2004 xj8
#1
01-30-2012, 04:40 PM
2004 xj8
Hello All,
Having owned a 1989 XJ6 for about 11 years, but finally got a little overwhelmed by the increasing number of mostly small problems that I could never quite finally resolve, I sold it last summer and almost immediately started wishing for another Jaguar. Last December I purchased a dark blue 2004 XJ8, and have been very happy. There are a number of smaller (I hope) items to fix which I will address separately, but all the most irritating and re-occuring problems of the earlier car...broken door handles, doors that refused to open, leaks in the trunk, dying radios, etc, etc seem to have been designed out of the newer car. Except for the ride over the somewhat rough upstate NY secondary roads, the new car is much better in all respects. But what happened to sales? I see far less of these on the roads than the earlier ones.
Cheers!
Paul.
Having owned a 1989 XJ6 for about 11 years, but finally got a little overwhelmed by the increasing number of mostly small problems that I could never quite finally resolve, I sold it last summer and almost immediately started wishing for another Jaguar. Last December I purchased a dark blue 2004 XJ8, and have been very happy. There are a number of smaller (I hope) items to fix which I will address separately, but all the most irritating and re-occuring problems of the earlier car...broken door handles, doors that refused to open, leaks in the trunk, dying radios, etc, etc seem to have been designed out of the newer car. Except for the ride over the somewhat rough upstate NY secondary roads, the new car is much better in all respects. But what happened to sales? I see far less of these on the roads than the earlier ones.
Cheers!
Paul.
#2
01-30-2012, 05:51 PM
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#3
01-31-2012, 02:07 AM
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#5
01-31-2012, 12:51 PM
Veteran Member
Hi Paul
It's no secret that Jaguar's X350 version of the XJ saloon was not as successful as they would have liked. Total production 2003-2009 was about 15,000 cars. Part of this was the style of the car, it being another iteration of the original XJ of 1968. So despite it being a stunning tour-de-force technologically, it looked a bit out of date stylewise.
The aluminium technology used to construct the body is very advanced, and not used by most other car manufacturers, although the current Audi TT comes closest. You are essentially driving in an aircraft fuselage with the X350 car, because apart from being made of aluminium, it also uses aerospace bonding technology, (rivets and glue), to assemble the bodyshell, but unlike aircraft was produced on a moving robotised production line. The Audi A8 saloon is also aluminium but uses a different technology which results in a much heavier car.
Aluminium is also used throughout the rest of the car, with suspension, engine head and block, gearbox casing and so on. Magnesium, an even lighter metal is used for the dash support and seat frames.
The suspension is a very advanced air system, with electronic controls. Land Rover and Mercedes-Banz also use similar suspensions.
I don't think most people, (certainly not the first owners), realise how advanced this car was in 2003 when it was announced, and it remains so, although there is now the much more "avant garde" new XJ which uses the same technology, but looks much more modern.
Of course, being "leading edge" can sometimes result in "bleeding edge" for some owners, as you will see if you read the X350 forum regularly. In fact the technology does work, but a number of problems can occur with the car, mainly with the air suspension and with suspension bushes and ball joints. Also Jaguar were not fully up-to-speed on painting aluminium in 2003, so some minor cosmetic corrosion has occurred to some of the cars, (mine being one of them !!).
Most owners of the cars when secondhand get very upset not because faults occur, but when they find out the cost of replacements !! This was an expensive car when new, but depreciation takes its toll giving some real bargains, but the maintenance costs, and parts costs are not subject to depreciation. Notwithstanding this, parts costs for the common issues have reduced in recent years as suppliers in the after-market have got active, so internet parts costs are lower, in some cases less than half what Jaguar dealers are forced to charge. DOn't ask me why Jaguar try to maintain such impossible spares prices ! IMHO they really do need to ask themselves who their customers are and to breath out now and again.
It's no secret that Jaguar's X350 version of the XJ saloon was not as successful as they would have liked. Total production 2003-2009 was about 15,000 cars. Part of this was the style of the car, it being another iteration of the original XJ of 1968. So despite it being a stunning tour-de-force technologically, it looked a bit out of date stylewise.
The aluminium technology used to construct the body is very advanced, and not used by most other car manufacturers, although the current Audi TT comes closest. You are essentially driving in an aircraft fuselage with the X350 car, because apart from being made of aluminium, it also uses aerospace bonding technology, (rivets and glue), to assemble the bodyshell, but unlike aircraft was produced on a moving robotised production line. The Audi A8 saloon is also aluminium but uses a different technology which results in a much heavier car.
Aluminium is also used throughout the rest of the car, with suspension, engine head and block, gearbox casing and so on. Magnesium, an even lighter metal is used for the dash support and seat frames.
The suspension is a very advanced air system, with electronic controls. Land Rover and Mercedes-Banz also use similar suspensions.
I don't think most people, (certainly not the first owners), realise how advanced this car was in 2003 when it was announced, and it remains so, although there is now the much more "avant garde" new XJ which uses the same technology, but looks much more modern.
Of course, being "leading edge" can sometimes result in "bleeding edge" for some owners, as you will see if you read the X350 forum regularly. In fact the technology does work, but a number of problems can occur with the car, mainly with the air suspension and with suspension bushes and ball joints. Also Jaguar were not fully up-to-speed on painting aluminium in 2003, so some minor cosmetic corrosion has occurred to some of the cars, (mine being one of them !!).
Most owners of the cars when secondhand get very upset not because faults occur, but when they find out the cost of replacements !! This was an expensive car when new, but depreciation takes its toll giving some real bargains, but the maintenance costs, and parts costs are not subject to depreciation. Notwithstanding this, parts costs for the common issues have reduced in recent years as suppliers in the after-market have got active, so internet parts costs are lower, in some cases less than half what Jaguar dealers are forced to charge. DOn't ask me why Jaguar try to maintain such impossible spares prices ! IMHO they really do need to ask themselves who their customers are and to breath out now and again.
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