Hello guys, I am new here to the forums and am looking to buy a Jag that I am really interested in and need a little bit of advice and help. The car is a 2000 Jaguar XJR with 80k miles. My question is how reliable are these cars? I have never owned a Jag, I only know of a relative that had a Jaguar X type which has been pretty reliable other than the Tranny needing to be replace. If I go look at the XJR what are the things I should check, the common problems , maintenance? I have heard that some of these have Nikasil Engines, if so how could I find out if this one does, and what exactly are those engines and why do they tend to break down? If I could get a list of stuff to check before buying the car I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

 

Yeah, we all have been at the point where you are now, some at an impulse, some after doing painstaking research.

My very first advice is to take it easy, and spend some evenings reading the x308 section of this forum.
It is full of information, and you will quickly sort out the main problems with these cars, as well as the solutions.
It will allow you to judge this, or any further car with much better knowledge.

Second, don't buy the first car you see, but use it to learn.
General consensus is to buy the best car you can, both in appearance, as well as for service history.
You might pay a bit more, but it will save your wallet big time over ownership.

Third, these cars, and its engines are basically rock-solid, but unfortunately, they came with some flaws earlier on.
Good news is that all issues can be resolved, and parts replaced for better ones, to prevent them from ever happening again.
Most issues were on the 1998 cars, and most were ironed out by 2002, so it depends a bit on the year of the cars you might see.
This is also where records of previous service come in handy, if some of the necessary replacements have been done already, the most expensive car can all of a sudden become the cheapest.

Finally, points of attention (but again, check the forum) are engine coolant system, engine cam timing tensioners, XJ8 gear box (not the Supercharged versions), suspension noises.
The Nikasil issue is considered not an issue for every engine survived by now, and I don't think a 2000 had Nikasil engines in the first place.

I enclose a copy of the inspection list which was on this forum before, but which I modified for my own needs.
Might come in handy for you.

 

I agree with what you said that I should not buy the first car I see, but I think its not always the case. Sometimes you may find the best car first. All I am looking at is for one thats clean inside and out , Maintained really well with proof, and that everything works like all the electronics. I was just wondering its reliability because I dont want to buy a car that I will have to spend thousands on ever year.

 

"I don't think a 2000 had Nikasil engines in the first place."

A US 2000 model is definitely Nikasil. The first non-Nikasil engine had the number 0008181043, made on Aug 18, 2000, at 10:43am. A car produced on that date would be a 2001 model in the US, and even some early 2001 models will be Nikasil.

 

If that's the case, there is a simple 'bypass-test' decribed in the checklist. It will give a first indication if the engine is effected.

 

As said, there are certain things you will need to do if the previous owner hasn't done it yet.
There are many forum members here who use their x308 as a daily driver, it is still very doable.
However, these cars are 15-20 years old, they were expensive when they were new, and although market prices are low, proper maintenance is not.
A lot depends how much you can do yourself.

 

Yes but I just want to know the serious issues of the car. I also heard the Timing Chain Tensioners go bad? Is this the case for the 2000 Model?

 

Yes always check the tensioners in any pre-2002 model.

 

How do I check these tensioners? Also I have heard of something about valley pipes going out and draining all of you coolant. How could I check this, and what exactly are valley pipes?

 

My tensioners were done by a professional, but as I understand it they can be seen/checked by removing the valve cover. The plastic ones are a burnt orange/reddish hue.

Valley hoses are explained in the following post.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...oolant-180080/

Use the link there.

 

Thanks and do these hoses tend to go out a lot? I heard they are a pain to change, and if they go out , they could leave you stranded somewhere.

 

They are like everything made from those materials ; they become brittle & give. The conditions in an engine bay are unforgiving.

 

Not generally, they're thick wall tubing made for the job, but as mentioned age plays a part, once done they're good for another 100k/10 years. The issue is it can take a morning of wrenching to access them by removing the supercharger, plenty of tricks to speed this process up in the forum, slotting the back bolt on the charger casing, unbolting but not removing hoses on T stat housing etc etc...

Trans is bomb proof, but does benefit from a 10K service, the filter, filler tab and fluid can be bought from the local Mercedes dealer at a fair price.

Superchargers are good for 100K plus and go noisy when they need attention, usually the snout bearing/coupler, easy job to replace along with fluid. Belts and pulleys done to death on here, if it's a good one then buy it if you can use sockets and spanners, they're fun to work on compared to more modern plasti-fests...

 

What are these valley pipes actually called? Like the part name ?

 

The search function is our friend here lol.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-hoses-119983/

Part #'s in thread.

 

Lol sorry, but thanks. I am really sketched out about this valley pipe . I am not really known for fixing stuff like this on cars, and if one goes out will probably need to take it to a mechanic. That is why I am so hesitant in buying this XJR.

 

You're probably being wise. Either put aside a contingency fund or don't buy it, would be my 2c.

Same pipe on my car and I would not DIY a fix so opted to think "keep money aside".

 

I'll sale you my '00 (pita) XJR...LOL J/K love my car.....

 

So I have checked out this car it was nice and all but did not spend the money on it, was just a precaution measure to see how these cars feel and drive, and I loved it. I have found another one that I may take a look at. Its a 2001 Jaguar XJR with only 65k Miles!

As I have read these most likely don't have the nikasil engines so thats one plus. The only thing is , that he told me the valley pipe and plastic tenstioners have not been replaced. Should I be worried about this, is it worth buying it then later on running into this problem and putting lots of money into fixing it? How expensive is it to fix both these problems. These are the only two major problems I have heard from the 01 x308s, I have been pretty much living in this forum this past week , researching about these cars. I am not mechanically inclined like I stated above so I might have to take it to a Mechanic. Its a really good price , clean title ,and has some dealer maintenance on carfax, in 2005 it says the EGR tube/hose was replaced? Is that mean that maybe the valley pipe was changed? Thanks for all the quick and useful responses!

 

As said, always good to look at some before deciding, you always learn.

Seems you found an honest seller, not many will tell the tensioners were not changed.
To answer your question: Yes, those plastic tensioners could be a time bomb, and NEED to be changed.
If you cant do it yourself, I think (but other correct me here) it will cost you a couple of hundred if you only let the uppers be done, I guess 1000-1500 if you do all 4 (which is advised).

On the hoses, we still talk about 15 year old cars, and things like plastic and rubber deteriorate, that counts for every car, not only Jaguars.
The particular valley hoses are hidden within both cylinder banks, and under the S/C, so they get a lot of heat.
Identical to the tensioners, if they burst, it can mean a fatal event, so replacement of the hoses is advised as a prevention.

Finally, also mentioned before, these cars might be cheap in the market, but still will cost a decent amount of money to maintain, specially if you can't do work yourself.
Compared to cars like Benz and BMW, parts are relative cheap, finding a good mechanic probably a bit more difficult.