I've been driving the Jag somewhat this winter. There hasn't been much snow here yet. BUT They do salt the roads a lot. When the roads dry out it leaves a dust coating on the roads that blows up all over the car. So it rained hard today and I took the Jag out for a 150 mi. run to let the rain wash out some of that salt dust under the car that you can't always get at. Got home and washed it by hand.

I've been thinking of getting something else but don't know what to get. BUT after that ride today even in the rain I JUST LOVE THIS CAR! I don't think there is anything that is as nice as my XKR Coupe unless I spend WAY over 100 grand.

 

I drove mine two days ago and it was great! I kept the top up, but mostly so I didn't subject the canvas from folding at low temperatures.
Very little snow this year, and zero on the ground for at least a month, and no salt yet either. Summer tires makes it a bit......... squirrely, but I didn't push anything.
Fun Times.
I agree on the Way Over 100k, as the next step I'd consider would be a Vanquish, like $300k.
Nah, not yet.
Maybe a 650S for a toy instead.

 

I used to take mine to a touchless car wash and it would do an under car wash as you entered the wash bay. Always washed out and salt from winter roads.

 

Guess the city doesn’t want me taking mine out. The salt truck pooped in front of my driveway, a several inch thick layer of salt, a couple feet wide, and a length spanning more than the width of my driveway.

 

Just took my Jag out today for the first time in 3 weeks. I live in Florida. No Salt.. .just rain at times. Sunny and cool.. One of the advantages of living in a tropical climate with no snow. loved the drive! Great car for occasional drives.

 

 

Close to 90*F in the San Fernando Valley today, no salt worries here. But I still love driving my XKR even after 180,000 miles.

 

Tool mine out today to have it submit to California's smog test. Had the top down and enjoyed the short drives. By the way, it passed. Needed the test in order to get the 2021 license which is due next month.

 

After loosing my wife in 2019 I took on a new l took on how I drive my car. Came to face the fact that life is short and being in the red zone there is no need to preserve my car for someone else. My new car is my daily driver and if it gets dirty it goes to the car wash. The more miles on it means the more I enjoy it. The only time I leave it in the garage is if it is snowing , other then that it's on the road. I did 3500 miles a year with my Jag which wasn't good enough but my mind didn't want to put a lot of miles on it. Well I got my new car the 4th of Dec. and yesterday I turned 2000 miles. So enjoy the ride and remember life is shorter than you think.

 

The roads in eastern PA have been washed pretty clean by recent rains, so I'm finding that "winter storage" is a bit of a misnomer. I've been taking the XK out at least once a week since the winter solstice, and it's been great fun. Gail and I just got back from a short jaunt down the Delaware River to Frenchtown, NJ, one of the artsy river towns in this area. Good coffee too!

We got a little lost along the way, despite Gail's efforts at navigation (she was right, I was wrong), but no matter. Whichever way you're pointing the XK, it's still a blast!

 

Yeah... I took the Jag out today too. First time in 2 weeks. Was going well till I hit a pothole and the tire exploded.
Never had a flat in my life, now 2 in 10 months. And of course the spare does not fit the rear SMH...

 

Well, I didn't take my XKR out today, but I did take the Pantera out for a spin for the first time in warm temperatures since we took the fuel injection system out last week and replaced it with an Edelbrock carburetor. In the two and a half years since I got my Pantera back from restoration and modification where we installed the Holley EFI system, the fuel injection system would simply shut down in warm weather or whenever the engine temp reached about 180*F which in a Pantera happens in the first 30 seconds after starting. Often it left me in a dangerous intersection or on a freeway offramp. After 3 months of failed attempts at diagnosing the problem and Holley not answering their phones throughout December, I agreed to switch back to a carb. It was nearly 90*F today in Los Angeles, and I was quite nervous especially watching the temperature gauge sneak dangerously close to the red zone on the dial, but I'm happy to report I made it to my destination and back home without incident, and hopefully will be the first of confidence building rides so that I'm willing to take it on longer drives and trips. It is soooo loud, it just roars down the road. My friend who bought a Pantera about 4 months ago was told his 2021 Corvette hard top convertible was built about 2 weeks ago and should be on its way to him soon, so I should get some seat time behind the new Vette soon. I hope I like it as much as Jagtoes seems to like his.. The car it will be replacing in his garage is the Nissan GTR, which he'll be selling. Good riddance, what a piece of crap, the worst automobile I have ever ridden in as a passenger, even ruder and cruder than my 50 year old Pantera.

 

Something not right here if your spare didn't fit on the rears. It sounds like you have the wrong spare. Was this the OEM wheel/tire or did you are someone replace it with a used tire. My 2012 spare fit both front and rear and the only time I needed to use it was on my rear tire. I would check and see what the problem was and either get a spacer or find another spare that fits.

 

Yes item #14 in the stickies explains it all. This is only an issue on the XKRs with Alcon brakes and I was just too lazy to order the spacer =/

 

jagtoes, sorry for your loss. Something tells me that if you get the Jag up to triple digits, even tho the passenger seat may be empty, she is still there. Hoping you have many good memories together in your Jag.

I have a 2 week schedule in the winter months here in New England. I call it Jag Drive day. Usually on Sunday's. I pull it out of the garage, let it run a bit, take it for a ride and get up to highway speeds. Sometimes more. It has been pretty much snow free, so it remains pretty clean. It is an XKR convertible, I do cycle the top, but it is too cold to drive with it down. Usually top off fuel level. I carry Grundy collector insurance so very cheap to keep legal, registered and insured for the cold season. I always clean at home with a powerwasher. This car has never seen an automatic carwash and never will. In the cold months I use the self-serve powerwashers at the local carwash. In the middle of a garage reno and thinking of using waterproof panels on walls so I can spray down inside.

 

J5hort, in lieu of paneling your garage, you might use a foam wash from a supplier like AMMO Auto Care. I use their products and am very satisfied. There may be other suppliers that have similar products.

The foam is applied with a pump gun and then wiped down with microfiber cloths, using almost no water at all. It can be done in a garage or outdoors and in cold weather. I realize XK owners can get pretty worked up about the cleaning products and methods they use, but it might be worth considering.

 

Thanks Bill, I'll take a look. The panel idea serves for many other concerns as well. Moisture resistance, fireproof, ease of cleaning, ease of installation. There are also aesthetic reasons. Shopping around for trusscore, duramax, etc interlocking panels for walls. Might want to go with something with a design (bead?) on the ceiling. I am a bit envious of the studio at AMMO NYC. I do lots of work in the garage but want to make more of a showcase. Just installed 16 recessed LEDs set at 5000K. It is like daylight. All my tools are mobile or in an adjacent workshop that is closed off by a door. I literally do the Carl Spackler from Caddyshack leaf blower cleanup after doing any work in the garage. Cars are moved out for the day when not working on them.

 

After my life tragedy fell on me I started to relook at a lot of things. One of the things on my list was to enjoy my new car and not worry about saving it for someone else. I still have to swallow hard when I take it out in not so good weather but what the hell if it ain't snowing more then 3" I'm good to go. I bought my 2012 XKR conv. with 6666 miles on it and sold it with 24,000 miles on it after 5 years ownership. Thats about 3500 miles a year. So I got my C8 Conv. on 12/4/20 with 3 miles on it. I now have 2200 miles on it . A snow squall and some rain is my new outlook. A touchless car wash with an undercarriage rinse does the trick and by the way it's had 3 washes already. Life is shorter then I believed but I have gone through an attitude shift. So enjoy the ride

 

When the roads have been salted I would never take the car out until after a couple rains. That dust gets in everywhere and you'll never get it all out of everywhere no matter how much you wash underneath. But moisture in the air finds it and when it does it gets to work munching on our cars!

 

Definitely good advice Bill. I think I misunderstood and thought you still had your Jag. No matter, car guys assimilate no matter what the preference. The sentiment is the same, drive with the same great memories.

Recently had a few events that caused me to think more about what and why am I saving for. $ vs. time dilemma. I have been looking to own and drive as many of my favorite cars for a few years an d move on to the next. In my earlier years I kept cars for decades and realized I may never get to own others if I kept that mentality. Closing up on kids college years and recent events at work have caused me to accelerate my plans for my future. Happy to say there is an element that allows for enjoying the fruits of my labor. My Jag ownership and other plans around cars are a big part of it.

As for the carwash. I have concern of water and other chemicals used in automatic carwashes. Many reuse water and harsh chemicals. I worked in a carwash in my youth and remember having to clean the storage tanks and refill chemicals...nasty stuff. I'm sure there has been research on the topic. I'm just going by personal experience.