Jaguar F-Type Forum

Both last year and this when I started using my convertible in March after four month SORNed the dashboard rise and fall heating vent failed to work. After a few days it tries and then after a week works sometimes, then fully sorted after 2 weeks. Not wanting to force it, as pulling plastic bits on a Jaguar is not a great idea I tended to assist it when it started to move. It is not clear how it all works but suspect an electric stepper motor that stalls due to it being stiff. There is no obvious place to squirt WD40 and sort it for next year. Does anyone else have this issue?
It did go for a service but that was after it had woken up, so no fault to find at £120/hr.

Are we on about the centre vents that rise out the dashboard? They only come up to cool (not heat).
Perhaps that's why your getting mixed results?

Hi Roger,
Mine is the same - it's a fairly common fault.
Mine sticks about 1cm from closed and then there's a plastic "click" if you set it from Auto to Always Open - I wouldn't force it by hand.
The dealer offered to fix it under warranty but the JLR procedure means you have to first carry out a software update.
That sounds strange but maybe it's a force limiter on auto - and the JLR process for checking does include putting a weight on top of the vent.
As such I declined as, although mine is an older model, I didn't want to risk the potential issue of my car losing it's nice roar, as some have reported.
I've not got around to it yet but if you want to take a look yourself it should be fairly straight-forward - use plastic trim panel tools (cheap pack from Halfords or somewhere) and gently lift off the dash top panel below the vent and the speaker grill behind the vent.

It's a common clutch issue. Basically, the coupling between the drive motor and mechanical opening slips.
It's well documented on the web.

Mine was replaced under warranty. I can tell you that I am a meticulous detailing pest and didn’t want them doing anything that could’ve resulted in minor scratches on the piano black gloss plastics or any future rattles.

It is a simple replacement (again done through warranty) and takes around 20-30 minutes to change the part (which is the rising vent itself). They showed me the part, I let them change it and they did a good job.

Also, to quash the rumours, it doesn’t require removal of any other dash sections.

It’s not something wd40 would fix.

Hope that helps.

Try a Jaguar associated indie, who may do the warranty work without the software update. Worth asking.

The only negative any software update will do is remove the ‘dynamic mode memory’. Therefore if you get in the car within a six hour window of previously driving it, you still have to select dynamic mode if you want dynamic mode after the initial load roar from cold start up.

General noise or pops/crackles not reduced or removed.

had the same happen to mine - 2014 R (now sold it) had it repaired under extended warranty - vent replaced but was told it was also a software issue

simpleR wrote: ↑Mon Mar 30, 2020 8:21 am Are we on about the centre vents that rise out the dashboard? They only come up to cool (not heat).
Perhaps that's why your getting mixed results?

Not true simpleR, well not in the UK anyway, heat, cold or whatever i have on if i press the screen to put it on my face it rises up.
If what you said is correct how are you supposed to warm your hands and body??

Mine too, if it’s set for heat and the face level fan is selected it raises and blows warm air, which has been a godsend during the past cold spell.