Are these the characteristics of the X350 XJ8?
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Are these the characteristics of the X350 XJ8? - 5/29/2008 8:57:55 AM
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XJ856Sing
Posts: 9
Joined: 4/24/2008
Status: offline
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Ever since I bought my X350 XJ8 about two months ago (its a mid-04 3.5 litre long wheel base with 60k miles), I've been plagued with a series of "unpleasant experiences" and the car and had been in and out of the authorised service agent (as its still under the 3-year warranty period) for the best of three times. I had complained of vibrations from the steering, an "ooking" noise from the rear of the car when accelerating and the brake pedal juddering occasionally with the ABS/DSC lights and message appearing (on 3 occasions when braking on dry roads in perfect weather condition). I had also complained about the aircon compressor making a "rather audible roaring noise" when the aircon is shut off prior to shutting down the engine.
I have suggested several possible causes of these problems, ranging from a bent propellar shaft, worn bushes to a failure of the ABS module. However, a senior tech (who claimed he had been working in the service dealership for the last 13 years and driven many manyy XJs) told me that some of these "complaints" are but just the characteristics of the Jaguar, especially the XJ8 X350. I told him that I had owned 2 other Jaguars in the past (a XK convertible and a S Type) but yet none of them displayed the problems which I was facing with my XJ8. The senior tech then told me the following:
a. the X350 XJ8 has an alluminium body and air suspension plus CATS. Hence, due to the construction of the car, my feel of the car would be different from the other 2 Jaguars I had owned, which were largely made from steel. Due to the design and construction of X350, I would be able to "feel" the road better (or for worse) because the air suspension plus CATS was meant to make the X350 "feel more sporty." In a way I do agree with him about the sporty nature of the drive (not unlike some of the Porsches which I had previously owned), but I refused to accept that "feeling every bump and undulation" of the road was meant to give me a sporty drive. I see the X350 as a "luxury car" which should provide me a comfortable ride, without feeling every inch of the road. I had also changed all 4 tyres in an effort to achieve the comfort. So is this really how the X350 drives? I would appreciate if any of you guys could share your driving experience on the X350 with me, comparing to other cars you've driven. My last car was a BMW 530i (E60) and I never had this sort of feeling from the bimmer.
b. the tech also told me that the X350 steering does not have "damper system" unlike in other continental cars like the BMW or Merc. He added that Jaguar had tried to install a steering damping system in a previous range (he didn't say which model) but the system caused so much problems that the designers and engineers decided to remove it. As such, the "very direct feel" of the X350 steering was caused by the absence of a steering dampling system. So my question is, is this true? Or is the tech just trying to avoid making the repairs since the car is still under warranty?
c. I've read in this (and other jaguar forums) about the ABS/DSC lights coming on for no obvious reasons. Is this a "weak point" in the X350. The tech told me that during my last visit, they plugged in the computer and the diagnosis did not show that there was an ABS/DSC failure. However, since he had witnessed the lights coming on, they had decided to clean the ABS/DSC sensor contact points as they might have become dirty and provide convulated readings. I took his word but a day after collecting my car, the ABS/DCS lights came on again after less than 5 minutes of travel. I had to brake, the pedal juddered and the lights came on. But after I stop the car, turned off the engine and turned it on again, the lights (and message) disappeared. This has become a quirky characteristic of my X350.
d. As for the "ooking" noise, the tech told me they had added some oil additive to the gear and this should cure the problem. Something like a "cough mixture" for the gear box I presume. But so far, this appears to work as I "hardly hear" the noise when accelerating from a high to low gear.
e. as for "roar" for the compressor (and not the V8 engine !), the tech suspected that it could be an aircon compressor problem and had agreed to change a new compressor for me. I'm waiting for the replacement part of come in from the UK. So I will update when the repairs are done.
All said, the questions now remain are:
a. "am I too sensitive" to how the X350 feels and drives, hence the reasons for me experiencing such unpleasantness with the car? I have owned almost 40 cars in my driving career which spans almost 30 years and driven many more others. However, I must say that my experience with the X350 is "really one of a kind" compared to the many Japanese, German, Italian, French, Swedish cars and the 2 other Jaguars that I had previously owned. Could it really be that because the X350 has an alluminium body that it drives like that? My BMW 530 has an almost all alluminium under carriage, but I never had such a feeling when driving it.
b. are these really the characteristics of the X350? The tech told me that "new owners" of the X350 had similar complaints because they were "not orientated" to how the X350 actually feels. But previous owners of XJs (X300 and X308) seem to love the X350 because its lighter and more "dynamic."
I really need some assurance from other X350 owners about my car, otherwise it would not be long before I dump my XJ8 and find a replacement. And from this experience, it would unlikely be another Jaguar and it would be a long time before I consider this marque again! So help is really needed here for me to keep my trust in this brand. Thank You.
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