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I purchased my first Jaguar (2015 XK Base Coupe) about five weeks ago, and I've been loving it. However, this morning when I took it out of the garage, I noticed the leather covering the cowling over the instrument panel on the dashboard was separating at the base. I could even see a staple that had crept out. I'm 99% sure this was not there when I purchased it. Any ideas why this would happen? I read that it could be caused by heat, but don't find that credible, particularly since I've kept it in my garage, the weather has been spring-like and mild, and I've only had it out for a few hours at a time. I want to prevent this from getting any worse, but not sure where to start. Has anyone else experienced this? Thanks.
FWIW, I live in Arizona, so the dash is subject to lots of sun and heat. Not something the Jag engineers apparently considered. I treat the leather with Lexol about every 3 months and it is quickly absorbed. I also use a sun screen whenever parked outside. On an earlier XK, I used a dash cover but it was pretty ugly.
Thanks, Jehart49. I will definitely be investing in a sun shade right away. I think the previous owners did not keep the car in a garage, so the seeds of this problem were planted years ago and blossomed on my watch. Just my luck. In the meantime, I'm getting an estimate from a local auto upholsterer on a repair this week. Does anyone happen to know if the cowling or hump over the instrument panel can be removed from the dashboard without taking out the entire dash? It looks like a separate piece from the rest of the dash. See photo I lifted from the web of a Jaguar XK dash.
Dashboard leather separating
