Some of you may recall that in 2009 there was a recall on the underbody brake lines for some X350s. The issue was that a pad on the plastic undertray could hold dirt against the brake line causing them to wear.

When I purchased my 2004 XJ8 in 2010, the recall had been completed by the dealer selling the car in 2009 (I have the service records to show it). However, while the recall procedure called for removing the pads, they remained in place.

Fast forward to this year when the brakes failed (fortunately in my driveway) due to a hole in the brake lines.

I hope this is a one-off incident, but it is difficult to see whether the pad has been properly removed or not. It can be felt on the top of the plastic undertray just ahead of the rear right wheel arch.

The pictures below show the issue and the result of the damage, the brake lines run through that diagonal indent in the pad below. The brake line repair procedure calls for dropping the driveshaft, exhaust and fuel tank to get to the lines, a massive job and I'm not sure that it is practical given the state of the exhaust bolts on my car. Unfortunately, I'm not sure there is enough space to cut and replace the damaged pipe without dropping the tank. It might be the end of the line for this car

So, in short. Even if your car has had the underbody brake line recall completed (I think it was J004), please check to see whether the pad is still in place, and fix it before you wear through the brake line. The issue and the dirt that can cause the damage should be obvious in the photos below.

I'm hoping that mine is the only example of this error, but I've noticed a few posts about brake lines recently and it is worth checking just in case you are able to catch it before something goes wrong. Unfortunately, Jag is not willing to assist here.

 

Going to check tomorrow. Thanks for sharing...

 

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you in Boston Lincs. or Boston Mass.?

ie is your vehicle LHD?

 

Not always pretty, but been making my own lines for years.

Line is made of a copper, & nickle alloy, bends easily.

It will not rust, and is stronger than the stock steel lines

Reroute,cut, flair, tie wrap to support.

 

Boston, MA so LHD.

I'm looking at possible routing options at the moment, the line doesn't disappear as much as I thought it did, just runs alongside the fuel tank for a while, the bigger issue is getting the long portion of the pipe over to the drivers side. I'm thinking I might be able to do it in a couple of parts and join them together together in place.. perhaps wishful thinking but I'm going to try and will document as I go.

 

Checked mine and the pad is gone.The lines look pretty good but the connecting nuts are rust coated.So had to put some rust preventative on them.The nuts must be a cheap quality steel.

 

I never understood this. I had a Merkur in the 90's all the brake lines were very small diameter stainless steel. Car rusted away after 15 years but the brake lines were still shiney. Every other car I've kept for long periods of time (in the Northeastern US) has had rusty brake lines. So the OEM's know the solution. I think the small diameter was to lower the cost. So why are plain steel lines still used?

 

pragmaticAsked

So why are plain steel lines still used?

So they can sell you a new car

 

VERY interesting thread. I bought a superb condition 07 Vanden Plas - I thought - until I tried to take ANT steel bolts off the botton of the car - all the ones that hold plastic panels and splash guards in place are rusted solid. Think I would have considered this in a car from Ohio. They don't call it the rust belt for nothing. Its one of the last few areas that use salt in great big loads all winter - sigh.

Even more ironic - and idiotic, is they rustproofed the car - making sure to hit ONLY aluminum parts I am pretty sure they were careful not to get and of that waxy rustproofing on the steel parts, as few as there are. They sprayed the top of the fenders where they bolt to the unibody, bottoms of the doors - they made sure to hit the plastic too. We all know how rust prone that stuff is. Who rust proofs an aluminum car anyway?

I will take a look and if this is not too bad, I will hit it with some fluid film or other rust preventative inimally,

 

Soaking with A T F a day or two, often helps things to loosen up.

 

Kroil for a few days

 

I checked mine and no problems.

In Australia it has been very dry in the Summer (loadsa dust)

but we still get rain in the winter.

The best thing is no salt on the roads!

 

You nailed this one.

Not sure if I replaced the entire plastic shield. (I think I did) but the foam was still there. I noticed surface rust.

Took that foam out and addressed the surface rust. Checked my fuel tank straps while I was under there and all good.

Thanks again for sharing this!

 

Rest assured that MOUNTAINS of road salt are still used here in Western New York (Buffalo area). I thought my '05 VDP hadn't been too badly exposed to it until I tried to rebuild the air suspension compressor and the clutch was all rusted out! I had the same problem with those underbody panel bolts BTW. I ended up spinning them in the floor pan. My Plan B was to use a wood hole saw just larger than the washers on the nuts and cut around the washers so the panels fell off. With the pan out of the way I could clean up the bolts enough so that with new nuts and fender washers that are larger than the holes I cut I could get it back on and fairly tight. I don't think I have those pads on the side panels on mine, only on the panel under the engine. My brake lines looked OK actually, so I guess I dodged that particular bullet! My big cat goes into heated storage in late October and doesn't come out again until mid to late April so it it won't see any more salt. But the winter cars just get destroyed.

 

Big Thanks to 'Mongoose' for the heads-up on this.
I found the Recall online:
Recall Number 09V144000
It looks like it applies to MY2004 only, but its certainly worth a quick check. Only 10 or so 6mm nuts/bolts (10mm socket needed) , and its off. If you can borrow a lift its even easier.
I checked my 2005 VDP and found no sign that this pad was ever there, and minimal surface corrosion on the lines in a few places.
Hit those with black POR.
Jeremy in Orlando FL - well clear of the Rust Belt.

 

Thanks to this post regarding the rear brake lines, I had a starting place to examine as I began to troubleshoot the cause of my recent “brake” warning light and corresponding “low brake fluid” warning message. A few days ago the dash light flashed on when I came to a rather sudden stop. I had initially assumed my pads had been worn in enough to require the addition of fluid since I swapped out the front brakes over a year ago. Because the service history provided by the PO indicated my car had been repaired subject to the recall notice I did not think I would have any brake line issues. However, after reading the post and seeing the pictures shared, I looked at the right rear undercarriage and saw a damp area on the shield. I wiped the area with my finger and a quick sniff confirmed it was brake fluid leaking.

I have read as many posts online as I can find and plan to repair the issue myself no matter if it is a leaking junction block, fitting or cracked line. Since I have not actually dropped shield yet I don’t know exactly what all components I will need to have on hand when I start. Too date I cannot find the brake hard line specifications in any of the Jaguar handbooks/manuals or online posts yet.

In as much as I need the car to be repaired as soon as possible, I plan on ordering a roll of copper/nickle brake line and an assortment of corresponding male and female fittings. Does anyone know what diameter line I need and what size fittings I should get? It has been a while since I made up brake lines so I know I will need to purchase some new tools so as well and am wondering what type flare is used (single, double, bubble, 45̊, 37̊, etc.)? If anyone has any information it will be greatly appreciated. I will of course take a lot of photos and will post them when I am done.

On the plus side this will be a good time for me to replace the brake fluid with new as is recommended and put on the new rear rotors and pads that have been sitting on a shelf.

Thanks again for any information anyone can provide..

 

My car is up in the air right now so was easy to check. Looks good to me.

 

Double flair on the lines, the kit from Harbor is what i have used, zip ties to support lines.

As for the sizes of the fittings, and lines, the parts store should have the information, if not go elsewhere.

Heat in moderation may be necessary to get the lines & bleeders loose.

Leave the lines just a little long when cutting, just in case.

Not replaced any lines on a Jaguar yet, hope i never need to.

 

@Rancheroguy that was going to be my original approach too, unfortunately for me I found that the corrosion had spread through the entire line section, and there is nowhere that I can get a sufficiently stable line to flare.

Having said that, SNG Barrett sells the replacement molded line for about $30 plus shipping (it is light, but large). To replace the line as one unit you would need to drop the exhaust, drive shaft and fuel tank. However, I think there is a way to cut the molded line into 3 sections and install each separately. I have to admit that I have not tried this yet, but that's where my current thinking is.

I believe the line is 3/16" flared to metric fittings. I can't remember where I read that though.

 

That's the beauty of this copper with nickle, alloy line.

Easy to fish through tight areas, bend & flair.

Hang out of harms way, & secure it with zip ties.

Stronger than stock steel lines, internal pressure wise, & it doesn't rust.