The defrost and speaker grills are plastic and are “extremely brittle” after a short time. The tabs that hold the defrost grill in broke when I pulled them out, they sat in there nicely when I installed the dash again. After a few days I heard that same faint rattle by the windshield and had to replace that grill. Try to pull the grill up, if it moves I would think that’s your rattle. It’s a $65 part and takes just a few minutes.

 

Thanks for that.

Can you post the part number? Maybe help someone else out?
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I didn't save that receipt, but it will be listed in Topix. The guy at the parts counter will probably know the number without having to look it up, all I was asked for was my vin so he could get the correct color.

 

Good info, thanks Wardo! I will check the vent tonight.

If it makes anyone else feed better, now that I have had the dash replaced under warranty, all 4 doors now have the leather bubbling at the top. It's very humid this week and it's showing up big time. Looks horrible. for those that need to address this outside of warranty, at least the door panels are pretty easy to take off from my experience when I did the driver's side door.

 

Problems with the door coverings has not been posted before and I hope you are a one off!

Can you post some pictures so I know what to look for?
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I'll post up some pics later, but you can tell very easily. If you touch the leather you will depress the bubbles that show how it's come unglued. It should be firmly attached. And it looks uneven and unstretched across the top of the panel.

 

I found a upholstery shop that glued the leather back down for me. They charged me $120. I'm pretty happy with the results. It isn't 100% perfect but it's damn close. I had a seam start to pull apart above the cluster to the left (not pictured) so the upholstery guy put some glue in that area to keep it together and left a tiny bit of glue on the leather in that area. That kind of pisses me off but I'm working on getting that off. The seam issue is so small you'd never notice it unless I pointed it out. He shot staples in it all around the edges. I had to remove a few of the staples because they were visible after the covers were installed. I did get the dash reinstalled yesterday and it looks like everything is working so I must have done something right.

I asked how much it would be to re-cover the dash with new leather and he said it's somewhat difficult to get leather hides that are perfectly uniform. It would probably cost about $1500. At that point we might as well buy the new dash from Jaguar for $2500. The dash pealing up issue is pretty common in the industry right now based on the upholstery guy. They do some type of heat/vacuum press to stick the leather/foam to the dash. It isn't an adhesive.

I'll get a finished install picture later.

 

Ok….the fourth picture shows the lower right corner with the soft grain leather and the strip along the windshield that is definitely bonded leather….right !! I asked about this before and got no answer……it looks like two different finishes. Now after they replaced my dash I got just the opposite results. Go figure !!

 

I never removed it or looked into what it was. I figured it was a vinyl but it could be bonded leather.

 

I can't believe the dealership, when I asked, actually said the bonded leather is real leather. Look it up, It's just ground leather scraps and other man made materials then stamped with a leather texture, finished and used like real leather. It's actually much more stable and wears ten times better than real. Actually does have a leather smell.
When they replaced my dash, they ordered the bonded which didn't match my interior but it was too late so I left it. I actually prefer it to the smooth.
And my trim shop says it's much easier to repair!

 

BINGO !! Finally, someone that has had the same experience that I had. And I like the look better because the soft grain looks too much like vinyl. They admitted that they made a mistake (after the fact) and gave me a discount on an extended CPO warranty ( $1500) after my present CPO expires. And BTW, notice that it matches the steering wheel ?

 

I'd be really surprised if the dealer is going to eat the cost of the parts and the labor on that job. They must be getting Jag to pay for it somehow.

 

So I see what you did with your apostry installer. I did the same thing got the speaker area fixed, and stapled everything. The leather though still shows the flaws where the glue let go. And now that it's all back together the area on the driver side is showing another air pocket. All we are doing is putting band aids on the new wounds. They should just pay for a whole new dash. I'll install it

 

So you didn't pull the whole cover off and get it re-glued? If not, the result of more parts coming unglued is not surprising. Once it starts to let go in one spot, it's telling you that it's going to keep letting go.

 

I removed the entire cover and had it re-glued/stapled.

 

Does anyone know if this was corrected on the facelifted XF? I'm wondering if I should be worried about my MY13. She is garaged both at home and at work so I don't get too much sun exposure on the dash, but Denver summers do mean a lot of intense sunlight.

 

When the leather starts to separate did anyone notice ripples on the dash or is that normal?

 

Bump I have 800 miles left before the cpo warranty kicks in. Are the ripple/wavey lines a sign the dash is letting go?

 

Yes, ripples are typically a sign of the pad lifting up in certain areas.

 

Thanks I will snap some pics when I get home tomorrow to have you guys take a look.