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To this date I have been getting information from this forum so maybe it's time for me to give some back.
Given that the XK8 is fitted with an outdated radio and deprecated SatNav all in a very unique and expensive dashboard,
When one tries to move it to the 21st century, one ends up with a lot of small problems to solve and questions to answer.
Then once completed, one feels the need to share with the community while talking about himself at the first person.
so here is what I have done:
removing the Radio, CD Changer, SatNav head unit and SatNav central unit,
replacing all of that with a single device providing SatNav, Waze, Spotify (android appstore), ditching the need for Tapes and CDs,
integrating with existing steering wheel controls,
integrated the screen within existing SatNav Screen with zero degradation (I can refit the old SatNav),
applying a final touch to make sure everything looks well integrated inline with the car's interior.
what did I use for all of that:
head unit: I went for Joying Auto, to leverage their concept of detached screen (I had to purchase the screen cable extension)
Firstly, removing all the 90s electronic wasn't particularly complicated, however it left me with a lot of Junk…
Then there was a lot of space to fit the replacements, start with wiring which was straight forward, the Joying adaptor connects to the 12 pin interface adaptor (instructions are very simple, it worked first time, quite pleased with the simplicity.
Then it was time for the screen support that fits in place of the SatNav Head unit and uses the mounts provided by Joying Auto therefore there is no alteration done to the dashboard panel nor any other elements.
I had to design and 3D print the support to mock the shape of the SatNav Head unit, after that it was a simple matter of fitting the screen mounts where the satnav buttons should be.
Once fitted, it uses the original screws and has a gap for cables.
Then I was able to re-assemble the dashboard.
From there it’s a simple matter of assembling the screen in the way the manufacturer intended it.
Then I had to make a cover to conceal the reverse sensor indicator and cover the exposed bare metal, once again 3D printing was the solution assorted with a lot of sanding and painting.
At that point all the hardware was fitted so I had to configure the new android based head installing and configuring the following apps:
Nova Launcher: rather than using a launcher designed for dashboard (car or other) I have preferred a highly configurable Launcher, Nova allowed me to build a minimal setup suiting my needs.
Waze: because now I have a modern sat nav
Spotify: because this is the 21st century and I don’t own CDs anymore
Torque Pro and Widget for Torque: to connect to the ODB2 Bluetooth adaptor
This is configure to start on launch with a 4 dials setup,
I have also added a few widget dials on the homepage (which I never use)
General settings: configured to show Jaguar logo on start… obviously..
It also has capabilities for android auto and radio however I don’t have much of a needs for any of these (I don’t take calls in this car).
Homepage
And that was it:
I have been using this setup for a few months now very happy about it, people think it's factory fitted, loving the feeling.
only issue is that the GPS antenna is fitted directly being the screen and due to the amount of metal around it, it gives pretty bad reading so I need to move it somewhere else.
now I need to replace the speakers... after 22 years the sound is not so good anymore.
If I were to do this, I would prefer if the screen were mounted behind the wood like in the OE screen. Possibly, I'd cut the vertical wood sections between the screen and buttons to accommodate the wider screen. I would prefer to keep the OE head unit in my case as I like the OE look with all the buttons. I already have bluetooth installed in my car, and that takes care of phone calls and Apple music. What I would like to get from the screen is a backup camera, Apple CarPlay, and a GPS.
You've given me ideas and I will look into this as a possible future upgrade.
If I were to do this, I would prefer if the screen were mounted behind the wood like in the OE screen. Possibly, I'd cut the vertical wood sections between the screen and buttons to accommodate the wider screen. I would prefer to keep the OE head unit in my case as I like the OE look with all the buttons. I already have bluetooth installed in my car, and that takes care of phone calls and Apple music. What I would like to get from the screen is a backup camera, Apple CarPlay, and a GPS.
You've given me ideas and I will look into this as a possible future upgrade.
Given that modern cars tend to have the screen "floating" it still looks OEM the way the OP has done it. The only thing I would miss is the physical volume knob and, like you, the look of the OEM stereo - maybe keep the old head unit in place (or just the front off it) and wire the volume rotary encoder to the Joying OEM control input.
Just a little heads up re running torque pro gauges in live data mode, the Android version can be a bit buggy and can really mess with a lot of the systems in car. I stopped running it myself after one such and a little research turned up some real issues experienced by other motorists.
I wasn't aware of that, so far I haven't had any issue.
what kind of issue have been experienced ? and is there a safer alternative ?
The issues l have had were the occasional restricted performance and incorrect part fitted errors. When l researched it l found quite a few non jaguar incidents of drivers unable to shut off (push button starts) among others.
Removing the elm immediately fixed the issue. l believe it is an android/torque issue.
SatNav and Radio Casette modern replacement
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