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Some generalizations in there that don't necessarily apply. I bought my Jag because I wanted a large sedan. I can't stand SUVs at all, and will never have one. I previously had a Mercedes S55 that was totaled by being flooded during hurricane rains.
Large sedans just don't exist any more. I didn't buy the Jag to get a Jag, I bought it to get a large sedan and it was available locally. I do like the X350 style and comfort, yet knew nothing about the car when I bought it. It had air when I bought it, but within a week of my purchase it exhibited the classic symptoms: it sagged, rode harshly, took a couple of minutes to get ride height in the mornings and gave a level plausibility code within ten minutes of driving. Pulled the compressor first thing and found so much water damage there that I abandoned the air system without hesitation. Bringing the air up to snuff would have cost more than the car itself cost, so of course money was an object. To me, anyone who says the air should be retained at whatever the cost... well that's someone who has money to burn and doesn't care about the value. For me, there was no value in keeping it on the air ride, when the Arnott coils were under 1500 bucks, installed with my own hands. That doesn't make me a poser, it means I have retained the ability to use the car for many more years of enjoyment, rather than dumping it off on some other poor schmuck because the air suspension was useless.
I am of the firm opinion that if you live in a humid climate (like my Florida,) the air suspension is a hopeless endeavor, unless you're vigilant enough to replace the compressor every year. I really can't believe that the dryer is not an external, serviceable component. Putting a new dryer in every year or so would be such an easy thing to do, and would truly make all the difference in the world in the life of the system. As designed, it will not work in Florida for longer than a few months.
I stand corrected. In addition to my glib summary of purists and posers, let's add practical, meaning buying an X350 for its size. And for the practical owner, no question but as soon as the air struts fail, replace them with the coil spring conversion kit. Or for that matter, forget about waiting for it to fail, just do it the same as you buy a new battery when you take delivery. Think of it in the same category as buying insurance.
The best way to understand a Jag is to listen to Jeremy Clarkson and company:
Jump to 23:30 minutes
Having added the practical buyer to the classification of Jag-buyer types, however, I'm not sure a Jaguar is ever practical outside of the UK, where it is the quintessential British car with all the quirks that are part of the national identity. .
Worldwide, Japanese cars are made to last in real-world conditions owned by normal people - meaning they don't take them to the dealer but just drive them. This gives Japanese cars a reputation that keeps customers coming back.
In America, American cars make sense because they are designed for American roads (wide, straight and potholed) where parts are common and most mechanics are comfortable working on them for reasonable rates. The cars are not as reliable as Japanese, but not like European cars either.
German cars - noting you previously owned a Mercedes - are a delight to own provided one thinks like a German. Religiously change the fluids on schedule, take it to the dealer who hooks it into their proprietary computer system and do not wince when being presented with the bill. Personally, I like Mercedes - especially our R172 SLK, but it is loaded with automated features that could become a nightmare if they start to fail. We don't drive it with the top up. If it is raining, we drive the B170.
As for the compressor drier and Florida conditions, I recall when BMW told their American counterparts that their AC was perfectly acceptable. Here is the story:
Customers in the U.S. were complaining about ineffective air conditioning. BMW NA got enough of these complaints that they brought it up with the engineers in Germany. But, BMW AG blew off these complaints, attributing them to low refrigerant charging. Somebody at BMW NA kept pestering the German engineers enough that one off them agreed to come to a meeting in the U.S. to discuss the problem. The BMW NA person said they'd hold the meeting in Dallas, Texas... in August. BMW NA requisitioned a black 5 Series with black leather. They also disconnected power to the windows and sunroof. A driver in the black 5 picked up the German engineer at the airport, and proceeded to drive around downtown Dallas's low-speed urban traffic. This went on for long enough that the German discovered that the windows didn't work in the car. Eventually, the sweating German engineer in the back seat became angry, and asked the driver when they were going to arrive at the meeting with BMW NA managers. The driver told the German that he's already at the meeting and he'll take him back to the airport now. Shortly afterwards, all BMW's received improved air conditioning systems.
The Jag is designed for the UK, which is damp, but not Florida damp. Some members of this forum have opened up the compressor and either dried out or replaced the desiccant. The compressor is not that difficult to remove, so a workaround would be to buy a second one, keep it in a dry sunny place with low humidity and swap it out annually... or as you propose, replace with the coil spring conversion. At least in Florida the X350 body won't rust - its aluminium.
Here is hoping once you debug the Jag you fall in love with it, and enjoy it quirks and all. Like the morning you hop in and find the headliner drooping on your head but don't care because it is a Jag.
Ha, headliner! It's OK except right at the sun visors, just starting to droop there. When it comes time I would probably pull the roof panels myself and then have someone who knows what they're doing replace the fabric. As for the prices, I only paid $6750 for my '07 XJ8-L. Paint is awesome, leather is awesome, everything (except air suspension) works, and I couldn't be happier. Well, unless I could play music from my phone into the system.
Off-topic for a suspension thread, but also Florida conditions... why can't I leave the air conditioner on recirculate? Why does it have to time out at 10 minutes or so? When it does, the warm, moist outside air is noticeable in the cabin. I've actually learned to hear the beep when it shuts of the recirculate and I just reach over and hit the button. Every ten minutes.
Headliner: Numerous posts on how to do it. Apparently it is removable without taking the windshield out.
Music through phone to Jag radio: Unfortunately, while cars do not change rapidly, sound-systems become obsolete in much shorter times... who buys CD's? Apple changes its iPhone interface every new release. And high-end cars like Jag integrate their radio so it is not as easy as pulling out a CD DIN2 and replacing with a new Bluetooth DIN2. In this forum there are expensive innovative solutions that do allow Bluetooth interface, but in the end, I found a very inexpensive, very easy solution that does a surprisingly good job: I bought this IMDEN Bluetooth 5.0 FM Transmitter at Amazon for $17.
Tune the radio to an unused frequency, link to Bluetooth and it has full audio control including Google maps, telephone and Spotify. The microphone is in the device and callers report good sound when I speak. The music sound quality is surprisingly good with Spotify and only occasionally do I get slight radio interference when it is solely in map mode thus no other sounds. It links automatically when I start the car (I have a Pixel Android phone) and works seamlessly plugged into the cigarette lighter. The only downside is that I have button 2 tuned to 88.1 to listen to the Bluetooth, but if I want to listen to button 1 - FM radio, I have to manually switch stations. And if I want to listen to BBC which is AM only, I won't have Google maps audio control. I use maps mostly to avoid congestion as it sends me on roads I never knew existed when the motorway is solid red.
Aesthetic phone mount: To mount the cell phone easily, I bought the Carmount dashboard mount that matches the elegance of the Jag interior. Strong, subtle, works.
Recirculate: Regarding the A/C I presume the recirculate function turns off automatically so the occupants do not keep breathing their own CO2. It may be worthwhile asking the forum if anyone knows if an OBD bidirectional scanner can change the default. Such a scanner is essential if you plan to do your own work.
Press and hold the re-circulation button for about 5 seconds and release. It will stay on after that.
and
You hold it in for constant recirculation, the icon goes away, it stay in recirculation mode UNLESS A (it is in auto mode OR you turn off the car. Otherwise the default is a 10 min cycle. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-button-64811/
To get the recirculate to stay on, press and hold the button until the beep. The reason it cycles, according to the manual, is to prevent the windscreen from fogging up. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-button-64811/ Apparently this is in the owners manual.
Hi Friends,
It would be great if the off-topic information were posted in relevant existing threads or new threads of your own creation.
Cheers,
Don
Agree. Please see https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...d-x350-261200/ for a new thread I created after addressing the free-flowing questions of the new Jag owner in Florida. Such a Do-You-Know thread enables these kinds of questions to be consolidated so new owners can check there first. What do you think?
Those two things happened to me, the side marker connector are the same of VWs. Bought a pair on ebay, $ 13.99 and free shipping. Part number 1H0 949 111, 1H0949111, 1H0 949 111.
07-25-2022, 10:24 PM
