Hello Everyone,

Nice board you have here.

I just bought a used Jaguar having one has always been something I wanted to do. Mine is a 2005 XJ8 Vanden Plas in black with oyster interior.

I picked it up very inexpensively as it has 117,000 MI (189,000 KM) on it and it needed repairs (had an oil pan leak and water pump leak). The previous owner drove it back and forth from Montreal to Miami a few times a year, hence it having high mileage, but it was mostly highway miles and most winters it stayed in Miami out of the salt and snow I get here in Toronto in the winter. So I just had it repaired (new water pump and new oil pan seal) and will wash and wax it this weekend. Rides very nice.

While it was in the repair shop I asked them to give it a high mileage tune up and inspect for any obvious issues. They replaced the spark plugs and cleaned the injectors and adjusted the throttle body and said it looks OK otherwise.

Does anyone have any suggestions on anything known to cause issues with this 2005 vintage that I should have checked as preventative maintenance? The previous owner gave me his service file for the car that has all the invoices for repairs over the past 8 years. He seemed to have had a lot of trouble with the headlights as regards contact pads and headlight module having internal expensive issues like flickering of the headlight on one side, then 6 months later on the other side - three separate repairs between 2010 and 2012 - but they seem fine now.

He had the parking aid sensors replaced in 2010, the brakes done in 2011 (they are fine and at 80% now the garage just told me), the coolant reservoir cracked and was replaced in 2010, the behind the dash a/c fan motor blew and was replaced in 2010, the rear air suspension pump failed in 2009 and was replaced along with the output shaft seal.

It had a new battery in 2010, and the current tires (Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 in 2010. Also minor parking lot fender benders (3) with body shop repair bills (off insurance) showing new fender, bumper reworking front, bumper reworking rear, and repainting of the trunk lid due to paint transfer from a white truck.

Interestingly, he had the passengers side view mirror replaced three times - note from body shop says "customer sheared off side mirror driving out of garage (again)". Must remember the mirrors stick out a long way when going out of MY garage.

For cosmetic improvements, I wanted to replace the hood lining insulation as it is heat shrunk and sagging.

Also, mice carried off the insulation separating the engine bay from the passenger compartment for a nest some winter. The garage says it can be replaced (with a lot of labour) but it requires three fire insulation part numbers, and only one is in stock - the other two are not - either in Canada or the UK.

It is on backorder in the UK and I'm told I won't see it for 6 months if ever. The three pieces are C2C6661, C2C6662 and C2C6663. The garage says if they agree to do it they require all three parts in hand first. Anyone know the part number for the under hood lining? Does Jaguar still stock these?

Anyway, great site you have here,and I look forward to posting on it.

 

Hey there and welcome aboard....... Good to have you here with us.

Sounds like a nice ride, you shouls share some pics when you can.

As for hoodliners etc please check with our member tbirddmnd ( Gonzo )

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ling+christmas

I'm sure he will be able to help.

Cheers

 

Jaguar buy them in, at $257.18 part no# C2C32839 insulation-bonnet.

I asked for one too.. When they showed me the cost, I thought I would try elsewhere first.

Did he or any paperwork show ABS/DSC faults or repairs ?

 

Thanks for the reply and part #. No, there was nothing in the service history showing a fault or repair to the ABS/DSC. When the brakes were done the invoice said "Replace Ft Brake rotors & pads - service Ft brake calipers". The garage I took it to said the brakes were fine as of right now and didn't need any work - they just cleaned the brake dust off of them.

One thing that seems odd to me is the water pump. The records show it was replaced twice before I just replaced it now. It was first replaced in 2009, then again in 2011 along with "the engine thermostat and cross over housing coolant outlet housing with thermostat and coolant reservoir tank". The again just now in 2013 the water pump was leaking and I just had it replaced. Odd as my 2000 Cadillac is still on the original water pump (though it has had its fair share of repairs - just not the water pump). I was wondering if the water pump is a weak link in the X350, or if this car's goes because of some other issue the car has that ir stressing it. It also shows it had the rear strut assemblies removed to replace 2 lower shock bushings in May of 2012 (6 hours labour for that).

 

Nothing you have mentioned so far is new to the forum, and is about par for the course for a 2004, except for the water pump. This certainly seems to be a troublesome item on your car, but normally these are OK and long lasting. Other than that the car has done reasonably well and has been looked after pretty well too. Oh, how I wish everybody would look after their cars before I buy them !!!

Suspension bushes are the real nuisance issue with these cars due to their tendency to wear out rather earlier than one would expect for a lightweight all-aluminium car. It is likely that other suspension bushes are starting to wear right now, but if the car is driving OK, don't go looking for trouble. The air spring units are very expensive if they fail, (the air diaphragm is what fails), but a USA supplier, Arnott Industries offers exchange items with new diaphragms at much less cost than brand new ones.

Have you noticed any slight bubbling under the paintwork anywhere ? This is the dreaded 'filiform' corrosion making its unwelcome appearance. However, don't worry too much, it won't kill the car off, it just doesn't look good. Have a look at the leading edge of the trunk lid, especially the underside.

Rough.sudden gearshifts probably means the TCM software needs a reflash, a cheap and easy job.

Anyway, you're on 117k, so should be good for another 100k miles at least.

 

Thanks for the information. I actually did notice the filiform corrosion you mention on the leading edge of the trunk lid - I didn't know it was called that and I wondered what it was - not having had an aluminum car before I thought they were very rust resistant. The original owner said it had been there for the last 3 years (4 inches long by 1 inch wide) and he thought the Florida sun had melted it and caused the metal to bubble up. Anyway, before I bought it I took it to the local auto body shop and they said they would sand it off and repaint the trunk lid and that would remove it no sweat. They kept it for a day and a half and when I picked it up there is no trace of the bubbling corrosion there now. They asked $250 for this, which the original owner paid (by reducing his price by the amount of the repair as he said he was meaning to get that fixed for years but didn't get around to it.
So far so good as regards the suspension and remaining original bushings.

My local mechanic advises against replacing the mouse-chewed firewall panels in the engine bay as a) nobody can see they are full of holes unless looking under the hood b) it is awkward as there are wires back there that have to carefully be worked around to get the existing insulation out c) the labour to do the swap would be $1,200 d) only one of the three parts is available and the other two are on backorder at Jaguar UK with no set date for resupply. So I might let sleeping dogs alone. He said one guy had mice chew up the insulation and chew through the wires too, and that car would not start and had to be towed to the garage for expensive repairs, so I was lucky the mice only carted off the insulation in pieces and left the wires alone.

 

Welcome to the forum Brent,

The PO choosing to regularly drive the 1600 miles between Montreal and Miami must be unusual but is much better for the vehicle than short town mileage.

Check the 'HOW TO' thread at the top for regular issues and Canada - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum Region forum for other members in your country.

Enjoy the forum.

Graham

 

OOI, how many miles have those Michelin tyres done, and how worn are they?

Do you have 20" wheels?

 

If you have now had the trunk lid corrosion fixed, then you need to attend to the lip on the rear screen seal that has caused the problem. Cut it off with a Stanley knife to leave a gap, so the front of the trunk lid is not sitting on anything. The trunk lid and this lip forms a crevice and every time you open and close the lid, it wipes on the seal. The crevice there collects grit, muck and salt, and eventually the continual wiping action wears away a bit of paint, and Bingo ! the corrosion starts. Except you don't see it until it has crept round to the top side. The previous owner seems to have ignored it if it got to be the size you say it was. That is the problem; so many owners ignore things hoping they will go away on their own; they damn well don't !!!

 

Hello,

The Michelin tires were put on, according to the invoice, at the 164,000 KM service, and it now has 189,200 KM, so they have gone for 25,200 KM (15,500 MI). As for wear, they still have 90-95%% of their tread depth so I assume mainly coasting along the I-95 leads to long lasting Michelin tires.

The car has the 18" wheels.

I'm trying to decide what to do as winter approaches tire-wise. The PO stayed in Florida during the winter - I will be in the northeast. My mechanic said the Michelins are essential a summer tire on that kind of RWD car, and I would be better off with snow tires in the winter. He suggested getting a set of snow tires then switching back to the Michelins in the spring. My M3 BMW-driving brother suggests Pirelli P6000 summer tires for summer and Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D tires for winter. I think the P6000 might be too hard a tire for the VDP though. So I don't know. Toronto isn't snow central, but I don't want to slip slide around on the Michelins if they are bad in snow.