Ex-Lexus owner's experience of a Jaguar XJ8 (X350).
Discussion
This arrived from eBay today, and despite not yet having my diagnostics kit for the autobox reset/update, I couldn't resist cracking on and servicing the autobox on the big Jag.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/87V5uqYD.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/87V5uqYD" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/87V5uqYD.jpg)
Whereas most of the 1L bottles of ZF Lifeguard are around the £20 mark, I got this 10 litre tub plus the new sump/filter for £230. It didn't however come with the new bolts/screws for the sump, so the old ones would have to be reused.
As I work for a top secret automotive testing facility (just off the A5 between Hinckley and Atherstone; if you get to Tamworth, you've gone too far), I have unfettered access to a fully equipped workshop with two and four post ramps, which is handy for someone with both a Land Rover and barge addiction.
So up she went;
The first thing I noticed was the sump definitely seemed to have been leaking. Although I hadn't noticed any drips where it's parked, the sump was pretty wet with gearbox fluid. From reading around, it seems they're quite prone to warping, so leaks aren't uncommon.
Whilst it was up, I had a good look around underneath. Everything looks pretty much as expected. Some of the rubber bits are looking a bit tired though - to be expected at this age and mileage. I'd really like to go through all of the suspension and do all of the bushes at some point.
Anyway, back to the job at hand. As with any oil change, the first job was to remove the filler cap, to save any disasters resulting in a dry gearbox with no way of filling it back up. This came out easily enough with a standard allen key.
Next I released the drain plug. I had warmed the car up to operating temperature before starting, so naturally the plug came out quicker than expected and hot ATF shot straight down my arm, up my sleeve and into my armpit. Nice.
Surprisingly, the oil coming out didn't look or smell all that bad. It was obviously well-used but not burnt or blackened.
Next, I started to remove the 21 torx headed screws securing the sump. This was far more difficult than expected. Initially, I didn't help the situation by trying to remove them using a T25 bit - before realising they were actually T27 in size.
Anyway, even once I had the correct bit on my ratchet, at least half of the screws didn't want to come out, and I was in danger of rounding out the torx heads on them. To get them out I had to supplement the torx bit with a pair of vice grips, which worked well. Phew!
Once the sump was off, I took a moment to marvel at the exposed underbelly of the 6HP26. Shiiiiiiny
After cleaning off the sealing face of the gearbox, I offered up the new sump and got it screwed on. To torque the screws, you start in the middle and work your way outwards, as below;
That done, I began to fill the box back up again with lovely fresh Lifeguard 6 oil. Instead of using my usual 'syringe' type oil pump, I decided to try out this Draper pump bottle. It came with a decent length of tube, and a nifty 180 degree bend aluminium nozzle that hooks into the filler hole. It's only 1 litre so I had to refill it 6 times in total, but it worked very nicely and reduced the amount of oil that would otherwise have ended up on the floor / on my shirt / in my armpit.
Once the oil began to run out of the filler hole (after approx. 3 litres), I started the engine, and then continued filling as the autobox took up the oil from the sump. Once the oil again began to run out, I then hopped into the car and cycled it from D to R a few times to further fill the autobox inner workings.
After checking the temperature of the sump with my handy dandy thermal imaging camera (more benefits of being a test engineer), I put the filler plug in, and let it cool to the recommended 30 degrees Celsius, before restarting the engine, re-opening the filler plug and letting the excess fluid run out until only a few drops were exiting.
Filler plug back in, under tray refitted, tools away, job done!
The most exciting part was yet to come though - the test drive!
Immediately, I noticed that reverse engaged much more quickly than before. Where there had previously been a second's delay upon putting the shifter in 'R', now it engaged quickly and smoothly. So far, so good. Pulling away from the workshop, the previously jerky 1st-2nd change was now silky and almost undetectable. I think this was where I started to grin
The drive home was a revelation. No more lurching when coming to a stop. Smooth shifts under all load conditions. Much smoother uptake of drive from a standing start. Much smoother transition from braking to acceleration, and from coasting to acceleration. It may be my imagination, but it also seems quieter at low speeds now too - less 'whirring' when pulling away.
So unless you couldn't tell, I'm bloody chuffed.
And this is before I've reset or updated the box too! As I still have about four litres of Lifeguard oil left, I'm going to do another drain and refill of the box at the same time that I do the engine and filter service, so about 4000 miles time. Since I didn't do a full flush, the new oil is actually mixed about 50/50 with old oil - so another drain and refill should give about 75% or so new oil in total, and yield perhaps even smoother autobox behaviour.
Whereas most of the 1L bottles of ZF Lifeguard are around the £20 mark, I got this 10 litre tub plus the new sump/filter for £230. It didn't however come with the new bolts/screws for the sump, so the old ones would have to be reused.
As I work for a top secret automotive testing facility (just off the A5 between Hinckley and Atherstone; if you get to Tamworth, you've gone too far), I have unfettered access to a fully equipped workshop with two and four post ramps, which is handy for someone with both a Land Rover and barge addiction.
So up she went;
The first thing I noticed was the sump definitely seemed to have been leaking. Although I hadn't noticed any drips where it's parked, the sump was pretty wet with gearbox fluid. From reading around, it seems they're quite prone to warping, so leaks aren't uncommon.
Whilst it was up, I had a good look around underneath. Everything looks pretty much as expected. Some of the rubber bits are looking a bit tired though - to be expected at this age and mileage. I'd really like to go through all of the suspension and do all of the bushes at some point.
Anyway, back to the job at hand. As with any oil change, the first job was to remove the filler cap, to save any disasters resulting in a dry gearbox with no way of filling it back up. This came out easily enough with a standard allen key.
Next I released the drain plug. I had warmed the car up to operating temperature before starting, so naturally the plug came out quicker than expected and hot ATF shot straight down my arm, up my sleeve and into my armpit. Nice.
Surprisingly, the oil coming out didn't look or smell all that bad. It was obviously well-used but not burnt or blackened.
Next, I started to remove the 21 torx headed screws securing the sump. This was far more difficult than expected. Initially, I didn't help the situation by trying to remove them using a T25 bit - before realising they were actually T27 in size.
Anyway, even once I had the correct bit on my ratchet, at least half of the screws didn't want to come out, and I was in danger of rounding out the torx heads on them. To get them out I had to supplement the torx bit with a pair of vice grips, which worked well. Phew!
Once the sump was off, I took a moment to marvel at the exposed underbelly of the 6HP26. Shiiiiiiny
After cleaning off the sealing face of the gearbox, I offered up the new sump and got it screwed on. To torque the screws, you start in the middle and work your way outwards, as below;
That done, I began to fill the box back up again with lovely fresh Lifeguard 6 oil. Instead of using my usual 'syringe' type oil pump, I decided to try out this Draper pump bottle. It came with a decent length of tube, and a nifty 180 degree bend aluminium nozzle that hooks into the filler hole. It's only 1 litre so I had to refill it 6 times in total, but it worked very nicely and reduced the amount of oil that would otherwise have ended up on the floor / on my shirt / in my armpit.
Once the oil began to run out of the filler hole (after approx. 3 litres), I started the engine, and then continued filling as the autobox took up the oil from the sump. Once the oil again began to run out, I then hopped into the car and cycled it from D to R a few times to further fill the autobox inner workings.
After checking the temperature of the sump with my handy dandy thermal imaging camera (more benefits of being a test engineer), I put the filler plug in, and let it cool to the recommended 30 degrees Celsius, before restarting the engine, re-opening the filler plug and letting the excess fluid run out until only a few drops were exiting.
Filler plug back in, under tray refitted, tools away, job done!
The most exciting part was yet to come though - the test drive!
Immediately, I noticed that reverse engaged much more quickly than before. Where there had previously been a second's delay upon putting the shifter in 'R', now it engaged quickly and smoothly. So far, so good. Pulling away from the workshop, the previously jerky 1st-2nd change was now silky and almost undetectable. I think this was where I started to grin
The drive home was a revelation. No more lurching when coming to a stop. Smooth shifts under all load conditions. Much smoother uptake of drive from a standing start. Much smoother transition from braking to acceleration, and from coasting to acceleration. It may be my imagination, but it also seems quieter at low speeds now too - less 'whirring' when pulling away.
So unless you couldn't tell, I'm bloody chuffed.
And this is before I've reset or updated the box too! As I still have about four litres of Lifeguard oil left, I'm going to do another drain and refill of the box at the same time that I do the engine and filter service, so about 4000 miles time. Since I didn't do a full flush, the new oil is actually mixed about 50/50 with old oil - so another drain and refill should give about 75% or so new oil in total, and yield perhaps even smoother autobox behaviour. Edited by LandyManSam on Friday 8th September 09:24
Quick update - the Jag is still running smoothly post gearbox service, and will be getting another run up to N. Wales this weekend - so should be interesting to see the difference along some decent roads.
@Craig, as you seem to be the man in the know regarding X350... I've noticed that some X350s have a much nicer, chunkier rimmed steering wheel than mine does. I find the wheel on mine to be too thin, and quite difficult to grip with my big bear claws. Do you happen to know whether these are a straight swap?
@Craig, as you seem to be the man in the know regarding X350... I've noticed that some X350s have a much nicer, chunkier rimmed steering wheel than mine does. I find the wheel on mine to be too thin, and quite difficult to grip with my big bear claws. Do you happen to know whether these are a straight swap?
Just as a comparison;
Chunky wheel (pinched from an ad from a 2007 car)
My wheel with the thinner rim:
eBay listing for a 'late' type wheel - also noticed the badge is a bit different;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JAGUAR-X350-LATE-S-TYPE-...
Chunky wheel (pinched from an ad from a 2007 car)
My wheel with the thinner rim:
eBay listing for a 'late' type wheel - also noticed the badge is a bit different;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JAGUAR-X350-LATE-S-TYPE-...
Edited by LandyManSam on Thursday 14th September 09:35
Ticked a few more little jobs off the list this evening, including the steering wheel upgrade:
This was £30 on eBay and money really well spent. Feels so much nicer in the hands than the original, plus adds a slightly sportier look to the cockpit. Really happy with this.
Secondly, the N/S/F fog lamp unit had been smashed to bits by a previous owner, so from the same seller as the steering wheel, I got a replacement for £25. Really easy to fit and smartens the front end up a bit:
I've also put the new genuine Jaguar rubber floor mats in (front and rear) to replace the tatty carpet mats, and added a cupholder insert into the centre armrest. All of this was from RimmerBros, at a cost of about £60 in total. Quite happy with how the interior is looking now.
Later this week I'm going to give the paintwork a good going over... clay bar, machine polish and wax, plus a deep clean of the interior carpets and a bit of leather conditioning... Can't. Stop. Titivating!
This was £30 on eBay and money really well spent. Feels so much nicer in the hands than the original, plus adds a slightly sportier look to the cockpit. Really happy with this.
Secondly, the N/S/F fog lamp unit had been smashed to bits by a previous owner, so from the same seller as the steering wheel, I got a replacement for £25. Really easy to fit and smartens the front end up a bit:
I've also put the new genuine Jaguar rubber floor mats in (front and rear) to replace the tatty carpet mats, and added a cupholder insert into the centre armrest. All of this was from RimmerBros, at a cost of about £60 in total. Quite happy with how the interior is looking now.
Later this week I'm going to give the paintwork a good going over... clay bar, machine polish and wax, plus a deep clean of the interior carpets and a bit of leather conditioning... Can't. Stop. Titivating!
craigjm said:
Rubber mats in a Jag? 
Other than that totally on board but.... find a way of getting rid of that horrid nose piercing please!
Rubber, yeah! Other than that totally on board but.... find a way of getting rid of that horrid nose piercing please!
I often get into it in my work boots, and since they're yet to build an actual car park at my office (long story...) they're rarely clean. Carpet mats would get wrecked in no time.I'm working on the nose piercing. The longer I have the car, the more I dislike it - so it'll definitely be going.
craigjm said:
OK you can have a reprieve from execution... for now
So what's next? If it was me I would be thinking about the audio you mentioned earlier in the post. I think I would also get the "wood" out and hydrodip it piano black or any other finish you fancy to look more sporty and modern. I would also be upgrading the steering wheel centre badge and all the external badges to the modern growler.
A lot of the optional equipment is available cheap to retrofit these days from breakers on eBay etc. Have a look through a brochure from the time and see what options you have missing that you would like and start the hunt for them.
I'm quite fond of the 'wood', can't say I'm tempted to change it really. Got to keep it feeling 'Jaguary' inside! So what's next? If it was me I would be thinking about the audio you mentioned earlier in the post. I think I would also get the "wood" out and hydrodip it piano black or any other finish you fancy to look more sporty and modern. I would also be upgrading the steering wheel centre badge and all the external badges to the modern growler.
A lot of the optional equipment is available cheap to retrofit these days from breakers on eBay etc. Have a look through a brochure from the time and see what options you have missing that you would like and start the hunt for them.
Audio is definitely on the cards. Need to put together a parts list and plan of attack for this, as I want to do it properly.
Mine is definitely short of a few options... heated seats would be nice, but surely that's not as simple as just adding a button?
Which other options would be an easy retrofit?
A few hours with the clay bar, machine polisher and a tub of wax gave some good results yesterday;
I then got carried away, removed the exhaust trims and cleaned/polished them (came up amazingly well, must be good quality stainless!).
After all of this, the cloudy headlight lenses were letting it down - so they got the wet and dry / machine polish treatment to bring them up to scratch.
Decided the next thing will be new tyres. It's currently sitting on four different, (albeit good quality) brands, but they're definitely a few years old and are showing their age. Any suggestions here for a quiet, comfortable mid-range tyre?
I then got carried away, removed the exhaust trims and cleaned/polished them (came up amazingly well, must be good quality stainless!).
After all of this, the cloudy headlight lenses were letting it down - so they got the wet and dry / machine polish treatment to bring them up to scratch.
Decided the next thing will be new tyres. It's currently sitting on four different, (albeit good quality) brands, but they're definitely a few years old and are showing their age. Any suggestions here for a quiet, comfortable mid-range tyre?
craigjm said:
The factory standards are usually Pirelli. What’s on it at the moment and what size?
Great results with the clay bar but I’m gonna hunt you down and attack that leaper with a crow bar if it’s not removed soon
235/50 R18 is the size. Off the top of my head, one Continental, one Dunlop, one Bridgestone and one Pirelli... Great results with the clay bar but I’m gonna hunt you down and attack that leaper with a crow bar if it’s not removed soon
all way past their best. Makes you wonder... why go to the expense of buying top brand tyres if you're not going to even try and match them??Reviews seem to suggest that Michelin and Continental are at the top of the pile currently, with the Sport Pilot 4 and PremiumContact 6 respectively. I can get the Contis for £116 each, which seems good value for money, from here: https://www.camskill.co.uk/m61b0s306p145705/Contin...
I'm half tempted to save a few quid and get something like this Falken ZE914 (also well reviewed) for £86 https://www.camskill.co.uk/m61b0s306p130783/Falken...
Or even this Nexen N8000 for £76... https://www.camskill.co.uk/m61b0s306p130783/Falken...
Not sure if I'll notice the difference between them all on a 125,000 mile barge - money that could be better spent elsewhere, such as the bling headunit and speakers that are coming next, or indeed, a leaper-free bonnet?
Edited by LandyManSam on Monday 25th September 15:04
craigjm said:
Whilst I have nothing against anyone fitting a leaper to a car that they were not designed for (no production Jaguar after the 420G has one fitted from the factory) whoever fitted this one had obviously never seen a Jaguar before and fitted it in a random place far too far back behind the leading edge of the bonnet. Hideous.
It's definitely in the wrong place, but I think their reason for putting it there was one of laziness rather than ignorance. The front section of the bonnet is constructed in double skin with a pressed form underneath to provide rigidity for the catch - whereas further back it's thinner, so would have been easier for them to wrangle their Black and Decker through it and overtighten the nut on the bottom, denting the skin. alec.e said:
Great job on the headlights! Well worth doing. This was my old XJ:
I chrome wrapped the orange repeaters, maybe something to consider?
Mmmmmm, noice! I see the chrome wrap on the bumper reflectors - great idea. Would this stuff do the trick? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stretchable-Mirror-Chrom...I chrome wrapped the orange repeaters, maybe something to consider?
Is the side repeater also wrapped? If so, can you still see it flashing? Looks almost black in the picture.
Also - those 19" Supercharged wheels look superb. Sort of tempted to fit a set of these "Toba" wheels from the X351, but am loathe to worsen the ride, which I already find firm in comparison to previous barges.
@Craig, shield your eyes! Leaper!!!
craigjm said:
The car should ride fine on upto 20 inch wheels. Check your suspension is functioning properly Sam. Your model was sold originally on 17 inch wheels. Check the air suspension and the CATS module is working as it should
Am I going to need to get the diagnostics kit ordered to check the CATS and EAS over?
alec.e said:
Yes that vinyl should do the job. The side indicators were sprayed with tint spray, no issues with visability or MOT.
I went from 17 to 19 wheels, honestly the ride never bothered me. My Super V8 rides on 20s and people still compliment the magic carpet ride.
I went from 17 to 19 wheels, honestly the ride never bothered me. My Super V8 rides on 20s and people still compliment the magic carpet ride.
craigjm said:
Exactly which is why I think there may be a suspension fault based on what he said
When I first got into the car I was a bit shocked by the ride quality, but sort of put it down to being a Sport. It's fine over smooth surfaces but on small imperfections it bounces and jolts a bit like my girlfriend's Micra. I've got the diagnostics kit on the way now - so will have a poke around and clear fault codes etc. Apparently, the CATS can become stuck in hard mode if the right (or wrong) combination of fault codes are present. Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff