So, three weeks ago, I was replacing my transmission fluid and decided to drain it from the cooling line coupling to the radiator. I was disconnecting the upper coupling and I bumped the coolant line from the coolant tank to the radiator and it starts to leak!

The plastic nipple from the radiator had cracked. I had barely bumped it. I ended up tapping and threading the hole in the radiator and put in a brass fitting. Problem solved.

Now today, I decided to replace my super charger fluid. I told myself specifically not to hit any part of the cooling system. But the damn coupling from the coolant tank to the thermostat housing started leaking! WTF did jaguar source for plastic? I replaced the stupid plastic 90 degree clamp with a 90 degree coolant hose. Problem solved.

I must be jinxed. I don't want to go under the hood anymore for fear of ham handedly cracking some other cheap plastic part.

FYI- my old supercharger fluid was black like a chocolate stout or an espresso.

 

It's not just Jags. My wife's BMW plastic literally crumples like a cookie when you touch it.

 

Yep- BMW and VW plastic is made from graham crackers.

 

Thats kind of depressing. I love the XK8/R and think of it as a future classic, like the jaguar e type. I'd love to roll this car out in 20 or 30 years. But the plastic keeps falling apart (I also had a problem with interior plastic trim pieces failing).

At this rate I doubt these cars will be around in 20 years without a complete infusion of new plastic parts.

 

Actually its not the plastic deterioration that will prevent almost any modern car from becoming a 30-50 year old classic, though that certainly is painful and expensive, these type of things could still be fixed/fabricated for an almost reasonable cost and in some cases have enough volume to support an aftermarket source, depending on model and enthusiast interest. And 3D printing may help address that kind of fix in the not too distant future.

IMO - what will eventually kill every single car made after OBD2 days is the computer modules. How many different ones are in our cars? And every year and model a different variation! Heat, age, and vibration will cause the printed circuit boards and the components installed on them to fail. And there will be no way to repair or replace them all in anything close to an economically feasible manner.

You want a classic that you can keep and enjoy for 20, 30, 50 years and beyond? That ended in the 70s since there are virtually no cars from the 80s worth collecting and the 90s are when the computer modules took over our automobiles.

Course half the reason I keep my 1975 Spitfire hanging around is that after the big EMP burst, it may be the only thing I have that will continue to run (if I ever get around to buying that spare ignition module and store it in a Faraday cage anyway - been meaning to do that!)

 

Excellent points regarding the plastic weaknesses as well as the circuit board failures. So true on both counts....

I miss my beloved 1974 Datsun 260Z more and more as the years pass....