I am moving my XK8 down to California next month and it will be outside in the sun quite a bit. What is the best way to avoid cracked wood?

Also the wood on my steering wheel has lost a bit of its shine. Is it possible to have someone refinish the wood or do I have to spend a couple grand to replace the entire wheel?

Thanks,

William

 

SirWilliam,

Not sure on the prevention, of cracking wood. As for the refinishing on your steering wheel, British Auto Wood, located in Florida, is the place to go. The gent's name is Saul Chaplin. I purchased a custom made shifter knob from him approx. (2) years ago, and when I spoke to him, he informed me that he does refinishing on interior wood items. I sent him (2) shift gate surrounds, and he did an excellent job on them. His price was reasonable, and the service was very good. The site is britishautowood.com. He may also be able to helpyou with the prevention question, as well.Good luck.

 

William Rau: www.rau-autowood.com

Heritage Woodworks: www.heritagewoodworks.com

Keep the sun off the woodwork to keep it from cracking. I bought a dust cover from California Car Cover to keep the sum off the interior when parked.
http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=629&cid=

 

hlgeorge -

I went to the website to view the interior cover. Is it a pain in the butt to use? How do you store it when not in use?

Thanks

 

Important query is where are you moving in So Cal ? My dad lives on the water in Huntington Beach. He keeps his XK8 outside and has no issues with the sun.

I live in the valley, and park outside, and the wood in my last 2 cars started deteriorating within about 2 years of being kept outside. I just bought a 10x30 canopy for the driveway for the XK8. I have a couple more house projects then I plan on builiding a real carport to keep the sun from beating on it.

Dave

 

Very easy to use. I use it in my garage to keep the dust out too. Velcro strap around each side mirror, Velcro strap on each wiper blade, elastic around each door handle and the rear works just like the top cover. It folds up into a very small pack and stores in the boot.

 

There was a thread on here questioning cracking on the gearshift panel but I can't locate it now. Someone suggested throwing a towel over it when it was exposed to UV, but yesterday I found a solution that keeps the seats cool as well. When I was getting my reflective sunshade out of the trunk I realized it was a perfect fit for over the seats and center wood. The cutout for the rear-view mirror fits the gear shifter correctly. It is cheap and effective and very easy to put on and take off.

 

Our driveway is flanked on both sides by several huge poplar and oak trees. When they are fully leafed out during the hot summer months, they provide massive amounts of shade. We've kept our vehicles in this shade during the 18-plus years we've been in this house. The interiors stay well-preserved as a result. The only downside this time of year is the occasional splatter of bird poop that I try to clean up as soon as I spot it....

 

Another sunshine thread from California.

There should be a warning flag on these. No consideration for those of us with windscreen wiper fatigue.

I'm only jealous!

Graham

 

well, you should be able to find a wood oil that will keep the wood hydrated. Also I strongly recommend if you are not already, conditioning the leather and vinyl to keep it from cracking.

 

It is rare that the wood cracks in the modern Jags. It is almost always the poly coating they apply to give it that deep shiny look. Minor scratches can be polished out, but for actual cracks you will need to refinish.

I have not used them, but the British Auto Wood guys come recommended by several people on this forum.

I keep mine out of the sun when possible and clean with pledge.

 

The previous owner of mine left it in the sun a lot and there are a few minor cracks in the poly coating.

I use Old English on it every few weeks. When I've had the panels out for various reasons I clean them well then oil the sides and backs before putting them back in.

The cracks are still there but the oil has caused them to darken a little and blend better.

Lemon fresh smell too.

 

Sunshine thread? Today's San Diego Union contains following article "Chance of record-tying rainfall today due to remnants of hurricane Fabio." The record that might be tied? 0.01 inches, set in 1922. I made sure my top was up in the parking lot today

 

Jeff at Automotive Wood Restoration (Madera Concepts) also does superb work.

 

Madera Concepts is the company Jaguar use for all warranty work. I deal with Tony & have to say he is fantastic. I highly recomend them.

 

Wood preservatives, hydrating oils and such don't make too much sense when there is a solid layer of polyurethane varnish on top of the wood. You're not going to penetrate that with anything short of a chisel. But as noted above, it can definitely crack, and the sun can be incredibly damaging. Yep there's nothing as good as a garage or at least (in more temperate climes) a carport.

Many automotive leathers have also been treated/coated to within an inch of their lives, but if your hides can absorb conditioner, they should. Back in our parents' day leathers were tanned and treated with traditional methods (and were gloriously aromatic!). Nowadays I'm finding aniline and semi-aniline leathers in some cars almost impervious to treatment. Some cars I'd swear use 'bonded leather' which is leather in name only. I treat all of these anyway, on occasion. Largely to amuse myself I think.

 

What are the signs of this malady???

 

My shift area wood had a crack in it. After a lot of research, I settled on Madera Concepts. You ship your piece to them and they refinish and ship back. Cost $152. Just got it back. It looks Great! Like brand new. Tony is the key guy there. Took just under 3-weeks including ship time (08/16/12-09/04/12).