The hood on the tired XKR opens and closes as it should, and is quick about it too. However, it makes an unnerving dracula's-castle cacophony of creaks, groans and squeaks while it's doing it.

Apart from just opening it part way and looking at random for anything I can shove some lubricant up (lithium grease?), is there a known maintenance procedure for the mechanism that I can read up on and follow?

The front rail business is a particular creak source, both when detaching and attaching, but the main part of the hood is noisy too, and the rear quarter windows squeak like mad going down and up. Oddly, the tonneau doesn't seem to be noisy.

(The tilt-away function of the steering wheel also groans annoyingly but I've got so used to that I don't notice it.)

 

Sometimes my front rail noise is worse than other times, and worries me. Apparently it is accessible from the top, so some lubricant would probably help. Plastic gears in there, so I bought the metal (BMW if I recall) replacements recommended by WhiteXKR a few year ago, but haven’t replaced them, just waiting until it’s necessary.