Hello fellow cat lovers!

My name is Peter and I'm addicted to Claire the Cat, my Jaguar......

It's been six weeks since I picked up my car and it's been a bit topsy turvy to say the least. However the light at the end of the tunnel is shining bright and clear. Here's what's happened.

First day after picking up the car discovered no heat from the heater. Rang the ranch (cowboys don't use garages) and spoke to the cowhand that sold me the car. Arranged to bring it in the following Saturday. They looked at the car and apart from cover the wings, roof, window and front passenger seat with oil did precious little else. There were hand prints all over the place. Considering they were just looking at fuses where did all this oil come from? I had had a gearbox fault come up on the dash and when turned off & on again it cleared. I mentioned this to them but they were just so none plussed. Told to bring it in the following week and they would have a "Jaguar Expert" look at it. The fact that the car had been abused meant that it would never go anywhere near them again. Perhaps that was their plan......

Anyway, started looking at other forums and found that there was a common fault with no fog lights, no headlamp levellers and Fuse 3 blown. Replaced but blown again. Disconnected the sounder and replaced the Fuse. Success!!! Fogs, levellers and heat. Incidentally, the sounder electronics are encapsulated in rubber. After 15 years it was the nicads that had shorted out through age not the ingress of water. I tried to dig into the rubber but ended up destroying some parts on the circuit board. I have bought another sounder and it blips on locking and unlocking the door but blows Fuse 3 when the ignition is turned on so when next under the wing I'll look for the fused feed and disconnect that and then see if the unit still blips.

I then looked round for an independent to do a service and found one not to far away. Charged £215 for a service and I asked them to check and reports on any corrosion found. Just a small amount on the front off the sills where they met the wheel arch and a couple of small holes under the front footwell. Charged me £56 for this information and then quoted me £800 for welding! They also said the lower ball joints had worn and it would cost £200 per side for the arms and £245 to fit. £774 + £800 = £1574 plus other essentials they said needed doing around £420 for front discs & pads. The discs are a little lipped but there is still plenty of meat on the pads. A couple of other things and the quote came to a little over £2,150.

After the initial feeling of panic had disappeared I rang Hollygrove Jaguar, I had been recommended to them, and they told me they press new ball joints in the suspension arm. £20 each side and £18 for new bushes. So £38 per side and labour. Cash price £340. Welding was investigated and quoted £480 Got that sorted this week before a trip up to Chesterfield last Thursday return Friday. The car never missed a beat. New suspension parts being fitted this Thursday. Had a nice payday from work so looking forward to owning her again.

Buying a compressor and tools to give the rest of the sills, box sections and underside a thorough going over with Hammerite. Waxaoyl. Roll on the next few years before I have to sell her.

 

Hello, Peter,
Certainly by now you and Claire are well bonded! These cars Thrive on attention, and reward their servants accordingly. May you have many thousands of miles of trouble free driving.

Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')

 

Your signature is sooooo true Elinor. We are bonding already. Thank you for the welcome.

 

Hi and welcome aboard, its good to have you here with us here at Jaguarforums

Any useful site information you may need such as how to post pictures, edit signatures, add videos, using the
search facility etc, can be found here within the following link Using JF "How To"

There are lots of members local to you with the same interests with info on local dealers and possible meets.
Regional - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

Need a Manual, a TSB, or General Info' about your Jag? Check out our >> DOWNLOAD AREA <<
I've manually upgraded you to Full forum access so you can better view the site and all its features.

 

Welcome aboard Peter.

 

welcome to the forum - enjoy!!

 

Wow, this is certainly an International Forum. I'm looking forward to joining in with my experiences and seeing how others cope with their "Old Ladies".

Why oh Why didn't Jaguar wax the inside of the sills & box sections of their 1998-2002 XJ8s? Still, I've stocked up on Waxoyl products and just ordered my Air Compressor. It's going to get messy!

 

Welcome to the forum Peter,

Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums.

I can see you've already found your way to the X308 tech forum so there's no need for a link to it from me. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for info on regular issues.

Please remember to add vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. Go to the User CP button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.

You can also visit the UK & Eire Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/uk-eire-68/ to find other members in your region.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

Welcome to the forum

 

Welcome.

Waxoyl, whats that?

No need down here, they dont rust.

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums Peter,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help

 

Hello Peter and welcome to the forum! Thanks for joining us. Snap some pics of your Jaguar when you get a chance. Lots of very informed members on here with a wealth of information, so you've come to the right place!

 

Once again thanks for the welcome. Just passing through to grab a bite before my next lesson. Will definitely be taking some snaps of Claire And letting you have a look.

Also will update my signature as well.

 

OK, signature updated and pics of Claire uploaded.

I have tried to upload a profile picture but I'm not having much success.
I am aware of the 64Kb size restriction and the pic I'm trying to upload
is below that size.

Oh well, never mind. The Gallery will do for now.

Regards,

 

Here she is. xx

 

Nice!