2008 Jaguar XF DAB upgrade

[Dougie212]

Hi there

I have a 2008 XF. DAB is currently available on the stereo however, it finds very few channels now.. from my understanding, I am led to believe that standard DAB is outdated and most channels broadcast on DAB plus now… could anyone advise if this is indeed the case and if so, what unit is it I need to get to upgrade the DAB system to finally get all the channels available.
Thanks

[Evercross]

Dougie212 said:

Hi there

I have a 2008 XF. DAB is currently available on the stereo however, it finds very few channels now.. from my understanding, I am led to believe that standard DAB is outdated and most channels broadcast on DAB plus now… could anyone advise if this is indeed the case and if so, what unit is it I need to get to upgrade the DAB system to finally get all the channels available. Thanks

I have done this exact upgrade and it is relatively straightforward as long as you are happy with some light spannering. You need a DAB+ unit from a later model car (it can be from any JLR product that used the updated Denso MM system - I used one from a Range Rover) and a short adapter cable to modify the power connector in the car's loom to connect to the DAB+ box. Unfortunately I don't have access to the part numbers here (but I will update this post later with them).

The DAB+ boxes have the Jaguar logo rather than FoMoCo and can be found on ebay. The adapter cable is a dealer part and can be found for £10 or less.

Some people have reported issues with the DAB radio losing preset stations after doing the upgrade. I initially had this problem but resolved it by switching the unit from UK band to another country and then back again. This forces the unit to do a reset and rescan.

Another problem is that occasionally the unit will show 'No signal' for a station that you were previously listening to after cycling the ignition off and on again. Easy fix by just flick the button on the steering wheel to select the next preset then flicking back to the previous.

[Dougie212]

Thankyou very much for your reply Evercross..!! I shall get onto eBay and find a unit. If you wouldn’t mind posting the part number for the wiring loom I’d really appreciate it..!!
Thankyou very much!

[Evercross]

The power lead adapter p/n is C2D22599. LR equivalent is LR032814.

Any Jaguar/Land Rover DAB+ module with p/n containing 14F720 is what you need (check it has the Jaguar/Land Rover label rather than FoMoCo, and a green rather than a black power socket).

The module is located under the passenger seat.

[Dougie212]

Hi there

Sorry for the delay in responding. A period of illness has put everything on the back burner. I’m looking at getting a new dab module now.. one big question…. The current system allows my phone to connect via Bluetooth to make and receive calls but it doesn’t allow me to play music. For music, I have to connect the phone via the Jack plug, which results in the sound quality being - well, awful…. Does a newer DAB unit allow me to connect a phone to play music through the stereo via Bluetooth at all or is that a very different system??
Thankyou..!!

[Stelen]

Bluetooth streaming is a different ball game all together. I would bang on about the merits of the effort to upgrade your cars Bluetooth module....but I honestly can't because there aren't any. For your XF, the easiest and cheapest option is a USB to AUX3.5 jack Bluetooth adapter such as the UGREEN or Tunai Firefly. Costs vary but start from around £15. A better but pricier option at £90 is the INVERY or BOVEE Bluetooth adapter which integrates into the cars audio system via the iPod connection socket (where fitted). This then offers track skip control with the steering wheel button and, subjectively, a better quality of sound. Once you set your phone Bluetooth connection to phone only for the car and then phone off for the adapter, the phone will sync to the two connections simultaneously.
I have no affiliation with the products mentioned and offer my personal opinion based only on my own experiences/purchases.

[Vsix and Vtec]

I've just had to order an Invery for my 2009 XK, which fortunately has both an ipod connection in the center console and a USB port to power the Invery from. It was either this, or the halfway JagDroid solution, which would see me having to flip between the Jaguar MHI and the Android interface constantly, which would be a pain from what I can gather.

[Evercross]

Vsix and Vtec said:

I've just had to order an Invery for my 2009 XK, which fortunately has both an ipod connection in the center console and a USB port to power the Invery from. It was either this, or the halfway JagDroid solution, which would see me having to flip between the Jaguar MHI and the Android interface constantly, which would be a pain from what I can gather.

There is a dedicated Invery Airdual device for Jaguar/Land Rover that employs a single connection to the iPod interface and gives seamless Bluetooth audio integration via the iPod controls on the touchscreen and work with the steering wheel buttons. It will even give artist/track names if using Apple Music on an iPhone.

Cheaper Invery devices that require two connections will pass audio but you won't get the touchscreen/steering wheel control.