Just passed the 322.000 km mark (200.000 miles), and with changed transmission and some additional unplanned efforts described in another post running stronger than ever before.

 

 

I am new to all this and I am little surprised that the highest mileage cars are nothing compared to Lexus LS models where it is like new when it has 100,000 miles. It is not uncommon to see many LS model with over 250K miles and some over 300K miles.

Statements like 80,000 miles and going strong. for an LS 430 that is like a brand new engine !

I am not starting a debate on Lexus vs Jaguars. I am just a little surprised though....!

Now why am I in this forum? Because Jaguar is my dream car. Never owned one but seriously thinking of getting a 2006-2009 XJ8. The main thing that is holding me back is, I am not bale to find a Local Jaguar specialist mechanic....and I do not want to depend on Dealer for repairs...

 

Sad, very sad. My condolences to the unfortunate owners.

Graham

 

The things that go wrong on the X350 are:

1- Suspension bushings (wear and tear items on any car after 150k mi.... They are just expensive for our cars)
2- Supercharger valley hose... easy part but very labor intensive to replace
3- Thermostat housing -- It is plastic and becomes brittle with age. It should last 7-9 yrs or 100k mi. IMHO, a poor design choice to save few pennies by accountants.
4- Transmission--- ZF unit with very rare chance of failure but it is not sealed for life. Fluid changes every 75k mi or so and it should easily last 250+k mi. It used on all European luxury cars except Mercedes.

And Finally, I left the worst for last

5-Air suspension-- It seems to need repairs around 10 yrs or 100k mi. The problem is the cost of parts and lack of aftermarket alternatives. But every luxury car with air suspension has same failure rate. Even Lexus, the LS460's air suspension is known to be expensive to repair and prone to failure.

So overall, our X350s are very well built and reliable machines. I see no reason the engine doesn't go over 300k mi with frequent fluid changes. Suspension parts including the air system are IMHO wear and tear items. No car's shocks last more than 150k mi. Consider the air springs as your shocks.

To Nasar: Many US mechanics actually know how to work on our cars if you can provide them proper diagnosis. With availability of Internet manuals and many common parts being shared with Ford; it is not hard to find a mechanic to work the car.

 

Nasar wroe: "I am new to all this and I am little surprised that the highest mileage cars are nothing compared to Lexus LS models where it is like new when it has 100,000 miles. It is not uncommon to see many LS model with over 250K miles and some over 300K miles".



That's fine if you enjoy driving dull cars around that no one misses or notices, and with low resale value to boot. As for me, I prefer cars that are fun to drive, and not those that I would rather walk away from.

 

What he said!! Plus people still remember Lucas electrical reputation as awful. Most never knew Ford was making them, & that they are made of aluminum. Resale is the best part if you do your own work, as they still scare people off. So deals are there to be had, with less competition from fewer buyer's.

 

My last x350 had 214000 miles on it when I traded it in. My current Super V8 is on 176000 at the moment and my 2011 XJL is on 88000 at the moment

 

My 2008 XJR has 145,000 miles and 2008 Sport Premium has 107,000 miles, lots of suspension parts replaced on both, never had any common dpf issues, have an intermittent oxygen sensor fault on the XJR, new ones on order! Thermostats for both needed replacing at 10yrs as taking too long to warm up.

 

2005 XJ8L, Just hit 220k miles... original engine and trans.... I fully maintain/repair it myself. We drive it to Florida every other month (~600 miles one way), and it's our daily beater car, easily 18k miles/year.
Just found a pinhole leak in the top of the radiator near the upper radiator hose, so that's my next project.

 

Let me see...220k miles = 352k km.
I have 84k km so 268k to go. I do maybe 50km pw. So I have 5,360 weeks to go or 103 years to enjoy my car, guaranteed..
I'LL BE BACK in 2121 to claim the prize...plus I get a 25% handicap for having a 6.

 

143,391 miles here.....

 

Hi,

I have 142K on my XJ8 X350 4.2 SE at the moment. I have done 42K since purchasing the car last year. I am a high mileage user and travel an average total of 180 miles per day, four or five days a week.

Great car but I've had lots of things that I have fixed in the last year. Some far easier than others.

Fixes/replacements in the last year include:
Air suspension faults - fixed by taking the compressor off the car and replacing the seals - a guy in the UK makes a great and simple kit to fix this problem - not had the problem in almost a year after the fix
Set of rear brake discs and pads
2 sets of front brake discs and pads - suspect a caliper is not working properly and hence keeps warping the disc on one side of the car
Both front hub bearing assemblies - absolute nightmare to get the old ones off as they seize to the hub leg
ARB drop links replaced due to clonking/clanging suspension noise when driving over potholes and uneven road surfaces
Coolant leaking from EGR/Throttle body preheating pipes
Auxiliary drive belt - done during coolant leak as the old belt needed changing due to visible cracking
Gearbox transmission oil and filter change/service - due to gearbox fault when accelerating up hill
Failed Fuel Injector on cylinder 5 due to split injector connection clip wire being split and shorting out - this was quite easy to fix but I had issues afterwards due to low fuel rail pressure and misfire (turned out to be a damaged o-ring done during injector replacement - had to remove the fuel rail and all injectors on that side of the engine to check and replace all the o-rings across all the injectors.
Misfire and engine vibration at between 1.5K and 1.8K RPM - spark plug issue most likely caused by driving the car with a faulty fuel injector
DSC not available, wipers move on their own, brake fluid fault - currently investigating this as it's totally random but can sometimes be triggered by activating the windscreen wipers - potentially a ground issue at the front of the car as the weather is getting colder.
Lost of headlight bulbs - maybe due to a ground problem.

I'm going to add some of my experiences to the forum at some point as I am also new to the forums but try to do most of my repairs or maintenance myself. I've also recently done a service (oil, filters etc) which is very easy on this car.

Thanks,

Chris

 

Hi,

I have 142K on my XJ8 X350 4.2 SE at the moment. I have done 42K since purchasing the car last year. I am a high mileage user and travel an average total of 180 miles per day, four or five days a week.

Great car but I've had lots of things that I have fixed in the last year. Some far easier than others.

Fixes/replacements in the last year include:
Air suspension faults - fixed by taking the compressor off the car and replacing the seals - a guy in the UK makes a great and simple kit to fix this problem - not had the problem in almost a year after the fix
Set of rear brake discs and pads
2 sets of front brake discs and pads - suspect a caliper is not working properly and hence keeps warping the disc on one side of the car
Both front hub bearing assemblies - absolute nightmare to get the old ones off as they seize to the hub leg
ARB drop links replaced due to clonking/clanging suspension noise when driving over potholes and uneven road surfaces
Coolant leaking from EGR/Throttle body preheating pipes
Auxiliary drive belt - done during coolant leak as the old belt needed changing due to visible cracking
Gearbox transmission oil and filter change/service - due to gearbox fault when accelerating up hill
Failed Fuel Injector on cylinder 5 due to split injector connection clip wire being split and shorting out - this was quite easy to fix but I had issues afterwards due to low fuel rail pressure and misfire (turned out to be a damaged o-ring done during injector replacement - had to remove the fuel rail and all injectors on that side of the engine to check and replace all the o-rings across all the injectors.
Misfire and engine vibration at between 1.5K and 1.8K RPM - spark plug issue most likely caused by driving the car with a faulty fuel injector
DSC not available, wipers move on their own, brake fluid fault - currently investigating this as it's totally random but can sometimes be triggered by activating the windscreen wipers - potentially a ground issue at the front of the car as the weather is getting colder.
Lost of headlight bulbs - maybe due to a ground problem.

I'm going to add some of my experiences to the forum at some point as I am also new to the forums but try to do most of my repairs or maintenance myself. I've also recently done a service (oil, filters etc) which is very easy on this car.

Thanks,

Chris

 

Most things are doable yourself, with the information on parts that fit from other cars, from the assistance of the many others, on this helpful site.
Almost enough to make these cars affordable, with what you have to drive when your done.
A great deal, on a magic carpet of car, that cost way more than my house did.
That can now, almost be seen, as an inexpensive, used car.
People me included, wanted no part of English vehicles, too many electrical issues.
BAD reputation of leaving one stranded, on the side of the road, aka Lucas, Prince of Darkness.
Cut my teeth on Triumph Motorcycles, saw first hand how things seemed designed, to bring them back to be repaired
Then stumbled onto Fords investment, to learn how to build an aluminum truck.
.

 

 

Hi Chris,
I have an 2004 XJ8 with 170000 miles on. Living in Toronto, Ontario Canada. My car has a similar maintenance history. I would like to stay in touch to exchange experiences we have on the cars. Thanks Marc

 

Hi Marc,

Of course, it would be great to stay in touch as I've learned how to fix some of these issues the hard way. I've just changed the spark plugs this weekend and it turned out to be an absolute nightmare - another thread to follow with more details. What seems like a straight forward job was a complete pain and took far longer than it should have.

Thanks,

Chris

 

I had that squeaking noise in the front and rear suspension while driving.
Problem 1 is that you can't locate which bushing creates the noise.
Problem 2 is should you be able to locate the bushing you can't get the bushing separately, you need to buy the suspension arm completely.
I was able with a special tools to locate the bad one. It is a tool with mics that you can strap around each bushing. When you push the suspension up and down you can see on the display which mic records the noise. That way I found out that it was the the bottom strut bushing creating the noise. That bushing is available separately at Jaguar.
I found on eBay a supplier who has a complete set of bushings (3 on each side) for the rear suspension. They fit. It's a difficult job to replace them. You have to take the lower suspension arm off and press the old ones out. If you don't get them out you will have to burn them out. I paid like $150 CAD for both strut bushings at jaguar and $350 CAD for the set bushings on eBay.
If the squeaking noise is at the front suspension the same bottom strut bushing creates the noise. Those are also available at Jaguar.
If you need them I can give you the Jag part # and the seller's information on eBay.
Cheers, Marc

 

My 04 VP has 110.000 and my first issue is I now have to use my key to open the trunk. First world problem