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Hi, I am Gunny Gil a retired Marine aviation mech in Tucson Az. I just bought a 2004 XJ Vanden Plas 102K . it has problems which is how I found this forum. I hope to find a little help here as I have found all the European cars to be quite unique to say the least. I see I have a lot of cussin and grumbling in my future til I get this bad boy fixed up right. I have a coolant leak and a power steering leak to start me off. also it came with a dead Battery which I have already changed. that fixed one of my window issues. I think someone tried to fixed the front drivers window with out reading or you tubing because the whole panel has no action to the buttons. I am afraid I will be buying that too. I am not looking for help yet here just trying to let you know about my new Jag...(hey it's new to me). Also I am very happy to have it so far...
As you will see when you start reading threads, a new battery was almost a guaranteed requirement. I would concentrate on resolving the coolant leak next. Overheating is a Jaguar engine killer and normally no modern Jaguar should "use" or lose coolant.
Welcome to Jaguar Forums GunnyGil, Good to have you with us.
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Hello, Gunny,
Congratulations on your new Jaguar!
Your car will keep you entertained for certain. By the time you get it to your liking, you will be well and truly Bonded.
As you will see when you start reading threads, a new battery was almost a guaranteed requirement. I would concentrate on resolving the coolant leak next. Overheating is a Jaguar engine killer and normally no modern Jaguar should "use" or lose coolant.
this will probably sound like a stupid question but since I am a complete newbie to the Jag world I’ll ask.
is the model name actually an XJ Vanden Plas or is there a number in there I am missing. And if so where do I find all that out?
No such thing as a stupid question and that most certainly applies to XJ Jaguars.
The designation XJ was introduced in 1968 with the XJ6 Series I. This continued with the XJ6 Series II and XJ6 Series III through to 1992. These models were also available with 5.3 litre V12 engines and such options were badged XJ12. The designation XJ stands for Experimental Jaguar. It was the code used by the factory during development when it was first discovered by the motoring press. Sir William Lyons, the legendary boss of Jaguar subsequently decided to use it for the models when they went on sale.
So far that was all straightforward until a totally different four door model was introduced in 1986 and also badged as XJ6. This was confusing even to Jaguar and their Dealers so they used the factory code XJ40 to distinguish it from the first generation models.This designation became public and you will hear many owners of 1986 to 1994 XJ6's call their vehicles XJ40 even though this badge doesn't appear anywhere on the vehicle. In 1995 the XJ40 was replaced by another totally new design also badged as XJ6. This model is usually identified by its factory code X300 and it ran to 1996 when it was replaced by another new XJ, the V8 engined XJ8. This fourth generation XJ is usually known by its factory code X308.
To continue the confusion, the X308 was replaced in 2004 by your model also badged XJ and often called by the factory code X350. It ran until 2009 when it was replaced by the current sixth generation XJ (the X351).
On to the term Vanden Plas. This was an old established coachbuilder in London from the days when you bought the rolling chassis of choice and sent it to a coachbuilder to have the body built. Vanden Plas (or VdP for short) were renowed for their exquisite interiors. Jaguar bought the company and used to have the top of the range models trimmed there. I had a Daimler Series I Vanden Plas in 1974. It was built at the Jaguar, Browns Lane factory in Coventry (the same factory that built Spitfires during WW2) and sent to London for painting and trim by Vanden Plas. This was hugely expensive (and the cars cost almost twice the price of a base model) and Jaguar soon closed Vanden Plas and moved the finishing operation from London to Coventry. A word about Daimler. In the UK and Europe, Jaguar have always badged their top of the range flagship vehicles as Daimler instead of Jaguar. However, Mercedes Benz own the Daimler name in the USA so all Jaguars are Jaguars in America.
In conclusion you have a Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas. This is the top specification. It may have either a six cylinder or a V8 engine but this wasn't usually used as an extension to XJ on the 2003 to 2009 models. The factory code for it is X350. However, you will not see X350 anywhere on the vehicle and probably the only badge on the back will be Vanden Plas although some owners had XJ badges fitted.
Hi, I am Gunny Gil a retired Marine aviation mech in Tucson Az. I just bought a 2004 XJ Vanden Plas 102K . it has problems which is how I found this forum. I hope to find a little help here as I have found all the European cars to be quite unique to say the least. I see I have a lot of cussin and grumbling in my future til I get this bad boy fixed up right. I have a coolant leak and a power steering leak to start me off. also it came with a dead Battery which I have already changed. that fixed one of my window issues. I think someone tried to fixed the front drivers window with out reading or you tubing because the whole panel has no action to the buttons. I am afraid I will be buying that too. I am not looking for help yet here just trying to let you know about my new Jag...(hey it's new to me). Also I am very happy to have it so far...
Plenty of info in the forum and with your experience, fixing up your Jaguar will not be a problem.
good luck.
Thank you Grant for all that info. Mini Jag history lesson. I am really starting to like this car the more I look at it. I honestly never really considered one due to cost and I’ve been told there such a bear to work on. It does have a beautiful interior. Or it did at one point, I do need to detail it. I will put some pictures up once it is presentable. I am taking before shots now.
new to Jaguar
