We follow Horner and Hudsons replacing the electronic motor in the XF’s door lock assembly
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY ROB HAWKINS
ONE OF the most common problems on the XF is door lock failure, which, if left, can result in a door not locking and is caused by the failure of an electronic motor.
This motor locks and unlocks the door whenever the central locking is activated, or the internal door handle is pulled (if the door is already locked). On vehicles with passive door locks, where a locked car can be opened with the key held nearby but not having to operate the central locking, the motor also plays a part.
We’re following Mike Horner of independent Jaguar specialist Horner and Hudsons replacing the electronic motor for the lock assembly on a 2014 XF. The vehicle came to him with several issues, including engine running problems, and needed all four electronic motors for its door locks replacing.
Difficulty Time required: 2+ hours On your own? Yes
TOOLS
■ Electric drill and drill bits
■ Masking tape
■ Pop rivet gun
■ Torx bits: T20-30
Mike recommends dropping the window down an inch or two and securing the glass with masking tape. This helps create a little more space for reassembly The door card needs to be removed. On the front doors, there’s a T20 screw behind the internal release handle, two T30 screws for the centre armrest and a T20 on the rear edge On the rear door card, there are the same fastenings as the front, but none on the rear edge. Mike removes the door card and detaches the internal release cable and any wiring plugs There’s not much to see of the inside of the door yet because an access panel needs removing. It’s secured with seven Torx T25 screws The small rear section of the exterior door handle needs to be removed. First, Mike removes a grommet from the rear edge of the door, then he uses a Torx T25 screwdriver to undo a fastening and release it Mike says that on the rear doors he undoes two Torx T30 screws for the window regulator, detaches and moves it aside, leaving it detached from the door glass but still inside the door However, if required, the regulator can be removed from inside the door. On the front doors, a window runner near the rear edge needs to be moved forwards to access the door latch Mike explains that the XF he is working on has passive door locks, so he points out the purple electrical plug connector on the inside of the exterior door handle, which needs to be detached The exterior handle can now be extracted from the outside of the door. The smaller part of the handle was removed in Step 5 and with the plug detached, the longer handle is eased out
