Yes, when I bought Peter the Cat, (a 2000 xj8 and my first Jag) I had been warned, by many people over many years, about his type; seductive, fragile, expensive, demanding, sexy, addictive, and unreliable. I wanted all the joy with no pain, but I knew I would end up on a forum just like this.

The ordeal I went through last week over the 'bonnet' was enough to make me join, because it is so weirdly funny, and I don't think that anyone but a fellow Jaguar owner will get the joke. It began like this; After a while without trouble, every 50 miles or so i was getting a red light warning saying 'low coolant'. My commute is 15 miles, so after I figured the pattern out I started topping off the reservoir every morning, on spec. It was never really low. After a good longish drive in the Miami heat it took under a pint. He never overheated.

I had only owned my Jaguar for 4 months, so I thought taking it to Sears was a great idea. I took it in to see if they could find the leak. (For absolute clarity, I took it two weekends in a row. The first Sears, which is in a desolate location, couldn't find the leak, so next weekend I took it to the Sears in a mall).

The second Saturday, after 5 hours at the mall, Sears called me to tell me that they could not find the leak, either.I thought, that's unfortunate, but I'll move on. Go to the dealership. So, Sunday morning, I went out to check the coolant, but the hood was stuck shut on the passenger's side. This was bizarre. I took it right back to Sears, coolant light on. After 6 hours, they told me that they needed another day to fix the stuck hood problem. I spent another 7 hours at the mall. They could not open it.

I had to drive Peter home that night...but my coolant-warning light had been on for miles, so the mechanics at Sears did an elegant and, I'm sure, uninsured thing and, at my bidding and with my help, we forced the one side of the hood up enough and fed Peter coolant via a funnel and hose. I also insisted on adding a bottle of Radiator Stop Leak, something I had avoided in the past. My reasoning had gone from Delicate Machine, No Chemicals to By Any Means Possible.

Next day, I took him back, took a cab to work, and meanwhile they broke the hood completely. No more partial fixes. That evening they sent me to the closest Jaguar dealership. I rented a car, but I had to drive Peter to the dealership myself. Coolant light back on on the way. Sears paid for the rental and dealership with a tired shrug, like a hooker paying for new sheets. (Not that I don't appreciate their acceptance of responsibility.)

Dealership: thick leather couches, coffee, magazines, pleasant paid for service. The first day they called me to let me know that the cable they had in stock was defective, and they were ordering a new one. A few days later, they said it was done, showed me the nice open hood, and I drove Peter home, 7 days after we had begun. The red warning light did not come on, but next morning, Sunday again, I thought I would check the coolant, just to be on the safe side. I mean, I had spent 7 days fixing a minor problem which was never fixed, all the while dealing with my demanding job and my nerves and whatever, so maintaining the fluid level seemed like a gentle little task.

And the hood was stuck, on the passengers side.

Well, the dealership prevented it from being a complete repeat by not being open on Sundays. I called, left a message, talked to someone Monday, and brought Peter in Tuesday morning. And here is what kills me; this time, I thought to try the hood before I left the driveway, just in case, and this time the inside cable was clearly broken! Now the hood would not open at all! What the hell had happened? It had been sticking only on one side, two days ago! Was this the work of elves? Gremlins?

I drove it back to the dealership, not bothering to try and explain this time. At all. They fixed the latch cable in 45 minutes. I checked my morning email from the comfy leather couch, drank coffee, and prayed. I checked the hood before I left, but haven't dared to do so since.

Luckily, the red low coolant warning light has never come on again, despite over 100 miles of driving. All I can figure is that, somehow, the emergency injection of sealant eventually hit some sort of critical mass and worked. As far as Peter goes, it's like the 'honeymoon period' after a terrible lover's quarrel. I don't have the strength to ask any more questions about him this week.

 

Hey there & welcome aboard, good to have you here with us

Your story brought a tear to my glass eye....lol
quite funny although I guess you don't think so

Please post up pics when you can and show her off some.
How to: Post pictures
How To Add Pictures In Your Messages

Also, please drop in and visit the regional section for your area, there are lots of members local to you with the same interests.

Some have meets and events planned and its a good way to get to know your neighbour with a Cat
Regional - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

There's a really great mix of information, camraderrie and fun here.....

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.

I've manually upgraded you to full forum access so you can better view the whole site and all its features

Please Jump on in and enjoy the site.................

 

Thank you for that...oh, I do think it was funny, largely because poor tired Sears paid for much of the ordeal and I was only an anxious bystander. For that, I would recommend them if you don't care if anything is fixed when you are done.

On my part, as the only repair that happened to my car was due to a 5 dollar bottle of radiator sealant that I strong armed into it myself late at night and against all odds and wisdom, I am thinking about some fuel injector cleaner for the lifters, which click a little. I hear Techron is a good product.

 

As attached pic, if anyone is interested.

 

Well you have an interesting and entertaining story if nothing else! Welcome to the forum!

 

Welcome to the forum. Yes, anyone who buys and older Jag or keeps theirs long enough, will end up here. I researched Jags on this forum before buying and I bought one anyway. ha Good to have you here and you will find a bunch of nice guys and gals. Also a lot of technical info from people who know what they are doing.
Good luck with you new Jag, and, hang in there, it gets better.

 

Welcome to the forum Ms. Peter the Cat,

I started out by putting up a big pic of Peter in your post #4 - looks in great shape.

You've a lot more patience than I have. That many hours at the Mall would have had me in therapy!

Follow this link XJ ( X308 ) XJ8 / XJR - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum for help and advice on your XJ8.

The V8 is very sensitive to overheating and this needs to be investigated and sorted. Post the question in the X308 section and you'll get plenty of information on thermostat, water pump and hoses.

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

Graham

 

Welcome to the forum Ms peter the cat,

Good to have you with us.
What can I say?
Great story.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.

 

Welcome aboard.

That is an interesting story for sure! Very nice looking car though.

 

Welcome to the forums!

XJ8's are the best, aren't they?
Vector

 

Welcome to the forum, your story gave me a good laugh too. You're much better off coming here with your questions rather than a shopping mall garage that can barely even spell 'Jagaur' never mind work on them.

Techron is for the fuel system and injectors, not the lifters. It will do no harm but not guaranteed to do much good either.

 

Thank you, everyone, and, Graham, this forum provided some badly needed therapy. I don't think anyone but a fellow Jaguar owner would understand the icy, stupid stares you get when you describe such an episode to, say, a Toyota owner.

Interestingly, Peter never overheated, even an iota, but I do keep a careful eye on his temperature, given the slow leak, which seems to have stopped. It is absolutely steady at just-under-50%.

The lifter question is another one. I'm afraid that I bought the car when it had a soft yet noticeable clicking from which I was not wise enough to run. I have been told that it may be a valve, the cost of which would make the repair a business decision. His driving and performance are unaffected (so far). I read some stuff on the forum about such a clicking being improved by solvents, and if there is a recommended product, I'm eager to try it. The problem may be deeper than the lifters, but cleaning them can't hurt...unless it releases a bunch of gunk that goes elsewhere, I guess.

 

Oh, I am sorry, I forgot to add the car details to my signature.

2000 XJ8. Now I will go do it properly. I don't want to be a bad student.

 

Okay, proper signature now. Hope the avatar isn't too small.

 

Lol...........I can see you're going to be the joker on the site.

The signature helps us to help you to help us to help you, kinda thing

 

I already believe that a sense of humor is a prerequisite for owning a Jag. The laughter helps me stop weeping.

 

Ahhh tears of laughter, the best kind

btw your avatar is tiny

 

Yes, my avatar reflects my self esteem. (I promise to re photoshop it over the weekend.)
Also I have not figured out how to add my car to my "garage"?

 

Welcome aboard, It's a FUN ride!

 

At least you're not as fed up as one member who got rid of his Jag and he's
he's he's just bbbought a B M W
Sob