OK yesterday got the Double Din into the XKR, still sorting out the speakers, they wired the subs as full range so they aren't firing properly. Seat heater/hazard/fog switches were moved to the glove box and replaced the little shelf on top. Installation time, including custom dash piece, was 8 hours. Did the nav delete kit and it was vastly easier than I thought. The blue is brushed steel vinyl wrap. I'm getting better at applying it. So for all of those that said a Double Din wouldn't work. Hah!

 

It fits, great! I,d like to see a few more pictures as well as the glove box set up if you get a chance. Can you take the blue off if you get tired of it?

 

Nice DD but that blue???

 

Too bad you turned colorblind while doing the job...

 

I had a ford cortina that looked like this...

 

How hard is it to put it back to the original ?

 

Yeah, I'm with the other guys...I commend you on the double-DIN install, it looks great. And I'd love to see how you set up the switches in the glovebox.

But that blue just comes out of nowhere and looks wrong. Just my opinion.

 

The DD install looks a neat job. Any more detailed pics of the stages in fitting it?

No comment from me on the dashboard panel - you've already been beaten up sufficiently.

Graham

 

Where is the other panel?

 

Double Din = awesome
Blue wrap = awful

 

I too commend you on the DD install, lovely! With single-din units getting fewer updated models by the big name brands, its harder to find good units to stick in these cars. I'm hoping someone will find a similar double-din trim piece that will work similar to the older XJ6 trim with adapter plate...even if the auxiliary buttons have to be moved.

 

OK so remember this is the 2004 Portfolio edition, all done in blue inside and out (seats, wheel, shifter all blue). The Dash is a special wood as well so you can't match it when you pull the nav unit. The wrap is pretty easy to change (this is my 4th attempt and I'm getting better). But it actually, to me, ties into the hood and seats nicely.

Here are some better pictures. I included a shot of the old Dash. I still have the part in case I eventually want to go back (I won't go back).

 

That looks amazing! I love the double din. I also like the fact that you do what you like and not what the "norm" is. We all have a love affair with these cars and however you choose to customize is up to you....dont be swayed because it may not appeal to some others. I have to find me some recaros!

 

Now I see why you chose the wrap.

It's not impossible to match the replacement centre section to the original dash veneer if you want to. Check this site:

British Autowood > Dashboards

Their work looks to be very high quality. Of course, the cost may reflect this!

Graham

 

Good work on the DD install

I think your wood is too stark a contrast to the interior, I would not worry about just changing the centre I would do the lot.

Why not carbon fibre to match your tonneau cover? I would even go as far as to wrap the lot, may not do the blue, but then again I just wrapped an entire car in a metalic matt blue wrap, which is not far off what you have done.

 

Mina is doing a new carbon fibre overlay for the dash and I'm on the listh for that. The wrap is the brushed blue steel and I've got steel comming in along with chrom, black and flat black to try. I've already got the black carbon fibre but it doesn't really match the Mina Tonneau cover (I used it to cover the washers and it is far darker. The brushed part of the steel actually looks rather good. Nice thing about wrap is it is easy to get off.

Would love to see the picture of the car you had wrapped.

 

Not a problem

 

Just make sure nobody comes along and photoshops your photo Tony and claims they created the car ..................... sorry mate , wrong forum LOL

Great job

All the very best mate , see you at Silverstone for the classic ???????????

Nik

 

OK that is tempting. Thanks for sending!

 

So when the shop moved the switches one of the connections wasn't solid and it was the one to the Dynamic Stability Control. So you drive then get a DSC failure, then the Anti-lock brakes go out and finally a check engine light comes on. So cleared the codes and reset the ECM and everything is fine until the same thing happens again, intermittent and I notice the DSC button doesn't work. So they fix that and somehow in the process pull the selenoids in the trunk and put them back in wrong. So now I have no tail lights and the car is stuck in park, figuring it is a brake switch and $145 later discover it isn't. Look at the configuration in the trunk of my XK-8 and the selenoids are in a different configuration, make the change in the XK-R, and presto everything works.

In the process of all of this (went through every fuse) discover why the car is running hot, evidently the intercooler pump fuse is blowing. That damn pump is a $500 item so my hope is that the wire was shorted when the blower was pulled off to fix the fuel rails. However bet is that the pump has failed. No visible warning to the problem other than the car cooling fans run excessively and nasty pinging. Heat may be causing one of the smog sensors to fail but I just got lucky on the fuse.

Thankfully I had only pulled the center glove box out when it occurred to me to check the selenoids otherwise I was in the process of tracing every wire connected to the brake system end to end and likely would have broken something else in the process.

I got really lucky...