Hi to all,
I came by this web site purely by accident and have found it to be most informative and entertaining.

The first time i saw Boston Blackie on tv back in the 50s, i was hooked. He had the coolest car that i had ever seen. I believe he had an xke and was it ever the baddest car on the road. Anyways, my boss was looking to sell his Jag which was soon to be replaced by a little sporty Mercedes and i jumped for it.

I purchased this beautiful 1999 Jag xk8 last fall, just before returning to Florida. I got it to use while i spend the summer months in Maine. I have a lincoln cont. down in Boynton Beach. When i returned, i noticed hydraulic leaks from the convertible top under the car. I first thought that i could do the repair myself although i'm not the least mechanically inclined.

The only thing i did have was plenty of time on my hands. I was going to work real slow and do it right. My research, particularly at this forum made me realize very quickly that I was out of my field. Then i figured, i'll buy the parts and have a mechanic friend of mine do the work. I looked and could not find a kit to take care of this problem so i thought it better to finally see a dealer.

I went to several places but could not get a firm price for the repair. I got prices from $800 to $2000. By now, i'm totally exasperated and have no idea who to turn to. How could something so simple be so complicated? The Chevy Corvette had a manual top right up to 2006. I mean, this is only a 2 seater. Why not convert the hydraulic to manual. The only kit i saw online was for a Mustang and it was for the other direction, manual to automatic.

I cannot justify paying upwards to $2000 to lower a roof on a car that i'm going to use only 4 months of the year. The car's engine light recently came on and i got a P1637 error which i'm told has something to do with the timing. The dealer told me that it would cost around $1000 to get everything in order. I did not really get a satisfactory answer for what i was gong to receive for that amount.

A friend of mine recommended a product called "Sea Foam" motor treatment and it actually worked long enough for me to get the car inspected. The dreaded light returned about a month later. The car runs perfectly so i have pretty much ignored the light. I went to Autozone where they do free computer checks for engine light problems. They basically came up with the same code.

I'm trying to cut my losses. Since coming back to Maine, i have spent nearly $1000 on an oil change, 2 new tires, and a front end brake job. I realize this car was rather pricey when it was sold new but the expense of maintaining it far exceeds the value that one receives.
If i can convert the top to manual then i will keep another year otherwise i might have to cut my loses.

 

Welcome to the forum,

Hopefully you will get some answers to your problem in the XK forum.

 

welcome aboard, sorry to heqar about your issues
Check into the XK section and speak to gurus there, they'll help if anyone can

Loads going on, plenty of very friendly and helpful members as well as some excellent tech advice......all good!

In the meantime I've manually upgraded you to full forum access so you can better view the site

 

Glad to have you with us from the left coast of fla!

 

Let me know if you decide to sell.
I am in NH

 

Hello and welcome to jaguarforums.com.

If you haven’t already you need to put your car details in your signature. I am speaking of the Year, Make & Model. Without it you may not get the input you are looking for. To do this go to, User CP, Edit Signature, Add Vehicle Details and such and Save Your Signature.

Please take a moment and read the information provided to you explaining the rules. Be patient and enjoy the site.

Also, should you have questions related to your vehicle please post it in the section for your model year (MY) car. This way you will reach all the members that are familiar with your MY car.