New 2006 XJ8 L - Long Time Jag Lover
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Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Wake Forest, NC
New 2006 XJ8 L - Long Time Jag Lover
Hi all,
Just picked up a new (for me) 06 XJ8 L with 108k on the clock. She is black, with Black interior and quite beautiful, apart from a few scratches in the paintwork here and there. I had an X308 and loved it, but got a bit nervous when the differential got amazingly loud, and sold her in a bit of a panic - regretfully, as it was a Saffire Blue Vanden Plas with Ivory interior.
Back to the present, I wasn't sure I would love the black interior but it has grown on me and it is quite easy to care for. It is very rich looking as well. I ALMOST bought a Super 8 in similar condition, but realized that as amazing as that car was, I really did not NEED a Supercharged 4.2, or the resulting fuel bill. Sure it's only rated a few MPG less, but would I drive it like the normally aspirated engine? No way. I would have to show the might of that power to every rider, and myself... often. Plus all the add-ons are primarily for rear seat passengers, where I will never be, so, why worry?
In the end the 8 L made sense though an 05 or newer VDP would have hit the sweet spot. Just weren't any in my range or area when I needed a car. That's cool, My 8 L has some nice options, like heated steering wheel, Navigation (and the touch screen) plus, ALL x350's are beautiful cars. I do prefer a long wheelbase car in the x350 as it seems to offset (to my eye) the taller proportions of these cars, giving back some of the low slung look of previous XJ's
Ok, don't want to ramble on too much here, but I am deeply into tweaking and fixing all the "little stuff" on my new baby as I write this. I will no doubt be popping up here and there in the forums, so in advance, thanks to everyone here for making this a great community and resource for Jaguar enthusiasts everywhere!
- John Blair
Just picked up a new (for me) 06 XJ8 L with 108k on the clock. She is black, with Black interior and quite beautiful, apart from a few scratches in the paintwork here and there. I had an X308 and loved it, but got a bit nervous when the differential got amazingly loud, and sold her in a bit of a panic - regretfully, as it was a Saffire Blue Vanden Plas with Ivory interior.
Back to the present, I wasn't sure I would love the black interior but it has grown on me and it is quite easy to care for. It is very rich looking as well. I ALMOST bought a Super 8 in similar condition, but realized that as amazing as that car was, I really did not NEED a Supercharged 4.2, or the resulting fuel bill. Sure it's only rated a few MPG less, but would I drive it like the normally aspirated engine? No way. I would have to show the might of that power to every rider, and myself... often. Plus all the add-ons are primarily for rear seat passengers, where I will never be, so, why worry?
In the end the 8 L made sense though an 05 or newer VDP would have hit the sweet spot. Just weren't any in my range or area when I needed a car. That's cool, My 8 L has some nice options, like heated steering wheel, Navigation (and the touch screen) plus, ALL x350's are beautiful cars. I do prefer a long wheelbase car in the x350 as it seems to offset (to my eye) the taller proportions of these cars, giving back some of the low slung look of previous XJ's
Ok, don't want to ramble on too much here, but I am deeply into tweaking and fixing all the "little stuff" on my new baby as I write this. I will no doubt be popping up here and there in the forums, so in advance, thanks to everyone here for making this a great community and resource for Jaguar enthusiasts everywhere!
- John Blair
Last edited by Blairware; Oct 10, 2014 at 12:00 PM. Reason: Add Photo
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 120,439
Likes: 17,009
From: Durham, UK
Welcome to the forum John,
Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums.
Looks great. The four door models really look good in black. I hope this X350 doesn't give you any nervous moments like the X308!
After two years membership you probably know your way around but if not, follow this link XJ ( X350 & X358 ) XJ6 / XJ8 / XJR - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the X350 forum for help, advice and information.
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 USA Lower Atlantic Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/u...c-sc-fl-ga-66/ to find other members in your region.
Enjoy the forums.
Graham
Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums.
Looks great. The four door models really look good in black. I hope this X350 doesn't give you any nervous moments like the X308!
After two years membership you probably know your way around but if not, follow this link XJ ( X350 & X358 ) XJ6 / XJ8 / XJR - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the X350 forum for help, advice and information.
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 USA Lower Atlantic Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/u...c-sc-fl-ga-66/ to find other members in your region.
Enjoy the forums.
Graham
Veteran Member
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 26,759
Likes: 10,309
From: Tehama County, California, USA
"Need" doesn't Even enter into the subject of owning a Jaguar! We "Need" transportation. A VW will provide that. We own Jaguars because we WANT to.
Tweaking and fiddling is how we bond with our cars. If someone thinks the car doesn't appreciate all that attention, well, they just don't pay attention to the PURR that comes from a happy beast.
welcome from ElinorB.
(';')
Tweaking and fiddling is how we bond with our cars. If someone thinks the car doesn't appreciate all that attention, well, they just don't pay attention to the PURR that comes from a happy beast.
welcome from ElinorB.
(';')
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 121,073
Likes: 6,652
From: PHX some of the time
Welcome to Jaguar Forums John,
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
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
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Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 404
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From: Wake Forest, NC
Thanks all!
I really appreciate the warm welcome. I am indeed a DIY guy from a young age. Someone who knew me as a kid made the observation: You were always taking things apart! Guilty as charged. How else was I going to find out how the darn thing worked!
One of my first adventures with the new XJ was to see what I could do about the loud suspension compressor. That thing was LOUD! I figured either the piston ring was worn badly or the pump was poorly mounted in the little "mini-suspension" that attaches the pump to the car. How Ironic that the Air Suspension "Heart" is mounted in a conventional spring and rubber bushing suspension itself.
Anyway, I figured if I was goint to pull the pump out for inspection I should go ahead and get the BagpipingAndy new PTFE Piston ring and Dust seal kit. I noted that several companies have outright copied his kit and design (well, it's Wabco's design, but you know what I mean) and are selling it much cheaper ($23 plus free shipping from UK) vs. 41 + $6 shipping from Andy.
Screw THEM and the stolen horse they rode in on. Not only was Andy's kit the original, he was the guy with the smarts to figure this thing out, and with a US distributor, I had it in my hands in 2 days, not the 8 days + promised by the copycat counterfeit BS companies. I urge anyone getting the kit to buy from the originator. I can't say what quality issues may exist from these rip-off artists, but I can attest to the quality of the parts I got from Andy's distributor. PERFECT. How do you improve on that.
After re-assembly that left front corner was sitting on the bump stop alright. Hell, the tire was almost touching the wheel lip! Looked like the 88 XJ-S that my brother loaned me for a while! Soon as the car was started she pumped up in about 15-20 seconds, and QUIETLY (Hooray!) I can feel some vibration still in the steering column, but the loud drone that was noticeable over everything else was gone. Still not sure I have it suspended perfectly, as there is some "space" above the rubber bushing/grommet on the long shafts that are threaded at the ends to hold the pump. Ther's no metal to metal, but it doesn't look quite perfect. Perhaps I didn't seat the springs all the way into the rubber grommets. I will have to look at it again sometime..
More troublesome is I got my first "Air Suspension Fault" AFTER doing this work. There were no faults before, just a lod pump calling for attention. I drove the car a bit after the work was done with no issues, but the next day I drove off to see this error display. The only thing I can think of is that I introduced a minor leak when I reassembled everything. There is only the air inlet hose (Black rubber hose with spring clip that attached to the white "filter/Dryer?" and the small gauge black plastic hose that attaches to the pump. Also you have the hose that runs along the pump and attaches with the push to release clamps, but I checked everything pretty well and thought I had a nice, tight but not over torqued connection on the black plastic output hose.
Anyone have similar issues or at least a "likely" place to start checking? Could the fault be electronic from either power connector not being solid?
Sigh... Figures I get rewarded for my good efforts with an error that I was doing preventative maintenance to avoid! All suggestions/info/thoughts are greatly appreciated. I will place these questions in the "Modern Models - x350 section to see who chimes in with some ideas.
One of my first adventures with the new XJ was to see what I could do about the loud suspension compressor. That thing was LOUD! I figured either the piston ring was worn badly or the pump was poorly mounted in the little "mini-suspension" that attaches the pump to the car. How Ironic that the Air Suspension "Heart" is mounted in a conventional spring and rubber bushing suspension itself.
Anyway, I figured if I was goint to pull the pump out for inspection I should go ahead and get the BagpipingAndy new PTFE Piston ring and Dust seal kit. I noted that several companies have outright copied his kit and design (well, it's Wabco's design, but you know what I mean) and are selling it much cheaper ($23 plus free shipping from UK) vs. 41 + $6 shipping from Andy.
Screw THEM and the stolen horse they rode in on. Not only was Andy's kit the original, he was the guy with the smarts to figure this thing out, and with a US distributor, I had it in my hands in 2 days, not the 8 days + promised by the copycat counterfeit BS companies. I urge anyone getting the kit to buy from the originator. I can't say what quality issues may exist from these rip-off artists, but I can attest to the quality of the parts I got from Andy's distributor. PERFECT. How do you improve on that.
After re-assembly that left front corner was sitting on the bump stop alright. Hell, the tire was almost touching the wheel lip! Looked like the 88 XJ-S that my brother loaned me for a while! Soon as the car was started she pumped up in about 15-20 seconds, and QUIETLY (Hooray!) I can feel some vibration still in the steering column, but the loud drone that was noticeable over everything else was gone. Still not sure I have it suspended perfectly, as there is some "space" above the rubber bushing/grommet on the long shafts that are threaded at the ends to hold the pump. Ther's no metal to metal, but it doesn't look quite perfect. Perhaps I didn't seat the springs all the way into the rubber grommets. I will have to look at it again sometime..
More troublesome is I got my first "Air Suspension Fault" AFTER doing this work. There were no faults before, just a lod pump calling for attention. I drove the car a bit after the work was done with no issues, but the next day I drove off to see this error display. The only thing I can think of is that I introduced a minor leak when I reassembled everything. There is only the air inlet hose (Black rubber hose with spring clip that attached to the white "filter/Dryer?" and the small gauge black plastic hose that attaches to the pump. Also you have the hose that runs along the pump and attaches with the push to release clamps, but I checked everything pretty well and thought I had a nice, tight but not over torqued connection on the black plastic output hose.
Anyone have similar issues or at least a "likely" place to start checking? Could the fault be electronic from either power connector not being solid?
Sigh... Figures I get rewarded for my good efforts with an error that I was doing preventative maintenance to avoid! All suggestions/info/thoughts are greatly appreciated. I will place these questions in the "Modern Models - x350 section to see who chimes in with some ideas.
Hi and welcome aboard, its good to have you here with us here at Jaguarforums
Any useful site information you may need such as how to post pictures, edit signatures, add videos, using the
search facility etc, can be found here within the following link Helpful_information
There are lots of members local to you with the same interests with info on local dealers and possible meets.
Regional - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum
Need a Manual, a TSB, or General Info' about your Jag? Check out our >> DOWNLOAD AREA <<
I've manually upgraded you to Full forum access so you can better view the site and all its features.
Any useful site information you may need such as how to post pictures, edit signatures, add videos, using the
search facility etc, can be found here within the following link Helpful_information
There are lots of members local to you with the same interests with info on local dealers and possible meets.
Regional - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum
Need a Manual, a TSB, or General Info' about your Jag? Check out our >> DOWNLOAD AREA <<
I've manually upgraded you to Full forum access so you can better view the site and all its features.
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