We went to a Mercedes dealer to look at a (new in stock) 2007 XK Convertible today - nice car with only 21K miles - but it had 3 things immediately obvious in need of repair.

1. Huge issue - I noticed the center dash speaker was cracked and on further investigation saw the entire passengers side of the dashboard was bubbled and lifting off badly. The sales guy was an idiot, and suggested maybe they would glue it back down but I suspect it needs replacement. Any ideas on the way something like this is fixed properly, and what the cost would be?

2. Small but it really bugs me - the "start" button is badly worn and unreadable. a) it strikes me as odd that such a low mileage car is so badly worn in this one spot - everything else was very good to excellent! Thoughts on this? How hard is it to replace one of these buttons? Are there any hacks - like a sticky chrome cover or other glue on cover to avoid replacing it (assuming it's really hard, expensive or a discontinued part) Sales guy - "you can just fix that easier on your own". Yeah right.

3. Driver's side sun visor won't stay in the 100% up out of thew way position - it falls down 15%. Can this be adjusted, fixed or needs replacing?

The good - the dealer just put a brand new top on it. They put new Sumitomo tires on it. New brakes. 19" Alloy Carelia wheels, navigation (not needed in 2016 however).

Aforementioned idiot sales guy wouldn't concede a penny on price and couldn't even get the OK for the dealer to do the work to satisfy us in order to proceed with the sale. We gave him a downpayment to hold the car contingent on them fixing things to our satisfaction. After a $700 dealer fee the car is going to be $27,600. There are a couple of low mileage '07 XKRs floating around for $3000-6000 more but while the design elements are nicer we don't need the extra power!

Any and all advice is more than welcome - thanks in advance!

 

The dash should be replaced. There's a good place in St Pete that will recover it but it will never look as good as a new one. I just replaced mine and the price for the part is around $3k. Labor to install it should be around $300-500. And it should be noted this is a common problem, especially in Florida, so pretty much and XK you look at will need a new dash at some point.

The start button is no big dead and can easily be replaced. As can the sunvisor.

The most important thing is the mechanical and electronic soundness of the car. With low miles it should be. And does it offer the color combinations that you want.

 

There have been many dozens of posts on the "Dash shrinkage" problem. I had it on my 2010 XKR and had it fixed for free and I have documented it on the "dash shrinkage" post. If you can have someone pull the dash out of the car, any upholsterer can fix it in an hour or so. I saw on ebay a brand new beige leather dash from a dealer for $1500.00, a great price if the car has that color dash. And by the way, when I was at the Queen's English Car Show yesterday, there was a late model Aston Vantage which had terrible bubbles under the instrument binnacle, so this problem isn't unique to Jaguar, however, Jaguar's inexcusable omittance of staples to anchor the leather of the dash to the frame was just plain stupid and should have been covered under warranty in all cases.

 

I checked the Carfax for this particular car and it looks like it was maintained regularly and frequently by the original selling Jaguar dealer across from the dealer who has it for sale, without seeing it my self, I'd say this car may be a really good choice for you.

 

I think you may have gotten lucky. It really depends on the severity of the lifting and shrinking. I have seen some really poor condition dashes that probably could not be saved. You are correct though about other manufacturers, the leather dash in my 2013 Grand Cherokee Summit separated and lifted at the base of the dash near the windscreen defrosters before I traded it in last year and it only had 20K miles.

The only XKs I have seen that did not have this problem were base models with the vinyl interior, not leather.

 

Thanks JA and Tberg! Except for this one big issue, it appears to be a very well maintained car with low miles and only 1 owner. They did do a 125 pt inspection on it and we hope to see the full results of that as well.

Florida sun and a black dash probably exacerbates the problem, but looks as if it's very common regardless! There's really no way they can sell the car "as is" IMHO unless they slip one by on someone naive - repairing it doesn't sound like a very good option. If they absorb the whole cost of replacing it, along with the other work they have done seems like we will have dodged a bullet!

Meanwhile they are connected to another dealer on the other coast and are possibly going to bring over an XKR to look at.

PLEASE do tell all - are there are other big $$$ surprises/expected failures we should know about before jumping in the deep end? :-)

Thanks again - you've been immensely helpful!

 

This makes it sound easy but - It's a lot of labor costs from different trades to remove a dash take it over to an upholsterer and then reinstall. I suspect they have to take the windshield off to do this too. If I was paying I wouldn't want it to be a quick fix or a cheap stopgap that could fail again in a year.

Anyway we aren't going to be saddled with the work or cost. If they refuse to fix it we'll walk away from the deal. If they do a poor job we'll still have the option to refuse. Honestly I think they might want us to refuse so they can fix it and then raise the price accordingly.

 

A lot of new to Jaguar buyers cone to these forums and ask the same questions, so this questionhas been answered many times.

There are common issues that really should be considered part of routine maintenance. Suspensions bushings are going to fail, mostly from time, not mileage. The thermostat housing on the non-supercharged motor is plastic and will crack at some point. The coolant expansion tank may develop a leak at some point. The power antenna, unique to the 2007, may fail, but looks like it was replaced under warranty in 2009 on this car.

Over all though as a loyal Jaguar owner for 14 years, I have found these cars to be as reliable as any well made competitor.

One question though, why are you looking at 2007 model year? There were some changes in 2008 and a complete facelift overhaul in 2010. I also understand the desire to find a low mileage example, but one with 30-40k miles could be just as good and even possibly better than a lower mileage car.

 

The windscreen does not need to be removed but I agree it should be replaced. However I doubt they will do that and still sell the car for the asking price, but it does not hurt to ask. The problem you face is there are not many of these cars out there and depending on condition and color combinations it could be a seller's market.

 

Apologies, but I did search for a sticky on common high cost problems, but couldn't find one.

Maintenance and repairs are expected on any car, but respectfully, don't most think the melt down and lifting away of a dashboard within 10 years or less, isn't the industry norm?
Regardless - it's good to know these fail nearly 100% of the time. It is something to look at very closely in the "buyer beware" category. A bonus if it's been replaced already!

Thanks for these notes!

You guessed it, we've been limiting the search to low mileage cars starting from 2007 on. One advantage of living in FL - lots of seniors with toys they don't often drive that eventually come to market. One just needs to keep a close eye on the registration and repair history to keep away from the ones coming down from the rust belt/snow - or fraught with problems - or multiple accidents... but good ones are out there.

Much thanks again!

 

Based on most of your posts it seems to me you are looking at a narrow field with your search. When I started I would do the search in all of the normal car sites across the US and not limit it to my area. I also contacted dealers in 5 or 6 core states asking them to contact me if something turns up. I looked at it as if there were something worth my while and I had to fly/drive there I would either go look at it or contact someone to do a PPI. It ended up I found a car in NH. and bought it sight unseen (other then dozens of pictures) and had it shipped to me in NY. So I would expand your search and see what turns up. A $350 flight or an 8 hour drive shouldn't be the thing that hold you up from getting what you want. Good luck

 

The windshield does not need to come off, however, I am fairly certain that removing the windshield would allow an upholsterer to fix the problem without removing the dash. I had planned on doing this, but since my car was in the shop for a couple of weeks getting some customized body panels, I had the shop pull the dash so that I could have the work done at the same time. I had arranged for an auto upholstery shop to reupholster the dash with all new leather for $1300, which I thought was a very good price. But once the dash was removed, the solution to fixing it was so readily apparent and so easy that I took it to my regular upholsterer of 20 years (I do interior design and decorating), and within an hour or so, it was fixed. I live in the San Fernando Valley part of L.A., temperatures in the 90s-100sF all summer and much of spring, it's been two years and all is well.

 

STAY AWAY Koko.
Yes that start button tells you the hell its been through.
I found out first hand what these dealers are doing- they seek out low mileage cars from big cities like NY. 20K miles in NY/NJ area is like 60K miles elsewhere and 3 owners. That car never saw a garage in its life. Why do you think the center speaker is cracked.

Also the 2007 XK is under-powered and underwhelming for a sports car. Perfect for a cruiser. The XKR is enjoyable as a cruiser and sports.

 

Another common problem is the air conditioning condensate drain hose. The outlet end is shaped like a duckbill to keep insects out, but will get clogged up and water will back up and spill out onto the passenger side footwell. Several DIY fixes are posted on this Forum.

All sorts of electrical gremlins are caused by a low battery, but can be easily avoided by using a quality battery maintainer such as a CTEK and always locking the car to shut down convenience mode. There are many threads on this Forum.

The leather dash on my 2009 XKR is still like new because I always put the top up and use a reflective sunshade when parked outdoors and regularly use leather conditioner. My A/C drain is still clear because I regularly do the "close all the vents/max fan speed" DIY preventive maintenance. Never had any battery gremlins because I regularly use a battery maintainer. I did have one catalytic converter and the thermostat replaced under warranty.

No car is completely bulletproof, but my XKR has exceeded my expectations.

 

Thanks - the start button is indeed disconcerting compared with other aged XKs up to and above 100K miles which all look fine in photos! The only thing I could imagine is the old guy sitting there in his driveway starting it up over and over again just to hear the sound. I wish I had taken a picture of how badly worn it is. They did replace the top so it's possible he left it outside full time.

We did our research though and this car is a 100% FL car - so no dealer "tricks"-
One owner and regularly maintained with no accidents or repeat problems on the books. No starting complaints, only one electrical.

The CarFax bears this out. Clean on paper - the start button is an anomaly.
http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report

BTW we aren't looking for a race car - a cruiser will do just fine! :-)

 

You missed my post above. The car was maintained frequently by the original selling dealer and is currently located across the street from the original dealer.

I think this is probably a good car at a good price.

 

By the way, I can see the dash through the rear window and there is no fixing that. Replace! But don't let that scare you from the car. It is no big deal. Also, the speaker grille must be replaced when the dash comes off and it is only $50.

 

I did miss your post. Mea culpa
Disagree with you. I have never seen a well kept Jaguar whose leather dash was bubbling. Only cars exposed to the brutal elements. Wait till the armourall wears off the other rubber and plastic parts, they would have suffered the same torture.

There are too many omens. Besides what dealer in his right mind would not fix a dash like that bad on a one-owner car that he was pawning off as pristine? Or replace the start button?? holy smokes, these are the only things the customer actually can see.

The only possibility is that both the customer and dealer dont want to deal with the hassle. Well there is a well defined scenario for that- its called wholesale trade-in value. Dont pay a penny over it. This car will never be sold at retail with these flaws.

 

I half agree that because of this, the start button and replacing the top there are some warning signs. We caught the car the day it came back from the shop to replace the top. It had not been detailed - so we saw it in raw form as it was turned in for trade. We wouldn't be fooled by armourall however - my dad used to restore antiques and I've been around enough cars to spot the paint & polish routine.

 

I know I am being a bit hard and cynical. But you have to be with these crooked dealers.

Ask yourself this, if you dont think they are shoddy- if you were in the car business and you had your own workshop, would you put an otherwise perfect car on the lot if $50 could replace the start button and $50 for the speaker grille. Whatever reasons they did not is the reason you need to hold them accountable for.