I've scoured the internet and these forums looking for definitive instructions on how to remove the side vents without breaking tabs and I have yet to find a solution.

I did locate this thread: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...cedures-66613/

It goes into detail (with pictures) on how to remove the side vents from a 2011 XF. However, after the 2012 facelift, the side vents are a bit different leaving me with questions.

I also found this guide:


but that, too, is for pre-facelift models.

I am painting all of the chrome on the car flat black and need to be able to remove these chrome parts from the side vents. Painting them on the car does not seem like a good option to me.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

Can you get to the backside of the vent by removing the wheel and splash guard? You could unlock the tabs if you could see the backside.

 

I'll give that a shot and see what I can get access to.

 

I was wondering what it looked like behind those panels, how much air do they move? It doesn't look like much. Are they more for looks than function with holes that small?

 

They are purely decorative, no air flow.

 

BOOOO The more heat we can get out of that engine bay the better.

 

You can see here what is underneath them:

 

So basically we are no better than the people who put the plastic pieces on their fenders they bought from Pep Boys

 

It seems that way haha

 

FLAT BLACK..... : o

 

Good information..thanks

 

Decided to go with Gloss Black instead. The flat black didn't' look good sitting beside the gloss black trim of the mirrors.

 

How did this go?

I also have the idea rolling around my head that what if you were to actually have some of that sheet metal cut out and then put the vent back on to make it an actual functioning vent? Wonder if anyone has tried that?

 

If their is no duct going from the engine bay to the vent I doubt it would do much good. On the older super duty trucks they had ducts in the fenders that helped move the hot air out without the duck I would not expect to see a reduction in temps.

 

Yes. I see what you mean...lol...silly question really.

 

Not silly, you would think on a $80K car we would have real vents and not Pep Boys vents.

No better than the stick on vents people put on their 20 year old buicks

 

It has always bothered me that there is really no explanation as to why these vents were put on in the first place. i remember seeing them for the first time on the '07 or '08 XJ's and thought why the hell would they do that??? then when the XF came out, i was put off when i saw they were on there too. i think that stopped me from turning to an XF at first sight. It just does not fit the car and seems like an afterthought. The worst part is you cant even get rid of the dam things since the fender is molded to accept the vent !!!!

 

It breaks up the side of the car. The car is long and there isn't anything there to break up the solid color. Mine are chrome on a black car. I think they look great but that's just me.

 

That makes no sense. The first time I saw them was on the old style XJ 's. Those cars were designed to look LOOOOONG...lol...I know cause my VDP feels like that. It has no fender decorations other than the side marker lights. These things got slapped on and appeared on the '07 and '08 models. I wish someone would come up with a way to remove these things and put something else there...lol...maybe put some pipes coming out of there..Hahahaha...ala Mad Max...