hi all.
I'm looking at returning into the Jaguar fold and i'm interested in buying an XJ8 (X308). I'm going to view the car, Overall the car looks very clean with huge service history, but one of the images on the advert shows some rust on the passenger side strut tower. Image attached.
Ive watched a buyers guide on the classics world youtube channel and the advice on finding rust in this area is to walk away.... is rust here really that bad?
there are no advisories on the last (recent) MOT for rust and its a good price for a 2001 car. Basically the rest of the car looks really good.
thankyou in advance, Nerf..

 

That doesn't look good to me, seems like its starting to separate at the weld seams. Might be repairable, but rust is often like an iceberg, you can only see the 10% thats visible, 90% is hidden.

Also would be concerned about the coolant overflow lines that are reversed on a car with an extensive service history. Makes me wonder what else might have been done improperly.

Unless this is for sale for a song I'd keep looking for a better one.

 

thankyou for your reply Mayhem. Im certainly no expert but it does have a look of 'seriousness' about it...

I wouldnt have known about the coolant overflow lines!

 

You need to get that car on a lift. A PRE-purchase inspection and ask to look under the car when it’s in the air.

 

It should not more than a minute or so to probe the rust to find solid metal; if not too deep, wire brush and clean and paint.

Nice catch on the overflow tubes; with the correct question: what else was done wrong. Examine the service statements carefully.

 

The area next to the two arrows on the left in your photo looks full of filler. Either to hide a repair or disguise a problem. Compare with the regular curve of that section on my unmolested 2000 X308:





I've also put a red box around the coolant line connections to illustrate mayhem's point about reversal.

Graham

 

i certainly would never have spotted the coolant pipes so thats a real bonus. As mentioned, if thats been done wrong, what else has?
you guys should charge for this service!

 

My XJR was rusty in that area on both sides when I got it. I'd stupidly assumed it was surface rust. A year or two later those plates separated from the inner wings, which makes the car awfully 'clonky' when driving. £1,300 of welding later both sides were reattached as it turned out the rot went down the seam of the wing all the way to where it joins the front of the floor. Part of the reason for the high cost was the front subframe has to be dropped to get access to fix it. I don't think it looked as bad as that one when I got it either, but I don't have pics with me to confirm.

 

to my eyes that split/rust looks like its started underneath the paint, so as you say it may well be much worse below. I wouldnt have minded spending 'some' money on welding repairs but £1300 would be a bit painful at the start of ownership..
https://www.carandclassic.com/l/C1662721
thats the car in case anyone is interested. looks very straight and clean to me. just shows, if you dont know what youre looking for......

 

This is an area where many X308s do rust, mostly invisible or undetected. The original seam looks great on top but underneath has rusting started long ago. In your case it is pretty obvious already, so welding is a must.

Sooner or later this will be a safety hazard as the once spot welded sheets do come apart. Which is rather unfortunate on strut tower.

Remove all paint and sealant from above in the engine bay and from below inside the wheel arch and you will likely discover a gaping hole. This then needs to be reattached. Furthermore the area inside the wheel arch need to be sealed or protected better than standard. As these cars have rather small inner plastic fenders, road debris and stone chips cause big trouble on the metal above. Especially in winter conditions and/or daily driven cars.


The original seam on top did cover it all. There was no rust visible from above or below.


After welding/repair this area needs to be protected even more than before.

 

I only paid £2,500 for a XJR in 2019 (probably why it was rusty) so I'd walk away from that. Up north welding prices too, I can imagine it'd be worse in that there Lundan town.
I like the seller's description of excellent condition, I'd argue that with such rot present. No mention of gearbox work either & the non-supercharged cars have the weaker gearbox that is a known failure point as they get older. I think a lot failed before that mileage too.

ETA: I notice the bolt holding the spare wheel down is missing too. It's a minor thing but the wheel bouncing about makes the CD changer skip which is rather annoying.