Took the 2012 XF in for oil change at 45450 miles, less than 400 miles since last service a year ago. Advisor noted that the fact that it just became 10 yrs old triggered some other items on the maintenance checklist. Mechanic pronounced coolant and fuel filter ok (not in need of change), changed brake fluid; checked undercarriage and took it for a drive to make sure no other latent problems (NC), especially in view of infrequent driving. I appreciated that they passed up an opportunity to inflate the bill.

 

Good service company. It is nice to see positive things on the the forums. Keep them coming.

 

Your mechanic can't check the fuel filter. It's in the tank and not serviceable.
I hope he understands this is a DI engine and is not like earlier engines?

Has the water pump or any plastic cooling system parts been replaced? These are age related and do deteriorate and fail.
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And on top of all the cheap gun stock nylon in the cooling system, the intake valves need cleaning by around 50K miles. I did "The Big Plastic Replacement" plus cleaned the intake valves while I had the intake manifold off a year and a half ago at around 53K. Not only did one of the crossover pipes literally fall apart as I pulled it from the motor, I was really kinda shocked at how gummy the valves were at what most would consider to be low mileage. Probably the greatest thing about this forum is that we can read about the problems that others have already experienced with their Jaguars, and then we all put our heads together and figure out how to prevent it from happening to the rest of us.

 

Thanks, guys, for your comments. There was some water pump attention 7-8 years ago, but I don’t remember the details. I’ll be alert for any kind of change in performance or spots on the garage floor. I probably mentioned this car goes less than 300 miles/year now, and most of that is on an annual trip 90 miles up the interstate to a car show. Otherwise, I’m trying to get it out each month for a 10-mile drive. That means it’s only out in nice weather in the middle of the day, never more than 5 miles from home or dealer (exc. 1 day/year). I looked at some data just for kicks- I bought my first car, a (new) 55 Chevy about 68 years ago. In all, I’ve bought 17 new cars (5 Jaguars) and about 5 used cars; maybe 7-8 have gone over 50K miles as “2nd cars”. I guess the Jaguar is now just a (very nice) “2nd car “. It's good to know that this forum is a resource for service information.

 

So you're where all the low-mileage, barn-find classic cars come from? Don't count on spotting drips on the garage floor tho. The 2012 XF has an undertray below the engine and transmission lined with an oil-absorbent pig mat. I don't know if your local dealer drains the oil from below or syphons it out from the top, but its not a bad idea to drop the undertray once a year to inspect for leaks. One thing I know from having six old classic cars, the less they are driven, the more propensity they have to leak.

 

I let my 2011 XFR with 52K miles sit for over 3 years while I worked/played with other things (cars, house, etc.), and it wasn't good. After replacing 90% of the suspension, and also doing the engine and trans mounts, driveshaft coupler, basic trans fluid and parts replacements, diff fluid, etc., I took it out for a run and the waterpump immediately spewed, so I'm now in the process of replacing/refreshing/rebuilding/upgrading about everything I can around the car, and it's pretty extensive/expensive. My suggestion is to drive it as frequently as is feasible for a collector car, and learn as much as you can about the engine, including cooling, timing chains, etc. Even though it's a total PITA, it'll save you many thousands of dollars over its life.

 

Apologize in advance for the long response...
No “barn find”, the garage isn’t dusty enough for that😊.
I appreciate all the advice/recommendations you guys have given, and if this were still our main ride, I would follow-up. At 85, I’m slowing down a little, rarely drive except for trips, and am much more comfortable driving with the safety features of our more mundane other car. The Jaguar is there as a second car if needed and for attendance at an annual show (I need a British car to park on the field). “Maintenance” is checking coolant/brake fluid/oil/tires every month or so, and paying attention to sounds/feel. If it won’t start in the garage, I know a roll-back can get it out of the garage to the dealer a mile away (my ’09 needed that). If it fails on the road, there is AAA/tow and some inconvenience and adventure. Major repairs would be fix or sell as-is. I’m thankful for the Service Advisors and Mechanics who’ve given us 30 years of trouble-free Jaguar travelling, over 300K miles, and hope others have the same good fortune...
all the best!

 

I figured I was the only person in the world to think that way. Maybe I'm not so crazy after all. Upon "retiring" the XJ8 from daily commuting, I couldn't bring myself to sell it knowing the most likely fate that would befall it in the hands of the kind of buyer who would pay what little it was really worth (I tried this forum and the local Jaguar club but everyone already had all the cats they could handle). We have a European car show here once a year on a peninsula by a lake and the spectator parking was always quite a distance from the show field. One of my vintage Corvette buddies would often enter a Reliant Robin from his collection and its one of our favorite shows because its not the same old muscle cars and hot rods we see all the time. I reasoned that the XJ8 was "classic" enough at least in design and still looked good enough to park on the show field with the other European antiques and I kept it at least partly so that I would have a Euro classic to park next to and hang out with my buddies at the show. Although this summer I've added a Lotus to my collection and so I'll finally have a real old British classic to take to next spring's show.

 

10 thumbs up!
Waynesboro, VA, 10/1/22. XJ8 will fit right in...