I have just test drove a white 2004 XJ8, the Jaguar technician has given me a list of things that want doing.

It has 2 aftermarket rear shocks and there they are not sending the correct signal to the computer and there the Cats suspension error signal is displayed (yellow light). Is this going to be a problem I can live with? is there a "work around electrically)? The tech says the rear suspension is working fine.

The is a "Low coolant " red light on because the "nipple" on the coolant reservoir was broken off and glued back on, obviously not very well,
and is leaking coolant. Is a new reservoir an expensive item to replace????

The bushes on the front suspension need replacing.

I really like this car, the exterior and interior look like new, and I do most of my own work on my 2001 XK8.

I would really appreciate some advice as to what is involved to bring the car up to par.

Many thanks, David

 

What are the miles and price?

I have a 2004 XJ8 base with 88k. Lovely car.

I had to do the thermostat and related and while there I did the coolant hose under the intake manifold. All the front coolant hoses were done while the coolant was drained and replaced. You may not need to do this. Finally I had the tranny fluid and filter done. Other than the leaking thermostat housing the rest was preventive.

As to your questions - the coolant bottle is not bad. Some have modified it by putting in a brass fitting - do a little digging and you will find the information. From what I have read, as I have not had any issues, the coolant bottle is best OEM. Others have had leaks with aftermarket units. Again do a little digging. Either way you can handle the repair as it is fairly straight forward.

On your front suspension. My indi mechanic charged me $200 to change out everything - I supplied the parts. Do some research on what parts from the late model LS, Thunderbird and S type are compatible. I did all the bushings and the wish bone arms.

As to the aftermarket rear shocks - you need to provide more information. Depending on what was put in a fix may be available.

 

Kg74 Thank you very much for the quick response!

The dealership was asking $5,999 and is now reduced it to $5,000, I have countered with $4,000 cash and now awaiting a reply.

The car has only 66,000 mles.

It looks as though the problems are not major, thanks again

 

The problems do not seem major, but suspension bushes on these cars are notorious for their short life, and the cost can mount up if you do everything at one go. Best to do front then rear and recover a bit financially in between ! There is now a lot of OEM and aftermarket stuff around, you don't have to go to a Jaguar agent. Lower air spring (shocks) bushes are very short lived at around 35-40k miles but are not expensive.

At your miles there should not be anything major coming up. Hell, my X358 is running well and just did UK-Berlin with no effort at all and that's on 64k mile now and in for yearly service next week.

 

Yes there is a fix for the CATS light"

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ersion-110745/

 

Spend the 750.00 fixing it up.

 

Having a past in the auto business - here are my thoughts. The dealer took the car in on trade for rough trade in value unless none of the problems were evident when it came in. I figure the first dealer that took it in valued it at around $2-2.5k. It may have been traded to another dealer because of the lights and coolant leak.

So your offer is not bad - hold firm. Depending on the type of dealer a good portion of their money is made on the financing so cash only means you are going to get it off their hands - which is still good. The model year changes in about 2 weeks so they will be interested to move it. The dealer will have to spend just as much as you do to fix it, probably more. They don't bother with saving money on repairs and the like as that is not their business. Their time is best spent buying and selling - not researching and repairing and shopping repair shops and reading forums.

I assure you that you are getting a ton of car if you can sort it all out for $6k which I believe you can.

 

Thank you all for all your help!
I purchased the car today for $4,500 and I love it.
My indy mechanic wanted to buy it off me for his wife and he said it was a great buy. Need to fix the coolant hose leak and add a new coolant reservoir.

 

You'll find the reason's it was sold soon enough that said; Your going to love the car, especially after catching up on what needs to be done to bring back to worry free service. NEVER thought i would have such a luxurious, beautiful, FAST, with such great fuel economy if you can keep your foot light on the throttle.Smile every time i drive it, when i get in the ride is the reason, the destination is an after thought.