Thank you everyone for all your thoughtful suggestions. I finished my installation this weekend.

Didn't go as smoothly as I anticipated- my own fault for missing a t30 socket, misconnecting the white/red wire in the very last step and not having a battery charger handy (my battery got drained somehow).

Steve was tremendously helpful through the process and supported me through phone and skype. There was a point when I was totally stuck and none of the LEDs were coming on. Steve just had to look at a couple of still images to figure out that the problem was the swapped white/red wire. Can't thank him enough for his generous and patient support.

Some improvement ideas (few and far between: this kit is very professionally put together):

1. It is easy to get the wiring on step 26 wrong. Some more close up images on the instruction manual will help.
2. Working with the convertible top definitely helps. However I realize that it takes a bit of muscle for a single person to handle the manual top operation properly.
3. The posi taps are best done on disconnected connectors.

It works amazingly well. My wife and I took a drive up to San Francisco and noise levels are really low-possibly a 50% reduction based on what I perceived- with the rear window raised (I also have an oem wind deflector). I recorded 28 mpg with the top down and cruising at 70 mph.

Btw for those interested in mpg numbers with the top UP on our way back driving similarly, I recorded 30 mpg. It is AC that seems to kill gas mileage.

The remote operation is way too cool!

Thank you Steve and everyone here! Life is good.

 

I have had my remote roof operational for 2 weeks now. I love it - that one touch is a treat. Kudos to Steve again for a great design.

I've had a couple of interesting observations:

1. My rear passenger quarter window does not align well with the passenger window. There's about a 5mm gap at the top. Wonder if this is why Jaguar elected not to allow independent control of the rear quarter windows, as too much alignment issue without the roof guiding it?

2. Twice now the car's come back from the valet with the tonneau cover half open. What they're doing is pressing the key multiple times to find the car (a common valet habit as I understand it) so the roof starts operating after 3 presses, then stops when they press again.

Other than that, so far so very good!

 

Thanks for your input!

Regarding the rear passenger window, I am curious if you could check and see if it rises significantly more slowly that the rear driver window.

Very interesting comment regard 'valet habits'. I am planning to add some new features to the module with a software upgrade in the near future, and I think I will add a temporary disable option for use when you hand the car to a valet.

Other features I have planned for the upgrade include operation of the top while driving up to 25 or 30 mph (up from 15 mph) and the ability to set a default for all windows up or down when you drop the top.

 

The rear passenger window rises very slightly more slowly than the rear driver window. Maybe half a second.

You have to admire a product designer who makes software enhancements possible where others would require hardware changes. That's smart! Would love to see the temporary disable option.

Not sure if it's possible with programming, but whether the roof is up or down you can hold the unlock button from outside the car for a few seconds and the driver and passenger windows drop - would be great if both rear windows dropped also.

 

Another interesting observation. If I raise the door windows with one click of the right side button and the immediately click (after the two windows are up) the right side button twice more the rear windows rise.

 

Offhand, I am not certain if it is possible with the current design....but I can investigate it when I work on the feature upgrades.

 

Yes, that is expected. To allow for normal human timing variations when you click the button three times in a row, there is a 4 or 5 second period when any press of the button counts towards '3 presses in a row'.

 

I'm sure you've addressed this, but I have gone through this thread and did not see any reference to it... With the quarter windows up and the top down, when the top is raised, do the quarter windows go down and then back up again (as per OEM)? Or perhaps as the front windows, lower a bit then raise again?

 

Yes, the remote top unit is programmed to lower the rear quarter windows automatically when the top goes up and then finally raise them again when the top is latched. The front windows also go down, then up, as is programmed from the factory.

 

I'm excited to finally have some time within the next week or so to install my module. I feel bad it's been sitting on my desk for months. /facepalm

 

Rahtok - l You are in for some real added enjoyment with your xkr

 

Hi, was there an update released yet to put all the windows up automatically after dropping the roof?

Reason is.. I am not sure how the window rubber would hold up as the original feature is that when closing the the roof (and thus windows) the smaller rear ones to first.. then the big ones.. but with the kit.. the big ones go first.. (first click on switch).. and then the rear ones (3x)... I'm especially worried about the rubbers between the front and back windows..

So ideally the sequence would be:
Drop windows
Open roof
close small windows
close big windows

(same as when closing the roof)

 

No, I have not developed the upgrade yet, though I plan to this year.

See page 3 of the attached User's Manual excerpt. The rear windows, FROM the FACTORY, have a little known feature that allows you to raise or lower them with a VERY quick press to the convertible top button ONLY when the top is up. This can be performed with either the front windows up or down. If there was any issue with this sequence, Jaguar would not have enabled it as a factory feature. In fact, with the top up, there is increased pressure on the seals.

I fully agree, this is a desirable feature enhancement from a convenience perspective, but the current configuration is not causing any more than normal wear and tear.

 

Or do what I do; make sure that all the seals are always coated with Seal Protectant. 303 or Lexol Vinylex works wonderfully. Both (and also silicone-based, tho those types seem to attract dust) allow the glass and seals to glide rather than grip.

 

Any news on the software update?

 

No, I have not worked on the feature additions yet.

There are many people who are waiting on the integrated backup camera, and I am at the moment dedicating the available time I have for development of that.

Once the rear camera system is shipping, I plan to add at a minimum, a feature upgrade for the remote top with programmable window positions when the top is dropped, and a small increase in the speed from 15 mph to about 25 mph for allowable top operation.

Thank you for your patience and for being one of the first remote top customers.

 

I've had my XK8 Remote top for awhile now, and got the X150 put in three days ago. The only problem I had with the XKR install is that I'm 6'2" (1.9m) tall and over 200 lb (91+k) and have back/neck issues. Frequent breaks included, the install still only took two hours total.
Another fine product from Steve!

(Hurry up with that backup camera!)

 

Wow I so need that! Will it be comaptible with my 2008 XKR?

 

Yes. It makes no sense that it was not available on these cars until 2012. They have a good sized video monitor with good resolution, but horrible rear visibility. As someone who wrote me recently said, the rear view is like looking out a periscope.

 

After test driving a 2011 convert it was apparent to me that it would be difficult to live without one when the top is up. I don't know about the coupes but the convert has a huge blind spot. That was one of the main reasons I went for a 2012.