I have been putting up with a creaking dashboard for some time now and am looking for advice on how I should tackle the problem.
While driving I am getting occasional creaks from the dashboard facia and around the binnacle. With the car switched off, I am able to push and pull them and get the same creaking noises, so I am convinced that the whole assembly needs to be tightened back down.

Everything is working fine, so I am reluctant to tear the whole dash apart to get to anything need tightening, but I am keen to lock it all back down and satisfy my impending OCD.
I haven't been able to find any diagrams of the dashboard that show where it is secured, so I am hoping someone in the forum has experience of tightening the dashboard back in or reinstalling it.
Ideally, I am hoping there are some easily accessible nuts or bolts that need to be tightened.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

The car is a 1997 Vanden Plas

 

I decided to commit a couple of hours to investigate the creaking dash trying to remove as little as possible as I way wary of opening the whole dashboard.
I removed the 4 screw panel below the steering wheel and with some acrobatics, managed to position myself under the steering wheel looking up.
I instantly saw the problem which was a missing nut and bolt on the right side under the binnacle, unfortunately I didn't have a spare, so I decided to tighten up all of the other nuts, bolts and screws I could get to.
I was surprised to find many of them were only finger tight, possibly work done by one the previous owners, was not up to par.
This solved the creaks I was getting and if I try to push and pull the dashboard binnacle it is now solid as a rock.
Hopefully this will help anyone chasing that smooth and silent ride.

Here are some photos showing what was tightened up.


Under the dashboard right of the steering wheel (Note the missing nut and bolt)

Under the dashboard left of the steering wheel ( I suspect that Philips head screw should be a nut and bolt TBC )

 

Sorry, double posted - now removed

 

G’day Nobeel,

Well done at tracking down those annoying noises. I’ve had several Jags and on all of them I have found numerous not so tight nuts and bolts in all sorts of places and after tightening things up the difference in ride and quietness is sometimes profound. I think some things loosen a bit with age just like we do!

Cheers,
Jeff.

 

Hi Watto700,

Thanks, I think you’re right, 24 years and 131,000 miles would do that. I’ll be doing the same on the right hand side when I get a chance.
There is the mystery of the missing bolt, I can’t imagine it would have fallen out.
it has made an amazing difference to the overall feel of the car. I’m not sure why as it doesn’t seem to be a structural part.

 

Haha I love the little creaks from my XJR's dash...reminds me of my first drives in my first X300 back in '04. That car made an impression like no other I had driven before. Cruise missile.

 

I did the same on the right hand side today.
I removed the 2 black screws on the footwell cover and the 1st and screws in the glovebox. Detach the light connector and removed the air duct.
Then set about tightening every nut, bolt and screw I could find. All of the 13mm, 10mm, 8mm and 6mm nuts and bolds you can see.
Most of the only needed a slight turn, a few up to one turn. Maybe 30 minutes and done.
The whole dash feels a lot more solid now and makes a big difference to the drive.