Have been wanting to do the real gauge conversion for some time now. Although I keep putting it off because I've been unable to source a decent set of dash wood to replace mine with. The wood dash panels in my car are perfect (not easily found). Could change the minor cluster panel alone but, of course it will not match the rest of the wood. Was wondering if anyone has pictures they can share of folks that decided to wrap or change the minor custer panel (or all panels) to something other than wood. I'm considering going this route with a donor three gauge panel off ebay. Problem is I'm having a hard time visualizing what that would look like and figured someone here could give me a little guidance and or some ideas. Thanks in advance for any help you can give. (I did find a few examples in a search here but would love to see more)

Cheers!

Andrew

 

Do a forum search for posts from member philhef - he had a few different attempts with his dash. Here is one particular thread

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...accent-104438/

 

Hey Steve

Thanks for the link those guys do incredible work. After looking at different options for adding a three cluster panel I just don't like my choices. Doing away with the wood is not going to happen because I just like it too much. Changing just the center panel looks like it was a mistake lol. Think I'll stay with what I have for now and try to find a new set of wood as nice as mine. I'll keep hunting on ebay. Hope all is well

Cheers!

Andrew

 

devil’s advocate here:

I like the my (original) SAT-NAV panel. It’s of the same period that the rest of the car came from. So what if the maps are outdated ? So are the electronics, powertrain, and the rest of the interior. To me that’s all part of the charm of the car.

If I’d wanted modern & up to date maps, etc I wouldn’t have bought a 20 ( ! ) year old car.


…. a lone voice in the wilderness.

Z

 

I think British AutoWood could make you a new set. Contact them. https://british-autowood.business.site/#gallery


In the UK, I think Myrtle LTD can do the same. I feel I am missing another merchant…?

 

Hey Andrew - all is well here - good to see you still have the XK8! The other vendor that Giandaniel may be thinking of is Madera Concepts out of California. They have a complete set for with Nav for sale - $1170 - yikes. They also say they have non-nav sets available - so always an option

 

totally agree.

 

Unique Car Phone Holder Jaguar Design Universal GPS Mount Clip Adjustable Stand | eBay

Suffering the same problem of obsolete maps with my X358, I bought one of these (though have yet to use it). Cheap-as.
I do like the GPS working on the original screen. Trouble is, I know where I'm going except for recent subdivisions which are not on the map!

I used to admire the screen on the newer X100's (post 2000 or so), but having that screen albeit in a saloon, I kinda like the dials better now. I was told when I bought my x358 that I would be better off with a cellphone, but I spent $250x2 to upgrade the maps then upgrade again. To 2012 lol. Hey, it's user's choice. As to originality, it appears that in New Zealand the dials were retained on NZ Factory Spec long after 2000. Also in the x350 saloons, which had a similar "upgrade" to screens in their lifetimes.

Just make sure it's Burl Walnut

(Why is an X358 owner posting in this forum? My wife made me buy a saloon to "take passengers". The only passenger we ever took was a Mother In Law. My heart is with you guys...)

 

Hey Z

I totally understand your point and feel very much the same way about leaving any car in it's proper time frame.But let's not forget that the 3 gauge was available at the time and would be more useful to the driver than a system that doesn't work anymore. That's what I'm thinking

Cheers!

Andrew

 

Hey Daniel thanks for the link sorry I have been side tracked the last couple of weeks. For that kind of money I think I would be better to keep shopping for a used set. As soon as I give up a nice set will pop up. lol it's just the way of the world.Hope all is well how's the tooth biz doing?

Cheers!

Andrew

 

Hey Steve

Yeah, I still have the xk8 and love it like the first year I owned it. Continues to put a smile on my face driving the car and being seen in it (it's my car). What I need to start doing is drive the car longer distances and enjoy the open road with it. Has been an extremely reliable car but, I do have a hard time driving it out of my comfort zone. Let's face it there are places in the Carolinas where I wouldn't want to break down for obvious reasons. I do make my way to Charlston at least a few times a year and really need to take the Jag next time. Hope all is well

Cheers!

Andrew

 

the 3 gauge panel would’ve been useful if the gauges weren’t fake gauges. The NAV panel is undeniably dated, kinda like me.



Z

PS if I did have a 3 gauge panel car, I’d definitely want to do the real-gauge modification. But since my car came with the SAT NAV display, I’d rather keep it that way and just add a gauge pod at the edge of the dash to give me the needed information to stay out of trouble.

 

Again agree with your sentiments and point of view. Not to mention I'm feeling a bit dated myself. lol

 

There's the upgrade option. Drove an 06 w/ SAT NAV that had a Garmin unit installed. Yeah it's not "OEM" but looked good and was a lot more functional. Still a classic 3 gauge fan w/ Real Gauge updates.

 

Dash related question here. Just looked at VE which has a Carbon Fiber dash. JMHO but I think it's ugly. Is it even possible to do a wood replacement?

 

The Garmin Drivesmart 55 is a very good fit, albeit slightly smaller than the original screen. It has many new features the OEM sat nav lacked, plus WiFi map updates, including speed cameras.




Garmin also do a 6" sat nav that would be bigger than the dashboard opening, just like the OEM nav was. I would try the 6" version if I was doing it again, to see if it fits.

 

Just looked up Garmin Drivesmart. Very nice and not that expensive. Bluetooth wireless, maps, live traffic, spoken directions, etc. Looks like a great option. It's a rechargeable lithium ion battery. How do you keep it charged?
How hard is the install?

 

Just my $0.03 worth. I bought my 03 XKR a year ago, and removed the NAV screen in favor of real gauges. I used the car around town, so I don't need the NAV functions, and I prefer the instruments. On longer trips where the NAV screen and updated traffic information is useful, I have a mount for my phone, and connect it in though my stereo. I also have an USB plug to keep the phone charged. Since it is playing through the stereo, when there is an announcement, I don't miss it if the stereo is cranked up too loud. That way, I don't sacrifice the instrumentation when I'm using the NAV screen either.

Yes, get out and drive your car. That's what it's made for. Sounds like you take care of it, and do the preventative maintenance on it, so it should prove to be reliable transportation. There are guys here with hundreds or thousands of miles on their cars that will attest to that.

 

All the connections you need to power the Garmin are already behind the sat nav at the wiring harness. I used the ignition switched 12v supply to power the Garmin's cigar lighter adaptor. The sat nav comes on and switches off with the ignition key.

The install can be as simple or as complex as you want. I glued the Garmin to the back of the dashboard panel, so to install it, you can just unscrew/remove the OEM unit and glue the Garmin in place. I also removed the OEM switches from the old sat nav and fixed them back in place along with the back light connection so they light up at night, but others have just covered the holes with fabric. If you search the forum you will find lots of threads with quite a few different installs, of varying levels of complexity, but its certainly no more difficult than switching to the 3 dials instead.