Well, this Jag is an awesome car. It has been my daily driver now for the past 2 weeks, replacing my hyundai. It has to be the nicest riding, handling, and most comfortable car I've ever driven. I have driven a lot of fine cars over the years from caddys, land rovers, mercedes, lincoln, infiniti, bmw, you name it. Don't let the hyundai fool you... lol. The Jag flys down the road effortlessly and glides over every bump you encounter. I have already put a few bimmers on the road to shame. The Jag's tattered looks deceit them.

Which brings me to my question now that I've written a paragraph . SO, my Jag looks tattered from the exterior. I plan on repainting it, and would like to give it a really good paint job. I plan on doing all the prep work myself and having a reputable company in the area spray it. I was hoping to get the thing running in July so I could have it painted while it was still hot out, well that did not happen. Its running now, but its November lol. It will be garaged the entire winter in a garage that stays at around 60 degrees thanks to our incredibly inefficient boiler. I really want to keep this car, it is a real trooper and would like the paint job to last. Would it be best to wait and drive my war torn car through the winter, or just go ahead and have it painted? Any advice is appreciated as always!

 

I don't know what you paid for the car or what you plan on spending on the repaint -- but with all the excellent examples available at unbelievable prices I would question the work.

How many miles on the car? what does the interior look like? I see it is a 98 -- but I just saw a 99 that was listed at 7k and the car was immaculate.

 

I would say its your choice. Given where you live finding another nicer car would be very limited. Dont think there are many Jags running around Boise. No slight to where you live but here in AZ my town of 20,000 I count at least 5 Jaguars and running around town no including mine so I say, heck with it, paint it but NOT NOW. I would wait till spring, then you can give it a great cleaning and get it painted so its fresh for the year and summer.

I do agree about values though I am selling my 99 XJ8 for $5500 and its a solid 9.5 out of 10. I picked up a 99 VDP so I cant wait to start driving that.

As far as your comments about the car.... I agree. I have been in the automotive industry all of my 35 working years and there is no car IMHO that rides like a Jaguar XJ series. Good luck and enjoy.

 

You obviously adore the car, means you're an enthusiast, this also means the financial aspect is moot - if you're planning on keeping the car then you're like me, it's not about market value, it's a statement.
If I'd have thought about the cost of restoring mine, against buying a replacement in purely financial terms, I'd be driving something else.

So, the one thing picked up in your question is the fact your planning on doing the prep work yourself, excellent!
See (Ken) Sinister's thread here....
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...int-job-40603/

He quotes around 30 hours all up to get it ready for the paint booth, total cost around $1,000.
I did something similar, but spent maybe 5 times that time prepping mine, and dare I say it, you can tell, there isn't one blemish in the finish.
I'm lucky in that I know a very good painter, who used an excellent Autoclave/oven booth, so each layer was baked on. I made sure to use the best products available for each step of the process. I as lucky in that I used a brand new bodyshell ;-)
Paint was either Max Meyer/ICI
wet and dry papers/masking/scotch pads 3M
Finishing 3M trizact and Farecla compounds
A well lit area, plenty of clean water when sanding down, and lots of double checking.
Tackling each panel, flatting back and addressing the problems as you go, some will need more attention that others, some may need dings filling with a minimal skim - some just a scotchpad (fine) to key for the sealer primer.

I will say the more time you spend prepping, the better the finish. The work will show in the finished car.

Spend the colder months doing this work, ready for warm dry days to get the primer built up, leveled and then the final coats.

My only problem is now I cannot leave mine anywhere, no parking lots, no passing pedestrians, because I have so much time invested, even though my painter can fix anything I don't want this original finish cocked up - it's far, far better than factory finish, no orange peel anywhere, that's because it's got over 6 litres of clear coat!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqbbFKg4p_0

 

As my professional painter friends said, it is always better, when the weather is warm, but some kind of modern painter shops minimalize the disadvantages by the cold. The problem is that the next car is always waiting in front of the door. So there is no time...

 

Thanks for the comments everyone. Looks like she'll have to wait till spring. I initially paid $1500 for it, it was wasting away on some farm and was going to be parted, the guy took my offer for the whole thing. After the timing job, I have a total of $2200 invested. I can't complain either . The interior is flawless, leaving only a few dents and the paint to be tended to. The transmission was rebuilt 25k miles ago and the water pump was replaced recently too. It came with a mountain of service records as well. I plan on keeping it, and as previously stated, there are not many around here. So it would be hard to find a local replacement.

 

I have a 98 XJ8 that I got from a friend for 800 Usd. I replaced headliner, rebuilt transmission and replaced secondary tensioners. So I am into the car about 3500

Car drives great - car caught in hail storm in Denver 3 years ago and repair was poor - paint is peeling. So I will repaint - in the spring - after another bad northeast US winter

I plan on keeping mine for a few years - great car - just wish I could fix the loose/rattling sunroof.

Good luck

 

Hey obriendob, just curious, how did you go about replacing the headliner? I've replaced the one in my range rover, but was just able to pull mine out from the cargo door in the back. Did you need to take out the windshield to replace it? I've always wondered how to do it in a jag/sedan... The one in mine was replaced before I got it thankfully, but I've always wondered.

 

I had a local custom auto shop do an expert repair. They do sunroofs, headliners, convertible tops, upholstery, audio/visual. They have repaired a lot of jags- among others

Charged me 475 and they did not remove windshield. They also reupholstered arm rest for 50

The company is in Bergen county nj.


They had a land rover there last time I was there

 

If your handy you can do it yourself. I have done 2, takes about 2 hours and $60.00 in supplys. I would think there would be a how to on this forum if you search. I know there is one on Jag-lovers forum. Mind you I didnt do the sunroof section, didnt need to, the rest of the headliner does tend to drop here in Arizona so thats all I replaced.

Biggest thing is getting new headliner material. I have a trim shop in town that I order it from but he is kind of a jerk because he wanted $350 to do it and I opted to do it myself. If anyone knows an online source for the material please forward it here in the US so I can buy it direct.

Good luck and dont be scared its really easy if your handy.

 

I have seen Sean's paint in the metal and can confirm that it is a flawless job, you could shave in the reflection in the paint. I use my XJ8 all year round, just today did some winter proofing on it. Most modern paint shops have paint booths and ovens so outside temperature isn't really an issue I don't think. I'm soon to have my car detailed and buffed and it will get snowed on, iced up and covered in salt. But as long as you keep it mint and waxed these things shouldn't effect your paint. Unless it gets hailed on...

 

Have I missed the pictures of this car Scott?

Headliner simply type in 'How to replace the Headliner', we have quite a few threads.