Mesh Grill Install 1998-2003 xj8 (or VP) FAQ
 

First you have to take off the existing grill.


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I chose to take off the entire grill, others may have done it by just removing the inserts. But do it this way because the grill is a bit flimsy and you can get a wedge between the insert and the grill. This makes it easier to pop off the inserts.


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To get the grill off. There are two screws in on the outer edges of each insert. You will want to remove these screws using a T-30 bit that looks like this.


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Here is another view of the bit.

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Below is what the grill looks like when it's off. Notice the screw holes on the left side of the grill. Those screw holes are what you need the T-30 bit for. Once you unscrew the screws, they may be dangling until all of the screws are undone and then the grill can be lifted off.


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Next you want to find two screw drivers and something to wedge between the insert and the grill.


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You have to get the screw driver wedged right between the insert and the grill and push up on the screw driver. Keep in mind that you might want to do this with both tabs on the same insert at the same time and get a wedge between the insert and the grill. If you try releasing one of the notches at a time, it puts a lot of stress on the grill, so get another person to help you with this if needed because if you crack the grill, you will be spending 5x more than you spent on the inserts to begin with. (These tabs are located towards the bottom of the grill.)


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Below you will see there are tabs on the top of the grill that will need to be slightly bent away from the inserts in order for the old inserts to release upwards and out from grill. Remember to pull the old insert out from the back side of the grill.

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Next install your new inserts. They should have some hanging wires coming out of the bottom of your inserts. There will be slots on the bumper that these should slide into. . Your inserts will probably be labeled left and right. If not, just eye it out, it should cover all edges of your grill. This part of the install is rather obvious since the insert is cut specifically to fit a certain way. Once you have the inserts in place, install the 4 screws and 4 washers that should have come with your inserts. (You may want to replace the chrome washers with black washers so the screws are less apparent)

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There should be cut outs in the mesh where the screws are to go through these tiny holes in the tabs that once held your old inserts. You will want to install your screws with washers through the holes in the tabs you see below. (Bend back the tab you're trying to screw into if you're having trouble finding a good angle through the mesh when trying to screw into the tab.)


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Once you have done this to both inserts, you can now put your grill back on. Try to keep the T-30 screws in the screw holes before putting the grill back on since these screws are too big to be put on from the outside of the mesh grill.


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Now you're DONE!!! Check out the final product.....


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Any questions??? Send me a private message.

~ FinAdvisor ~

I will FAQ this , I honestly prefer chrome grill but I have seen many questions about installation of these grills

Good job. I took my whole grille assembly off as well, but just for the reason of cleaning the whole thing. Also I needed to adjust the fit (collision guys didn't get it close enough IMO).

If you're interested in taking the age off a VDP, wheels and chrome are the biggest tells. The chrome grille surround isn't quite as good as body colour. VDP has a great amount of chrome though.

The Chrome grill fitted to Fin Advisor's XJ8 is what is known as a "fluted grill". This is a tradition that goes back to the Daimler brand which Jaguar owns (not to be confused with Mercedes-Benz which is a different story) where all Daimler grills ad a fluted finish, as did the boot trims. Because the Daimler brand isn't marketed in the USA in favour of the VDP trim level, the grill stayed but got a picture of a Cat instead of a gold D.

My UK spec XJ8 Sovereign has a chrome grill, but it has the smooth finish of the standard body colour grill. This looks very nice with or without the mesh inserts. In the UK there are many combos of XJ grills around. I prefer the chrome options myself, but I am a magpie. :P

Nice Thread Fin These useful threads are what really helps in these forums sometimes. :)

I had to do a lot of trimming to get mine perfect. Not the easiest metal to be cutting either. Nice write-up.

Love it!!!
 

I have a 2003 super v8 , and someone hit something in the front , plus I hate the look of the original grille. So I'm going to do this , swap out mine for the fluted and get some grille inserts from an xjr

This will be ur look then.
Take care you find inserts including the rubber surround, otherwise it looks pretty bad.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...74841d5d17.jpg

Anyone ever painted their 'fluted' grill surround body colour?