2 New headlight assemblies (because adjusters are broken so light keeps getting loose after few months. Have to get out and tap on the outside so it turns on which is annoying. $1320

Glass on driver's side mirror had ice build up inside it and crack mirror. New glass is $130.

New Passenger side door latch...$490

Battery cracked and acid corroded negative cable...$414

New wiper blade...$25.

New Oil Pan...$1300

4 Window Run Channels...$1000

Total for just these repair is over $5000 with tax. Which is very close to the value of my car.

:'(


My plan is to try and clean the corroded negative cable myself and replace the battery.

I'm just having the dealer do the wiper blade and glass on the mirror. Rest I will live with. Eh so what if passenger door doesn't open. I'll just move the seat all the way forward and have people sit in the back.

And I'm just going to keep changing bulbs every 3 months instead of changing the actual assembly.

 

If you pick some of these off a little at a time and spread your cost out, it wouldn't be that big of a hit. You can certainly do the negative battery cable repair yourself and save hundreds.

Save $10 and do the wiper blade yourself, takes 20 seconds.

does the passenger side latch not work at all? Sometimes the cable gets bound up in the clip, pull your door panel off and have a look. (or did the dealer tell you it's toast?)

heck with that oil pan unless the leak is moderate to severe.

Can you get headlight assemblies from an online parts supplier - like Rock Auto or Car Cannibal (junkyard supplier)? Can you fix the adjusters with epoxy?

What exactly is a window run channel? The trim around the bottom of the glass/top of door?

Don't give up yet!

 

Master, if you have some mechanical ability, you can fix most of this stuff yourself for very little cost. For example, with the battery and battery cable problem, you can fix it yourself for $150 for a new battery and then another $15 for a new negative battery cable. The rest of the fix is simply unbolting the negative battery cable and installing the new one. IT is pretty easy to do and that would save you over $200.

The window channel fix, the window trim is $77 per piece through http://www.jaguarparts.com. So, say that is $400 all said and done once you figure in shipping and handling and getting the rivets through jag (the rivets can be gotten through any hardware store). To replace them is really easy. You open up the window, slide the rubber gasket out of the way, you drill out the 2-3 rivets per trim piece, slide the old piece out of the way and reverse the process for the new pieces. Even if you have to buy a rivet gun and all, you are still under $500 for the fix and probably 90 minutes of your time. That is another $500+ in savings.

But that is just a few examples of what can be saved by doing a little bit of work yourself. I will admit that the oil pan gasket issue is probably outside of most peoples ability not so much because of difficulty, but because of the amount of stuff that needs to be pulled out of the way to access all the pan bolts.

Even the headlight issue can be solved for about half price. Brand new headlight assemblies are $336 each. So, you figure $700 delivered to your door. Installing them is really straight forward, probably take you about 90 minutes to do. You can save even more if you can find an auto recycler that will get you a good set of headlight assemblies. Then you can probably get both headlights for around $300 total.

The choice is yours. I wish you lived closer to me. I would have you come over and we would get the kitty back to 100%. I would probably even tackle the oil pan leak problem. But, that is not the case. But, if you do need some advice, let me know. Believe it or not, working on the car is pretty straight forward and doesn't require many special tools. For example, doing the headlights, the only special tool that is needed is a T27 torx bit. That is $3 at your local auto parts store. The rest is common handtools (10mm wrench, a 3/8" socket wrench, and a flat bladed screw driver).

 

Thanks guys. First up will be the battery issue. I don't want to be stranded in winter if my car fails to start.

An independent shop quoted me 900 for the oil pan gasket. They leak is minor but its there. I always have a little oil on my floor everyday. I do check my oil weekly and top it up as needed.

And yes the dealer said the door latch mechanism is about to fail. Right now about 1 out of 3 times the door will not open. Sometimes i just shove the door in (Even though it is still closed) and then open it and it works. Other times I have to open it from inside.

Together the problems seem like a lot. But I guess if I go step by step it won't be too bad.

O ya my cd player hasn't worked for the past 2 years either. But I just gave up on that and listen to the radio or use an FM transmitter. Dealer wanted $400 to replace the whole radio unit since they consider it a "throw away" part.

 

Master Deep, I agree with Thermo. So much of this you can easily fix yourself at a fraction of the cost. You can save even more by sourcing parts from non-jaguar-dealer sources, and dismantlers. It's an older used car - there's nothing wrong with putting used parts on it where it makes sense (i.e., isn't a wear item and doesn't compromise safety).

The battery cable is a simple example. You can buy a brand new one at Schucks/AutoZone, etc. for under $15, and install it yourself in 10 minutes using a handwrench or socket wrench. With all due respect, you're just getting taken to the cleaners if you rely on Jaguar to fix all of this stuff for you.

 

Master, what you may want to try doing is squirting some lubricant into the passenger side door latch. Be very liberal with the application of the lube. Let it run down inside the door and drip out on to the ground. Use a straw too. What you are trying to do is flush out any garbage that may have built up over the years. Kinda sounds like to me that the latch mechanism isn't closing all the way per se, therefore the unlatch mechanism isn't able to open the door. Give the latch a good squirt and you may find that you won't even have to replace the latch mechanism.

 

Good suggestions by both you guys. Master you know there is plenty of help on this board to get you through this stuff.

I'd just try to find a used audio headunit on ebay or from a scrapyard. They are not difficult to swap out if you take your time and be careful. We can walk you through it. Or just get Sirius and never look back!

I had both of my door latches replaced under warranty, however I've had the panel apart several times and it looks like a pretty simple DIY job if you can just get the parts.

I have a very small oil pan drip, and I bet half the members on this board do as well. It's just cost prohibitive to fix it unless you DIY, and that is a fairly large job. So you accept the mantra (shared with Rover guys) " a Jaguar doesn't leak, it marks its territory" and keep checking on it.

 

Ya so the first thing I need to do is get my car back from the dealer. Dropped it off Sunday night for a Monday morning appointment. Then Mon morning they call me asking why my car is there. I'm like wtf I had an appointment... SA is like o no one told me and I have no info. So I had to retell all the problems. Then I get no call back after. So I call them in the afternoon. He's like ya I'll have the car checked more in depth Tuesday morning. Then Tuesday morning he calls to tell me issues. Then when I call him back to authorize a few he won't pick up for 3 hrs. Then he told me my car will be done Tuesday afternoon. And i got no call back...

It's now Wednesday and I'm hoping my car will be done today. How long could it take to replace the glass on the mirror and 1 wiper blade...

I'm dealing with a new SA who sounds kind've shady on the phone(never met him). All my previous visits to Patrick Jaguar have been exceptional and the other SA's always notify me promptly with status updates.

 

Stop the workshop doing any more repairs on your car.... They sound like the Dodgy Bros to me...
The prices they have given suggest one of two things:
They don't really want the job so they have quoted astronomic prices to drive you away
or
They want to see how much they can screw out of you.

Even if you don't want to do the work yourself there has to be a mechanic near where you live who takes pride in doing a good job for a fair price without huge mark-ups.

Best of luck.

Mi8ke

 

Master, if you don't mind, I wish to convey two things to you. One: Obviously you're recieving huge encouragement and support from us fellow 'X" owners to do it yourself. Most of us are "do it yourselfers". You can do it man!
Two: The majority of dealers and repair shops will make you feel you are helpless and the parts are precious, thus charging exorbitant fees. Example: A corroded negative battery terminal?, they want how much? $200!!!, what?!!! @@##%$ them!!! You do it yourself for $20 my man or pay a trustworthy mechanic $40 (1/2 hr. labor). Door handle and latch? They want $450!!!, @#$% them!!! I can get an on-line salvaged door handle assembly for $75, take the friggin door panel off, remove the retaining clip or whatever, then swap. Or I can bring it to my trustworthy mechanic and he'll do it for $45 (1/2 hr. labor). Headlight assembly? See above. My mechanic only charged $45 (1/2 hr.) to open a stuck closed engine hood and repair cable (he had to remove splash gaurd, etc.). Everything else you list can be procured from an online salvage yard for a fraction of the cost the dealer charges. I picked up a 2005 3.0 engine w/48k for $950 ($175 shipping, $125 for 90 day warranty) on-line. A mechanic installed it for $1650 (20 hours@$65/hr), total for low mileage engine plus swap= $2600. Dealer would charge $8000 (engine plus install), %$#@# them!!! Master, do most of it yourself and you need a trustworthy mechanic.
Nock-em off one at a time and Happy New Year!!!

 

Dude...I first thought they (dealer) wanted you to rip out the lining of your wallet. After re-reading your post I determined they wanted to rip you a new a#$ hole.

 

Thermo,

Do you know where I can find headlight assemblies for $336? The cheapest I've found has been $370.

Thanks,
Waldo

 

lol, you and vincek should be buddies