Hi there,

I have read through the safety info and I'm wondering about my 2003 XJ8 X308 (USA model, Sovereign package)

I have heard a lot of conflicting info about the reliability ratings. One thing in particular I heard was that the very last of these (of which I believe my car is) did NOT have the same problems with the transmissions as the earlier ones. I sure am hoping that's the case (it seems that way from the sticky as they say only to 2002?)

We just bought the car with 70k miles and it is absolutely gorgeous.

How do I know which of the safety and reliability issues we are susceptible to?

Thanks

 

The engine will have the good tensioners. The transmission will last longer if you get the fluid changed and new filter. It is sealed for life. Life seems to be about 100,000 miles. Any old car will need some TLC. It WILL cost more to maintain than most cars.
1 1/2 to twice that cost of other vehicles. It is worth it though.

 

I would guess you're asking just for informational purposes, so let me add my tale of woe.

I bought my 2003 XJ8 (VIN F55995) in April 2012 with 63k miles on it and drove it until a few weeks ago, putting about 35k more miles on it and pampering it like it deserves, and the transmission went kaput! I'm now paying $1,700 to get it rebuilt -- which, by the way, is not a bad price at all.

In addition to that, I've spent well over $1,500 on repairs, most of which was the result of my fumble-fingered attempt to replace my thermostat tower and ended up paying an indie to finish the job for me.

There are little annoying things that I put up with, like the airbag light that comes on once in a while, and a bit of vibration in the front end that I can't seem to resolve, and now the A/C auto will switch off on its own. I should be able to resolve those issues without spending a boatload of money, but so far I've just put up with them.

Bottom line is this is my favorite car, and I'll take her with all of her quirks, and gladly throw money at her to keep her on the road! Crazy? Yeah, probably!

 

Thanks. We just got ours literally last week. Other than shocks (which we got replaced), our mechanic said it was in perfect condition. We just want to know what we're susceptible to so that (hopefully) we can get in front of it before there is any kind of catastrophic failure. We absolutely love it so we're hoping that with the right care we can keep it for a long time.

The good news is that we were able to convince the wholesaler we got it from to give us a warranty on the powertrain (we knew going into it that around the 100k mark is the 'make or break' on these cars). So hopefully if it breaks it does it within the warranty period :-)

 

It seems that there is no such thing as a 'date-certain' non failing A'drum.
They are all susceptible to possible failure.
I will recommend the remanufactured A drum assy from "transpartech" as being better than the ZF units.

I have installed several of their upgraded drums and I think they offer a 5 year warranty. The ones I got were welded solid sections instead of the 'wavy' metal ends where the snap ring fits.

Whenever the end of the drum fails I inspect the remnants in the pan. If the debris is just normal wear particles, I just replace the drum seals/gaskets/fluid/filter and call it a day. I even reuse the frictions/steels in the A'drum if they are OK.

The rest of the frictions/steels are normally OK after just 100K miles so a rebuild is money I don't need to spend and money I don't charge!!!!!

The seal kit is 'kinda pricey'

Overhaul Kit 5HP24

but a trip to the 'O'ring store and a sheet of gasket material for the pump/case will save a bunch if the correct parts can be obtained.

I make the pump/case gasket and you can match the 'O'rings.

The 2 grey 'split overlap' shaft seals can be reused if they are in good condition.

bob gauff