2002 x-type 123,000 miles
The black plastic trim piece at the base of the windshield has lifted up on the passenger side. I have noticed when I get in the car; immediately the windshield will start to fog up, but goes away with defrost. (I have had my air-blend door fixed). Should I get this plastic trim piece fixed?

* I also opened up the hood after washing it, and found some water on the passenger side (sorry, im bad with mechanical terms) by the headlight on a box like structure under the hood, is this concerning.

 

I was just wondering if leaks around the headlights were common.....

 

jaguar, as long as you are not seeing the water sitting inside the headlights, don't worry about the water under the hood. As you wash the car, some water will get under the hood. As long as the car continues to run like it should, don't fret over it.

As for the plastic trim piece coming loose, I am assuming you are talking about the drop in piece that redirects the air to flow across the whole windshield on that side, not the actual covering for the dash. If you are talking about the finned piece (1" wide by about 20" long), then you need to order a new fastener kit for the dash defrost vents. A kit is like $15 and can be had at any dealership or you can talk to ken@britishparts.com and he will send you some for a price.

 

I am talking about the exterior trim piece that lines up to the windshield at the bottom of the windshield. It's a black long trim piece...

 

the recirc door ( not air blend, it only has two positions - outside air100% or recirc cabin air 100% ) can fail again over and over. the fix is not permanent.
Most likely the system is stuck in recirc mode again.

the broken trim piece can make water get on the floor, or make the pollen filter wet... and be cosmetically bad. normally you can push it back down. have you tried that? you need to peek under it and make sure the blade of plastic underneath is fitting into the groove (slot) in the metal bodywork.

 

Jaguarnewbie, sorry about that. Lots of plastic pieces. As for fixing that piece at the base of the windshield, you can try using a hair dryer to warm the plastic up a little bit and then trying to reshape the piece. But, odds are, you will end up getting a new piece to put there. Installing it is easy.

As for your water issue, odds are it is the recirc door not closing all the way and the water is dripping down on to the pollen filter and then into the car. Like was mentioned, the repair isn't a permanent fix. So, may need to look at it again.

 

I was able to push it down, but it is still not sealing out water. The actual car cabin windows don't all fog up, but I thought it was weird that the windshield fogs up right when I get in, then goes away. I have the climate settings permanetly in the "open" setting to prevent that door getting stuck shut again, or otherwise I will have a major fix. I will probably just have the piece replaced. Does it cause any mold or other problems if I don't get it fixed right away?

 

The piece your talking about is call the cowl, or plenum cover. It's not become adrift from the the glass. Below that trim is where the cabin air filter is and it was never installed correctly back in the same place. It's suppose to pop back into a locking strip that runs across the glass at the bottom, but the cowl itself may be broken. The cowl will have to be replaced. There is a fix for the water issue. Back in the day when these cars came out we were putting a strip over the the left corner of the cabin air filter housing. This strip was to divert the water away from the cabin. You do on the other hand need to have your cowl seated correctly which could cause a water issue if not seated right. The strip that runs across the bottom of the glass needs to be cleaned out. Debris in that locking strip will prevent the cowl from locking in correctly. Also a good lube spray will help the cowl pop into that strip better.