XJ ( X351 ) 2009 - 2019

Used car option changes - what's possible?

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Old Jul 12, 2018 | 09:31 PM
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Default Used car option changes - what's possible?

Since I can't buy new, I'm playing the options game - how to find as many options that I want in the best overall package.

That being said I realize that I'm making assumptions on the lack of feasibility to change some options and that I should ask the community what is possible (especially having learned that adding a wood steering wheel is doable). So, which of these are possible and not cost prohibitive:

1. Headliner - I love the dark headliner but it isn't that popular (and it was an extra cost). I'm assuming that this would prove difficult or too costly...
2. Illumination package - I love the look but I can't imagine that this would be feasible.
3. Adaptive cruise control - after looking at roughly 300 used Jag XJs for sale nationwide and I think I've only found 2 with it. Again I don't imagine this can be added after the factp, but it would sure be nice.
4. Wood steering wheel - saw in previous posts that this is possible and not necessarily difficult to do.

Thanks for reading, thanks for commenting!

 

Last edited by Vorpel; Jul 12, 2018 at 09:31 PM. Reason: Grammar
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Old Jul 13, 2018 | 04:38 AM
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Originally Posted by Vorpel
1. Headliner - I love the dark headliner but it isn't that popular (and it was an extra cost). I'm assuming that this would prove difficult or too costly...
2. Illumination package - I love the look but I can't imagine that this would be feasible.
3. Adaptive cruise control - after looking at roughly 300 used Jag XJs for sale nationwide and I think I've only found 2 with it. Again I don't imagine this can be added after the factp, but it would sure be nice.
4. Wood steering wheel - saw in previous posts that this is possible and not necessarily difficult to do.


1. Possible but costly, and many trimmed parts are on 6 month lead times. If it is just a fabric change it is usually cheaper to have a good vehicle upholstery shop match the fabric you want and re-cover your existing head liner.

2. Possible with modifications. I did this to my car as it was not an option in 2010. You need the six illuminated vents (used are sometimes available for around £300, new cost is over £1k). You need to splice into the existing illuminated switch circuit to wire them in as the connectors will not be present. The rears are dead easy, the fronts require some disassembly of the dash/fascia.

3. Possible but get your parts right as it is easy to get it wrong. Early cars (I forget the VIN change, but think it was 2013) used the same system as the X350 with a separate sensor and control module. The later cars used the all-in-one sealed module. Of those, there are two main variants - one was fitted behind the bumper to the left, and the other fitted centrally behind the radiator grille - and those also contain sub variants. The modules cost around £1,200 new, used are much less but be sure to get the right ones as there are so many variants. In all cases the engine-bay wiring is present with the connector simply attached to a blanking socket on the bumper bar. The two-module variant is lacking the wiring in the dash/fascia. You would need to add that yourself. You need to change the cruise control switch on the steering wheel. Then the vehicle CCF needs to be recoded to add the feature.

4. Very easy to do - takes all of 5 minutes to pop the air bag out and undo the bolt.
 
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Old Jul 13, 2018 | 04:53 AM
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Thanks for the detailed information xdave!
 
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Old Jul 13, 2018 | 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Vorpel
Since I can't buy new, I'm playing the options game - how to find as many options that I want in the best overall package.

That being said I realize that I'm making assumptions on the lack of feasibility to change some options and that I should ask the community what is possible (especially having learned that adding a wood steering wheel is doable). So, which of these are possible and not cost prohibitive:

1. Headliner - I love the dark headliner but it isn't that popular (and it was an extra cost). I'm assuming that this would prove difficult or too costly...
2. Illumination package - I love the look but I can't imagine that this would be feasible.
3. Adaptive cruise control - after looking at roughly 300 used Jag XJs for sale nationwide and I think I've only found 2 with it. Again I don't imagine this can be added after the factp, but it would sure be nice.
4. Wood steering wheel - saw in previous posts that this is possible and not necessarily difficult to do.

Thanks for reading, thanks for commenting!

The black headliner on these cars is rare because these are large lux sedans. When ever a black headliner is installed in a car it gives the passenger compartment a MUCH smaller sports car feel and that's not the market for these cars. Go look at different large lux sedans from various manufacturers and you will see the black headliner is not common and is usually a special order or on a performance sports package.

Having the headliner recovered would be the best option because the factory headliner materiel used on all the interior pillars is not rolled over the edges and glued. The factory covers the panel and flush trims the materiel to the edge of the panel making it prone to failure (both B pillars failed on my wifes car). If you recover the headliner black you will end up with a 2 tone effect unless you replace all the tan plastic pieces throughout the panels which will be very difficult to locate.

I wouldn't invest the time and money to heavily modify one of these cars with factory options that you can order. Remember all the money invested in this could be used towards a down payment on a new one with new car warranty!
 
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Old Jul 13, 2018 | 06:16 PM
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1bad55chevy - thanks for the post and thoughts on the headliner. That makes total sense on the whole luxury vs. sportiness aspect. I'm still very interested in sport/performance but I'm easing into wanting the luxury as well...! I don't ever plan to be the person in the back seat and will grudgingly give up the drivers seat to my wife only when necessary (I just love driving!)

I'm not really interested in buying a car to have to redo the headliner - I was just getting a bit frustrated that there are so few out there (as it makes perfect sense to me that all headliners should be dark!) and wanted to understand the art of the possible so that on an easy fix (like the wood steering wheel) I don't pass up a great deal waiting for all the option stars to align.

Once again - I greatly appreciate this community for its' patience and information sharing!
 
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Old Jul 13, 2018 | 08:06 PM
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The Illumination Package includes the vents, front and rear door sills, and trunk finisher.

The door sills are easy, since the wiring is already there. The old sills pull off and the new, illuminated sills plug into the existing wiring and the sill simply press fits back on. They're available occasionally on Ebay. Fronts L and R are the same size for SWB and LWB, but rears are different- LWB are larger. Early XJs were stainless steel, later models less expensive aluminum but looked almost identical.
 
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Old Jul 14, 2018 | 12:28 AM
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Personally, I always thought the light-colored headliner in my XJL looked a little odd with the jet black seats, but I got used to it. Admittedly, I bought my current Cadillac XTS while in a state of duress and didn't do a lot of shopping around but it has a black headliner as part of the Kona Brown interior package and I think it looks magnificent. Like the XJL, it has the panoramic moonroof and the shade always stays in the open position so there is very little headliner actually showing.

Dwayne
 
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