Just noticed this. Eek. It's on the back of the roof next to the top of the tail gate.



And of course I am just out of the 6 year Jaguar corrosion warranty (by 2 weeks). Do you chaps reckon this is corrosion and anyone had anything similar? What did you do? Any idea of cost to fix? Will take it into the dealer but just wondering if I should start saving now for a big bill?

Cheers.

 

That really surprises me to see that on any xk. I am curious to hear what others with more experience have to say about this.

 

Yes, white death lurks underneath. I'd take it to the dealers and they may cover it since it obviously didn't just happen.

Cost to repair is horrible because the paint will age and color differently over time. Cost to leave it alone is almost as bad because you'll keep looking at it.

Per the repair, remove the top coat and etch the corroded metal with acid followed by a passivized bath followed by sealant, filled as needed and top coat.

 

Ain't that the truth. Stopped me in my tracks a bit this has. Will it deteriorate?

 

I had a little bubble just where the window trim meets the body behind the door. It seems to happen mostly at points where something rubs on the paint and wears a small hole. It will tend to spread slowly, though it isn't as bad as rust - the oxide tends to protect the alloy under it to some extent.

I got that bubble, a small dent on the wheel arch and a small scrape on the top of the rear panel (from someone's wing mirror) all fixed for £550.

 

Thanks Ngarara. Can I ask, was that from a Jaguar dealer or a body shop specialist?

 

From my understanding about painting boats and salt water. Bare aluminum flash oxides which protects the base metal. Painted aluminum is starved for oxygen and the corrosion runs rampant. Fords with the aluminum hoods have common problems caused by stone chips. Once the moisture and corrosion start under the paint you'll end up with a white flaky dust where the aluminum was. Crazy stuff to see.

I have some on my quarter panel near the fuel door from a dodgy bondo repair. I'm almost afraid to dig into it.

 

Body shop - the same place my insurer has sent me to in the past, so I know they do good work. They're one of those 'hole in the wall' places on an industrial estate - not pretty, no fancy waiting area, no free coffee, cars jammed in everywhere. They just do the job - and for private work, their rates are pretty reasonable (they make their money on insurance work).

If you go to a dealer, chances are they will send the car to a place like that to do the work, and then charge you a nice margin on top. The only thing to enquire closely about, when taking an XK to a body shop, is whether they have experience with alloy bodyshell repairs.

 

Ranchero, my perception (and I'm not a metallurgist, this is just observation) is that corrosion tends to spread along the surface. And yeah, it's crazy stuff - that white oxide has a significantly greater volume than the metal, so it really pushes the paint up. But the actual depth of corrosion isn't that great - I don't think we will see as much penetrating corrosion as on steel-bodied cars.

But, as I said, that's just observation - I may be wrong. I'm sure there's someone on here with the relevant qualifications...

 

Taking it to a very similar chap tomorrow.