Hi Jag Enthusiats,
Today I picked up my 99 XJR Anthracite with Oatmeal/Black two tone interior. I drove it from OKC to Tulsa and it performed beautifully. I even spanked me a 3 series bimmer on the turnpike. Clicked the sport button and mashed it. The look on the guys face in my rearview was fanatastic.
I have wanted an XJR since I was a kid. I remeber staring at the '98 XJR in the showroom here in Tulsa way back when. It was identical to the one I just bought.
There are a few issues with the car that I will need some help with. The sunroof is detached from the trim insert that covers the opening. It looks almost like it is too small, or that it is missing a piece. Is it a two piece cover? The only other issue was a broken high beam lens on the right side. Before I went down to OKC I picked up a replacement assembly for 200 bucks, and installed it before I drove the car away.
I am so excited to finally own the car that I have always wanted. I have had multiple 5.0's and Camaro's. An XJR was way out of my price range. Fortunately I am 30 now, and pull down decent bucks. So my XJR is a reality. It is a one owner car. This old man owned it from day one until he died two months ago. It has had all scheduled maintenance and every piece of warranty work. TC tensioners as well. I actually spoke with the mechanic at the Jag dealership that worked on the car for 12 years. It has 166K miles, and I bought it for 5695.00. It is dark out tonight, pictures to follow tomorrow.<<<<< how I feel!!!

 

Congratulations, you won't regret your purchase. I have had a few small issues since I bought mine, but it's been SO worth every dime and scuffed knuckle...

I've owned many vehicles, some brand new, and some antiques, but NONE can match the feeling or comfort I get with my XJR. Pretty impressive for an 11 year old car.

 

I agree completely. I can't believe all of the looks it gets. Just so we are on the up and up. I fully plan on stealing your vanity plate idea for my oklahoma plate. I just thought I would let you know .

 

That's quite the compliment, thank you!

Shoot me a photo of it installed when you finally get it. Mine is still on it's way, but I'll post a photo when it's installed. Unfortunately, here in California, it will be on the Front & Back.

 

I lived in CT for nine years, while was in the Navy and afterwards. I hate the front plate law up there as well. It ruined the look of my '03 Mustang GT. Your XJR looks great by the way. Have you done any mods?

I noticed today that my MAF sensor is a Denso unit. I want to get the Denso Iridium Plugs, and replace the "specter" air filter with a K&N. I also want the Borla exhaust kit which I found online for 599 plus a C note for shipping. As well as the smaller upper blower pulley. I also want to have my wheels chromed. I found a place in CA that does exchanges and only charges 800 bucks. Unfortunately you have to put down a 2200 deposit. The windows also have to be tinted, as they are still naked, and it has taken it's toll on the leather. Not seriously damaged, just cracked.

Before I do any of that it is going to the Jag mechanic here in Tulsa for a full inspection. People who modify their cars before they check for problems drive me crazy. Thanks again SS for the responses, before I bought mine I had looked at yours several times on the forum. Sweet!!

 

At least if they only get the numbers, you can say "it was the kid in Tulsa"

@ym37tech,

You have some ambitious plans. Maybe making the base mechanical and cosmetic requirements come first will make your experience more pleasurable. Spark plugs, oil change, wax and leather rejuvenation. The leather continues to dry every day while the Borla will still be fresh whenever you buy it. So ... leather first

 

You are right on about about first things first. I picked up the car Saturday and spent all day Sunday, washing waxing, conditioning the leather. And fixing a few small issues. The right rear Seatbelt guide was detached. As well as the exterior door handle bezels. I reatached it with some 3M adhesive.

As a note, I was an ASE Certified technician before I joined the Navy, lapsed now of course. I went to OSU Okmulgee Tech my junior and Senior years of high School to get my cert, I planned on being a grease monkey forever. My family is all a bunch of gearheads. My father has a 2010 GrandSport vette, my brother has a 92 5.0 that is borderline street legal, and my cousin has a 85 Bronco 2 on a lift that him and I put a 302 in. So I'm pretty good mechanically. I just don't have the Jag knowledge. Most of the mods I talked about I can complete fairly easily. I did notice the spark plug positions today. TALK ABOUT BURIED!! I suppose I will need to remove the front wheels to get at them. I also notive the excellet jack points on the car that are perfect for jack stands. That is a big plus. My buddy David lost his dad under an 84 SS Monte Carlo. It rolled off a jack and crushed him. So, always safety first, and do the required maintenance/inspections before undertaking any mods. Hot Rodding 101.

 

No mods, other than window tint & Bluetooth, and I likely won't do any. I really like the sound the way it is. It has a bit of rumble stock. If you really want to hear it, roll both back windows down and listen when you are stopped at a light. I've had my loud cars before, but lately... I guess I'm getting old... I do LOVE the idea though. PS: My first choice for a plate was BLOWN 99, but it was already taken.

Thank you for the compliment. I will admit, when I was looking to by another vehicle, I was trying to find a 4x4 truck. This car was about the second vehicle I saw when I first started looking at Craigslist. I couldn't get it out of my mind. I kept trying, but to no avail. About 3 weeks into my "Truck" search, I called the phone number for this car. I had printed out the Craigslist ad and it was now unlisted. The guy said he sitll had it, I went down and drove it, and bought it a couple minutes later.

Love at first sight. Ahhhh

Like they say, if you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's meant to be yours. If it does not come back, hunt it down and kill it.
Most definitely!

 

Buried? No. Try any big block musclecar circa 1970. Or, a Sunbeam Tiger.

You might be confused.

The cam covers have a smaller plate in the middle of each cover. Remove said plate, unscrew two screws per igniter, remove igniters, pull plugs. You do not have to unplug the igniters. Just pull them out and lay to the side. You can do it in a white dress shirt and not get dirty.

If the plugs seem seized, do not force them out. See the Ford TSB issued for removal of sparkplugs from aluminum heads.

After you see the TSB, you can decide for yourself if you are going to use antiseize on the reinstallation. The manual calls for antiseize, but there are some people on this forum who claim that plugs now have some magical property that obviates antiseize. The word humbug comes to mind as does the TSB.

 

Hunt it down and kill it! Classic!!

I was actually looking at sedans, I looked at some Audi A8's. I did't want a bimmer or a merc, as they are a million and three of them in my office parking lot. Besides, bimmers to me are to disconnected, and cold inside. The Jag makes you feel like part of the car. Something I have always read about in C&D and MT, but never experienced until the XJR. Jag's have a different look, and feel to them. The Audi is like driving a brick. I am all about stiffness, but there is a limit. I do like Mercs, but I already have one for the winter, and didn't want another one. Besides, none of them even come close to the look of the Jag. It truly is the definition of "class" in an automobile.

 

I have read about that mod, and want to do that as well. Is it a complicated install? Which product to you recommend?

I read that it all works well, besides the answer button on the steering wheel. Is that true?

 

Thanks for the advice. I will look at it again tomorrow. I have changed plugs on more cars than I care to admit. The hardest ones I have ever done were on 91 Chevy Corsica, not mine. You have to be a human pretzel to get at them, and do it from underneath. Ridiculous for the "pleasure" of driving a Corsica.

I need to research the motor thouroghly, and get the Jag Tech Manuals. I didn't see an extra plate on the covers, but I could have missed it. I had to do the same with the Merc, it has a lot of idiosyncracies as well. I will also use antisieze, as I always have.

 

That is correct, it all works well, except for the Steering Wheel Answer/Call. I can adjust the Volume on the Wheel, but not answer or hang up. I was going to go with the Parrot ones, but ended up with Motorola T-605 because I found an outlet online that sold me a couple for $20ish each. I could not pass that up, and the sound is quite good. The main thing is that the Mic has to be exposed to work properly. I tried to hide it inside the Overhead where the stock one goes, but it was not clear enough for callers to hear me. But it's pretty small, so I don't mind it. I used the stock Mic Wiring which saved me a bit of wire pulling.

There's another benefit, the part of the device that shows is REALLY small, so it does not stand out too badly and ruin the look of the cockpit. The blinking light is too bright for night time, so at some point, I'll address that with some sort of semi-transparent tape or something. Also, I did not connect it to the CD Player to pick up the Stereo Portion of the Bluetooth, so Phone System sounds are muted and no music off my phone for now. At some point, I'll address that also. But sound quality of calls is really nice. It goes through the stereo as expected and has a nice tone. My phone has voice dial, so I can call and answer calls without pulling my phone from my pocket.

There are Two threads describing how it's done, I believe. I haven't been there in a while.

Two Photos, One with Flash so you can see it, and one showing the lights. The middle light is brighter than it appears in this pic. It's a bit uncomfortable actually. The other four lights are just fine, about the same brightness as the rest of the dash lights.

 

The original post noted the missing rear sunroof panel- It is indeed a 2 part panel, and the rear panel is known to disengace its clips and "get lost" further back in the tracks. See archives for good write-ups on getting the front panel out so you can "rescue' it.

Also, take a look at the stickys for the JTIS service manual download. Its what you are going to get on e-bay if you buy manuals. And good luck getting printed manuals otherwise.

 

Thanks spark, I looked this morning before my drive in, and it is indeed stuck back in there. I will check the forum threads for succesful retrieval procedures.

 

It can be very difficult to see in there, but I used two metal coat hangars with a 1" bend at the ends to reach in and hook the loops on the panel and then pull it forward.

 

That was my thought exaclty. It looked like the perfect job for a coat hanger.

@Spark
You were right on, there they were, plain as day.

 

If you use ONE coat hanger, it tends to get pulled from one side and actually get stuck to the point it's very difficult to pull out. I've had to do it a few times, and now I use TWO hangars to pull it out evenly.