Interior trim piece question
 

So my '07 has the dark walnut trim and personally, I love it.
Now I have seen a few pics of newer model years where the door switch is also wood where mine is the cheap painted plastic to match the steering wheel spokes.

So my question is this... What year did the wood door switch panels show up (I assume 2010 and up)?
Do you think they would be a direct fit to my '07 ?


Thanks :icon_beerchug:
Vince

I'll probably be at the RTC car show this Saturday if you want to stop by and take a close peek at mine...

Might take you up on that... Wasn't going to hit the RTC till Jaguar day on the 16th, but with a fellow member there, it might be worth the 1.5 hour drive.....

Of course, all of that assumes my car is out of the paint shop Friday as planned.....:icon_rolleyes:

Also just got off the phone with David at Nalley, and he is placing a call to Jaguar to see what he can find out for me...

Do you have the dark or light wood interior? (curious also to dark wood color matching problems).

Vince

Mine's the regular Burl, so probably the lighter of the two. I'm only about 25 mins away from RTC, so I try to show up whenever I have a free weekend.

The 2007 cars had an alloy-look window switch panel. This was upgraded significantly for the 2008 model year with a wood overlay BUT it is not a direct retro-fit (of course). The 2008-onwards panels are two pieces; the 2007 is one piece. You cannot combine them. You CAN upgrade to the wood but you need the wood piece,AND the switch panel surround from the 2008-onwards cars AND you also nee the 2008-onwards switches because the 2007 switches do not fit properly. So this is an expensive upgrade (which I have done...no common sense) - but the good news is that the electrical connector is the same - plug and play!

Hi everyone new 2007 XKR owner here in Northern California. I love this car and apparently so does everyone in the State :-).

I would however like to make some changes....

Wood dash is now a light birdseye maple that I feel looks cheap. Any 07 XKR owners want to swap dash kits ? Im looking for a darker OEM dash?

Anyone buy chrome mirror covers and side vents from ebay if so did you have any fit or quality problems? I was told by the seller they are not OEM.

This is the dash color I would prefer (see link below) or something close. But may be open to other looks.

I don't think that dash trim went back on correctly. But anyhow the color I think you're looking for is called burl walnut.

Also, Jaaaaag makes chrome accessories for the side vent louvers and hood vents too if you have an R. I don't know about the mirrors, but you should be able to find out if you call your local jag dealer and talk to parts. That way you don't have to worry about fit.

Yes Burl thanks.

Anyone interested in changing out their dash colorMy dash color is shown at this car and driver link...

http://www.caranddriver.com/photos-0...r-photo-200531

Are the panels in the video above real wood, or just a plastic that looks like finished wood?

I have spun aluminum in my XKR and don't plan any changes, but am curious to hear if these panels are real wood products or faux.

This pertains to the older models as in the video, or even the newer models.

Both the old and new XK use real wood veneers. The wood grain in each car is unique.

it is real wood

If you would prefer to keep your dash kit I am also willing to just sell my dash kit. It is in pristine condition since the car only has 12,000 miles on it.

In a Jaguar, what looks like wood is real wood veneer. In every Jaguar and any Jaguar, from the X-Type to the XK. In a Kia, it is plastic.

I saw a Chevrolet Aveo decked out with leather trim and wood paneling. Real or fake? :p

Even on some BMWs, I believe the wood trim is fake. At least it was on E46s.

From what I 've seen on the Jags (wood panels) they look so good, so nice that it was hard for me to believe it's real wood.

Good to know that what I see is real, high quality and such a beautiful finish to the interior panels. Jaguar does a great job with these, and yes I am now sure that each panel is unique. No 2 are alike.

Let's just be clear about this: these are Jaguars. If a piece looks like wood, it IS wood. I have been to the factory and watched the wood being finished (Jaguar at that time was making and I believe still makes the wood trim for Aston Martin as well!).
In a Chevrolet, what looks like wood is plastic - this is the case for virtually every sub-luxury car and even higher end cars like Volvos use plastic that looks like wood. In contrast, the wood in EVERY Jaguar is unique to that car, and specifically chosen for that car; you can take at random 5 examples of otherwise identical Jaguars and every one will have wood different from the other 4. The more you know about Jaguars, the more you love them.
Other manufacturers, like Mercedes, "play" with their supposed luxury trim. Did you know that what Mercedes calls "Artico Leather" is really vinyl? good vinyl, but vinyl. It looks virtually the same as their thick and unpleasant real leather! (They state this in print so small that even a 15 year old with a microscope would have trouble reading it - because they want to fool you into thinking that it is leather).
The leather in current Jaguars is Italian leather, buttery soft - it needs conditioners used regularly to keep it that way. Especially on the XK cars that have the "Luxury" interior trim -which means that the dash covering is also real leather (as is virtually every bit of the interior). This dash especially needs conditioners regularly to keep it from being sun-damaged - the cause of complaints about the dash covering pulling at the seams. It is just common sense. The wood benefits from regular waxing, despite the use of modern finishing materials - the same high quality carnauba wax that should be used on the exterior gives the wood a shine you would not believe unless you use it! The real wood and the real leather in Jaguar interiors is part of what gives them that very special look and feel.