Newbie here; I humbly beseech ye Jaguar gurus for your expert counsel and profound wisdom, even though I am not worthy... My wife and I just inherited her late mother's 2005 XJ8 Vanden Plas -- what a beautiful masterpiece of the automaker's art! (It's in "showroom"/like-new condition, after a cushy life so far, living in a climate-controlled garage in Southern California.) A couple of stupid questions...
1. Where in the heck is its battery?
2. Where/how can I get a spare key made? (I've never seen a key like its small screwdriver-like key before.)
3. Is there a paper/hardcopy service/shop manual available for it anywhere (U.S., UK, Europe, etc.)?
Thank you!

 

Battery is just under the boot/trunk floor, to the right of the spare wheel.
Congratulations on the new car , enjoy !

 

Hi ,
Congrats on getting a Jag !
1. battery - as @Roviw said, it is in the trunk/boot. lift the floor mat and you will see it on the right side,
2. spare key - although I am not in US, but from my experience you can make a copy of the key at most of locksmith (key-lock) shops which do the key coding. It uses the same chipset as a Ford key of the same age. and the shape of the blade is also "ford-like"
3. hard copy of service manual - download a copy from this forum, PRINT,... say "thanks" and stay happy.

Enjoy the car, it is a true jam. I am loving mine, although it is testing my nerves with air suspension (as we speak)

 

There may be a hard copy of the manuals however, since there are about 8000 pages, the electronic one is easier to use since the search function helps you find all instances of what you are looking for. Another good thing is that they are available for free on this site.