My 2001 XK8, only has 24k miles yet both electric head rests are inoperative. The motors both work, but no movement in either headrest. I've watched a youtube video documenting the repair process and it looks like a pain in the a##. Is it even worth it to try to fix them?

 

Give it a try--not all that hard and the cost is next to nothing to do the cable fix.

Doug

 

Just did this myself job last week, not too difficult.
I have a coupe, did not remove the seats, and am 6ft tall so it was a bit of a squeeze in the back to do the repair!
Hardest part for me was seperating the long p-clip holding the fabric at the bottom (the video sort of shows it but you have to really see it for yourself), and the smaller p-clips up the inside of the seat.
Once you've done one seat you'll probably do the other in half the time

I did the job a) for completeness and b) safety - in an accident the headrest in the down position lined up directly into my neck.
If you've got a 'vert then it's probably a lot easier....

 

This was the first repair I did to my wife's XK8 after we purchased it in February 2012. The passenger headrest was stuck all the way up making it look like a giraffe. I did the repair using the heat-shrink tubing method, lowered the headrest all the way down, and there it has remained ever since. In our case we felt that the fix was a necessity. If the inoperable headrest is stuck in the fully-down position, the fix may not be a necessity. But as inexpensive and easy as the fix is, I would do it for future resale purposes if nothing else....

 

mine are down so at this point if I do mine it wont be till spring.

 

It took me 30 minutes to do the first side for and 20 for the second. 2 Dollars worth of paint brush. Handle and shrink wrap and they work perfect.

 

Paint brush?? Did you use it to remove clips or something? I know I tried but could not budge the clips holding the leather on in the back. The ones you cannot see.

 

The two videos you mentioned by our own RevSam for anyone who finds this thread in the future:



Takes about 30 minutes to do the repair.

Is it worth it? If you actually move the headrest or simply want everything to work on your car, then yes.
Vector

 

First thing I fixed on my 2004 XK8 when I got the car last November, with the help of the video it was an hour well spent. I used the aluminum handle from a throw away paint brush and heat shrink method. Now that I know how easy it is to remove the seats, I would probably take them out for the fix. It is really tough to put the leather joining nylon strip back together when you are 6 feet and can't get in the back seat very readily. My philosophy on whether it is worth fixing; if I let every little thing go, that is not worth fixing, someday the whole car will not be worth fixing. I did not get a Jag to have a car that is not worth fixing.

 

Paint Brush.. what he's referring to was a thread I made a couple years ago, not really a paint brush but a small Plumbers flux brush ($2 for 3 at HomeD) that just happens to be the same diameter of the cable, this addition on the spice re-enforces the shrink tubing to prevent it from coming loose. (I may have pics in orig post)

This is one of the easiest, cheapest fixes you will have on a XK I'd say delve on in.

 

The paint brush repair and other fixes are in the FAQ:-

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xk8-xkr-x100-17/new-fix-head-rest-faq-69635/

 

Of course it's worth doing. What is the point of having something fitted to a car if it doesn't work.
Give it a go, you might surprise yourself.