XJ XJ6 / XJ8 / XJR ( X350 & X358 ) 2003 - 2009

what should i expect --xj8 2004 with 150,000 miles

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Old 11-09-2012, 05:26 AM
mark campbell's Avatar
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Default what should i expect --xj8 2004 with 150,000 miles

just wanted some input .just got a 150k car ---seams like most everything works great except for a few small thing ---engine seams fine/trans seams fine suspentionnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn seams fine just looking for preventive maint ideas ----thanks
 
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Old 11-10-2012, 04:59 AM
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From my own experience with 100.000 mile car (expensive experience!):

Even though with brief test drive everything would seem fine, these are among the things that can be wrong:

- Engines are probably the most bulletproof part of these cars and not crazy expensive to repair for minor oil leaks etc. Listen to any mechanical noises (ticking etc) with cold engine - there should not be any. Otherwise valve mechanism is worn or pistons are doing excessive side/latch movement due to wear.

- Tranmission, desprite it's good reputation, is a timebomb after 100.000 miles. Oil change is not specified at all in service interval so most owners don't bother until it's too late. Without oil changes, gearbox life can be anything between 80.000-150.000 miles. And yes - like ZF says the oil will last the life of the gearbox, the life that can be short!! Look for these signs: ANY noises on down/upshifting to 3rd or 4th gear (most typical noise being SQUAW), slurch (google it), thud and delay when shifting into reverse, more than 1 sec delay when shifting from neutral to drive. Basically no parts are available for these, officially, so only option is to replace the whole gearbox. 10.000 dollars from dealer + work.

- Bushes and balljoint on both front and rear suspension wear out at those miles, and are expensive to replace. Jaguar insist that for most of them the whole suspension arms are replaced. And that is expensive, like +1000 dollars / corner... Since they don't become noisy in early stage of wear, the first indication is that car does not drive straight but needs constant (small) steering.

- Body vibration on speeds of 50mph+, typically on interval 55-75 mph. Lower speeds might be complete vibrationless. Some say these aluminium bodied ones are prone to that kind of vibration. Bitch to find out the cause - in my car, the process of elimanation (new tyres, rims checked with high accuracy, new brake discs...) is leading to drive line balancing which is tricky, not all dealers even have tools for that.

- Air suspension. "Oh no". Hard to check if car has currently no problems, though there might be error codes in memory (dealer can check) which can mean weak compressor, or more expensively, defective suspension struts. Think of +400 dollard for compressor and +1000 dollar / strut.

Otherwise it is a great car! And once in good condition, truly a pleasure to drive even on rough roads.
 
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