Jaguar XJ8 4.0
Discussion
Recently, I've decided to live out a lifelong dream and buy a Jaguar XJ.
It all started really in the 90's, when the Dutton Forshaw deal group had a Jaguar dealership in Gosforth, Newcastle. I used to ride past it on the bus going to town all the time as a young lad and loved the look of the cars, the relative opulence of the dealership and of course, the big silver 'leaper' on a pillar outside the showroom.
Many years later, the dealership is now a sofa showroom, I think. Jaguar has moved on massively from those days. I still drive past the Newcastle Jaguar dealership on the way to work (it's now on Stamfordham Road and looks nowhere near as posh). I had been driving a 106 Rallye until May of this year, when it failed it's MOT and I sold it on, unwilling to spend any more money on it since it just wasn't what I wanted. What I really missed was my old A8 4.2. However, I had decided after selling the A8 that I wouldn't go back to them, as I had let a very tidy and high spec model go for work related reasons and I would likely struggle to find another one as good as that. It was in fact a PH'er, Adrian E, who pointed me to my A8 at the time as probably the best one for sale in the country!
Anyway, back to Jaguar. I have always loved the X308 series of cars. To me, they represent almost the end of classic Jaguar. There was only the X350 model to follow this before the XJ would transform into something completely different. I still really like where Jaguar has went these days, and I appreciate they needed a 3 series competitor and that diesels would be their primary sellers in the UK. Jaguar have been, and will likely remain special cars to me (my missus had a Jaguar as a wedding car etc etc).
I was directed to this particular XJ by E65Ross on the barge thread, and I later discovered that he had some relationship with the seller as he had bought his E65 745i from the same PH'er selling the XJ. Arrangements were duly made and I set off on a trip to Glasgow to pick the car up. I should note at this point, I had asked a few questions and was satisfied I was going after the right car, after half-heartedly looking at a couple of nearly local XJ's for sale through Ebay and not being wildly impressed with their quality. It's worth bearing in mind that this car was quite a success for Jaguar and they sold plenty in the UK so there are loads around, and consequently plenty of tat to go with it.
The trip to Glasgow was pleasant enough, taking in the stunning views of the Northumberland coast to Scotland, before transferring at Edinburgh on to Glasgow Queen Street. Frankly, standing next to the car for the first time in the sun and taking it all in, I was sold on the car from the off. I had hoped then that it would drive well and I could complete my mission of buying it and driving it home. Luckily, all was well. It's often quoted that you should buy on condition and not miles. This one has 159,000 miles on it and it'll soon tick over to 160,000. It actually did 70,000 miles in it's first three years and was initially supplied in Blackburn, Lancs. Luckily, the car feels exceedingly tight and well looked after. The mileage wasn't a negative to me in that I intend to keep the car as long as it is viable to keep it alive. I like it that much that I intend on being it's last owner, however much of a commitment that is to make! The drive home was absolutely superb. Brilliantly able on a relaxed waft south to Carlisle, and full of punch for overtaking on the A69.
In terms of perfecting it, I do plan to spend a little money. I was able to bargain down to £1700 to buy it, and it definitely needs some new rear tyres on it. These are surprisingly cheap, about £100 for top end tyres because of the 16" wheel size. The lips of the bodywork at the arches are mildly nibbled with spots of rust so they will be fixed when the leaper is removed. I did say to the seller when I inspected the car that it was nice to see one so rust free, indeed the arches were the first spot I went for. On one of the cars I'd looked at, I could have pocked my finger through the arch...! There is a mild crack in the paint on the front bumper, and that's about it. Inside, the 'cool' button on the A/C has been repainted so I intend on tidying that up a tiny bit, and the leftmost LED on the dash binnacle has gone out, but I doubt I'll bother fixing that. The mileage on the cluster is now at 93,000 as a result of the dash pod being changed for another following a presumed failure. The history all checks out, and it has been very well cared for. I specifically wanted a four litre car over the 3.2. The 3.2 has a shorter gearing and differential ratio to attempt to match the 4.0's punch at lower speeds but I gather it makes for a less refined experience and surprisingly, worse fuel economy! Though I am sure the 3.2 is a fantastic car considered in it's own right.
More importantly, what is it like to drive? Fantastic, just wonderful. Phrases like 'sense of occasion' are batted around fairly often, but it has that character in spades. It's an addictive thing to be around, to look at. I'm always stealing a second glance at it, and smiling when I sit in it. I love the way the cockpit wraps around you as you sit in it. It's a canny trick, to see the big car shrink around you as you close the door and that is a sense replicated in the driving experience; for such a sizeable car outside it feels small and direct as you drive it. I'll compare it to my A8 in a few respects here as that is both a contemporary competition and a car that I'm quite familiar with. Comparison is inevitable.
The engine is a beauty, strong and refined. The J-gate gearbox is a joy to use, the action on the shifter is really slick. The shifts are remarkably soft in day to day use. In car where the little details impress as much as the bigger picture, things like the feel of the shifter or the click of the indicators, I am constantly discovering new aspects and features I love. It's a different beast to the A8 in that it's hardly filled with superfluous toys. There is little to fiddle with or distract you from the drive, but it drives so well it impresses more as a driver's toy. In spite of the scarcity of toys and tech like my A8 had, I am more impressed with the primary driving experience. It's just more fun. It feels sexier. It feels magnificent and regal amongst a sea of grey diesel ecoboxes, where the A8 often felt anonymous but for it's titanic size/ The steering is light and very direct. I am impressed with how Jaguar have managed to make such a big car feel so direct and light on it's toes with direction changes. The steering gearing is short and feels quick to react, and the wheel turns with great ease. You sit low sung in the car, indeed to stand next to it you get a sense of how long and low it is. It's like standing next to a big green crocodile. Sitting at traffic lights and having to look up to see the driver of the Fiesta next to you is quite funny. You really sit low and 'tucked into' the car, which is great.
Whilst being sporty and quick, it's definitely designed for refined cruising. I should note that the 'sporty' aspect of it does not feel contrived or silly. This is no Audi S-line. The ride is soft and supple and the car flows beautifully (aided by compliant damping and aforementioned 16" wheels). Kickdown is suitably powerful, but for serious single-carriage A road overtaking the 'S' button may be useful, as it seems to speed up the reaction of the gearbox and holds gears longer. The mirrors are a joy to use (and not just the auto-dimming rear), as they capture the rounded flanks of the car and are very wide and quiet. Perfect for motorway use. The boot is wide and flat and frankly huge, but it's profile means it's no fridge carrier. It'll do for trips to the Lake District though and loading up with shopping! Some of the interior touches are a bit hokey, but you have to seek these out (the cloth sleeve on the handbrake, hidden down the side of the seat). It's by no means a perfect car but it does impress and lives to the hype of being 'the car Jaguar always wanted to build, but couldn't afford to until Ford helped out'.
Anyway, that about covers it for now.
It all started really in the 90's, when the Dutton Forshaw deal group had a Jaguar dealership in Gosforth, Newcastle. I used to ride past it on the bus going to town all the time as a young lad and loved the look of the cars, the relative opulence of the dealership and of course, the big silver 'leaper' on a pillar outside the showroom.
Many years later, the dealership is now a sofa showroom, I think. Jaguar has moved on massively from those days. I still drive past the Newcastle Jaguar dealership on the way to work (it's now on Stamfordham Road and looks nowhere near as posh). I had been driving a 106 Rallye until May of this year, when it failed it's MOT and I sold it on, unwilling to spend any more money on it since it just wasn't what I wanted. What I really missed was my old A8 4.2. However, I had decided after selling the A8 that I wouldn't go back to them, as I had let a very tidy and high spec model go for work related reasons and I would likely struggle to find another one as good as that. It was in fact a PH'er, Adrian E, who pointed me to my A8 at the time as probably the best one for sale in the country!
Anyway, back to Jaguar. I have always loved the X308 series of cars. To me, they represent almost the end of classic Jaguar. There was only the X350 model to follow this before the XJ would transform into something completely different. I still really like where Jaguar has went these days, and I appreciate they needed a 3 series competitor and that diesels would be their primary sellers in the UK. Jaguar have been, and will likely remain special cars to me (my missus had a Jaguar as a wedding car etc etc).
I was directed to this particular XJ by E65Ross on the barge thread, and I later discovered that he had some relationship with the seller as he had bought his E65 745i from the same PH'er selling the XJ. Arrangements were duly made and I set off on a trip to Glasgow to pick the car up. I should note at this point, I had asked a few questions and was satisfied I was going after the right car, after half-heartedly looking at a couple of nearly local XJ's for sale through Ebay and not being wildly impressed with their quality. It's worth bearing in mind that this car was quite a success for Jaguar and they sold plenty in the UK so there are loads around, and consequently plenty of tat to go with it.
The trip to Glasgow was pleasant enough, taking in the stunning views of the Northumberland coast to Scotland, before transferring at Edinburgh on to Glasgow Queen Street. Frankly, standing next to the car for the first time in the sun and taking it all in, I was sold on the car from the off. I had hoped then that it would drive well and I could complete my mission of buying it and driving it home. Luckily, all was well. It's often quoted that you should buy on condition and not miles. This one has 159,000 miles on it and it'll soon tick over to 160,000. It actually did 70,000 miles in it's first three years and was initially supplied in Blackburn, Lancs. Luckily, the car feels exceedingly tight and well looked after. The mileage wasn't a negative to me in that I intend to keep the car as long as it is viable to keep it alive. I like it that much that I intend on being it's last owner, however much of a commitment that is to make! The drive home was absolutely superb. Brilliantly able on a relaxed waft south to Carlisle, and full of punch for overtaking on the A69.
In terms of perfecting it, I do plan to spend a little money. I was able to bargain down to £1700 to buy it, and it definitely needs some new rear tyres on it. These are surprisingly cheap, about £100 for top end tyres because of the 16" wheel size. The lips of the bodywork at the arches are mildly nibbled with spots of rust so they will be fixed when the leaper is removed. I did say to the seller when I inspected the car that it was nice to see one so rust free, indeed the arches were the first spot I went for. On one of the cars I'd looked at, I could have pocked my finger through the arch...! There is a mild crack in the paint on the front bumper, and that's about it. Inside, the 'cool' button on the A/C has been repainted so I intend on tidying that up a tiny bit, and the leftmost LED on the dash binnacle has gone out, but I doubt I'll bother fixing that. The mileage on the cluster is now at 93,000 as a result of the dash pod being changed for another following a presumed failure. The history all checks out, and it has been very well cared for. I specifically wanted a four litre car over the 3.2. The 3.2 has a shorter gearing and differential ratio to attempt to match the 4.0's punch at lower speeds but I gather it makes for a less refined experience and surprisingly, worse fuel economy! Though I am sure the 3.2 is a fantastic car considered in it's own right.
More importantly, what is it like to drive? Fantastic, just wonderful. Phrases like 'sense of occasion' are batted around fairly often, but it has that character in spades. It's an addictive thing to be around, to look at. I'm always stealing a second glance at it, and smiling when I sit in it. I love the way the cockpit wraps around you as you sit in it. It's a canny trick, to see the big car shrink around you as you close the door and that is a sense replicated in the driving experience; for such a sizeable car outside it feels small and direct as you drive it. I'll compare it to my A8 in a few respects here as that is both a contemporary competition and a car that I'm quite familiar with. Comparison is inevitable.
The engine is a beauty, strong and refined. The J-gate gearbox is a joy to use, the action on the shifter is really slick. The shifts are remarkably soft in day to day use. In car where the little details impress as much as the bigger picture, things like the feel of the shifter or the click of the indicators, I am constantly discovering new aspects and features I love. It's a different beast to the A8 in that it's hardly filled with superfluous toys. There is little to fiddle with or distract you from the drive, but it drives so well it impresses more as a driver's toy. In spite of the scarcity of toys and tech like my A8 had, I am more impressed with the primary driving experience. It's just more fun. It feels sexier. It feels magnificent and regal amongst a sea of grey diesel ecoboxes, where the A8 often felt anonymous but for it's titanic size/ The steering is light and very direct. I am impressed with how Jaguar have managed to make such a big car feel so direct and light on it's toes with direction changes. The steering gearing is short and feels quick to react, and the wheel turns with great ease. You sit low sung in the car, indeed to stand next to it you get a sense of how long and low it is. It's like standing next to a big green crocodile. Sitting at traffic lights and having to look up to see the driver of the Fiesta next to you is quite funny. You really sit low and 'tucked into' the car, which is great.
Whilst being sporty and quick, it's definitely designed for refined cruising. I should note that the 'sporty' aspect of it does not feel contrived or silly. This is no Audi S-line. The ride is soft and supple and the car flows beautifully (aided by compliant damping and aforementioned 16" wheels). Kickdown is suitably powerful, but for serious single-carriage A road overtaking the 'S' button may be useful, as it seems to speed up the reaction of the gearbox and holds gears longer. The mirrors are a joy to use (and not just the auto-dimming rear), as they capture the rounded flanks of the car and are very wide and quiet. Perfect for motorway use. The boot is wide and flat and frankly huge, but it's profile means it's no fridge carrier. It'll do for trips to the Lake District though and loading up with shopping! Some of the interior touches are a bit hokey, but you have to seek these out (the cloth sleeve on the handbrake, hidden down the side of the seat). It's by no means a perfect car but it does impress and lives to the hype of being 'the car Jaguar always wanted to build, but couldn't afford to until Ford helped out'.
Anyway, that about covers it for now.
Edited by Baryonyx on Friday 5th September 15:17
The fact I've taken that photograph with my phone gives the wrong impression, it makes the rev-counter look pitch black on one side, which is not the case. It's backlit from the other LED's, but the phone hasn't picked that up. It's dimmer on one side than the other, but not to the point where you can't see what it's doing. For the faff of fixing it, I doubt I'll bother as it'll no doubt be quite an involved job!
Now, on my MR2 Turbo, I had the same issue (left hand LED going out). That was a black dial backlit with a yellow light and it was much, much more difficult to see what the needle was doing there, but again not impossible.
Now, on my MR2 Turbo, I had the same issue (left hand LED going out). That was a black dial backlit with a yellow light and it was much, much more difficult to see what the needle was doing there, but again not impossible.
Rocksteadyeddie said:
They've knocked the sofa shop down now and are 2/3 of the way through building an M&S. 
Call it proof of my argument to friends, that it will fit in a parking space. Just, with a slight overhang at the front...
A few more days have gone by and a few more miles, it continues to impress. Continuing the comparison to my A8, it seems to get further and further away from that car. It's somewhat smaller in size (but not by a great deal) but it feels a lot more compact to drive. Crisp turn in and extremely smooth steering response make it feel quite sporty, but not in a 'shake your fillings and break your back' kind of way. The steering is well matched with the ride; you get something that feels pointy and changes direction well but has a supple ride. The low seating position brings the centre of gravity down and makes for a surprisingly flat cornering profile. The A8 demanded a different cornering technique; it could thunder round bends, body roll be damned, and find masses of grip to propel itself on the way out. It drove itself. The XJ requires a more considered approach, slowing a little on entry, pointing the long nose and squeezing on the throttle - it will eject itself from an apex with gusto but demands more input from the driver.
I cannot commend though, just how good it feels to make those inputs. Feelsome brakes, a smooth throttle and silky gearchanges abound. I feel Jaguar really hit the XJ nail on the head with this one. You probably would think I was nuts, but I can feel craft and quality in so many aspects of this car. The V8 flutter on start up, the throaty rumble on kickdown, the effortlessly delicate steering wheel feel at lower speeds, it's quite something. Whilst the A8 felt like an oppressive effort of German excellence in all aspects (it even rode well on 18" wheels), I am tempted to say that it did not have the endearing and esoteric character of the Jaguar.
A parking space comparison...
Mind you, it's still not my main mode of transport!
I had the Jaguar on it's first offroad trip today. Well, when I say offroad, I mean down a badly rutted farm track! A social outing saw me taking the Jaguar to a local farm/campsite. Of course, there was no way in hell I was saying in some awful chalet when I'd be much more comfortable sleeping on the back seats of the XJ, but it didn't come to that.
Getting there was good fun, I'm still impressed by the mix of soft, gentle ride and direct, sporty control feel. Most softly sprung cars suffer indirect handling and poor body control in the corners, but the Jaguar is very nicely balanced. I suppose that's a low centre of gravity for you. Mind you, I went carefully down the track once I was off the road to avoid crashing up and down over the potholes and damaging something!
Getting there was good fun, I'm still impressed by the mix of soft, gentle ride and direct, sporty control feel. Most softly sprung cars suffer indirect handling and poor body control in the corners, but the Jaguar is very nicely balanced. I suppose that's a low centre of gravity for you. Mind you, I went carefully down the track once I was off the road to avoid crashing up and down over the potholes and damaging something!
It's still muddy. I've driven it once since taking it to the farm the other day. I've been whizzing to work on the motorbike. I did take it to work once last week and snapped this photo of it with a colleague's Audi:
It gave me a bit of a fright on the way home, as I was cruising along the motorway going back it popped up with a low coolant warning. I quickly shat my slacks and pulled off at the next exit, not far from home, and nursed with back with the heaters on full blast. I noticed the temperature gauge never moved, though with this being software driven I gather it's not 100% accurate.
It seemed to make it back fine, and I quickly researched what as going on. It appears that the temperature sensor in the coolant tank is a floating thing in the filler port for the coolant which can get stuck in the bottle, leading to an incorrect reading. Anyway, I've got some de-ionised water to hand (carrying a 5 litre bottle of that in my backpack whilst riding a motorbike was fun!) and I'll be topping off the coolant system with it this afternoon. It appears even just a couple of tablespoons worth of coolant can make the difference to the reading, so I'll be checking over the system today making sure there are no obvious leaks and that the water pump is still working. This should be a five minute job.
Anyway, here is the car as it sits now, wearing a tax disc for one last day before I remove it and put my parking permit in the holder!
A trip to B and Q provided the necessary tool to open the coolant tank, in the form of a pair of adjustable water pump pliers. Their wrench selection didn't feature a wrench big enough. All looks well in the coolant system, so I added a tiny bit of distilled water and sealed it back up. All seems well again!
Hmm, I didn't know there was formerly a Jaguar garage by the Central Station. That picture in the car park is the roof terrace parking overlooking Barrack Road at St James Park.
With regards to the leaper on the bonnet, no it's not standard and I don't know where the f
k they come from or who puts them there. If we lived in the days of massive scrapyards I'd probably just get a replacement bonnet, as it is I think I'll have it removed and filled after winter, as and when I can be arsed. Most of the X308's I saw in America had leapers on the bonnet, but it's not to my taste.
With regards to the leaper on the bonnet, no it's not standard and I don't know where the f
k they come from or who puts them there. If we lived in the days of massive scrapyards I'd probably just get a replacement bonnet, as it is I think I'll have it removed and filled after winter, as and when I can be arsed. Most of the X308's I saw in America had leapers on the bonnet, but it's not to my taste. £75 has seen my windscreen replaced. What a relief, to have it fixed!
I was changing the wiper the other day, when I made the mistake of letting go of the wiper arm during the swapping process. The arm, being spring loaded and with a metal hook on the end, snapped back against the windscreen and given it an almighty crack. I shouted and swore, but the windscreen was clearly fked, and even worse, it was my own daft fault.
Luckily, Autoglass were able to come and sort it out today, which was a slightly involved process but at least it's sorted now. On arriving, the technician assessed that he wouldn't be able to change the screen with the car on the street due to the steady, pissing overhead rain. At least it was raining without wind, which meant he'd be able to change the screen under a canopy if we could find the space for him to use it (the van's have a huge canopy array mounted on the roof).
The car was duly taken to the village car park where he had the space to work on it, and in about 90 minutes it was sorted. I had noted in my car that there is the 'heated windscreen' button, and when you press it a yellow light comes on. However, looking at the screen I couldn't see any elements in the glass. The technician noted that the screen coming out didn't have any visible elements in it, but that he would connect the wiring up if it was there.
It transpired that the car had definitely had a new screen during it's lifetime, and the heating circuit hadn't been connected when the new screen was put in. The rain sensor wasn't seated properly either (I wasn't aware I was supposed to have rain sensing wipers!). The Autoglass lad noted that the last installation had been pretty st as most of the sealant on the windscreen was brittle and falling off. During the fitting, he was able to reconnect the heating circuit (the elements are in the sides of the screen, apparently and the wiring was just tucked away inside the pillar). The rain sensor is back in place too.
I was changing the wiper the other day, when I made the mistake of letting go of the wiper arm during the swapping process. The arm, being spring loaded and with a metal hook on the end, snapped back against the windscreen and given it an almighty crack. I shouted and swore, but the windscreen was clearly f
ked, and even worse, it was my own daft fault. Luckily, Autoglass were able to come and sort it out today, which was a slightly involved process but at least it's sorted now. On arriving, the technician assessed that he wouldn't be able to change the screen with the car on the street due to the steady, pissing overhead rain. At least it was raining without wind, which meant he'd be able to change the screen under a canopy if we could find the space for him to use it (the van's have a huge canopy array mounted on the roof).
The car was duly taken to the village car park where he had the space to work on it, and in about 90 minutes it was sorted. I had noted in my car that there is the 'heated windscreen' button, and when you press it a yellow light comes on. However, looking at the screen I couldn't see any elements in the glass. The technician noted that the screen coming out didn't have any visible elements in it, but that he would connect the wiring up if it was there.
It transpired that the car had definitely had a new screen during it's lifetime, and the heating circuit hadn't been connected when the new screen was put in. The rain sensor wasn't seated properly either (I wasn't aware I was supposed to have rain sensing wipers!). The Autoglass lad noted that the last installation had been pretty s
t as most of the sealant on the windscreen was brittle and falling off. During the fitting, he was able to reconnect the heating circuit (the elements are in the sides of the screen, apparently and the wiring was just tucked away inside the pillar). The rain sensor is back in place too. There are no obvious elements in the screen like my 2003 Focus Ebony had - that had really obvious wires running through it. Rather, I'm told the heating element this time runs around the outside of the glass so I'm guessing it heats from the outside in, though I've not tested it out yet. Some of the material I've found online suggests some of the XJ8 screens were heated by wires going through, and some were heated by elements around the edge.
Given that the replacement screen came with the connector for the heater system and is now cabled in, I'm guessing it's getting power for something, hopefully connected to the switch on the dash! We'll see how it goes...
Given that the replacement screen came with the connector for the heater system and is now cabled in, I'm guessing it's getting power for something, hopefully connected to the switch on the dash! We'll see how it goes...
That's the wiper blade replaced. Probably for the best then, that I have the car ready for work. My street is bloody knee deep in falling leaves at the moment, which have come in off the wooded copse opposite my house. My car is practically hemmed in with leaves on three sides at the moment! But I wouldn't relish the thought of riding my motorbike over too much of that ste, hopefully in a couple of weeks it'll have blown off the roads into the gutters.
I've ordered some new tyres and I'm hoping to find somewhere to fit them this week, or the next. I went to the Wheel Specialist in Westerhope with my 106 Rallye, so hopefully they'll be able to provide the same service this time around. I decided to get two Goodyear Ultragrip 8's.
http://www.camskill.co.uk/m96b0s633p105048/Goodyea...
It'll be the first time I've had winter tyres on one of my own cars and they'll be staying on all year round I think, so I'll see how I get on with them.
I should note that the car has two relatively fresh tyres on the front, so I'm not going to swap these out just yet.
te, hopefully in a couple of weeks it'll have blown off the roads into the gutters. I've ordered some new tyres and I'm hoping to find somewhere to fit them this week, or the next. I went to the Wheel Specialist in Westerhope with my 106 Rallye, so hopefully they'll be able to provide the same service this time around. I decided to get two Goodyear Ultragrip 8's.
http://www.camskill.co.uk/m96b0s633p105048/Goodyea...
It'll be the first time I've had winter tyres on one of my own cars and they'll be staying on all year round I think, so I'll see how I get on with them.
I should note that the car has two relatively fresh tyres on the front, so I'm not going to swap these out just yet.
I've made a memorable trip in the Jaguar tonight, namely taking the wife to A&E for a badly sprained ankle. She thought it was broken, and so the did the doctors, so I can't feel entirely indignant about having been assigned the duty of driving her there and waiting to be seen. Coming home was memorable, indeed it's a memory that may stay with me for years. The rain lashing down (and I mean lashing, like it does up North!), pitch blackness out on the almost deserted dual carriageway through the countryside. Radio 4 softly humming on the speakers, single wiper blade silently sweeping over the screen. I was suddenly aware of a comfort which transcended that of any car seat I've ever sat in before. I remarked to my wife that I loved the seats in the XJ, she agreed that they were good and then I returned to the silence of listening to the radio.
I was washing the car, in fact, when I received the call from her saying she had hurt her ankle. At that time, I was looking at the two tyres in the boot which I'm going to get fitted and I thought, even factoring in the tyres, the wiper blades, the new windcsreen, that this car still hasn't cost me as much as the sofa in my front room!
I was washing the car, in fact, when I received the call from her saying she had hurt her ankle. At that time, I was looking at the two tyres in the boot which I'm going to get fitted and I thought, even factoring in the tyres, the wiper blades, the new windcsreen, that this car still hasn't cost me as much as the sofa in my front room!
The Jag had a bit of a wobble the other day. Actually, a rather big one! More on that...
I picked it up after work on Friday morning. A nightmare on the way in to work the previous night had seen my motorbike's chain snap and leave me pushing it the rest of the way to work. The Jaguar was in a local garage getting two new wheel bearings at the back after it failed it's MOT on a rough bearing. I had spoken to the garage on Thursday, confirmed the work was done and that the MOT had just been completed, and thought I was quite lucky to be able to collect my car from the garage and leave my broken motorbike at work (I'm going to push it the mercifully small distance to the Honda garage tomorrow for repair).
Absolutely knackered, I paid for the work and MOT on the Jag and set off home. All seemed to be going well for about three minutes, until I hit the long D/C heading out of town. As I passed a lorry in lane one on a sweeping corner that banks and rises to the left, I was doing approximately 70mph. Suddenly, there was a loud bang from the back of the car, and the ABS warning light illuminated. The car suddenly yawed left and right, lurching around as I tried to steer it straight. Luckily, I tidied it up, but if it had been wet I can only surmise a nasty tail slide would have been the outcome of that! Not only was the ABS light on, but there was a scrolling "ASC SYSTEM UNAVAILABLE/TRAC UNAVAILABLE" message on the dash. Oh no...
I gently nursed it back, listening out for anything else. It seemed okay, other than the warning messages. I wondered what the garage had managed to get wrong to knack my XJ like this...! It started to squeak as I pulled into my estate and I jumped out on the pavement outside my house to get a look at it. Smoke was pouring from the rear nearside wheel well and it stunk of burning brake. I rang the garage, who seemed surprised to hear from me so soon, and recovery was arranged for that afternoon.
Since then, I've not heard back on how it's doing (I rang yesterday but the bloke who was working on the car wasn't in). Hopefully it'll come back with a new brake pad, and the correct adjustment, and all will be well again. I've had a brake bind on before (funnily enough, after my 106 Rallye had the handbrake adjusted for MOT!) but that produced nothing like the sudden, dramatic slide the Jaguar did. That was the worst part of it - bone dry road, good tyres, balanced throttle in 5th. Nothing whatsoever to destabilise the vehicle. Then sudden, it's yawing across the road. What if my wife had been driving it? Would she have been able to draw it up given that the second it started to slide, the ASC system had cut out?
You could say, the luck I had between 2100 and 0900 on Thursday through Friday of last week was pretty dire! Two major mechanical failures in such a short space of time, which has interrupted my post-nightshift sleeping pattern and left me feeling crap all weekend. Now I approach another week at work and hope at least one of my vehicles will be drivable by tomorrow night so I can get home!
I picked it up after work on Friday morning. A nightmare on the way in to work the previous night had seen my motorbike's chain snap and leave me pushing it the rest of the way to work. The Jaguar was in a local garage getting two new wheel bearings at the back after it failed it's MOT on a rough bearing. I had spoken to the garage on Thursday, confirmed the work was done and that the MOT had just been completed, and thought I was quite lucky to be able to collect my car from the garage and leave my broken motorbike at work (I'm going to push it the mercifully small distance to the Honda garage tomorrow for repair).
Absolutely knackered, I paid for the work and MOT on the Jag and set off home. All seemed to be going well for about three minutes, until I hit the long D/C heading out of town. As I passed a lorry in lane one on a sweeping corner that banks and rises to the left, I was doing approximately 70mph. Suddenly, there was a loud bang from the back of the car, and the ABS warning light illuminated. The car suddenly yawed left and right, lurching around as I tried to steer it straight. Luckily, I tidied it up, but if it had been wet I can only surmise a nasty tail slide would have been the outcome of that! Not only was the ABS light on, but there was a scrolling "ASC SYSTEM UNAVAILABLE/TRAC UNAVAILABLE" message on the dash. Oh no...
I gently nursed it back, listening out for anything else. It seemed okay, other than the warning messages. I wondered what the garage had managed to get wrong to knack my XJ like this...! It started to squeak as I pulled into my estate and I jumped out on the pavement outside my house to get a look at it. Smoke was pouring from the rear nearside wheel well and it stunk of burning brake. I rang the garage, who seemed surprised to hear from me so soon, and recovery was arranged for that afternoon.
Since then, I've not heard back on how it's doing (I rang yesterday but the bloke who was working on the car wasn't in). Hopefully it'll come back with a new brake pad, and the correct adjustment, and all will be well again. I've had a brake bind on before (funnily enough, after my 106 Rallye had the handbrake adjusted for MOT!) but that produced nothing like the sudden, dramatic slide the Jaguar did. That was the worst part of it - bone dry road, good tyres, balanced throttle in 5th. Nothing whatsoever to destabilise the vehicle. Then sudden, it's yawing across the road. What if my wife had been driving it? Would she have been able to draw it up given that the second it started to slide, the ASC system had cut out?
You could say, the luck I had between 2100 and 0900 on Thursday through Friday of last week was pretty dire! Two major mechanical failures in such a short space of time, which has interrupted my post-nightshift sleeping pattern and left me feeling crap all weekend. Now I approach another week at work and hope at least one of my vehicles will be drivable by tomorrow night so I can get home!
johnxjsc1985 said:
You can buy XJ's for peanuts now life is too short not to have a Jag in it.
You can. I'd advise anyone to get one! These 'proper' XJ's wont be around forever. I saw two of the new XJ's whilst at work today and whilst I do like them, they're not graceful or sleek like these old ones. Hell, the top of the bootlid when shut on the new XJ must be higher than the roof on my XJ!Anyway, I got the car back today. Collected the keys from the garage, couldn't drive it away at that point as I was working, so I returned under cover of darkness to collect it. The start - rough, lumpy idle. Selected 'R', the engine cut and showed an 'engine stalled' message. f
k. Started it again, cut out again. Started it, revved it out and let it settle, then revved it again. An Italian tune up at the roadside. After a bout of revs (uncomfortable with a cold engine), I clicked it into 'R' and managed to reverse it without stalling. Made it back to the office, where it sat in the car park for 90 minutes before I finished work. It started okay.I had noticed though that the clock was an hour fast - or was it? That, coupled with the hard start made me think the battery had gone flat, or at least been disconnected whilst it was out of my care. I tried to switch on the radio and it asked for a code. Yes, it had surely been flat. I wonder if they disconnected the battery to clear the codes/warning lights for ABS/TRAC/ASC? Anyway, it had either been without batter for 11 hours or 23 hours, one of the two. The garage advised me that the bloke who had worked on it had forgotten to put a compression washer back in place when putting the wheel bearing it and re-assembling the wheel.
Overall, a nightmare experience. If the radio accepts the code I give it tomorrow (written in the owner's handbooks) and starts without issue all will be well. I feel as though these trials are ending. Honda expect my motorbike to be fixed and ready tomorrow for about £80 and the experience has urged me to complete my full bike licence (starting next month).
Barging is mostly skill but with a bit of luck thrown in. You win by carefully managing retreat on an old, well loved and well used car. Eventually, defeat tends to be be inevitable but you have fun along the way. Sometimes, the dice don't turn in your favour and a relatively simple job like I expected on my Jaguar goes wrong and leaves you in the s
t. But overall, the car is worth it. It's now got another year's MOT so that's another year that it'll grace our roads!There seems to be plenty the garage didn't know about these! A shame, as it was recommended to me by two colleagues, both who regularly use it for MOT and repair work. It's close to the satellite office I use at work, which is useful as there aren't many MOT garages local to where I live so getting a car MOT'd when I'm not at work is a considerable effort!
Sweet as ever. Luckily the radio code was written on one of the manuals. You'd never know just a week ago it was going through such troubles. As was I, as it was last Thursday night I pushed my motorbike up the pavement the full length of Scotswood Road! That's all behind me now, thank God.
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