Where do you get your shocks rebuilt at?

 

Drive my 95 everyday rain or shine, x300, 4.0

 

my '95 XJ6 is my every day driver. It has 180,000 miles on it and still running strong.

 

Will be picking up my 97 XJR6 this Friday, 93k on the clock now. As she's one of 4, I can't exactly say it'll be a daily driver.

But, out of the 4, it will be driven the most.. as long as there's no snow on the roads!

 

I use my 1996 Vanden plas every day. Have 165k and going strong. Just a few things minor stuff. Brake pads , and such great car. Best thing about it is it was free a gift to my wife and I from her brother some years ago. 95 thru 97 good cars

 

In Auckland NZ at Bilstein Motorsport.

There must be a Bilstein-trained shock guy somewhere in Canada..

 

1996 Vanden Plas. 74,000 miles. Drive about 100 miles weekly on average. It's in excellent condition.

 

If you have Bilstein shocks, check their website for regional service centers. They'll need to check the part number and may need a photo of the top of the shock seal to verify if it is rebuildable.

But if so, they usually run around $75USD per shock to rebuild.

Al

 

I drove my '92 XJ6 Sovereign (69k miles) for a year and a half as a daily driver, and even have a set of four VDP Wheels and Snow Tires for the winter.

I recently purchased a '96 XJ12 with 92k miles, and have driven it every day for a couple months now. It's my new daily driver. I have a 10-mile round-trip commute to work, so I don't put many miles on my cars. Usually about 8,000 a year,

-Nick

 

NTL1991, please tell us what the driving differences are like between the two cars. Curious about steering and handling differences as well as (of course) 12 cylinder power and sounds vs 6 cylinder.

 

Sure thing

So, to give a picture of what we're comparing here:

1992 Jaguar XJ6 Sovereign 4.0L - 70k miles
New Boge Front Shocks & OE Bushings
New Boge Rear Shocks & OE Springs & Bushings
Steering Rack is original, slight wear in inner tie rods
15" Teardrop Alloys with older Dunlop tires but Excellent tread left

1996 Jaguar XJ12 - 94k miles
"Newer?" KYB Gas-a-Just Front Shocks & Rubber (non-OE) bushings
Possibly newer rear shocks, hard to tell
Steering rack was replaced at some point, but is now leaking from the input shaft
16" Cosmic Alloys with newer Kelly Tires

With all that said, the most noticeable difference is (not surprisingly) POWER. The amount of power available with the V12 is absolutely enormous. While passing at highway speeds, the transmission (a very,very, VERY smooth GM 4L80E) almost never has to downshift when passing cars. It feels safer having that much power on tap.

The XJ6 has ample power, but it just seems much more labored when passing and taking off quickly. Also, the ZF 4HP24 shifts much much harder (could be a valve body issue).

The steering is much tighter with the XJ12, and I like the smaller diameter and thicker wheel over the XJ6's huge thin wheel. The speed sensitive steering is very nice too. The XJ12 is LWB, so it's a bigger car to park, and while it's a little more cumbersome, it's not all that bad.

As far as ride goes, the XJ12 gives a quieter ride, but the XJ6 gives a smoother ride. The XJ12 is very firm when compared to the more-compliant XJ6. This could be due to the KYB shocks and rubber mount bushings vs. the XJ6's OE Boge shocks and OE foam mount bushings.

I love the wood wheel, illuminated switches everywhere, climate control with more manual modes, traction control, heated seats, tilting sunroof, and the extra rear leg room is nice in the XJ12.

-Nick

 

1995 Jaguar XJ6 Black 157,000+
Stored in my shop. Its the daily driver unless I need to bring saws and ladders, etc...Then I take the van. My plan after all its repairs and modern upgrades is to continue driving, unless I get my hands on another model, which then it just will be stored.

 

I used mine for 8 days until I managed to crash it...

 

Mine was my weekend warrior. I fixed it up and sold my Volvo. Now it's my daily driver. Will be headed to get painted in the coming weeks.

 

Nick, if you find the V12 ride harsher, bite the bullet and get rid of the Gas-A-Just front shocks
I had my bilsteins replaced with those on a 3.2 and it was horrible - crashed and bashed through every bump in the road.
My mechanic hadn't chucked the old bilsteins out, so I retrieved them and had them rebuilt and it was bliss again

 

I already purchased OE Jaguar foam buffers for the upper mounts and I think I will be switching to Bilsteins for the front like the back has.

 

I have a 1996 XJ6 that I bought for $800.00. It has 241,000 miles on it and it is my daily driver. I put about 60 miles a day on it & wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere at the drop of a hat.

 

I have to agree on the rubber versus foam. I had a parts friend get me the rubber ones based on price. I put them on and found they were too stiff on the original shocks. I replaced them with the Jaguar foam ones and the ride was soo much better. I think if I had the XJR I might try the rubber ones (maybe match the stiffer suspension?)

All the X300 cars are my favorite with the 97 XJR and 96 XJ12 being top of the list.

 

Not exactly "every day" as I walk to work, but my Sovereign is my only car - my little treat to myself

 

Yes, indeed! 1997 Vanden Plas, 105,000 miles drive it every day.