Gear Selector Knob Top Trim Piece

[ian.inglis919]

On my 2009 XK the rising/rotating gear knob has a very badly scratched top trim piece

. I believe the trim disc can be removed for cleaning or replacement...
Any advice on best way to carefully prise it off?

[mike020150]

The cap on top of the switch can be removed using a broad bladed instrument to carefully lever it up. Mike.

[ian.inglis919]

Thanks Mike, will give it a try. I can see that the knob itself needs protecting (thin card of plastic?) whilst levering with a blade.

[mike020150]

Annoyingly, these types of trim removal tasks are designed to work best the other way round, i.e. in a Jaguar factory they are really easy to put together. For those of us trying to prize them apart, it's not so easy to do without damaging something! Mike.

[JimMann]

Hi Ian, given the potential for damage when trying to lever out the trim cap, why not mask the surrounding area and give it a very serious polishing using a suitable metal polish? Any ideas as to why it is so scratched in the first instance?

Jim

[ian.inglis919]

Glad to report that I was able to carefully prise the badly scratched top trim piece off the rising/rotating gear knob on the XK.

Technique employed was gentle digging and prising on the edge of the trim piece feeling the recess into which it sits with the tip and edge of a Stanley knife blade. A piece of plastic card was used as blade protection in case of slips. After a minute or two there was enough give to also slip the blade of a thin screwdriver further round the trim piece. At a certain point the screwdriver was able to fit more properly underneath the trim piece and very easy then gently to prise off. Hope the close-up pic illustrates this.

Once in my hands and mainly by its extreme lightnesss, the shock and horror to realise, that whilst otherwise convincing, it's PLASTIC! Also, thin, approx. 1mm thickness

Diameter of piece is 42mm.

I had some crown coins (5/-) and wondered if one of them might make a grand statement as a replacement trim piece! However they are about 3mm smaller in diameter and too thick really. I've currently got from Aberdeen metal merchant (Bon Accord Metals) a thin steel slice of same diameter as original which takes a good polish. Either that or a replacement plastic piece!

[mike020150]

You may have noticed that different models have different finishes on that trim piece. Some are painted black. Others have what look like a leather finish and so on. Hence, a quick spray with black or silver should tidy it up at next to no cost. Mike.