2009 Jaguar XK
Discussion
Breadvan72 said:
A grumpy bloke in London called me a one percenter when he saw my XJS as I waited at the lights, but it was in truth so rusty that I reckon his mobile phone and fancy trainers were worth more.
You should have ripped a bit of fender well off and threw it at him; he’d been confused the rest of the day. If the rules permit, I hope to do gran turismo in the Jaaaaaaaag, down to Vichy via Burgundy, and back via the Loire and Paris, in August or September. This may not happen because of the reasons we all know about. The car will be well suited for that trip, I think.
I have only driven one car with a supercharger - a Lancia HPE Volumex. The small Roots blower on that made two litres like three. I have only had two turbo cars - a GM era Saab 900, which was meh, and a Fiat Coupe Turbo, which was fabby.
I borrowed a 1980s Porsche Carrera Turbo once, in the wet - what a nightmare!
I have only driven one car with a supercharger - a Lancia HPE Volumex. The small Roots blower on that made two litres like three. I have only had two turbo cars - a GM era Saab 900, which was meh, and a Fiat Coupe Turbo, which was fabby.
I borrowed a 1980s Porsche Carrera Turbo once, in the wet - what a nightmare!
Breadvan72 said:
Jimbeaux said:
Someone would have to pull a gun (faster than I do) to get my XJS; love that car. The 1995 is rock solid IMO. I’ve driven it since 2007 with no issues.
Buying an end of range car often a great idea - all the problems sorted. Jag was having a good mid 90s. My friend in Toronto has a glorious late XJS in a gold colour. I have been tempted by the more affordable 90s XJ6s, but have not succumbed - I'd want an earlier one.
Great car BV I have mulled these over many a time. I think we have similar tastes looking at your previous posts. I’m 53 soon and grew up liking all things car related. First car Austin 1300, then Mini 850, 1972 Beetle, Inca Yellow Dolly Sprint, 1600 Capri MK2, Viva HA van, RS2000 Mk1 and 2, Capri 280 Turbo Technics, 3000S on a Y plate, Vitesse, GMC Apache V8 etc. If your ever in Malvern let me know and I’ll take you for a blast in the XK140 as I feel it is better than the E Type in many ways. It handles and goes with a speed and noise that confound the fact it was built 65 yrs ago.
In BL, the development and testing budget would be what BMW spent on paperclips. Thus the cars were to some extent tested by the customers. Balance sheet shell games also came into play. My dad once watched a line worker factory-bodging something on a Marina. The tools and jigs were so knackered that the standard parts didn't fit together. My dad observed that the bodge would fail soon after a customer started driving the car. The line dude said that he knew this, but that they had been instructed to get the cars to the dealers who would fix them under warranty. Thus the spend would come out of another pot, and the factory would satisfy the accounting team.
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 7th September 16:45
My FiL did his engineering apprenticeship at Austin in the 1960s under Issigonis. He said there were a lot of talented people who were able to improvise with what they had. He said a big issue was that if some bloke off the buses married into the family of someone at Longbridges family he could very soon be given a job managing a department he knew nothing about. Dad developed very early cadcam and software to carry out computer based crash and wear predictions for development of safer cars after the Ralph Nader book.
I also know people who worked there after Honda came on board and have heard tales of how Rover would accept shoddy parts through when Honda would test everything and reject if not up to tolerance. All these rue the day Honda were shafted. Still it wouldn’t happen now.......or would it.
I also know people who worked there after Honda came on board and have heard tales of how Rover would accept shoddy parts through when Honda would test everything and reject if not up to tolerance. All these rue the day Honda were shafted. Still it wouldn’t happen now.......or would it.
First class choice, hardly anything goes wrong with post 2000 petrol Jag engines, and obviously the aluminium structures don't suffer from corrosion.
A couple of things to aid longevity;-
Steel subframes across the range benefit from rustproofing.
Jaguar's latest recommendation of 16,000 mile oil change intervals is pushing it somewhat, IMO, 7,500 - 8,000 seems to guard nicely against any troubles. One of ours is on 80,000 miles, the other on 150,000 miles; so far so good.
A couple of things to aid longevity;-
Steel subframes across the range benefit from rustproofing.
Jaguar's latest recommendation of 16,000 mile oil change intervals is pushing it somewhat, IMO, 7,500 - 8,000 seems to guard nicely against any troubles. One of ours is on 80,000 miles, the other on 150,000 miles; so far so good.
Guys, any carbon fouling from the DI on your 5.0s? I know the Audi, and some others were bad for this. My SLK 350 seems to have missed this as Merc was late to the DI game and was able to do some tweeks in 2012 and avoid this.
I read that Land Rovers with the 5.0 suffer fouling but not many Jags even though it is the same engine.
I read that Land Rovers with the 5.0 suffer fouling but not many Jags even though it is the same engine.
Edited by Jimbeaux on Friday 22 May 12:16
I bought my XK last December but only started driving it in March when I returned from a period of exile, and I have only done about 2000 miles in the car. No engine issues in that time. I had the oil and coolant changed last month and will take the advice above and change the oil every 7000 miles. The car has now done 72,000 miles in its 11 year life.
I think a previous owner may have been a woman with long fingernails, or a flamenco guitarist, because there are many fine scratches around the driver's door handle. The only other mark on the car is the long vertical scratch on the driver's door put there the other day by a little light blue hatchback at the petrol station. The interior shows no signs of wear.
I think a previous owner may have been a woman with long fingernails, or a flamenco guitarist, because there are many fine scratches around the driver's door handle. The only other mark on the car is the long vertical scratch on the driver's door put there the other day by a little light blue hatchback at the petrol station. The interior shows no signs of wear.
Jimbeaux said:
Guys, any carbon fouling from the DI on your 5.0s? I know the Audi, and some others were bad for this. My SLK 350 seems to have missed this as Merc was late to the DI game and was able to do some tweets in 2012 and avoid this.
I read that Land Rovers with the 5.0 suffer fouling but not many Jags even though it is the same engine.
We have had no problems at all with our 2013 XFR on 80,000, a friend has one of the first, on more than double the mileage; likewise no sign of troubles. Pure speculation; perhaps the Jags get driven differently from the RRs. I read that Land Rovers with the 5.0 suffer fouling but not many Jags even though it is the same engine.
Mikebentley said:
My FiL did his engineering apprenticeship at Austin in the 1960s under Issigonis. He said there were a lot of talented people who were able to improvise with what they had. He said a big issue was that if some bloke off the buses married into the family of someone at Longbridges family he could very soon be given a job managing a department he knew nothing about. Dad developed very early cadcam and software to carry out computer based crash and wear predictions for development of safer cars after the Ralph Nader book.
I also know people who worked there after Honda came on board and have heard tales of how Rover would accept shoddy parts through when Honda would test everything and reject if not up to tolerance. All these rue the day Honda were shafted. Still it wouldn’t happen now.......or would it.
My father accompanied a group of Honda engineers on a visit to a BL plant in the late 70s. The Honda guys asked when the factory had last retooled. The answer was a date in the 1940s. The Honda guys said that they retooled every eight years. BL and its predecessors had been starved of investment for decades. I also know people who worked there after Honda came on board and have heard tales of how Rover would accept shoddy parts through when Honda would test everything and reject if not up to tolerance. All these rue the day Honda were shafted. Still it wouldn’t happen now.......or would it.
My uncle was a toolmaker. He was kept busy, and earned so much double time at weekends that he could play golf, have tailored suits, and change his car every year. My dad, ex toolsetter, when in junior management had to settle for football in the park, off the peg suits, and a s
tty old car that he ran until it died. My uncle, always a dapper man, gave me two of his suits, beautifully made by a little old Polish Jewish refugee guy in Birmingham, and they plus a couple of good suits from Oxfam saw me through my first five years as a lawyer. John Locke said:
Jimbeaux said:
Guys, any carbon fouling from the DI on your 5.0s? I know the Audi, and some others were bad for this. My SLK 350 seems to have missed this as Merc was late to the DI game and was able to do some tweets in 2012 and avoid this.
I read that Land Rovers with the 5.0 suffer fouling but not many Jags even though it is the same engine.
We have had no problems at all with our 2013 XFR on 80,000, a friend has one of the first, on more than double the mileage; likewise no sign of troubles. Pure speculation; perhaps the Jags get driven differently from the RRs. I read that Land Rovers with the 5.0 suffer fouling but not many Jags even though it is the same engine.
Mikebentley said:
My FiL did his engineering apprenticeship at Austin in the 1960s under Issigonis.
.... Dad developed very early cadcam and software to carry out computer based crash and wear predictions for development of safer cars after the Ralph Nader book.
....
That is way cool!.... Dad developed very early cadcam and software to carry out computer based crash and wear predictions for development of safer cars after the Ralph Nader book.
....
Did your dad ever meet an Industrial Engineer called Joe who had a strong Dublin accent? That was my dad. He started on the shop floor at Lucas in 1960, got as far as toolsetter and then qualified as an IE, had a spell at Rootes-Chrysler, and spent the late 70s and the 80s in BL, working in every division except Jaguar and Land Rover. He always referred to Longbridge as "the Austin", to Solihull as "the Rover", and to Cowley as "the Morris". He ended up running an exhaust factory in north Oxford (long since replaced by houses).
Breadvan72 said:
Mikebentley said:
My FiL did his engineering apprenticeship at Austin in the 1960s under Issigonis.
.... Dad developed very early cadcam and software to carry out computer based crash and wear predictions for development of safer cars after the Ralph Nader book.
....
That is way cool!.... Dad developed very early cadcam and software to carry out computer based crash and wear predictions for development of safer cars after the Ralph Nader book.
....
Did your dad ever meet an Industrial Engineer called Joe who had a strong Dublin accent? That was my dad. He started on the shop floor at Lucas in 1960, got as far as toolsetter and then qualified as an IE, had a spell at Rootes-Chrysler, and spent the late 70s and the 80s in BL, working in every division except Jaguar and Land Rover. He always referred to Longbridge as "the Austin", to Solihull as "the Rover", and to Cowley as "the Morris". He ended up running an exhaust factory in north Oxford (long since replaced by houses).
When I worked at HMP Birmingham many of my staff were ex Rover. They all recounted tales of glaring differing views between Honda and Rover on QC. Honda insisted every supervisors officer at Longbridge was identically laid out with colour coded folders in an exact order so that any supervisor could manage any area of production. Tales of GKN delivering millions of parts badly made to wrong spec.(probably Rover cost cutting). Honda would come in test them and reject. Rover would use them on their models instead. This explains why so many of the Concerto Honda cars lasted 15 yrs and Rover 213/216 died within 5/6 yrs.
Dad went on with a colleague to build a very successful private company providing software to the toolmaking industry. His major clients were a major Japanese toolmaker who stood by him as he developed his business through thick and thin. When he sold the business he spent 12 months travelling to Japan to ensure the transition was done correctly for both parties as this was about honourable behaviour as well as business. That was the complete opposite to how Rover treated Honda.
Breadvan72 said:
I bought my XK last December but only started driving it in March when I returned from a period of exile, and I have only done about 2000 miles in the car. No engine issues in that time. I had the oil and coolant changed last month and will take the advice above and change the oil every 7000 miles. The car has now done 72,000 miles in its 11 year life.
I think a previous owner may have been a woman with long fingernails, or a flamenco guitarist, because there are many fine scratches around the driver's door handle. The only other mark on the car is the long vertical scratch on the driver's door put there the other day by a little light blue hatchback at the petrol station. The interior shows no signs of wear.
One of the advantages of this engine is it's designed for oil change from above. Suck the old oil out using the pipe inside the oil fill cap, replace the filter element that's on top of the engine, pour new oil down oil fill tube. Takes about 30 minutes without having to grub around under the car.I think a previous owner may have been a woman with long fingernails, or a flamenco guitarist, because there are many fine scratches around the driver's door handle. The only other mark on the car is the long vertical scratch on the driver's door put there the other day by a little light blue hatchback at the petrol station. The interior shows no signs of wear.
Main issue is finding the correct oil. The original spec' is no longer available and there are forum after forum discussing what the latest should be. Also it's not cheap only being sold in 1L bottles at about £12-15 a pop... and you need 8L !!
I do mine myself about every 10k miles, same on the Range Rover which has the same engine.
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