2005 XJ8 w/ 85,000 miles! I have replaced the therm. hsg / coolant tank / trans fluid / headliner sagging / trans cooler in rad now leaking into coolant and most hoses are soft!!

Love the look of the Jag & have had several but this is a plastic toy with no factory assistance or compassion regarding the grief.

The hose connecting the 2 F.I rails is $ 8.00 at local parts yet Jag will not sell it w/o the entire rail & injectors!!!

The rad will not come out w/o pulling a/c & more yet the internal trans cooler is suspect.

Anyone put a outside trans cooler on one of these???

Love the forum but really can't justify the decay of these cars!

Any rebuttle will be appreciated.

 

That's all you've done so far? You're lucky!

 

Yeah but it is a 6 to 7 year old with the car pushing toward 100 K miles, the hoses should be soft by now.
I am sure the trans cooler can be bypassed and an external put in, I would take it to a dealer and at least let them diagnose and give you an estimate before you tackle it, are you sure that is the problem?
However with regard to decay...no sagging headliners here, just the usual old sagging *****; one advantage of living in the Pacific North West.

 

I have owned several Jags ( XJ6, XJS, XK8 & XJ8s ) and feel the new gen Jags are poor reps. of the Coventry!

As a car fan I have had Corvettes, Dodge trucks, Saturns, Cadillacs etc...... with more miles and much longer age spread without the simple stupid problems I have had with the plastic Jag.

Sorry but the car does not qualify for the status & range we should expect!

Believe me I spent the past 7 days chasing leaks, drips & poor design as I prep this car for the final go and still wish Jag was the car we expect!!

 

I really hate hearing all these complaints. What are you guys doing to your cars! My 04 XJ8 has been the most reliable car that I have ever owned. When I first bought the car I had the steering clock spring replaced and then the normal in warranty inspections. Since then only recommended maintenance items. I did change the brake rotors and discs because of excessive dusting. After I bought my 01 XKR used, I spent the usual getting it to my level of acceptance, about $2K, it has been trouble free for three years now. I love my reliable Jaguars!!

 

Haha, I don't know. I think some of us are more picky and have a much lower threshold for rattles, knocks, vibrations, defects, etc. than others. I'm sure most people who drive my car never notice the horrible chattering coming from my power steering rack/pump, or the vibrations from the front tires between 45 and 60 mph, especially upon deceleration. Also most people wouldn't notice the headliner that is starting to sag around the front visors (not very noticeable now, but it's there and will only get worse!).

That being said, I consider myself pretty lucky so far. In 9k miles, the only really issues I've had are a bad thermostat ($$$$ for the dealer to replace) and the aforementioned power steering problem.

So over the last 9 months and 9k miles or so, it has cost me about $826 to maintain, plus an additional $500 in cosmetic repair (front bumper respray). Not too shabby, but I only expect it to get worse with time as the car only had 38k miles on it when I got it.

BTW, hlgeorge, looking at your list of vehicles in your signature, it is faint praise to say that your XJ has been the most reliable car you've ever owned...