John,

I bought a 2006 XK8 exactly one year ago. Had about 45,000 miles at the time. I think it now has about 52,000 miles. It has been pretty much trouble free. These are really good cars.

I added the hydraulic bypass "solution" to reduce the top hose pressure in the top to delay the "green shower". My research into the car's history showed that the previous owner had this issue and it was repaired under warrantee.

It was a Select Edition car (I bought it from a dealer). I paid a few thousand dollars less than the Lincoln dealer was asking for yours. And you would not have gotten the Select Edition warrantee, which is excellent. So I believe you were correct to walk from this deal. I also paid for another couple of years of warrantee from the dealer. Peace of mind.

I am delighted that I bought the car. Wonderful car. Puts a smile on my face every time I see it.

I plan on driving it for many years. Unless ongoing maintenance/repair gets out of hand that is what I want to do.

Good luck with your search.

Jack

 

for waterproofing the top: 303 Products, Inc.: 303 High Tech Fabric Guard

I have the receipt for the tires on my car, they were less than $500 installed. I don't believe they'e considered to be all season nor do I have any idea of their longevity, but here's a link: FEDERAL 595 Drift Competition
I'm very pleased with them for the type of driving I do, which is simply cruising on nice days.

 

Good luck with your XK hunt ! I myself am just getting ready to take ownership of a 2003 XKR Coupe (absolutely the best 'lines' in my book!) - As for price, i'm putting up just under $17k for the 62k mi. car, that has a very clean interior, a few stone chips around the nose, but generally appears to have been very well kept ! Clean Car Fax history, and being an XKR, has most all the goodies ! I looked at a bunch of coupes before finding this one, read a lot of material about them in general, and from my point of view my only real concession was that the car is Ebony/Tan.... I hope you find what you're looking for at a price you agree with !

Cheers,

Joe

 

Shops with a Hunter Roadforce machine can be found by searching here:

Hunter GSP9700 Wheel vibration Control System solves wheel vibration and tire pull problems that balancers and aligners can't fix

Nearest one to me is in a Firestone.

 

What were the various headlight options in the 2006 XK8 and how do I figure out which headlight system was installed at the factory? I've called and asked Jaguar Corporate but they could not discern the headlight system from the car's VIN. Very strange - I would think that is part of the proprietary on-line history maintained for each car they build....

The car we're considering now is more than a three-hour drive away from us and we have not yet seen it in person. Do not want to make that long drive until all of my questions about the car are answered....

Thanks for any assistance you can provide....

 

Xenon was listed as an option on the XK8. Attached is 2006 brochure which lists the various std. features and available options on the 2006 MY.
Good luck.

 

Still doing research on one of the 2006 XK8 convertibles that we noticed a couple of weeks ago. I've yet to see it in person because it is located more than three hours away from us. I've pulled most of the service history from several Jaguar dealerships around the country where this particular car has lived (originally California, then Texas, and then New Jersey)....

One item that troubles me is the fact that this car had all four of its shocks/struts replaced at just a little over 19,000 miles. Is there any valid reason for that other than driving the **** out of the car and challenging every single pothole in the road? If I can determine that this car was "rode hard and put up wet", I don't want to waste my time and gas making the long trip to see it....

 

That xk8 might have the optional 'adaptive' suspension...not many got it, but could very well have been the reason for trying to solve a problem with the suspension...throw parts at it. Otherwise, it could have also been an attempt to find a vibration, possibly the elusive lower shock bushing. Either way, it would not be a deal killer to me. A quick look underneath should reveal if the car's suspension has been abused.

If you don't want to inspect the car yourself Jon, hire one of those vehicle inspectors to do it for you. Then if it comes back good, you can start your inquiries and eventually a drive up. 3 hours from the Ft Worth area is like a typical weekend around here. lol

 

Thanks Matt. If we get serious enough to consider making an offer on the car, we will certainly commit to making the long drive to see it in person first. I've already warned the sales guy that if we indeed show up, I'll spend more time climbing all over and under the car than I will driving it so don't be surprised when I pull out my toolbox and start wrenching on it out in the parking lot....

I don't believe this car has the adaptive suspension. I checked the VIN with Jaguar Corporate and this option is not listed. The March 2009 workorder at Jaguar Houston Central for the shocks/struts replacement job basically says that the owner complained of "rattles" multiple times, so the dealership opted to replace the shocks/struts under the factory warranty. But I find it difficult to believe that Jaguar would take such drastic (and expensive) action for a customer complaint about "rattles"....

 

Do you have a link to the thread which covers this? I don't have a problem now, but would instal this as an insurance against future problems.

Thanks for any help.

 

There has been an awful lot written about this issue. Many threads. This is a good one...

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-number-57310/

Jack

 

My 2005 S-Type has a one-piece belly pan / undertray that is held in place by seven bolts/nuts and two Phillips screws. Now that I've had the car nearly three years, I can remove the belly pan in less than five minutes and re-install it in less than ten minutes....

What sort of belly pan / undertray does a 2006 XK8 convertible have? Is it one-piece or multiple pieces? What kind of fasteners hold it in place, and how many are there?

 

No belly pan on this model.

 

So you have clear access to the oil pan drain plug and oil filter underneath the car without having to remove any panels?

 

Yes. Although I'm surprised the Jag engineers didn't take that opportunity to make oil changes more difficult!

 

I've seen conflicting reports on how much motor oil an XK8 is supposed to hold. My JTIS CD goes up to the 2004 model year. It reports 6.8 quarts to fill the oil pan in a 2004. I've also seen a document that reported 8.2 quarts are required to fill the oil pan, although no specific model year was listed....

So what is the specified oil fill (in quarts) for a 2006 XK8?

 

Finally pulled the trigger on a 2006 XK8 convertible with just over 36,000 miles yesterday afternoon (onyx exterior, cashmere interior). It is my wife's "dream car" as she calls it. The car is in Florida and should be transported to me here in North Carolina by the end of the week. I had a Jaguar dealership (not the seller) inspect it yesterday, and they found it to be in great shape for a 6 1/2 year-old car (built in May 2005). My ongoing research indicates that by the final year of production, Jaguar was doing a damn good job building these XK8s to last for awhile. I'm most concerned about the convertible top hydraulic hose issue. Potential suspension issues concern me as well. Any recommendations from you experts out there on what to look for when the car shows up in my driveway would be much appreciated. I hope I'll learn to love this car as much as I do our 2005 S-Type. I look forward to contributing here in the XK8 section once I get familiar with the car....

 

Congratulations, well done. My prediction is that the XK8 will thrill you more than the S-type.

 

Congrats on the car Jon. As i posted above, I have a 2006 XK8. Bought it a bit over a year ago. It now has about 52,000 miles. It seems to be very robust and built to last.

Enjoy.

Jack

 

Nice car combo Jon!!...Glad to have you in our group here now too!