Hey Folks,

Posting as a community service.

For those that have read the posts on the headrest repairs suggested by Jaguar and others, I have an option posted by another forum member (chopr) that he claims is the permanent fix!

Instead of cutting the sheathing and possibly having to go in there and do it again, I opted to follow the directions of another forum member and seek out someone to build me longer cables. Net result is the same but you won't be cutting or splicing anything so there is not possibility of the repair failing.

The cables I ordered were $50.00 shipped for the pair. I ordered them from this place Speedometer Service of Milw providing speedometer solutions

Guys name is Roger and he says he has done a bunch of cables for various repairs on things like this. I have asked him to create a PN for the cable but in case he doesn't get back to me on that, here are the specs I used as posted by the forum member.

.150 cable
18 ¾ total length
Squared 2” on one end
Squared 1.5” on the other end

So just cut and paste those values and for 50.00, you will fix it right the first time.

Disclaimer - I will post back the results once I have these installed but according to everyone that has looked at it, they agree this is the better approach than cutting and splicing the sheathing. At 50.00, it's a cheap and permanent fix.

Hope This Helps

 

That is EXACTLY what I did... fortunately for me someone else on the forum bought two sets of cables and I bought his extra ones from him. The fix was simple and hopefully permanent

 

Sorry but I see no reason to spend any money on this fix.

Shortening the cable sheath at the end and re-crimping the metal connector is the fastest/cheapest way with no down side to it that I can see.

Why do you think there is potential for a problem/failure with that method?

 

This is a great, no measure, option for the lazy or for people who are repairing for a second time where strength may be an issue. I will most likely order a set.

Thanks for posting!

 

I fall into neither category and do some extreme work on my own cars. I simply know a proper fix when I see one.

Worrying about spending 50.00 on a car that cost how much?
That's why forums are great because you can learn from others trial and error.

 

Yeah that "cut a chunk out of the middle of the sheath" method was doomed to fail.

Correcting the sheath length at the end is as reliable as lengthening the cable. Both ways will create a correct pairing.

Not spending money was never the point. Not wasting money was. Some owners have a tighter budget than others. I did not want a new owner to think spending money was the only reliable option.

If my fix ever fails you can trust that I will return to recant my testimony.

 

Unfortunately, I did the cut-the-cable fix and have had to go back a couple of times since the splice separates after a while with the heat shrink. I would gladly have bought the longer cable.

Doug

 

Based on what I have seen parts for this car go for, anyone who cannot afford 50.00 to repair the motorized headrests should consider another vehicle. I learned this about 18 years ago when I decided to buy a Porsche 928S. Sure, I got the car for 15G but Porsche doesn't give a rat's *** what I paid for the car - their parts cost what they cost. Sold it after 14 years of ownership and it ran like a champ. I did every repair myself including a complete 8' timing belt service including waterpump, tensioners, cam gears, seals, etc. Probably saved myself 5G on that one and it was worth it.

While I agree, that shortening the sheath is a valid fix as well, for me it just doesn't cross the "cheaper to mod than to replace" barrier. I will get the cables, open the seats and get it done.

I have far more serious fish to fry on this car.

 

I've decided to try your method.

I rationalized it by saying to myself that I would take the cost of the replacement cables and put it towards something else.....lol.

Anyway, any idea how the sheathing comes out of the headrest side of the assembly? I would like to work with the sheathing outside the seat if possible.

B

 

I just left the sheathing in place and cut off the bottom connector with a knife right above the metal, cleaned it out then re-crimped it. I did not follow the cable route up into the seat back so I don't know how it attaches on that end.

 

Thanks.

Performed the mod on the passenger side headrest cable tonight and it worked well. Nice sharp razor blade to cut the sheathing. It is pretty much exactly 14mm at the end of the metal end so no measurement beyond that is required.

I did a couple of things a little differently. The most convenient thing I did was use my torch to heat up the plastic remaining in the metal end. Took about 5-10 seconds and it was soft enough to push straight out. Push it with a Phillips head screwdriver away from the serrated indents. Slid out like butter and just a wee cleanup with a precision screwdriver to push out the remaining material.

Then I used a cap screw M10 to whack through the center with a gentle tap from the 3lb sledge and used an Allen key to spin it out again. After that, I used the same sledge to tap the end on and then a metal punch to tap the serrated edges back in. Seems to be working perfectly now so onto the driver side tomorrow.

 

Cool idea about using the torch. Glad it worked out well.

 

I couldn't even get the seat back off. I gave up as I'll probably replace the cable when I get the seats redone.

 

This is not that difficult a job and I am glad that rothwell shamed me into it because - you know - learning
Just finished the driver side in less than an hour now that I am familiar with the way it comes apart and goes back together.

First off, there is no "seat back comes off".
You have to follow this step by step. What you might think is a seat back is not. There is a piece of fiber board shoved up underneath that might make it feel as if it is a separate piece but that board slides out as you go through the process and then the whole seat skin gets rolled up towards the top like a sock.

B

 

Just ordered a pair :-)

 

Which end gets the two inch squared end?