Hi, i recently bought a 2013 XJL with piano black trim. The horizontal plastic piece on the centre console around the cup holders and gear selector has turned purple at some stage of it's life. Being located in the middle east maybe the sun got to it, but my questions are :
Has anyone experienced anything similar?
Should I try to polish it? If so what with? It is still very smooth and shiny.
Can I remove and paint it?
Is it easy to remove and do I have to remove the vertical part around the A/C controls to get it out?
Thank you for your help !

 

They do purple with age, but wow I have never seen one that purple before! That must have seen a lot of sun.

AFAIK the only fix is replacement.

RHD
C2D24840 up to V55846 £126
C2D39382 post V55847 £144

LHD
C2D24841 up to V55846 £182
C2D39383 post V55847 £140

When I did mine I recall removing the upper surround/trim (use a plastic bar to pry it forward from the seam in the leather dash half way up, then it pulls forward), then pulling it up from the front edge along with the outer bezel. I don't remember it being fixed from below with screws, but it did have wiring routed across it for the blue LEDs so once up it needed carefully detaching to remove from the car. The black part is then screwed into the silver outer bezel.

Be aware the replacement may make the other black surfaces in the vicinity look purple in comparison.

I don't know if the reason for the VIN break in the part numbers was due to the finish changing to address the fading. The earliest parts had four revisions before the break. It is about the same time that the soft finish buttons changes from being painted (which inevitably go sticky and come off with heat) to just being textured plastic.

 

Thank you for the information - I'll check with the local dealer for the part. As I'm in Oman I can understand the sun but no other parts of the car (paint or trim) have been affected, and it's a black car !

 

A less costly alternative would be to have it wrapped in gloss black vinyl. Or you could just leave it the way it is an tell others that it's a bespoke option for royalty and the previous owner was a Saudi prince.

 

I pulled mine out and had it painted piano glass black. A body shop or some other paint shop should be able to do it for far cheaper than getting a new one that's just going to fade as well.

 

Royal Purple. I like it!

 

Hmmm it's so obvious a good story is needed, I like the Saudi Prince idea - I might also take the vertical trim off and put it in the sun so it fades to match!