Jaguar XJ8 / XJR Bluetooth Installation

X308 · 1998–2003 · XJ8, XJR, Vanden Plas, Sovereign, XJ Sport

Jaguar XJ8 saloon (X308)
This guide is for:
  • XJ8, XJR, Vanden Plas, Sovereign, XJ Sport, Daimler
  • 1998–2003, Standard and Premium audio
  • Not the 2004+ XJ8: that is the X350

This guide shows how to fit the JAGAUX Bluetooth module to a Jaguar XJ8, XJR, Vanden Plas or any other X308 XJ. The module takes the place of the CD changer: one cable, no cutting, no soldering.

Tools needed:
  • Plastic trim tool
  • Torx T30 screwdriver
  • Phillips screwdriver
  • 7 mm socket (boot install, cars with navigation)

The factory CD changer stops working once the module is connected.

Before you start: the radio code

The XJ8 radio asks for its security code whenever it loses power: when the battery is disconnected or the radio's main plug is unplugged. Have the code ready before you begin. No code card? The radio's serial number is on the label on its casing: enter the last 5 digits in our free Jaguar radio code generator and it gives you the code. On Premium cars the module connects in the boot and the radio stays in place, so the radio will not ask for the code as long as the battery stays connected.

Step 1

Which plug does your XJ8 have?

The fitting is the same on every XJ8. The only difference is the socket: at the back of the radio, or at the amplifier in the boot.

Is my 2000+ XJ8 Premium?

  • Open the boot and remove the cover over the CD changer rack.
  • A finned amplifier on the rack above the changer means Premium: the module connects in the boot.
  • No amplifier means Standard: the module connects behind the radio.
  • Cars before 2000 always connect at the radio, whatever the audio system.
Boot audio rack of an XK8: Jaguar CD changer below, Premium amplifier above it
Reference photo from an XK8. In your XJ8 the rack may sit elsewhere in the boot, but the amplifier on top is the same unit.
Label on a Jaguar Premium amplifier: Jaguar Cars Ltd, part number 4W83-18C808-BA
The amplifier label: Jaguar Cars Ltd, part no. 4W83-18C808-BA on this car
Alpine badge on a door tweeter grille
An Alpine badge on the speakers points to Premium. The amplifier confirms it.

Alpine badges: a hint, not proof

On Premium cars the speaker grilles usually carry the Alpine name. Standard cars have plain grilles. But speakers and grilles are often replaced over twenty years, and Premium parts fit Standard cars too, so a badge alone can mislead. The amplifier on the rack is the reliable sign. On it you will find a Jaguar label with its part number.

Step 2A

Remove the XJ8 radio and plug in the module

The module takes its power from the same plug and sleeps when the ignition is off, so it cannot drain the battery.

How to remove the XJ8 radio

  1. Move the selector to D.
  2. Lift the J-gate surround with a plastic trim tool, starting at the rear edge.
  3. Undo the four Torx T30 screws of the J-gate plate, lift the plate and unplug its connectors.
  4. Lift out the wood veneer panel around the selector.
  5. Undo the two Phillips screws on the left and right of the console, below the radio.
  6. Ease the radio forward, lift it over the selector and rest it on a cloth.
AUTO 21 AUTOOFF 5 5 4 2
XJ8 (X308) console. The screws (5) are on the left and right below the radio.
PRND234 S 2surround 34 × Torx T30 Front of the car is at the top
J-gate from above. Surround (2) lifted off, four Torx screws (3) hold the plate.

Plug in the module

  1. While the radio is out, note its serial number from the label, in case it ever asks for the code.
  2. Unplug the CD changer lead from the back of the radio. If the car never had a changer, the socket is empty.
  3. Plug the JAGAUX cable into that socket. Line up the arrow marks and push straight in, without twisting.
  4. If it resists, pull back and check the marks. Forcing it bends the pins.
  5. Run the cable from behind the radio to the glovebox. That is the neatest place for the module.
  6. Refit the radio, veneer and J-gate in reverse order.
2000+ with navigation and no amplifier: the changer and the navigation share this connection. With the module plugged in at the radio, both the CD changer and the navigation stop working.

Watch it done

2001 Jaguar XJ8 radio removal JPtheinstallguy · 2 min
The same module in an XK8 To The Garage · the module part is identical

Where the socket is on your XJ8 radio

Turn the radio so the cover with the holes is on top and look at the back. The CD changer socket is always the round one in the bottom right corner. Your radio is one of these:

XJ8 1998–1999

Two empty holes Main connector Not this one CD changer socketAi-Net, bottom right: the JAGAUX cable goes here Back of the radio, upright (the cover with holes on top)
Alpine AJ9850 / AJ9800 (Jaguar LJB4100, LNC4100). Drawn from photos of the radio.

XJ8 2000–2003

Aerial Main connector Second connector CD changer socketAi-Net, bottom right: the JAGAUX cable goes here Back of the radio, upright (the cover with holes on top)
Alpine AJ2050 / AJ2000 (Jaguar LJD4100, LNF4100). Drawn from photos of the radio.
Step 2B

Premium XJ8: connect in the boot

XJ8 from 2000 with the Premium amplifier. On these cars the module never goes to the radio: the changer signal runs through the amplifier.

Where is the XJ8 CD changer?

On the audio rack in the boot, behind the trim. The rack can sit on the left, on the right or in the middle of the boot, depending on the car. From 2000 the Premium amplifier is always the same unit and always sits on top, above the changer.

  1. Remove the carpet trim around the audio rack.
  2. No navigation: reach through the opening to the back of the CD changer.
    With navigation: undo the four 7 mm bolts, two on the sides and two on top, and slide the inner frame out.
  3. Find the round CD plug at the rear left of the changer. Without a changer, it hangs behind the rack or at the end of the short lead from the amplifier.
  4. Unplug the changer and connect the JAGAUX cable to the amplifier's plug. Arrow marks together, push straight in.
  5. Refit the frame and the trim.
JAGUAR COMPACT DISC CHANGER disc 1Amplifier 2CD plugrear left 3CD changer ● 7 mm bolts: cars with navigation
Audio rack in the boot: amplifier (1), CD plug (2), CD changer (3). Drawn from an XK8; the order on the rack is the same in the XJ8.
Amplifier lead: plug JAGAUX cable: socket
Boot version of the kit: the cable ends in a socket that slides onto the amplifier's plug. Arrow marks together.
Port end of the JAGAUX module: AUX socket, USB charging port, LED, USB music port
Wherever the module goes, keep the port end within reach

Where the module goes

The cable is up to 2.6 m long, so you have a choice.

  • Leave it in the boot. Bluetooth music works from there. The 3 m microphone will not reach the front of the car, so for calls you need a microphone extension cable.
  • Bring it into the cabin, usually into the armrest, where the USB ports and the AUX socket are easy to reach. See Step 3.
Step 3

Noise filter and module

The noise filter is in every kit. It keeps alternator whine out of the speakers.

mic · 16-pin socket AUX · USB 5V 2A · LED · USB 1 2 3 4 Radio socketback of the radio, Step 2 JAGAUX cableround Ai-Net plug Noise filter JAGAUX module
Socket on the back of the radio (1) → JAGAUX cable (2) → noise filter (3), plugged straight into the module (4). Premium cars connect in the boot instead, see Step 2B.
JAGAUX Ai-Net kit: module with its cable and round Ai-Net plug, microphone with clip, AUX cable, user manual
The Ai-Net kit

In the box

  • JAGAUX module with its connection cable, Ai-Net plug
  • Noise filter
  • Microphone, 3 m, with visor clip
  • AUX cable
  • User manual for the phone connection

Connect

  1. Plug the noise filter straight into the module.
  2. Plug the JAGAUX cable into the filter. Press each plug until it locks.
  3. Put the module where you can reach the USB ports: in the glovebox, or in the armrest on Premium cars.

Premium: from the boot to the armrest

  1. Open the gap between the rear pillar trim and the parcel shelf with a trim tool and feed the plug end into the cabin.
  2. Run the cable under the rear seat backrest and cushion towards the centre console.
  3. Open the armrest, undo two screws on the latch, two on the hinge and one on the bracket, and lift the storage bin out. Pass the cable underneath.
  4. Guide the plug, never pull on it.
Port end of the JAGAUX module: AUX socket, USB charging port, LED, USB music port
Keep the port end where you can reach it: AUX, USB charging, USB music
Step 4

Microphone

Fit and route

  1. Clip the microphone to the headliner next to the mirror, or to the sun visor.
  2. Run the 3 m lead down the windscreen pillar, under the steering column, to the module.
  3. Plug it into MIC and press until it seats fully.

Keep the microphone away from air vents and the open window. Air noise is what callers hear most.

The car's own microphone, where fitted, cannot be used with the module.

Step 5

Pair your phone and use it

Pairing

  1. Ignition on, radio on, press CD.
  2. On the phone, open Bluetooth and choose JAGAUX.
  3. Play music. The radio shows CD 1 · TRACK 01, as if a CD changer were playing.

You pair once. Several phones can be paired, one is connected at a time.

Set the volume once

  1. Phone volume all the way down, radio at about three quarters.
  2. Raise the phone until the sound starts to distort, then back off a little.
  3. From then on use the radio's knob.
Decline · backAnswer · next 1–6: USB folders CDselect the module
XJ8 radio. The steering wheel buttons work the same way.

Calls

  • The ▶ key under the number pad, or the steering wheel button, answers an incoming call.
  • The ◀ key declines it.
  • Call volume is the radio's volume knob.

AUX

Any player with a headphone socket plugs into AUX with the cable from the kit. Remove the USB stick and pause Bluetooth music first, and control the player itself.

USB stick

  • Format the stick as FAT32.
  • Up to six folders. Buttons 1–6 choose a folder, like discs in a changer. Sub-folders are ignored.
  • MP3 and WMA up to 320 kbps. Files over about 50 MB can stutter.
  • Tracks play in the order they were copied, and the folder repeats from the start.
  • After track 99 the display counts from 1 again. The order stays correct.
  • Pause Bluetooth music or disconnect the phone before you plug the stick in.
Step 6

Firmware updates

Updates are rare. Support sends one by email when it fixes something specific.

  1. Copy the file to an empty FAT32 USB stick.
  2. With the ignition on, plug the stick into the module.
  3. Wait about 30 seconds, remove the stick and pair the phone again if asked.
Troubleshooting

Sound on one side, CD does nothing, or the radio will not switch on

The factory plug has often sat untouched for twenty years and its contacts have taken a set. Inside the round Ai-Net socket of the JAGAUX cable are two springy tabs. Bending them slightly gives a firmer contact.

  1. Check that the plug is pushed fully home.
  2. Unplug it and look into the Ai-Net socket of the JAGAUX cable, key at the top.
  3. No power or CD not responding: with the widest flat screwdriver that fits, lever the horseshoe gently up. It is the U-shaped bracket under the bottom row of contacts.
  4. Sound missing on one side: rest the screwdriver on the flat tab along the top of the insert and press it gently down.
  5. Reconnect and test. Repeat once if needed.
Key Flat tab, contacts 4 5 6press down: sound on one side Horseshoe, contacts 1 2 3lever up: no power, CD button
Looking into the Ai-Net socket of the JAGAUX cable, drawn from the Alpine Ai-NET connector diagram. Small movements are enough.

XJ8 questions

Does it fit the XJR, Vanden Plas and Daimler?
Yes. Every X308 from 1998 to 2003 has the same radio family and the same CD changer connection: XJ8, XJR, Vanden Plas, Sovereign, XJ Sport and the Daimler versions.
My XJ8 is a 2004 or later
That is the X350, a different car with a different radio. It needs the X350 module, and its pairing steps are in the X350 guide.
Will my CD changer still work?
No. The module takes over its connection. The radio itself keeps working as before.
My 2000+ car has navigation but no amplifier
The module connects behind the radio. The navigation and the CD changer share that connection, so both stop working with the module in place.
My XJ8 has Alpine on the speakers. Is it Premium?
Probably: Premium cars came with Alpine-badged speakers. But speakers are sometimes replaced over the years, so check for the amplifier on the rack above the CD changer, as in Step 1.
Can the module drain the battery?
No. It takes power from the car socket and sleeps when the ignition is off.
The radio asks for a code after the install
It lost power during the work. Enter the code from the code card, or get it free from the serial number with our radio code generator.
Does it work with an aftermarket radio?
No. It is made for the factory XJ8 radio and talks to it the way the CD changer did.

Sound

The music distorts
The phone volume is too high. Set the radio to a comfortable level and lower the phone until the distortion stops.
A whine that rises with engine speed
Check that the noise filter sits between the module and the JAGAUX cable, as in Step 3. Every kit includes one.
Crackling while the phone charges from the module
Some newer phones draw more current than the module's USB port is built for. Charge that phone from another socket and the crackle goes. The module is fine.
Clicks when I type on the phone
Those are the phone's keyboard and touch sounds. Turn them off in the phone's sound settings.

Connection and calls

The phone does not reconnect when I start the car
Turn Bluetooth off and on again on the phone. If that does not help, forget JAGAUX in the Bluetooth list and pair again.
JAGAUX does not appear in the Bluetooth list
The module has no power. Switch the ignition on, check that the plug is fully home, and try the tab adjustment above.
Does the radio show song titles?
No. The factory radio shows only the disc and track number, for example CD 1 TRACK 01. Titles stay on the phone.

Not fitted yet?

The JAGAUX module for the Jaguar XJ8, XJR or Vanden Plas (X308): Bluetooth music and calls, USB and AUX, noise filter in the box.

See the XJ8 module

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