Jaguar XJ-Series

lucnoel · January 2002

on the passenger side,remove the plastic kick panel,and you will find the accessory plug.

It is a black plug with 3 wires.
Ground
Positif + ignition switched
Positif + on all the time

If you use the ignition switched + you will need to put a 12V relay in the fuse box in the trunk to work.

Luc.

willngayle · January 2002

Can anyone recommend a good type of replacement tire for a 99 XJ8. The P4000's don't wear well and I was interested in something that performed as well but gave better mileage. I am in a unique situation in which my car had MXV4's that have now been shown to be out of round and I am going to get another set of tires from the dealer. Any suggestions on replacements? Thanks, Bill

[Deleted User] · January 2002

Not that anyone cares, but what the hell.

Replaced the O2 sensor today. What a PITA! You can barely get a ratchet in there. Had to use a socket because the collar on the sensor is recessed in the downpipe. The old sensor was all messed up looking. It must get awful hot in that pipe! The car seems to have more power, better pickup. Is that my imagination, or is it really possible from changing an O2 sensor?

Got all the tires balanced. (That's TIRES, with an "I".) Had to order a new Pirelli P4000. One of them had side impact damage. I didn't notice it before I bought the car. Because the other tires are so new, I could get away with buying one.

The front rotors appear to be warped. Oh well. A pair of Brembo rotors and a set of Ferodo pads are only $120. I hope the bearings are OK. Rear brakes look fine. Good thing they're outboards, though.

This stuff doesn't bother me too much. It's an 8 year old car with plenty o' miles, bought cheap. I compare the owning and driving an XJS convertible to having an incredibly beautiful girlfriend. A man will put up with a few things, just to be able to continue dating her.

im_brentwood · January 2002

Bill..

I like Dunlop SP5000s, also the P6000 Sport Veloces are really nice too.

Hope this helps!

Bill also

im_brentwood · January 2002

Not that anyone cares, but what the hell.

No. We dont care.

LOL.. JK.. God.. you ask for it..

Seriously, Yeah.. those O2 sensors are a serious PITA, hot? Cats can hit 4,000degrees I am told.

Tires? Ouch

Overall though, the car sounds like a honey!

Bill

[Deleted User] · January 2002

I'm also thinking the springs might be a little old. The car sits awfully low. It's hard to tell if it's supposed to be that low. It's obviously a low slung car. I seem to remember something from when I was younger that slips between the coils of a spring, and spreads it just enough to restore the original length.

The ride also seems a little stiff, so I'm also wondering about the shocks. Is the "G" in Boge pronounced soft or hard? If I replace them, I want to use Boge, but don't want to look like an idiot (well...a bigger idiot), when I ask for them.

The tire deal ain't too painful, $125 or so for the one bad tire.

im_brentwood · January 2002

I know that weak shocks are a problem on the X300s.. didnt hear about it on the XJSs tho, but after that mileage, its a possibility that they are weak..

The G is hard in Boge

Bill

[Deleted User] · January 2002

Would the low clearance also be due to shocks, or is that springs?

willngayle · January 2002

Bill,
Are the tires you recommended good for Connecticut winters and can I expect reasonable mileage, 30-40k miles? Thanks, Bill

im_brentwood · January 2002

Bill the dumbass meant springs... arrgh!

im_brentwood · January 2002

Bill,

No. use snow tires. Seriously.

Bill

97vdpguy · January 2002

I just put a set of Dunlop SP5000's on my VDP (changed all 5). The ride is a little quieter than with the P4000e's. The only problem was that I first got the tires changed. They rode beautifully. THEN, I had my 37000 mile service done. They rotated my tires, and now I have a SHIMMY!! Ugh!

So, I'll be going back to the tire place to have them make sure I'm well-balanced. Or at least that the tires are.. (Jaguar says they rotate for free, but they'll charge to balance them)

The Jaguar dealer offered to "unrotate" my tires, but I think getting whichever one(s) rebalanced is the better option. The alignment checked out fine.

The Jag dealer also did the EGR recall service. I can't tell any difference there, but apparently I have a shiny new EGR valve now!

[Deleted User] · January 2002

BTW, replacing the O2 sensor, with a little help from the engine flush/oil change/injector and throttle body cleaning, has lowered the emissions DRASTICALLY. Hoo hah! I won't be changing the pre-cat downpipe after all. That's $340 and an afternoon of cursing and swearing that I won't be spending.

[Deleted User] · January 2002

I started an XJS topic in the Coupes and Convertibles forum. I invite any and all Jaguar lovers, not just XJS owners, to please come by and post to get things started. I'd hate to see it die a sad and lonely death.
I certainly don't know enough about 'em to keep it going. Whadya say, Bill? Ray? Rob?

im_brentwood · January 2002

I'll subscribe sos I can come on over and bug ya

Oh yeah, a bad o2 sensor makes em get all wacky. Did it pass smog? What was the HC PPM out of curiosity?

Bill

[Deleted User] · January 2002

Come on over to the XJS forum and ask me that! I dare ya!

jarmstrong2 · January 2002

I am seriously considering buying a XK8 convertible. Can someone inform me what is the best year to buy. Either 98 or 99 . Is there any difference between the two as far as reliability.
Or do I really need to buy a 2000 model. Bill maybe you could shed some light on which model to buy. Or if anyone else has some input, I would like to hear your thoughts. I asked the mechanic at the Jag dealer and he said that the newer models were mostly Ford. He liked the older models.

Can you get a white / Ivory with a black top?
can you put a roll bar in the XK8 convertible?

Thanks everyone

JMan

im_brentwood · January 2002

98...99...00 All about the same to me from where I sit. No substantial changes really.

01s got a light facelift.

White cars came/come with Tan tops.Black top? You'd have to replace the top. MAYBE re-dye it.

You may not want to pay for anew top.....

Bill

mvargo1 · January 2002

Wheels changed slightly in 2000. Other than that cars are basically identical untill 2001. It is theoretically possibly that someone could have ordered a black top on a white car. Jag will customize colors on XK8's and XJ8's for a fee, but not likely.

im_brentwood · January 2002

True..

But its like that Antigua Blue X300 I had a few monthsago.

Sure.. it COULD Happen, but that's the first Antigua Blue X300/X308 I have ever seen in N America.

Bill

mvargo1 · January 2002

Could be an Amaranth(sp?)(purple) XJR. I think I mentioned that already. The dealer I work for had some sort of sick fetish for purple cars.

Although the Carnival XKR Convert. looked so good we got two of them, a lot nicer than Phoenix would have looked.

im_brentwood · January 2002

Yeah but Amaranth is nasty-ugly

)

Carnival is nice!

Bill

bhill2 · January 2002

Did you special order those Carnival XKR's? When we lost our '99 Carnival/Ivory XK8 to an unguided Pontiac Grand Am, we wanted to get an XKR in the same colors, but were told it would be a special build and would take 4 months. Arghhh!

im_brentwood · January 2002

I;m sure they did.. but we used to do it a lot.

In 1998: Meteorite VDPs, XJRs. Racing Green and Mistral Blue VDPs.

Carnival Red VDPs, etc...

Bill

mvargo1 · January 2002

Carnival is a special order for XKR and 3-4 months is about how long it takes to get an ordered jag.

We ordered one for a customer and it looked so good that we ordered another one. We also ordered a Titanium coupe.

im_brentwood · January 2002

If ya been doing Jags a while..

Remember the Neiman-Marcus XK8s in TITM (Titanium.. haha I remember the order codes!)?

Remember you Could do a special color order on anythiung BUT Titanium in 97? Remember in 98 it cost $2,500 instead of $1,000 for Titanium?

Maybe N-M Cut a deal with Jag.. lol

Bill

97vdpguy · January 2002

I was wondering if one could replace the radio unit with one of those Denso or other aftermarket GPS systems that pop out from inside the radio. An alternative would be to mount the Magellan "NeverLost" unit, but I think the screen is a little small.

I have the CD player in the trunk, I don't want to lose the use of that.

Any ideas??

Thanks!

susy1 · January 2002

A few months ago I got a letter from Jaguar saying that my 95 VDP was being recalled to replace the EGR valve and some associated equipment. I took the letter to my Jag dealer and the service manager said they would have to order the parts and would notify me when the parts came in. A week later I received notice that the parts were in and made an appointment to have them installed. The day before the service was scheduled the service manager called and cancelled the work. He said that Jaguar had notified him to stop working on this recall because they were making some additional changes in it. So far I have heard nothing more from the dealer.
Has anyone else had this experience or is my local dealer playing games with me?

97vdpguy · January 2002

I had the EGR recall performed on my car on January 14th. I've since been told by other Jag owners to watch for rough idle related to the new CPU chip they install as part of the recall. It's possible that a faulty chip may have something to do with why your dealer told you the recall is "on hold". I have had no such problem with my car after getting the service done.

Beware, however, two people have been told that they have a "cracked breather hose" that was discovered during the recall repair. In addition, I was also told that the throttle was dirty and needed to be cleaned. Of course, neither of those repairs were covered by the recall action, just discovered as a result of it.. It added about $200 to my repair bill (I had some other stuff done at the same time too).

You might want to call a different dealer and speak with their service manager. There's no restriction on where you bring your Jag for the recall service. If the recall is really on hold, then every service manager should tell you the same story.

BTW, I had to wait 2 months for the parts to come in, then bug my service mgr twice to get him to schedule the appt.

Good Luck!

im_brentwood · January 2002

It is the truth on 95s I am afraid.

I'm STILL waiting to get my 95 VDP fixed...

Bill
95 VDP
135K

[Deleted User] · January 2002

What's the deal on 94 EGR's? Do they need replacement too?

Bill - Please email me re: MTC.

im_brentwood · January 2002

407-765-4110

E-Mail down

Bill

[Deleted User] · January 2002

In a meeting now. I'll call you a bit later.

Forgot to pay the AOL bill again, eh?

im_brentwood · January 2002

Gonna shoot Gateway

vlasi47 · February 2002

I am looking around to buy an older 93-95 Jag.
Can anyone help advise me what I should be looking out for and what are reasonable prices to pay? Trying to keep under $10,000. What could I find in the $6,000 to $10,000 range?

im_brentwood · February 2002

I think you need to look for a nice 93-94.

A 95 for under 10K will be a substantial stretch, and probably a real pig of a car.

Look for a nice 93-94... You can be well under $10K.. expect to be around 6-8Kish for a clean 93 XJ6... $1,500 more for a nice 94. A little more for a VDP, abotu $1,000-1,500 or so.

Bill

[Deleted User] · February 2002

What? No XJS? :-)

mvargo1 · February 2002

Try to stretch a little and get a '95. You'll go over $10,000, but its just not an XJ without round headlights

mvera · February 2002

I agree, you may want to keep the $$ down on a 93/94, however, when you get it you will want to fix her up and just end up spending the same amount of $. 95's are beautiful, and very reliable in my case. Round headlights are one of the best features. Stay in a couple of week-ends and you'll have those extra bucks for what you want. Good Luck

pat · February 2002

A major newspaper is looking to interview folks who learned how to drive stick in their adulthood, and either fell in love or hated it. Also welcome is any input on why people love to drive stick, and any unusual anecdotes about how you learned etc.

Hope to hear from you before Feb 22 via the Talk to the Press discussion or at jfallon@edmunds.com with your thoughts and contact information.

Thanks as always,

Jeannine Fallon
PR Director, Edmunds.com

[Deleted User] · February 2002

What about people that learned to drive a stick when younger, and realized after a while that it's a major painA, and will never buy a car with a stick again?

pat · February 2002

I dunno, are you stumbling on the "learned as an adult" part? You could certainly respond to her and see if she's interested. Go for it!

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

im_brentwood · February 2002

They have not imported a Manual Transmission XJ to North American since about 1971 or so.

And een then only a few hundred crossed the pond.

I know of maybe as many as 20 Grey-Market cars (Many of them 95-97 XJRs that I have imported.. haha) in the US with Sticks.

Bill

pat · February 2002

but that was posted in a whole bunch of places because it could apply to a whole bunch of folks!

im_brentwood · February 2002

I'm just messing with ya

Bill

pat · February 2002

Now THAT I did know!! :-)

litlrivr · February 2002

2001 XJ8, particularly when cold, occaisionally emits a thunk ,or "boing" noise on acceleration or when going over bumps. Doesn't happen after warmup, or at least is not nearly as noticeable.
I am 200+ miles from the nearest dealer so a drop in to the dealer to check this out is not an option unless it's potentially serious. Neither is a phone call. If the dealer says, "You'd better bring it in." then I am stuck. I've a hunch it is a loose motor mount that tighten up when the engine heats up and expands. It seems to be coming from the front end undercarriage.
What advice?

[Deleted User] · February 2002

I'm not stumbling on any part. I asked a humurous question, is all.

vlasi47 · February 2002

I first drove a stick shift in the Army about 35 years ago. I was working at battalion HQ and the regular driver for the Colonel (Full Bird) was out sick, and he asked me to drive him somewhere.

I got into the Chevy Impala, a stick shift with 6 cylinders, so underpowered it couldn't get out of it's own way. The Colonel sat in the back and I eased behind the wheel. To my horror I just realized it was a stick shift! I had never driven one before.

I had heard that you just push in the clutch, start the engine and ease out on the clutch. Well. nobody told me about given it some gas as you eased back on the clutch.

I hopped and stalled that Impala about 20 times before I got it on the road. Needless to say, my stint as the Colonel's driver was rather short lived.

spyderxj6 · February 2002

I wondering if it is a good idea to buy a Jag that was in a flood about a year ago. I know the owner really well, he is a friend. I know how much work he put into it and it runs great. But , I'm not sure if there will be any big problems to look out for. He has not had any major problems with it so far. It only has about 48,000 miles on it and has a new interior. He bought it for $3,600 and put about $3,000 into fixing it up to run. He is selling for $5,000 to me. I guess is sounds like a good deal to me. I know that it runs great after about a year of him fixing it up. But should I buy it?

Jaguar XJ-Series

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