Finally tackling the headliner in my wagon. Hook a finger under the top of the A pillar and it pops out. Same with the D pillar and almost the same with the B pillar. That leaves the C pillar. C pillars are screwed in to the body sheet metal. Why are clips good enough for the others... trying not to curse too much at the design decisions. The manual says I have to pop off the load space cover trim piece, then press tang on seat bolster retaining latch to adjust rear seat bolster, then remove seat bolster retaining latch to get to that one sheet metal screw behind it that holds the C pillar on. Problem is I cannot remove that seat bolster retaining latch. I have twisted it, poked it from every angle, pried it in every direction hard enough that I have bent the sheet metal it attaches to and it is tighter than when I started.

I can't find the Jag part name or part number but I did find a parts diagram showing the part which isn't a lot of help. See below.

Looking for advice on removing the part if anyone has done that, or help identifying the part so I can look for pictures of the part that might clue me in on how to remove it.

 

Two integrated molded nylon spring tabs - one on each broad side of the assembly.
Tabs can only be pushed in from the behind.




These are likely the same seat catches used in XJ8 (x4) and XF (x2) I believe. Probably part # XR81993

 

dh53,
H202steam's depiction is correct. However, I was able to remove mine by using two screwdrivers. Insert flat blade near first tab and try to push in on the tab and then twist the flat blade to pry bolster away from the frame. Then I inserted another flat blade on the backside tab and did the same (will have to insert from the vertical). Had to sort of "walk it out" alternating push/twists s it is a close tolerance. Would say I used a fair amount of pressure. If you just pry, there is the potential to break the tabs, so the push and twist back and forth alternately did the trick for me. Otherwise, I imagine the "proper way" is to come in through the back but that involves removing the rear side panels and I'm not sure of the access to backside.

As I am about to start the same process on one of my Estates (I had it done on my first estate by an upholstery shop and observed), could you post how you attach the new fabric, or are you taking it to an upholstery shop?
Do you have a moon roof? If so, any peculiarities about removing the headliner around it, or is it just clips?
Two suggestions:
(1) Install a heat reflector or similar insulation between the roof and the headliner, especially if you leave the car out in the sun. I suspect the heat buildup in the space between the headliner and roof is a primary cause for early headliner failure.
(2) I highly recommend while you have the headliner down that you also replace the rear window hydraulic lifts since you'll have easy access. It's only a matter of time before they lose the ability to hold the window up. New lifters will save you the whole exercise of removing the headliner again, because they will eventually lose their capability.
Good success.

 

Attached is a picture of the frame hole for the seat bolster

 

Thanks Mark, thanks Squito. I'll try the walking it out method this afternoon. And I appreciate the heads up on the rear lifters. I have to say other than this C pillar problem everything else came out quickly and easily. In less than an hour I am only two C pillars away from lowering the headliner.

I'm going to attempt the pillars myself because they are small and easy to handle. If that goes well I will attempt the full headliner but if I screw up the pillars I will definitely take everything to an upholstery shop.

A few suggestions for you based on what I have done so far:
The manual says to take down the sun visors as step 2 of the process. This was annoying because they are hanging in your face when you are working on the A pillars. Do the sun visors after the A pillars are out and you have disconnected wiring and hoses behind there.
The manual says to remove and discard the liftgate weatherstrip and replace with a new one. I found I only had to lower the top section slightly to get the headliner out from under it. I see no reason at all to remove the whole weatherstrip and throw it away.
Overhead console needs to come down in the front, closest to the windshield. I put a screwdriver in there and pried enough to get fingers in then pulled it down. Rear dome light grab from the back and pull down.
After all these years the thin plastic feels like it is made of potato chips (crisps down there in Christchurch for Mark). Be gentle with the tabs holding the upper B pillar to lower B pillar.

 

Got those pesky seat catch/clips off. There is a slot above and behind the part where you can easily get a flat head screwdriver in and release one spring tab that holds the thing captive in the sheet metal. I got lucky and releasing the one easy to get to tab caused the thing to pop out, it seems the other spring tab was never seated properly. Out in seconds. Not so lucky on the other side and no luck with the Squito method so I bent a stiff piece of wire and after much fishing around was able to push in the spring tab on side closer to the exterior of the car while holding slight pressure on the seat catch. As soon as I hit that spring tab with the bent wire the seat catch popped out on that side, then I was able to get the interior side spring tab with a screwdriver through the slot.

 

Next chapter: everything disconnected and headliner dropped, BUT...the manual never mentioned disconnecting the rear view mirror. I now have only that bundle of wires to the rear view standing in my way. Trouble is I have no idea how to get the mirror off. I found a thread in the S-Type forum with pictures and I swear it is the same mirror I have but it says to remove the top plastic cover, disconnect wires, then slide the mirror straight down parallel to the windshield. First problem is I can only see a small 3 pin connector, there is a larger bundle of wires I cannot disconnect without removing the mirror. Second problem is the mirror does not slide off. I have tried pulling one side, both sides, twisting, twisting and pulling, and tapping downward aggressively enough I am worried more force could break the windshield and ruin my day.

Searching this X-Type forum comes up with a few solutions but none that look like my mirror.

My mirror, view from camera above looking down. This is after removing triangular-ish plastic top cover that hides the wires.




The thread that looked promising:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ics-faq-52965/

 

OK, I used a coat hanger, made 2 hooks at the ends and hooked them into the rear view such that when I pull on the wire I am pulling downward on both sides but parallel to the windshield. Used that as a sort of slide hammer to get some impact plus downward pressure and the rear view mirror popped out. Everything is clear and disconnected. Started to gently move the headliner out only to discover the headliner is 48 inches wide. The longest dimension across the rear lift gate is on the diagonal, just under 45 inches. So the headliner cannot be removed without breaking it??

 

Dh53,
I recall being able to bend the liner in an arc to remove it on the diagonal. It did have some flexibility. I assume you have figured that out by now? Heck of a lot easier in our Estates than those with sedans trying to bend it out their rear side door. I assume you have the rear seats folded down?

 

I saw your posts only just now. I have currently the headliner removed from my 2.5L 2004 saloon X-Type. I already made acquaintance with that tricky black tri-angular lever. I do not know about the dimensions of the wagon (it does not exist in Australia), but I would assume that your headliner should go out by the hatch-back-door by carefully bending it a bit. I got my saloon headliner out by the rear passenger side door. To do so the seats had to be removed, which was no issue for me, as I removed the carpet just a few days before anyway (it's a full "spring-clean"... )

I ordered light-beige suede foam backed headliner material. Still waiting for it.
I spend a lot of time trying to figure out, which glue I will use. Initially I bought Selley's Kwik Grip Spray, but I returned that already: I realized that it really would be a bad idea to use a glue for the headliner in Australia, which would start to disolve at 70°C. There is a Selley's Kwik Grip water-based glue can (I think this had about 130°C stability), but luckily I found a youtube post about that: Someone lived thru the tortures of using this - it took a week until it started to finally "glue" the stuff together.
I think, the US market has got easy access to 3M spray adhesive (well, Australia as well, but not that easy, plus it is expensive). I ordered now Car Builder's Spray Adhesive, made in Australia, (120°C, I think). And I assume you figured already, that you start with the new headliner in the middle, do one half first, then the other.

I cleaned the old headliner (after removing the sad remnants of the old headliner and the "foam-dust" underneath a bit by hand) with my water pressure cleaner and let it then dry in the sun.

My job with the headliner will be quite tricky, as I have a sunroof (Aftermarket, Webasto).

 

Dh53, I have done two estate's headliners and it will come out the back hatch without issue. You will want to get it almost level with the tops of the taillights as its the widest part of the opening. Make sure that the rear seats are dropped (with the headrests removed) and the front seats are reclined as far as they will go. You can slide the front seats forward to their limiters and get a little more recline out of them as well.

Since you have removed the D pillar trims and the weatherstrip around the hatch you open it up just a little more but you still have to flex the headliner panel slightly. The bend is minor as long as you are gentle with it. If it gets caught, stop and check where you're hung up. If you yank on it, it will "tear" and you will have a much harder time with installing the new fabric.

Agree with everyone above that while you have it out, this is a great opportunity to do some maintenance and upgrades:

• Glass hatch struts
• Check the spare tire well for any water! The antenna seal leaks as it ages and water will fill the tire well, ruining the spare and your parking sensors.
  • Since the back of the headliner is sealed the water just runs off and down the d pillars, making it hard to see until it pools in the well.
• Replace the antenna seal (terry's still stocks them) and also check the seals around the hatch struts where they pass through the body.
• If you have water inside also check and possibly replace the seals under the rear hatch spoiler as it will leak and pass water into the headliner.
• Clean and lubricate the sunroof track
• Clean and blow out the sunroof drains (also let water into the spare well or the rear footwells).
• Repair or replace the windshield washer lines (especially at the rear) as they will break and leak fluid into the car
• Check all the connectors for the visor lights and dome lights for wear and possible corrosion as they can get wet and then short out.
• repair or replace the fabric on the a pillars as this will fail at some point.

Upgrade:

• Dynamat or other soundproofing (this will cut down on heat transfer as well as sound deaden the drum of a roof)
• LED lamps in the interior lights

Hope all this helps some.

 

Looks like good info -- I have to drop the headliner to swap out the radio antenna and cable (the radio is kinda deaf, I'm guessing it's the antenna).

 

Check sun roof drains for blockage and kinks in hose when headliner is being serviced. Kinks near outlets are common.
High humidity in cabin contributes to headliner failure.

A common cause of poor audio is copper wire failure at speaker cone.