Headliner removal and replacement on 2003 XJR -- Which window needs to come out?

[AJL]

Hi, all;

I've sourced a replacement headliner panel and covering out of the UK, and it's been sitting in the basement in a 4 ft. by 5 ft. box. I'll do the job myself, but the stumbling block has been the lack of mobile glass company where I live. There are now two and one will come by to remove the front or rear window then come back a couple of days later to reinstall it after I swap the headliner. I've visited salvage yards over the years and have all manner of plastic trim and anchoring clips from similar cars should mine fail or be damaged in the removal process. So I'm all set on that side.

The X308 XJR is a short wheel-base car, i.e., no extended-length rear doors that make the headliner easier to remove and replace. The new headliner will not bend to fit through the open door, without damage. Some postings suggest that it might be done by removing the seats and console, but I'd prefer not to do that.

I've looked at a lot of postings, and many say take out the rear window. The glass company expressed concern that the rear windows may be no longer available if the glass is damaged in the effort, and wondered about removing the windshield instead.

So my question is, Does it have to be the rear window that's removed to get the old headliner panel out and the new one in, or will the front window allow the same access?

Any clarification would be much appreciated.

Adam

[Andy P]

Hi Adam,
Removing the front windscreen should be give the same result although the rear screen is slightly wider.
It's better than having to bend it to get it through the rear door.
Don't know if you have seen this video of the job being done on an XJR.
Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de-onCIHDL0
He used the company Myrtle which is based in Kent U.K.
Good luck with the swap anyway.
Take care.
Andy

[AJL]

Hi, Andy!

Thank you so much for responding. And for your thoughts on the front-vs-rear screen removal, the link to that terrific video, which I had not seen. And I'd looked for everything that was there.

I sourced my headliner from the same company -- Myrtle Products/Jag Headlinings in the UK. About 400 Pounds to purchase and have shipped to the far side of Canada on the island. And the replacement is dead stock, meaning it is rigid, not at all flexible per the one in that and other videos. That said, there is likely enough flex to get it through the windshield.

For those keeping score, the mobile windshield replacement folks quoted approximately 200 pounds to come and remove the front or rear window, and return in two days to reinstall after I've replaced the headliner. So 600 Pounds to largely do it myself.

But if I took the car to Vancouver for the job, they wanted about 800 pounds to recover the original backer, using a headliner material that's only "close" to the original. Add in ferry costs of 120 Pounds, a hotel for a night or two plus meals and, well, surely close to 2000 Pounds, all-in.

So doing it myself, with the windshield removed by a professional, makes better sense. Far more convenient, too.

I'll still have to remove the panel under the sunroof as it's letting loose a bit, but I'm less sure on that right now as I can't quite understand the steps that have kindly been posted here by others over the years. Those instructions might make better sense to me once I see what the underside of the sunroof looks like with the headliner out; the two covered panels slide out the top, i.e., outside the car, but I need to orient myself to some of the sunroof parts and locations in the write-ups in order to have the confidence to tackle that part of the job and release the parts that allow the sunroof panels to slide out.

I'll be glad to get this job done.

Adam

[AJL]

Hi, all;

Well, I finally replaced the headliner in my 2003 X308 XJR-R1.

I purchased the headliner about four years ago from a UK outfit. Cost about 200 Pounds, and about 200 Pounds to ship it to Canada.

A couple of points: At the time, their site suggested you could insert the new headliner through the rear door. Posted here and elsewhere were comments that that might be possible on an LWB car, but not one like mine. In the end, for me, I tied the work to a replacement of the front windshield. I'd waited for someone to start a mobile glass company and come by, and someone did, but they didn't quite have the skills to remove the rear glass, so I decided the front glass was the way in. The headliner backer on my replacement is like the original: fibreglass and not at all foldable or bendable. There are some bendable replacements, and you'd not need to remove the glass to get them into the car.

On the morning they took the glass out, they called. I had them back the car out, and I purchased three spaces in the public parking lot next door; one for the Range Rover in which I'd placed the new headliner, and two for the Jag. With the glass out, I went to work, in exactly two hours, I had the old headliner out and the new one in. To my eye, the colour of the new headliner is a slight bit blueish grey versus the pure dove grey of the original, but it's just so much better than having that floppy headliner.

All you need to get out the old headliner is a 30 Torx bit to remove the grab handle screws, a Phillips screwdriver, and maybe a small pick to help lift the plastic tangs inside the two rear-blind latch points to reveal the Phillips screws underneath. And you'll need an Xacto blade to carefully trim the headliner around any screw holes in the fibreglass backing.

There are several videos online, and I recommend watching them to see how the job is done. I did not remove the sunroof; I'd have the dealer do that if the headliner on it needed replacement. Some of those parts are hard to source, I understand, if they fracture during removal or reinstallation.

But it is a very, very rewarding job, and I recommend it to those able to get the windshield out; that made it much easier. The cost of the windshield to me was approximately 600 Pounds (the difference between a generic replacement covered by insurance and a Jaguar piece of glass.)

Adam

.

[andypryce]

Useful to know, thanks Adam. BTW we have relatives in Mill Bay and come over regularly, so might look you up next time

[AJL]

Andy;

We'e often up the Malahat that way for breakfast in Duncan, BC at The Garage. Please do let me know if you're visiting -- that would be a delight to meet up!

Adam

[andypryce]

Thanks will do, likely to be 2023 our next trip out there.