Last month, I came across some interesting finds on eBay that I decided to pounce on.

The first is the armrest. I've always detested the solution Jaguar came up with for the cup-holder and latch problem. Concerning the cup holder. It's fragile and breaks easily. Even when it's working as intended, it doesn't hold any drinks effectively. As for the armrest latch, they had a much more elegant and reliable solution in the late 80s and early 90s with the I think XJ40's armrest. A magnetic latch. The good news is that the parts are compatible with our cars. You only need the magnetic latch and the XJ40 armrest. My cupholder had broken a year or two ago, which prompted me to remove the mechanism from my armrest because it was annoyingly noisy while driving. Especially if you put your arm on the armrest near the cupholders.

Then I found a unicorn on eBay. An XJ40-style magnetic armrest that had been modified with metal cupholders that hide inside the armrest. That solves both problems. I no longer have to deal with drinks that fly into the backseat as I accelerate, nor do I have to put up with the noisy armrest. I did find that this modified armrest does have one issue. The leather at the corner is folded in such a way that the magnets don't contact each other to provide "latching" action. No problem, I added some smaller magnets I had lying around. Eventually, I plan to remove those rivets and add some washers to shim the metal bar just enough to allow the magnets to contact each other without the auxiliary magnets.







My other issue was my steering wheel. The original steering wheel suffered at the hands of the COVID pandemic. All that constant use of hand sanitizer wrought havoc on the leather. It wore away the protective coating and then the leather itself until it started falling off. I was driving around with a late-stage cancerous steering wheel. Graciously, fellow forum member Sam sent me his old steering wheel, which was originally cashmere colored, and he had painted it over with a wine red color. I was able to strip out the red back to the cashmere, and over that, I painted it in black. The color wasn't a match for my charcoal interior, but it served its purpose. It seems I laid the paint a little too thick. Over time, the leather cracked, but also the stitching was coming undone.

Well, it was serendipity that the same night I found the armrest on eBay, I also found a perforated leather and wood steering wheel in charcoal, which does match my interior. Since perforated leather wood steering wheels are uncommon, I didn't waste any time and bought that too. It is surprisingly a huge upgrade over my previous two steering wheels. It's pleasant to the touch, and I find that it is a lot less slippery.








Do these two items look out of place in my interior? I find that the armrest, although an upgrade in many ways, is taking some getting used to. My arm sits a bit higher because of it, and it does make the interior feel a tiny bit smaller. Despite that, it's not uncomfortable.

Another question I have is concerning powering the portable CarPlay screen. It currently draws power from the 12-volt socket. Would it be possible to, instead of using the 12-Volt socket, tap into the wiring beneath the center console? I'd want 12-volt power that is switched and powers the screen only when the car is running.

My last question is about the button bulbs. I've replaced the bulbs of every interior button that is backlit with T4.2 and T3 Neo Evo Wedge LEDs in Ice blue to match the LED bulbs in my gauges, except the radio headunit bulbs and Valet button bulb. Those are soldered in. If I remove the base from the LED T3 or T4.2 Neo Evo Wedge bulbs and solder the bulb directly to the radio (making sure to get the polarity right), will those LEDs function in the headunit? I have just enough leftover T3 and T4.2 bulbs that could work for this. Most grain of wheat LED bulbs are not capable of dimming, unlike the T3 and T4.2, which can.

 

don’t know about your year, but my 2002 XKR has the 12v cigarette lighter socket switched with ignition.

ignition off = socket off

ignition on = socket on


Z

 

Yep. Same on our 1999 XK8.

As for your “improvements”, they look fine to me but I prefer the original.

 

I like the interior, if it suits you that's the main thing. Finding a matching color was awesome.

 

Right, so it's safe to tap into the socket? It's got two connectors. Not sure which one to tap into.

Valid

Yeah, I think it looks close to stock, except for the CarPlay screen and the aluminum trim plate. Mostly, I was looking to replace items that either break easily, were damaged, or were poorly designed with more durable or functional parts. Because my seats have perforated leather inserts, the steering wheel looks OE to the car.

 

I think I would deal with the cracks in the seat leather before they open up and become impossible to repair.

 

An easier place to get ignition switched 12v is the driver's side fuse box. Use a piggy back fuse holder and run the wire behind the dashboard, without having to unscrew anything.

 

You're right. What's the best way to do that?

Which fuse should I tap into?

 

I would have thought the fuse for the accessory socket itself would be a good choice? Your fuse chart will have everything listed.

ETA: On my 2001 the passenger side fascia fuse box looks like it has all the fuses you need - radio, cigar lighter etc take your pick. Depending on what options your car has, you might find a suitable earth stud as well.

 

I dig the steering wheel! Looks factory.

 

It is a factory steering wheel, it's just that I think it's from an XJR or an XJ8. The XKRs that had the perforated leather steering wheels, I think, didn't have any wood on them.

 

I like what you have done, suits the car.

I'd be interested to hear the best way to improve your seats?

 

Yeah, I’m going yo have to research that. Ideally I would swap for the ultra rare Recaro seats that the Victory editions came with in order to have more lateral support. I slip and slide so easily out of my stock seats. Having said that, whenever those seats do pop up for sale in eBay, they are priced at a between $1500 and $2000, st which point I would rather spend that money elsewhere.

After researching, it’s possible to apply a leather filler and then dye it to cover the cracks. If it’s too far gone for that, then you would have to re-upholster them.

My front seat leather has always been firm whilst the rarely used rears are supple. I’ve tried many different leather conditioners and have not achieved any results. At least the cracks haven’t progressed at all in the 8 years I’ve owned this car.

What’s a good leather conditioner that I can use to prevent further cracking and soften up the leather?


I figure, if I ever find myself having to re-upholster the seats, I could take that opportunity to add padding to the bolsters to improve lateral support. I do know some companies sell leather replacements for our seats which would make this easier to DIY.

 

I agree, looks great!

 

I like the arm rest...a lot. I love the steering wheel...a whole lot!

As for the seats: Seats Restore: Stuff is unreal. I used it on my 01 and have since used it on two other non Jaguars.

This is the only way I've been able to get it:

JAGUAR - CHARCOAL Leather Color TOUCH UP KITS - XJ8/XK8/X-TYPE Models - code LEG | eBay

Give him your interior color code...and splurge for the matte finish second application. Really made a huge difference.

 

First thing to do is get the leather hydrated. I like Leatherique products for leather recovery and refinishing. It takes time and a lot of rejuvenator oil. If they don't already have the appropriate dye color for you interior, they can color match to a sample. I've done a number of baked out Lotus Esprit interiors with some pretty amazing results.

 

Have a look at this string https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ighter-281521/

There's an elegant solution using the built in auxiliary connector at the bottom of the A Pillar. It starts about halfway down the thread.


http://www.jagrepair.com/AuxiliaryPowerSocket.htm has the original Jag service document

 

I will strongly second what “the great garbanzo” stated in #15 above about SeatsRestore. I have used the products and they work great!
Definitely use the low gloss top coat over your filling and coloring. Follow their directions and you should be good.
Sorry, no before and after pictures.

Brian W.
2003 4.2 XK8 convertible, 77,740 miles, Onyx White, Cashmire.

 

Agree the SeatsRestore products work very well. There are a lot of before/after pics here along with some DIY advice that is worth looking thru.