I bought an 07 XK vert about a year ago. This forum has been a tremendous help but also generates some, so far, unfounded fears.

My impression is that these cars are the biggest bargains around. Sophisticated, fun, comfortable and reasonably quick. A comparable Porsche is twice the price and, having owned two, is no more fun.

So, after a year:
- I replaced the coolant and thermostat housing. An 8 yr old plastic thermostat housing and thermostat in Arizona is begging for trouble. That said, the car has always run cool.
- Got the OBDII bluetooth adapter and Torque Pro app. Lots of peace of mind and some useful info.
- Had the engine pinging software update done. Solved the pinging but added a 5 minute fan time after shutdown.
- No battery problems but it lives on a tender. Battery is almost 4 years old so plan to replace in the next year.
- Had to repair that stupid glove box spring. What a stupid design!
- No dash cracks. I apply Lexol regularly and use one of those ugly dash mats in the summer.
- Pulled the F4 fuse for the power antenna and added Sirius. The radio is marginal and Sirius is worth the money.
- No A/C duckbill problem, yet. Had the A/C serviced and it's blowing really cold. I do the closed vent blow out periodically and have a nice flow out the infamous duckbill.
- Learned that you don't want to push multiple seat adjustment buttons at the same time. It trips out the logic and you have to pull the fuse buried in the footwell to reset it.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

Good to hear your experiences. Mine are very similar.

- I have a replacement thermostat assembly waiting to be installed (got a couple of P0128 codes, when doing 'spirited' driving), after I get back from a non-driving vacation.
- Also got an OBD-II reader, although the wifi type to talk to my iPhone (but now have a HKS Camp 2, and GVIF unit, also waiting to be installed, so I can get some gauges on the entertainment screen).
- Haven't noticed any 'pinging' and have not taken the car to a dealer for any updates.
- Also no battery problems, but also on a tender!
- Yup, did that glove box fix too!
- Nice intact dash as well, using a reflective windshield thingy when parking in the sun.
- Haven't pulled the antenna fuse, but I never turn on the radio, just love to listen to the exhaust!
- My kitty pees nicely, so no duck-bill issue yet either.
- Thanks for the tip on the multi-seat button issue, I'll try not to do that!
- FIRST MOD I DID - was install JagWrangler's remote top kit. If you haven't done it, do it, you'll love it!
- Waiting to also install a backup camera, and since the GVIF unit takes multiple inputs, I think I'll add a forward camera too, so I can see the curbs before I crack my splitter!
- And another mod waiting in the wings, is the LED tail light upgrade (got the lights and the parts, just need the time to do it!)
- A possible repair in my near future is the differential. Been getting a howl back there, and the indy I took it too changed the fluid and saw some metal filings in there. I'll get the fluid changed again to see if it is still grinding away.

I second the thanks on the advice in this forum, it has been great!

 

Dangitall, I've had problems with mine;
- Many fuel fillups
- Oil Changes
- New tires
- Need to wash it occasionally, inside and out
GAAH! Other than that, a once-in-awhile Tire Not Monitored on the Front-Right.

Fun Stuff;
- Door sill Leaper Logo Lights
CCFL around Grill Growler (actually is kinda cool, tho some people said it may be cheesy)
- My own idea here... I put a HCMSL (high center mounted stop light) flasher for the brakes. Flashes real fast for two seconds then remains on.
I love my car.

 

My 07 has also had a lot of similar problems:
It has needed an oil change once a year - even though the oil was clean;
It needs to have fuel in the tank or the engine won't run - can't Jaguar get a fix for this?
It goes so fast that I have had a couple of speeding tickets...

Other than these problems it seems fine.

 

Huh? "I do the closed vent blow out periodically and have a nice flow out the infamous duckbill"

You close the vents turn the fan on Hi?

Not heard of this fix it, clear it routine.....

 

Similar experiences here after almost a year.
1) 420 hp too much for my immature right foot
2) 467 ft/lbs of torque too much for my Pirelli's
3) 6 speeds not enough to hit 200 mph
4) a 200' burn out in 4th gear will get you an "unreasonable acceleration ticket".
If your a car guy... this is a car!

 

its so settling to know I'm not alone with my affair with Kimberly. (My daughter named my car based on the English woman's voice in the Nav unit.)

As with all of you, same issues and fixes of course. But consider adding one more to the list:
200 or 300 cell catalytic converters. WOW!
To be completed shortly: the limited slip differential.

Cheers to all.

 

"To be completed shortly: the limited slip differential."


For an 2007? oohh do tell I'm am sooo interested.

 

All posiible to do even limited slip dif for 2007MY

 

Yep, works for a lot of people - pressurises the system a bit, which can 'pop' the duckbill open if it's just slightly stuck. Doesn't work every time, especially if you already have water dripping into the passenger footwell, but if you have no water-leakage problems currently, it's useful preventative maintenance.

 

Thanks Nagarara. Don't have any leaks yet, that I know of. Will do this as a maintenance routine. We'll see how it goes.....
Happy trails....

 

I guess I am in the minority here. My '07 XKR required a ridiculous number of repairs when I first got her. My car couldn't even have the normal duckbill leak, she had to spring a leak from a crazy crack in the AC housing! My cat was definitely neglected and abused by a PO. But, having taken care of the major issues, I have now been focused on minor replacements, repairs and general cosmetic stuff.

Having said that. My girl is fast, beautiful, and I love her! I would not consider giving her up. She has the most personality of any car I have ever owned

And this forum has been a tremendous help.

 

I get a warm fuzzy reading this thread. It may be the bud light too, but I'll give y'all the credit.

 

I think most of the fears are based on the fact that many don't use a battery maintainer. I didn't at first as it is a daily driver but found I needed it too.

Do agree that these are fun and wonderful cars, I was hooked after owning my 97 XK8 which I had for 8 years and 220,000 miles. It was a daily driver and in all that time was only out of service for 2 weeks when I had a transmission issue. Gave it to my father to have some fun so still in the family. I'm sure one day it will be mine again.

That being said I feel as if the X150 series though being more sporty and modern lost a little of it's quality from the X100 series. Some things have been swapped for cheaper components and others due to design.

Unfortunately I ended up with the triple threat, AC Duck Bill (fixed today and will post a new fix later), Dash pulling (ouch), and differential seal leak (have parts and made fixtures to replace, just have to find the time).

That being said I still couldn't imagine not having one .

Once you know what to look for and do a proper maintenance schedule they are incredibly fun and reliable.

I will be changing out the thermostat housing in about 5K as she will be at 50K, water pump too just in case. May be a left over cringe from the 97 as that was a thermostat every 2yrs,new pump every 4.

On a quick hijack, Nice XJ Matt but what happened to the Super?

 

Kind of you to ask, well...while driving at 50 mph one morning, I swerved to avoid new construction barriers separating a ramp and the impact with the wheel as I turned ripped off the entire wheel and its suspension components, throwing the wheel into the firewall and strut tower and twisting the entire body. My insurance totaled the vehicle. I missed it so much, I had to get another XJ, but with one upgrade - cooled seats.

 

Are these problems listed by OP pertaining to MY2007 XK or subsequent years as well? I generally avoid first year cars.

 

can someone elaborate on the battery / battery tender subject? what is the problem? why would a battery tender be needed if the car is used semi regularly?


also, what is the duck bill?


I am a new owner of a 5k mile 2007...curious of what is required too keep her happy. by the way, her name is alice. on the very first drive, we turned on the radio to hear the band wolf alice playing. a bad *** british band with a female lead singer. alice seemed perfect!!!


thanks for any answers to my newbie questions.

 

These cars are very finicky when it comes to voltage drop, so even a little bit of a weakened battery can play havoc with all sorts of electronics, most notably a flashing/weird-acting display screen. Since most owners do not drive their XKs on a daily basis, it's very cheap insurance to throw on a CTEK or other battery maintainer just to keep everything copacetic.
As for the Duck bill, the air conditioner box inside the car has a drain through the box and through the floor above the transmission. It's a rubber tube with a pinched end that sort of looks like a duck's bill. These can get hard, brittle and even stick closed which doesn't allow the condensation from the A/C box to drain from the car. The result is water sloshing around inside the A/C box and eventually draining onto the passenger-side floor and soaking the carpet. Official fix to the duck bill is to remove the entire dash and replace it with an upgraded vent tube. Cost is anywhere from $600-1800, depending on where, and who you know. Check the forums, as there are several work-arounds for this, which may work and are WAY cheaper. Your 2007 has this problem but it was remedied before the 2010+s.

 

Some are more finicky than others