A few months ago I got my 1st Jaguar a 2005 XJR Black on Black 1 owner with a Clean Carfax around 108,000 miles right now!
I live in Jersey Village or NorthWest Houston.
It's getting a little cold here in the morning now and I am think this might be one of the reasons for having this problem. Yesterday I was going for a drive and it felt like I had a flat tire! I pulled over and saw the tires were fine, but the front was sitting really low! When I got back in and started the car a Vechile too low and I think a suspension fail message had popped up! I turned around and want back to the house (the whole drive was maybe 3 miles). Later in the day I started the car and the suspension had fixed itself. I checked on it even later in the day and everything seemed fine I took it for a drive no problems but when I woke up this morning it was about 45 degrees and the suspension had lowered itself again I again waited till later on in the afternoon when the weather was a little warmer and it's corrected itself again. From what I've seen on posts on this form it could be a battery issue a compressor issue or something called a #4 fuse.
Basically I want to know if it's something I need to take straight to a dealership and have looked at if it's something a qualified honest mechanic in the area can do without having to specialize in Jaguars or if I can even take it to someone in my family who is a qualified mechanic and it's something that basic as far as a fuse or a battery?
I want to do what's right and understand that's some things to maintain and fix are going to be expensive I'm just not sure if this is one of them or if I'm overreacting and this is something very minor that can easily be taken care of. I'd like to thank you guys in advance from what I've seen before this place is very helpful and if anyone can recommend honest and knowledgeable shop in the Houston area preferably Northwest I would appreciate it!
I would also just like to say I love this car and it is so much fun to drive!

 

The bad news is that the air suspension needs somebody who knows about air suspension systems, and, importantly, has the correct reader to read the fault codes. At 108k miles has the air compressor ever been replaced ? As these cars age, small leaks become inevitable as rubber seals harden up, and if a compressor is not up to snuff, it can fail to keep up with the air being lost. Favorite small leak location is from the seal at the top of the spring unit, and cold weather accentuates this. Wit air loss, the compressor has to work harder to keep up, so starts to wear out. Our member 'bagpipingandy' sells a piston seal kit and, I believe some other stuff to bring your compressor back to efficiency. Or you can just replace the compressor with a new one, they're not hugely expensive.

From your symptoms, I reckon you have a leak in one or even both of the front spring units. Try a bit of soapy water, or use a can of "leak detector" stuff to see if you get bubbling at the top of the spring units. The diaphragms that form the actual air spring can also leak, but the normal failure with these is a big bang as one lets go on you.

As you live in a very hot part of the USA, I think the rubber seals tend to age quickly and we in England with its damp weather don't seem to get the same problems. I'm on my 2nd X350 (an X358) and never had trouble on the last one, a 2003, and my current one is OK at 10 years old

 

Thanks for the info!
Hopefully someone in my area can recommend a quality shop to take care of the issue.

 

'Shark';

I'm up the road in Dallas and have had a similar experience: With external temp upper 60's (F) and above my '04 XJR ( 80 k mi ) sits and rides fine. In the low 60's the front drops low over night but the air tank/compressor can provide enough air to raise it to the correct height. In the 40's the left side air-spring top seal leaks bad enough I can hear the air, even with the engine running. I'm replacing the air springs with Bilstein B4's this weekend.

As Fraser suggests above, be sure to identify the root cause of the problem or you could spend unnecessary money replacing/fixing something that is not the immediate problem. Be sure to read Don B's sticky Thread: Air Suspension & ECATS System Summary: Components & Operation to get an idea of how the air suspension system works. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ration-174819/


Best Regards, William

 

I'm starting to lean more towards taking it towards the Jag dealership and just paying more than necessary but it is comforting to hear that it isn't a major issue which of course is never good

 

Before the dealer I would take to a good indie. I know a good one in South Houston who has repaired the air suspension on many Jags, Merc’s, and Audi’s. Honest too!
Many just yank all the stock air springs and install a conversion kit to regular shocks. Also a rebuilder is a great option. My car came with an Arnott rebuild. Worked fine. Put a couple RMT rebuilds on it since.
I think the Texas heat is hard on the bushings and the air springs.