Bit of a story .. 2007 XJ 4.2 LWB Sov..
Discussion
robinessex said:
This is the beast what done it:-
Front strut killed, suspect compressor failure, suspension a bit twisted, off-side wing a bit twisted, and both offside wheels/tyres suspected damage.
Def go after them, I got all my monies back from Oxford council 2 years ago for the damage earlier in this threadFront strut killed, suspect compressor failure, suspension a bit twisted, off-side wing a bit twisted, and both offside wheels/tyres suspected damage.
Edited by robinessex on Wednesday 2nd November 16:37
As the thread has been kindly revived,the 29th of October was the 4th anniversary of dad passing,and the reason for me having this car.
Since the last real update,it’s sailed through its MOT,had 4 new P-Zero’s (wanted Michelin’s but they were out of stock) and last week did a 500 mile jaunt via the New Forest,Coventry and Sheffield.A message of “ communication fault,consult dealer” message nearly stopped that trip before it started ( no nav/climate/cruise abs everything else) til I decided it hadn’t been driven for 10 days and it was likely just the battery so set off. After 15 miles or so I was stuck in traffic so turned the ignition off and restarted and all was re-set.
The other drama a few weeks ago was leaving the car with a detailer and the rear passenger driveshaft shearing in their presence… the car has now done 138,000 miles,so could just be coincidental wear and tear,or they’ve slammed it from drive to reverse or park with the car still moving … who knows! A big unexpected bill unfortunately as i had no proof either way.
The other thing I’ve now noticed is each summer I have the air bag light come on … the hotter the weather gets the more permanent the light is …. As soon as the temp drops ( like now in November) the light is nowhere to be seen. It’s a common fault with these,but the timing is odd. I sometimes wonder whether it’s related to the build date as some sort of a reminder!
Since the last real update,it’s sailed through its MOT,had 4 new P-Zero’s (wanted Michelin’s but they were out of stock) and last week did a 500 mile jaunt via the New Forest,Coventry and Sheffield.A message of “ communication fault,consult dealer” message nearly stopped that trip before it started ( no nav/climate/cruise abs everything else) til I decided it hadn’t been driven for 10 days and it was likely just the battery so set off. After 15 miles or so I was stuck in traffic so turned the ignition off and restarted and all was re-set.
The other drama a few weeks ago was leaving the car with a detailer and the rear passenger driveshaft shearing in their presence… the car has now done 138,000 miles,so could just be coincidental wear and tear,or they’ve slammed it from drive to reverse or park with the car still moving … who knows! A big unexpected bill unfortunately as i had no proof either way.
The other thing I’ve now noticed is each summer I have the air bag light come on … the hotter the weather gets the more permanent the light is …. As soon as the temp drops ( like now in November) the light is nowhere to be seen. It’s a common fault with these,but the timing is odd. I sometimes wonder whether it’s related to the build date as some sort of a reminder!
Edited by sjc on Thursday 3rd November 10:42
The issue with the dash displaying all sorts of error signals was the well-known earthing (lack of) issue. Touched the earth bolt in the engine bay with a finger, and it fell off. Next was the alternator not putting out enough volts, finally, a battery that didn't like being charged anymore. Was trying to track a suspension issue before the pothole, Ir would vary between soft and hard. Was due to have the diagnostics plugged in, but never made it.
Dr Imran T said:
Just wanted to add what a wonderful story this purchase is as a 'nod' to your father. Top work sir!!
Thank you Sir!No dramas recently,took three friends to to the NEC for the classic car show and they were astonished at it with 139K miles on it.
No doubt the cold snap will now play havoc with it though !
As it’s nearly five years since I started this thread,I’ll give it an ( (boring thankfully !)anniversary update.
In April it sailed straight through the MOT with no advisories for the fifth consecutive year.An eruption of warning lights on more than one occasion has meant two wheel speed sensors ( pretty much consumables on these cars it seems),and a slight whine from the air con meant a replacement second hand pump was fitted,but three months later it’s returned so going back next week. I recently had the 20” Sepangs refurbed for the second time in my ownership,this time with all 4 being de-buckled in the hope of improving the jiggly ( they all do that on 20’s Sir!) ride. The eye watering cost( thank god for mates rates) has been well worth it,and after a second attempt at balancing its massively improved everything associated with it.
Just done a 750 road trip Essex/Hexham/Penrith/Yorkshire Dales/Essex and the thing was an absolute pleasure,returning 32MPG overall,not bad for a 16 year old,143,000 mile LWB 4.2 V8 I’d say.
When I had the wheels refurbed on the spur of the moment I decided to have the outer rings in chrome like a few of the very early cars,and as a bit of a nod to the series1/2 chrome pressed wheels,chuffed with the result and how it pops against the chrome quarter bumper inserts!
In April it sailed straight through the MOT with no advisories for the fifth consecutive year.An eruption of warning lights on more than one occasion has meant two wheel speed sensors ( pretty much consumables on these cars it seems),and a slight whine from the air con meant a replacement second hand pump was fitted,but three months later it’s returned so going back next week. I recently had the 20” Sepangs refurbed for the second time in my ownership,this time with all 4 being de-buckled in the hope of improving the jiggly ( they all do that on 20’s Sir!) ride. The eye watering cost( thank god for mates rates) has been well worth it,and after a second attempt at balancing its massively improved everything associated with it.
Just done a 750 road trip Essex/Hexham/Penrith/Yorkshire Dales/Essex and the thing was an absolute pleasure,returning 32MPG overall,not bad for a 16 year old,143,000 mile LWB 4.2 V8 I’d say.
When I had the wheels refurbed on the spur of the moment I decided to have the outer rings in chrome like a few of the very early cars,and as a bit of a nod to the series1/2 chrome pressed wheels,chuffed with the result and how it pops against the chrome quarter bumper inserts!
My (late) XJR had the jingly ride, down to buckled wheels. At £650 new, that's if you can find any. These Sepang 20" wheels seem very susceptible to impacts buckling them, I've no idea why as they are made by a reputable company. They're made by BBS in Germany, but they filed for bankruptcy in July 2020. Not sure of their current status. I was about to source some new wheels as near as possible in looks, as these are one of the few cars where the manufacturer got the style right for the car. Having spent my 60 years in engineering as a stress engineer, I'm not an advocate of straightening bent wheels. Permanent deformation and subsequent straightening can result in micro-cracking and potential fatigue crack issues. One of my wheels suffered from slow tyre deflation, a dip in the water tank showed a crack was the culprit.
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