Hello. My mother has a 2007 Jaguar Xk bought brand new in 2007, it is a blue convertible with blue top and tan interior, with the larger 19" or maybe 20? multispoke wheels. I don't want to offend any fellow owners, but more so, am looking for creative advice on what we should now do with our car. It has been replaced with an f-pace SUV, as it has 115k miles and just seemed like time. Our mechanic in San Mateo "Hills Motors" finally retired, and what once was a car with extensive service history, it is all but lost. Not really a big deal though, but I must say it is a car that was maintained but has unfortunately gone into a state of disrepair.

The car seems to kick every time it is driven and was always a little finicky. The car now always has something wrong, and while still elegant and pretty, seems like it just wants to relegate itself to living in solitude under a tarp somewhere. The key gets the battery replaced, but the locks still work funny. The alarm loves to go off when keyless entering the car even though it's unlocked. This has happened since forever. More recently, the right rear window regulator snapped its cable, and then shortly thereafter the convertible pump went out when the top was down. A shop put the top up and its locked in position, but the software is pissed, and the left rear window is in the halfway up position. It lived on a battery tender, but I run it up the hill every other week to at least keep it together although I am not sure it helps. I decided to write this because it just developed a vacuum leak and now doesn't like to idle. It seems every time it gets driven something else goes just wants to fail. Again this is a car with not insane miles, and was well maintained...

So like I said I don't want to insult anyone here, but I don't know what the best course of action is with this vehicle, as it seems like it is just falling apart and becoming a mechanic special. I myself have a 2002 BMW M3, which I've owned ironically since 07 so it joined the stable at the same time, and was driven hard. I am familiar with what it takes to keep these cars in shape, and I thought BMW interiors like to fall apart, but this is a whole other level with this girl. I know I cant get the convertible pump replaced and install it myself for $700 with the core return, I know I can get the window regulator rebuilt out of Florida for $230, and I may even be able to figure out the vacuum leak. I don't however want to continue to have this car punish us financially, and my mom would prefer to find it a good home. She is sentimental, and I don't blame her. I can't imagine it is worth much, and it doesn't seem cost-effective. Part of me thinks it should become a project such as lemons or chump racecar. Considering the tax deduction for donating it is $500, it seems like it could at least live again in glory on the racetrack.

I am open to any ideas, or potential for motivation. Ultimately we don't want it to continue to sit in the garage, but I have to figure something out. Also don't want to necessarily give it away.
Thank you in advance for any of your responses
-Nicky

This is the car. The top is ready for replacement forsure.

 

Welcome to the forums Nicky,

Your post was automatically locked for moderation because it is as close to being an advertisement as possible without actually including an asking price.

I'll let it run for now but if it switches from ADVICE to FOR SALE, it will be removed.

Graham

 

You certainly don’t have to give it away. So maybe there’s a couple of thousand in repairs for the next owner to get it in great condition again, you can factor that into your asking price.
Take it to CarMax, get an estimate from them. You can use that as your bottom line price, no need to go lower.
If the paint and interior are in nice condition, take some better background photos, some close up photos, and list it in this website’s Marketplace section, including the story you posted here, so the buyer is aware of what they’re getting. Maybe, depending on the CarMax estimate, start at 1.5 to 2x their value.
No need to take a lowball offer either. Since you’re not in dire need to sell, you can wait on a reasonable price, and with the used car market today, you might get more than you think.

 

Thank you Graham, I understand. I honestly did not write it as an ad but moreso something to stir up conversation and determine if there was value. looking back its does seem like something one would find in a classified if price was involved, so for that I apologise.

 

Thank you for your response. I think when it comes to Carmax I jumped to conclusions long ago that they would offer me 4k for the car if it was if the roof worked and didnt appear all screwed up, but maybe I am just not giving this car enough credit. What you have said is good advice, and If I decide to take it I will definately follow up. This car appears to uphold its reutation as the gentlemans express. Probably to to the automatic, people dont turn them into trackcars or any other creative solutions?

 

Do you think that she COULD fall in love with the car again?

If so, put say $5k into it and see. She loved it enough to spend $70-80k on it 14 years ago; is the flame still there?

1) I'd put a brand new Interstate or other top tier battery in it; I do not care its been on a tender, weird stuff happens with these with old batteries. There's $200-250.
2) Get the window regulator for $230 and pop that in.
3) Get the convertible top pump replacement for $700 and pop that in.

You'll be in it $1200. That's really minor money. Then drive it a bit. I'd then get a REALLY good paint correction, interior clean, convertible top clean, etc; get the wheels refinished ($100-125 a piece) to brand new shape, get any dings pulled, get rock chips touched up, headlights polished out ($50 at my detailer and they do a new UV film over after), and maybe the top cleaned up and dyed a bit. They can fix rips and tears in leather an vinyl on the interior reasonably too; call that full blown detail with tons of extras $1500. You're in the car $2700. If you need a new top put on, that could be what costs another $1500-2k and takes the bills to $5k for you.

If this all seems too much money, sell as is and move on. These are good cars, but they aren't a Toyota Corolla.

 

Nicky,

You need to WANT a Jaguar. As you've discovered, it takes more than scheduled maintenance to keep one in top condition. I sense you don't have that motivation but this may only be due to the top and the electrical issues. As already suggested above, it won't take a lot to rectify and you could then find driving it to be a pleasurable experience.

The XK is a GT car rather than sports car. Reasonably fast and comfortable for long journeys with good luggage capacity for a two door. Even with an aluminium bodyshell, it's too heavy for serious track use and anyone wanting to go in that direction is likely to be looking for a beaten up example at very low cost as their start point.

A one owner XK with known history is a desireable car for many. Couple that with a 'no fault' scenario and it could be moved on at top price. As with any prestige vehicle, there would be terrific hit on current value against cost new but it's still an asset.

If I were in your position, I'd get the faults rectified and all the paperwork organised. At that point you would be in the best position to go either way. Keep it and enjoy it or sell it.

Graham

 

Motivation: You have a classic British grand tourer, convertible with first hand knowledge of it's history. The design and performance of this vehicle still holds true today.

The reality of the issue is that you have a 100K+ mile, take your word for it, serviced vehicle that is notably expensive to repair. These facts make it less desirable in the market. We should start to see values of these cars (especially with low mileage) increase in value if history of classic, low volume, European car is any indicator. That said, this is probably worth more to you than getting rid of it. The one caveat is that most of the work to correct issues is done yourself. With all the electronics, this is not an easy car to work on, but the value you are seeing are taking into consideration mileage and what it may take to fix all the issues these cars bring. Good news is that there is plenty of great info from these forums.

One thing that would be the absolute worst case scenario it to let it sit. These cars and many others need to be run and driven or things will just go bad. Being a self taught mechanic and DIYer, my nature would be to make repairs and enjoy this car for 6 months out of the year. Based on your location, my guess is that you could get even more use out of it. It will still turn heads and you might find there is more interest in these cars from certain folks than you think.

 

It's a gorgeous and somewhat rare color combination. The wheels are the optional 20" Senta design, one of the most popular styles. Please post pictures of the interior so we can see if it has (1) Adaptive Cruise Control, a rare option that's easily spotted by the 2 rotary controls on the right side of the steering wheel, and (2) wood or spun aluminum trim. Even with 115K miles, it's still a desirable ride especially since the top goes down. Why do you think it needs a new top? You may be able to refresh it yourself and save $3K.

Jags are famous for electrical gremlins. Even though it's been kept on a battery maintainer, many of the symptoms you described are caused by a low battery. I'd install a brand new battery and make sure that it's fully charged since you have no idea how long it's been sitting on the retailer's shelf. Resetting the windows (easy) may cure that problem and others. And you may also want to change all the fluids if you don't know when that was done. An Italian Tune-Up can often help smooth out a rough running engine.

This Forum can help you evaluate all the problems with your XK. Just go to Google and type "Jaguar X150 Forums 2007 XK" followed by a few key words that summarize a problem. You'll then have links to the answers to your questions. It's quicker and easier than learning to use the Search function on the Forum.

Good luck!

 

I own a 2007 XK coupe with similar mileage and except for the convertible top of course, I've seen the kinds of problems you're talking about. For me, it's about my love for the brand and the beauty of this model. It's my daily driver and project at the same time. There's no doubt at this age any car needs love and support that goes beyond the routine maintenance level and cosmetics.
To me, it's a car worth keeping and improving over time. I've repaired several mechanical issues and worked on cosmetics over the two and a half years I've owned it. It's been worth it and I still have a few significant things to do yet.
Here's a few pointers that aren't necessarily expensive to do:

Vacuum leak - Check for oil leaks suggesting valve cover seals or VVT valve seals are leaking. Check the oil filler tube is not loose. Just grab the filler cap and wobble the tube. If it feels loose and sloppy, the seal is bad and leaking air. It's a $25 replacement if you buy a replacement tube (not just seal). There's an easy trick to getting the old one off without having to remove the valve cover as I've seen some people suggest to do. Check hoses for splits and cracks (None of mine have needed to be replaced so far, just the oil filler tube solved my leak.

Replace the transmission oil - I did this myself and it made a huge difference to the feel! 113k miles and it had obviously never been done.

Replace differential oil - Often overlooked and it this age it needs it.

Have the fuel system cleaned (change in-line filter, clean injectors etc.). Make sure fuel pressure tests pass. Mine was filthy and probably still needs fuel pump replacement because it does not maintain pressure well and locks in high pressure when turned off at times (this can cause a fuel sensor high warning code).

If the battery hasn't been changed for a while, test it and change. If it's not holding 12.5V with car off, it's not good enough. I had a poor performing battery for the first eighteen months. The car still started reliably and ran, but little things kept happening with sensor warnings and stuff intermittently - Your lock problem could be a symptom of this (One symptom that shows up on my Chevy Suburban when battery is failing). New battery cured it - In my opinion, if you need a battery maintainer it should only be if you don't drive it but every other week. Mine sits for a week sometimes between drives and it is just fine without one. The battery maintainer could be just covering for a failing cell in the battery.


If this stuff scares you, then probably clean up and sell is the right choice. To me, I've learned a lot, and it hasn't cost that much. My wife and I even recovered the headliner ourselves, but we are handy people.

 

OP: +1 on forrest's comments. The first two things to replace are cheap: a new oring on the dipstick (take off the old one and match it at NAPA; absolutely no need for a Jag part) and as above a new oil filler tube with a new, large oring for $25 or so, or match at NAPA as well if they have it. If that doesn't solve it there are further steps on vacuum leaks to try. If you DIY, none of them are expensive. Vacuum leaks will most commonly display as long term fuel trim >20% or so. Second item is a bit more complex: clean the MAF -- in an awkward place, but they get crapped up with crud and a spray of CRC MAF cleaner for $4.00 will make a big difference. Also, make sure your air intake tubing to the throttle body is nice and tight. Free to fix. Easy.

And +100 on a new battery. they wear out. Older that 4 years, or holding less than 12.5, yes, just do it. An H8 regular battery from wallyworld for $120 is a good start. You can upgrade it later if everything works out.

My approach on this one would be to do the cheap stuff first, since making progress will make you more comfortable with the bigger ticket items.

You'll find A LOT of advice here on how to fix it up, since many here love to do that, and help those who share their love for the car.

 

Thank you all very much for your advice. I don't have any interior pictures handy but did have the bottom portion of the seat recovered and they look good as new, and it is wood. It has cruise but I don't think it's adaptive, and I can't recall if the roller knob has one right next to it. The wheels are beautiful, but oversized cast-aluminum wheels have no place on California roadways. The conditions are too poor, and with the low profile tires, you can only have cracks repairs so many times until you have to replace the wheels altogether. I don't know what manufacturers are thinking putting 22" rears and 20" fronts on the 911...

The top unfortunately is tired and I know this because after parking it one evening I came out the next day and noticed what appeared like moisture marks on the interior above the rear window on the headliner. I touched it and it was damp. After closer examination, I realized that the rear window is coming apart from the top... I used marine epoxy on it to seal it up, and the car stays inside, only to be driven when it was roof-down weather. Then the window went out. Two weeks later the motor went out, leaking mineral oil into the spare tire well. I have manually reset the top once a long time ago, but with the motor not pumping and the top stuck down, when I tried to put it up, I could not get it to recognize and latch in the up position. That's when it went to a shop and they quoted something ridiculous to replace the pump. That is when the car came home with the top now locked in the up position, and the warning chime consistently dinging. Even if I replace the pump, (which I believe needs to be done with the top in the down position) I have to idea how to get the top to manually release so I can put it down, to then reset it again. This is all after my mom gets stuck with a flat after a rim cracks again, and she's stranded when they can't get a lug nut off, because of the cheap nuts they use with the crappy tin covers on them that fatigue and don't allow for the wrench tool to fit. But I digress...

In terms of the rough idle. When I had the car smogged, I was told it had a vacuum leak due to a hissing sound that was definitely noticeable. Typically that would mean failure, but he let it slide, and it was fine but started rough idling shorty thereafter. Obvious vacuum leak as the RPMs rise and dip nearly stalling the engine. The sound seems like it's coming from the metal breather on top of the valve cover (if that what that is) I circled a picture below of where it seems the sound comes from. I just hope it's not an intake manifold gasket gone bad... I should spray around the hoses with some starting fluid and see if any hoses could be a culprit as well.

I could be motivated to try and fix it since it seems like there is some value there. My mom loves the car, but she doesn't like the concept of it being a project, and she doesn't like consistently throwing money into something to keep it from destruction. Upkeep is one thing, but I dare say, every time you get into this car, a piece breaks here, or something falls off there. This is a car that was cared for, not a deferred maintenance junker. I can't help but notice how many Jaguar cars end up sitting covered in disrepair in their owner's driveways once they've been replaced with newer but lesser vehicles. Her F-pace is a nice drive, and she got it in the same color combo, but she did lease this time and doesn't plan to stick with the mark. Shame too because I feel Jaguar is really one of the only heritage brands out there, trying to build exceptional vehicles.

Again, Thank you! All of your input is immensely helpful and motivating

 

That area in the pic has two common issues. The circled item has two screws and replacing the two orings on it may solve it. It did on my '07 XK. 10 min fix.

Once the engine cover is off, you find two flkexible 1/2" plastic tubes, the part-load and full-load breathers. New O-rings on both ends elininate possiblility oif VL's. Another 10 min fix.

Slightly behind it, just this side of the throttle body, from this angle, is the EGR valve. The two metal gaskets leak. Gaskets are $15. A bit tougher, since the EGR bolts are in an awkward place, but a 90 min job.

Finally, when you work there, be very careful of the very thin grey plastic vacuum line that starts at the throttle body and connects to two (or three) points nearby. Very fragile at this age. Pretty mch guaranteed to crack, but the good news is you can slip the right size rubber line over the plastic and rebuild it satisfactorily without repalcement. Repalcement part is about $40-50. The part that goes to the front of the engine is a bit of a knucklebuster, tho.

If you haven't gotten the maintence manual for this model, it's in the stickies at the top of this forum. All the repairs in this thread are discussed in the manual.

From what you've described, and particularly if your're a BMW DIY, you should be able to have fun fixing up this car for relatively small money. Of course, the hydraulics will cost you, but this is an easy car to work on.

 

Don't replace the hydraulic pump for your soft top. Have it rebuilt and save $$$. See my post #4:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...007-xk-248087/

 

Also: it's a California car. Never seen a crappy winter. I know that's true of a lot of these cars, but still, it helps in terms of a sale.
Personally, I'd take the middle ground: fix everything BUT the top before you make that journey to CarMax, if that's what you're planning.
Chase down that vacuum leak, swap out the battery, and then... what the hell: throw it on Autotrader. Be up front about the car's issues. See what kind of bites you get. (As long as the car drives OK, people who love it might be willing to take on the issue(s) with the top.) That would be interesting, at least, and you'd know. Personally, I think you'd be surprised at the response.
And if you DO decide to sell, do it now. I've never seen a used-car market like this one.
Good luck either way!

 

Oh and PS: +1000 about the 20" wheels. I've cracked and repaired one and just replaced another (with what was, as far as I can tell, the only rear Kalimnos available in the US). The irony: it was located in North Hollywood, eight miles from where I am now.... and it had to be shipped to Massachusetts...

 

I am in your general neighborhood, I had also been using Hills Jaguar for my XK8. If you find another independent mechanic who knows these cars, let me know. My 2007 XK is also a near-twin to yours, including the color and wheels, though with less than half the mileage. A similar car, again same color but the base wheels, and a few blemishes, with about 80,000 miles and a faded top, was for sale in Martinez recently (I nearly bought it), the asking price was dropped to $16,900 I think and it has now sold after sitting at the higher price of about $18,000 for some time. Having searched for some time and only purchased mine a few months ago, I would say that the XKs are fairly rare in the Bay Area, particularly in the Indigo / tan, though they do crop up every couple of months. Even considering the occasional gremlins, like the XK8, there really is no competition in the luxury GT class for the money (the Mercedes SL500 is just too small and has almost no trunk, and no back seat for extra stuff), and even for a lot more money you're just stepping up to a DB9 and shelling out even more to specialists to keep it running, or the Maserati GranTurismo (again, at a higher price point and running costs). Since even Jaguar bailed on the GT market by discontinuing the XK, I think these will hold their value as long as they're kept up.

 

I could always find rear Kalimnos in the UK but it took over two years to chase down the only new front one. It was sent back to the UK as new, unused stock by the Jaguar dealership 1400 miles away in Malta.

Not my favourite wheel design. Awkward to clean and very prone to damage.

Graham

 

I picked up a couple after market Kalimnos about 2 years ago as spares when I had my OEMs sent off to be straightened. The aftermarkets are heavier but I would guess also more durable. I went ahead and mounted one of the aftermarkets up, as the "wheel straightener" guy got delayed, and have found no noticeable adverse effects.

 

I've tried to find a couple rear Nevis wheels to do an experiment, but on geeBay and places they are usually $500 each. Way too much to try something that may not work.