Hi Guys and Guyesses,
I've been looking around for a second Jaguar XJ6 (X300) preferably 1995 in blue just like mine. One that the good lady wife can call her own. I found one that looked good for the right sort of money and went for a bit of a test drive in it. The only thing that I discovered that I didn't like was a sort of grinding noise that seemed to match up with wheel speed.
When the car moved off from stationary, it sounded a bit like a wheel bearing grinding but the noise slowly reduced in volume until it was virtually silent after maybe 200 yards or so. It was definitely related to the speed at which the road wheel was going round rather than the speed of the engine revs. Not being up to speed on Jags myself, it could be anything so I don't want to point the finger just yet.
Any ideas?
Cheers,
Steve

 

Mmmmmmm.

Brake pads just kissing the rotors, and/or surface rust in the rotors. All this should disappear after a single brake application.

Wheel bearings, yes, and usually a rumble attached to that noise.

Someone has forgotten to grease the 4 nipples on the half shafts, that one makes some weird noises, and usually a simple grease will suffice, but replacement is obviously the best.

Handbrake shoes dragging inside the rear rotors.

As you said, the list may be long and the noise will be fickle, but those are my experiences over many years with Jaguar.

 

I had a similar(?) noise on mine some time back as I was just leaving a car park. It was though quite loud and frightened me to death that something was drastically wrong. I realised it wasn't coming from the engine and as it was at the front and low down I suspected the brakes. As I moved off further though the sound went off or very much reduced anyway.
When I later got around to checking (I do very little mileage in it and don't use it that often) I found it to be the brake pads which, I'm embarrassed to say, were in a terrible state.
It was one of those checks I was always going to make, but hadn't!
There is no dashboard warning light for brake pad wear.
If the car's good then a brake check might just answer your question.