Today? My wife limped home with a P0121. I cleaned the MAF. Cleaned the TB. Took apart the TPS sensor connectors and cleaned them. Filled them with di-electric grease. Cleared the code. Added a bottle of Techron, filled up at $2.49 a gallon and took her to dinner. I'm a hero again until the next time.

 

Just by changing the tailpipes mine went to a rather loudish sound...

 

Last day of vacation. Sigh. Two weeks of beach, getting up late, coffee on the deck.

Yesterday, I passed my first year of ownership of the X308. What a ride it's been getting it into good shape. Love the Jag so much I sprang for a CPO XF. Shoot me now...

New: sparkers, coils, tires, valve cover gaskets (x2...Use OEM...they just work), coolant flush, brake flush, front pads, rear silencer, injector seals and o-rings, thermostat, water pump, brake pedal switch, panel lights, front seat heater elements and console panel with heater switches.
O/H: Transmission, fuel rail, radio, front and rear bumper, headliner, seat leather
Replaced: Right rear dogleg w/fresh metal from wreck
Tweaked: door, bonnet, boot dings
Added: FM in-line adapter for iPhone tunes, CD player, tri-band Ham Radio and antenna, OEM floor mats (used)

I'm sure there's more. Just haven't thought long enough. Lots of different waxes/polishes/etc.

So, before I rejoin the hamster wheel...washed and primped the Jag:



Nice and clean. No dings, either, and the DR Colorchip stuff worked a treat taking care of some of the dings and chips along the flanks. Also swapped out the emblems on the front fenders for the repeater lenses; I have the light assemblies for them and will put up on stands in a few weeks and wire them in. Just thought I'd put them on for now...I like the look.




Interior cleaned out. Leather cleaned and treated today in the hot sun. Again. Can't have too much lanolin and moisture in that old Connoly.



I had put the console extension in last winter, (just sitting in place wedged between the console and rear seat bottom...); I picked up some stick on leapers from Ebay...thought it looked ok here, since I don't have heated rear seats...and recovered that mounting piece for the switches. Adds a little pizzaz, no?



Had all the dings taken out of the hood last week by Dent Wizard (no interest, financial or otherwise); you can't see it in this shot, but there's a lot of road rash on the front 1/4 of the hood. Thinking next spring...time to go back in the shop and have my body guy sand back the hood and leading edge of the fenders, and refinish. This darn thing is too clean and nice right now, even with the stone chips. Loving taking care of it.

Also took the Europa out to stretch its legs today...gratuitous beauty shot of my other problem child:

 

The length of the exhaust tips may be a big cause of that since the rear mufflers are already basically straight through. The resonators on mine made it a littler deeper and while the exhaust tips are a larger than stock diameter they end similarly to the stock exit, which doesn't have the echo/rumble that ones that stick out far past the bumper would.

 

Drove it to the workshop today to measure up the exhaust for some planning.

Also drove it to "Vechta" (Germany) to buy yet ANOTHER bumper (though this time with headlight washers and co) and some other bits and bobs from a really nasty and tatty 2000 XJR... Must say, I have not seen that much rust on a 15 year old car before!!! Dreadful! And I thought mine with a few little spots was bad... That car was really really bad! Though it was neatly equipped with everything possible from Arden... Leaper, carbon fibre trim, lowering springs, 20" rims, exhaust, shift knob, console extension, etc.

I also purchsed two additional headlights to fit in a better position for more light - coming from bi-xenon lights in a Volvo, the dipped beam is cool but full beam lacks some center illumination. The road is lit up in a "dual V pattern" so it lacks overlap. I gues you know where the two additional lights are going

 

Currently in the shop for passenger side upper control arm replacement. Valve cover gaskets replaced. Rust hole under passenger (front) repaired and ready for some minor paint fixes.

 

Nothing for a while. It's been a good car! In a few months, some Bridgestone Blizzaks are in its future.

 

Changed the air filter today... Was basically black and the new one white. So I guess Rusty will run a tad better. Spark plugs are required sometime soon That is another job

A friend also made me the first part for my exhaust upgrade:

 

Just got home from a 12,000 km, 6 weeks trip with the Jag.


Picture from a rest area in Wyoming , gotta love the 80 mph speed limits ...

 

Knocked out what's been driving me batty: right front tweeter replacement. Works and I could not be happier (about that!)!

Programmed a new key fob! So psyched it worked!

Finally got to the Hard Reset. Don't know how it'll go, but I'm pleased that I got to it.

Leather conditioner on all the seats - new schedule- once a week... Interior took a rubdown all over too.

Battery doesn't need replacement- the test says it's sitting at 12.8 V.

Maaaaay need a new starter as the other day it decided it didn't want to fire up. No wierd clicks or weak battery- just didn't want to do anything (although all electric systems came on)... Sat for 30 minutes (while I ate my sandwich and stared at Lake Eola).:: I went back and turned her on so I could sit in the fan- tried to fire her up- fired right up like nothing happened.

Crazy car- love it tho!

Next: replacing windshield wiper relays, restoring (repairing ) blown 6x9... And who knows what else!

 

Well, not from today but... My posi-lights (or sidemarkers, oder what so ever you want to call them) are now prepared to illuminate the darkness... Before they were standard reflectors...











I'm no big fan of LEDs but in this case I think it is the best way around it I'll be wiring them up once some AMP superseals arrive.

Really easy to "DIY"

 

Windshield replaced by Safelite due to a crack & severe pebble rash/scratches from previous owner. I had the technician leave the rear view mirror off so I can get it in the mail to Sybesma.

 

Doesn't all count as one day, since it was a few. But, drove it 1600 miles from Thurs night to Friday night, to Louisiana (where it was about 94 the last few hours). Should mention my AC never worked right when I got the car, thought maybe it was the diverter since I had a little cooler air on the driver's side but even then, barely. But, made it. No heat soak either, with the cone filter and homemade air box.

So last night, spent the night in the car (campground I was going to be at was closed by the time I was near). So before settling in, decided to spring for an AC Pro at the local store and see just for kicks what it looked like. And wouldn't you know it, low as can be. Pumped some new into it, and hallelujah, cold air! Probably hadn't been touched ever, so now with cooler air through all vents, I rested well (was still 80 all night, but I woke up every couple hours, started the car and cranked it to cool down for another spell, and so forth.)

So then I treated it to a bath today.

 

Well, just after the family holiday the battery went - which I replaced a few weeks ago, and then the gasket under the conning tower went resulting in a coolant leak (I had wondered how come the coolant was so gloopy when I got it -sigh)..

The conning tower is going to be difficult to get out because the back bolts are not so accessible so that will be a job for the garage before it's MOT.. but the battery going had highlighted the boots keylock being seized.

So I gave that a go today - stripped out the boot lining, unbolted the lock from the bootlid and found several of the rings rusted solid which is was why the key physically wouldn't go in.. cleaned out the lock with releasing oil, then refilled with a light oil.. works like a dream.. the rubber seal had had it, hence the rust issue and nowhere open as usual to get a seal so refitted the lock sealing the keyhole with silicon grease which means the lock is accessible if I need it but is still waterproofed until I can get and fit the correct seal.

She should be going in for the water leak and MOT at the end of next week, just after the X-Type goes in a few days earlier for MOT and rear shock bushes...

Next project is to figure out the boot lid lights... there is voltage going to them but still no lights with the boot open.. I'll get there :-)

 

Steve, there is a micro switch on the actual boot latch itself that operates the lights, if I recall correctly, it switches the negative/ground side.

 

dropped and cleaned oil pan and flushed cooling system.

 

It's been a project all weekend and got most of it done! After 6 months of owning the Jag I've finally decided to restore the seats! I've just been cleaning the seats, and have not done a good restoring. The seats were dirty, embedded in it were dark marks, color seemed like it was getting darker; but no more! I've spent both days to clean and restore the seats and I'd say it worked really well. Unfortunately, I did not take before pictures, but what I can say is, the seats look alot better thanks to the seat restorer I used. Some might say they look new even! However, I did run out of the product before I could get to the back seats, so maybe I can do the backs seats next weekend!

( The pictures don't do the seats justice. )

 

i cleaned out the wheel wells of dirt, there was an amazing (scary) amount of crud and dirt up under the wheels. dirt, not rust. just piles of it came out of all four wells. it was like my XJ8 had gone off roading at some point. When i got down to metal/factory applied rustproofing i sprayed on some rust preventative stuff from 3M. some of the paint has flaked off right at the lip of the wheel well so i may go back and paint over that if i can find touch up paint in the right colour (topaz).

then i took out the little plastic caps inside the door frames. they cover off holes into the forward and rear fenders (wings). I sprayed cavity wax into the four fenders as best i could. put some more rust preventative stuff where the door rubber meets the door and then along the drip rail on the roof just above the doors. got the cavity wax into the hood/bonnet, there are plenty of openings.

then i went online and found some indoor storage for my 71 Oldsmobile so that the jag can have the garage for the winter. happy jag happy life.

 

Quite a lot actually!

1. made the headlight wash system work again
2. made the boot/trunk lights work (seems some kind of contact problem, they work but only when the lid is open about 10 mins )
3. changed front bumper (new one is black but heck, the car is only a daily driver)
4. refitted treated X300 grill and headlight bright work
5. fitted lower "splitter" from sport models
6. fitted 4 sidemarkers with LED lighting
7. replaced broken vacume hose for brake servo
8. replaced left side front inner wheel arch plastic trim as mine had been rubbed off
9. replaced rear power socket wooden trim with the correct one (formerly X300, which is a different shape than the X308 one!)
10. pulled the left front wing/fender inwards a little to adjust the gap between bonnet/hood and wing/fender (was about 8 mm gap, now is only 4 mm)

Quite a busy day! Hopefully I can get him through the MOT/TÜV now... Though I think the front discs/rotors could do with a change...

 

Today i was in an enhancement mood so i paimted my calipers the same color as my car Racing Green; didnt want to be like everyone, thats the Aquarius in me.