original foam is falling apart in places and that newer replacement foam strips have been added to the ends of the panel.

 

Thanks for posting the vid....now i think i can do it, seeing what i did wrong

 

I finally bought an expensive new one for around $300. Any used one even if it's not broken is very brittle and just waiting to break.
But for sure DON'T try to remove it without removing the "A" pillar covers first. You will bend the panel too far and break it.
Sorry to hear you can't get new ones anymore.
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You got lucky, or did the replacement some time ago. I did mine last fall and could not find a new part anywhere. I would have gladly paid the price for a new panel. I am hoping that Jaguar Heritage will step up and initiabe a production run so I can put one in stock as a spare...