Hello, I am a new member. I have recently purchased a 2001 XJ8 Vanden Plas at auction. It has 100k on the odometer. I had the minor issues sorted by a mechanic and now it is fine. I am mechanically inclined and thought I could maintain it but soon found out that these cars are complex and there is little information or videos out on the web to help. What is this cars reputation for problems? Is it going to be a money pit? My wife and I love the car but are now afraid.

 

Welcome to the forum yoinspect,

Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums.

Follow this link XJ XJ8 / XJR ( X308 ) - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the X308 forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for information on regular issues.

Please remember to add vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. Go to the User CP button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.

You can also visit the US Northeast Region forum by following this link US Northeast - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to find other members in your region.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

Jaguars are no bigger money pit than any other European car. Mostly they suffer from poor maintenance and neglect, which allows small problems to become Major issues.

Playing Catch-Up is always relatively expensive, and even more so if you hire it done. But this site exists to help owners/drivers keep their Jaguars purring with a minimum of money.

Graham has directed you to the correct section where members expert in the care and feeding of the Xj8 can advise you on almost Everything you need to know about your car.

Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')

 

Can't have had all that many problems, after all it got to 100k miles before you bought it ! Actually this mileage is way below average.My aluminium saloon that came after yours is on 115k miles since 2003.

The main problem with your car is the engine, but the problem is very easily solved. There are two exhaust cam chains at the top-front of each cylinder bank and the tensioners for these were originally plastic-bodied and fell to bits. Jaguar finally sorted this problem out with a metal-bodied tensioner. So your immediate service action is to replace these tensioners unless you have an invoice to show they have already been replaced. As it is now 2016 they may have already been replaced, but if you can, check this out. A failing tensioner can result in the destruction of your engine in minutes, so it is a very prudent service action to take !!

 

Hello, welcome, and greetings from down under.

Good advice offered already, so after your introductory post, I was tempted to do the sombre voice thing . . .
"Yes, grasshopper. Be afraid. Be very afraid!!!"
But, if you are genuinely worried (IMHO, needlessly), that reply might be somewhat like firing up a barbeque with the help of a gallon of petrol, or going fishing with a box full of gelignite.

You have a mechanical bent? Poor chap . . . here, let me help you straighten that out! I started out with Jags over 50 years ago . . . and the more tech and complex they became, the more the accumulated resources to maintain and/or repair them. You will find that these forums are packed with such resources and helpful people. Suggest you start by reading (and downloading as needed) from the Sticky "HOW TO . . . " at the top of the forum dedicated to your model. Armed with (say) the relevant technical manual or wiring diagram, don't hesitate to ask away.

Compared to you, I fear instead for those who think a spanner is a needless luxury . . . or the key to maintaining a high performance carriage consists of nothing more than filling it with fuel . . . oh, and occasionally kicking all 4 tyres to see if any wheels fall off! You sound to me like a wondrously more sensible fella . . . and with a wife to share the enjoyment!

Armed with brilliant advice like this . . . who knows, you might wake up with 4 Jags like me . . . penniless, bewildered, having spent the last $100 of the kid's inheritance . . . and surrounded by some of the best mates all around the world, who delight in hailing each others achievements, big and small.

"Yes, grasshopper. Be afraid. Be very afraid. There is real danger that you will enjoy it beyond all belief!"

Cheers,

Ken

 

Welcome to the forum

 

Welcome.

Ken has summed it up.

 

Welcome aboard.

 

welcome to the forum - enjoy!!

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums yoinspect,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help

 

I will take all the help I can get. thanks for the tips. I am green to posts and forums but this will surely help me on my way.

 

I have read about the tensioners being plastic and am planning on opening her up to check for myself if they were changed. I bought the car at auction and only had a not very helpful car fax for its history. The engine runs purrrrfectly. It was definitely garage kept. The only items that needed sorting were the AC condenser and the rear driver shock. I still cant get it out of valet mode because it didn't come with a fob. Hope to have that fixed soon as I learn how to navigate the threads better.

 

Thanks Ken for the grand salutation. I love restoring cars and am quite well equipped for the hobby. With a detached 3 car garage and lifts in my near future, I am looking forward to delving much deeper into my passion as I will prepare for what will be my retirement hobby! I have a general love of all things mechanical. And I hope to be as helpful as all of you wonderful people! CHEERS!!!

 

Thanks again to all of you for the welcome. I will navigate much better with all your help. I believe that I must reach a certain amount of posts for the picture of my car to be shown on my signature. If not I will figure out why. Thanks again!

 

NO - there's no minimum post limit for a SigPic.

The usual problem is exceeding the size limits. The maximum size of your custom image is 500 by 100 pixels or 9.8 KB (whichever is smaller).

Graham