1999 xk8 rattle from dashboard area, seems to be on driver's side. Any suggestions or information on this?

 

Are your front upper shock mounts the original ones? If so, they are disintegrating. When the upper shock mounts begin to fail, it often causes rattles that sound as if they are coming from the dashboard area....

 

TSBs from when I worked at the dealer.

 

I traced one rattle to the vents by the windscreen and used some foam insulation wedged in there to stop it. There's a thread somewhere but the squeaks and rattles PDF from motocarman was very helpful.

Another rattle came from behind the small speaker grille by the A post.

I have a most irritating rattle if I have the driver's seat too low. It's something to do with the seat belt mounting but I can't work out what.

 

There was a TSB for a creak in the seat riser.
Check your VIN

 

I spent hours searching for a rattle behind the dash. As others have pointed out, it was worn shock mounts transmitting noise to the firewall and I would have bet money that it was behind the dash. On convertibles the extra bracing makes the transmission of the noise even more startling. A simple check is to look at your shock mounts and determine whether they are central or have moved off centre and are causing the rattle.This is what they should look like.

 

Good Morning from S. Florida, I had a driver side squeak/rattle 01 XK8 and until diving in a covered parking garage with windows down was I able to determine it was the hood/bonnet latch that needed lubricating. That’s after cracking defrost vent and removing lower dash. Good luck, hope it’s that easy of a fix.