I have a 1989 Jaguar XJS. I would like to remove the front door panel. I have attached a photo and am pointing at the chrome metal cover on door handle that I believe needs to be removed. Once removed there is a screw behind it that needs to be removed. My problem is that small metal cover does not seem to want to release. I can wiggle it but that is all. I am afraid that I may rip my door panel material. Is there a special way to remove this? My objective is to remove the door panel. Can anyone help?

 

nickg112,

You're right, it will be tight but you just need to carefully wiggle it back a bit just a little bit to expose the screw head. Try gently pushing in the leather with a blunt tool to allow it to move back along the arm.

Good luck

Paul

 

When you say "back", I am assuming towards the rear of the car. Also, does it pull away from the door panel or just back?
Thanks for the help.

 

You are trying to lever it off the door panel such it slides along the leather armrest. So it comes away from teh door card and then immediately is turning back at about 30 degrees.
But obviously, because the armrest is at its narrowest by the cover, the cover can only slide along it a very small amount before it jams. But you only need to move it a very small amount just to expose the screw head behind it.

Hope that makes sense.

Paul

 

It is a poor design and difficult to remove without damaging the leather on the arm of the door. They were much easier to remove on my XJ6 than my XJS but still difficult. I use a small flat bladed screwdriver. Insert it along the bottom edge of the chrome piece between the chrome and the door panel and twist the screwdriver to release the chrome piece from the clip it holds onto underneath it.

Once it's released it's still usually very tight to pull back far enough to reveal the torx screw head holding the door handle in place. Some people recommend wrapping the leather/vinyl with tape or using leather conditioner as a lubricant to prevent damage while pulling the finisher back.

Make note of the orientation of the clip underneath once you can see it so you put it back correctly. I've tried to attach a photo of one on my XJ6 once the chrome finisher was pulled back. I actually think I have the clip flipped the wrong way here as the 'tangs' of the clip should face outward.

 

The screw is a pozi, by the by, not a torx. Replacing it with an allen keyed screw helps for the next time, as the cover does not have to be forced back quite to far as with the pozi.

 

Thanks for the info. Great picture and instructions. I will give it a try in a few days and post results.

 

I can slide the metal cover back and forth about 1/8 inch. That is it. I can get a screw driver in there but do not see a screw. Seems like I need to slide this back a little more. Chrome piece will only slide this small amount. Any ideas?


The reason I am taking the door panel off is to check the power window. The driver side does not work. I tried replacing the switch on the center council but that did not fix the problem. So I am assuming that there is an issue in the door.

 

On my XJS I was not able to slide the chrome piece back far enough to access the screw without damaging the leather. I tried tightly wrapping tape around the spot to try and compress the leather, then a little silicone spray on the tape I think. I pulled it back far enough to get a screwdriver on it at a sharp angle. It took a good bit of force and ended up scuffing the leather a little bit. I covered it with a small dye kit I bought on ebay.

If you get the chrome piece back far enough to see the screw, you could try using some needlenose pliers to grip the head of the screw and turn it loose. I did that when tightening mine back up.

 

When I go the jag shows and look at the XJS bunch. You will notice they almost all have the leather messed up because of that stupid chrome piece. Mine too. I want to replace my arm rests because they are worn but I will need to come up with a better cover than that.