New TEXAS 1st time Jag owner, 03 XJ8
New TEXAS 1st time Jag owner, 03 XJ8
OK, so I made serious mistake about a year ago, and went to lunch with a good friend who owned a GORGEOUS white XJ8, which I think was a VP. Yep, the bug hit, the virus got under the skin, and the seed was planted. Holy cow, what a car!?! The attention to detail the smooth ride, the roominess (I'm 6'2") just.....the complete package! I mean, WHO covers the overhead pull handles with leather and stitching???? And, after talking to him about the old Jag reputation of poor reliability, he tells me his car (and other Jags he had owned) had been completely trouble free, and the wheels in the ol' brain were turning. So, skip forward a few months.....
An average-looking 2003 XJ8 is crossing the lane at a local dealer's auction. I'm thinking it should wholesale for $3-5K, since it was complete, running, not smoking and looked filthy but not abused. No one, and I mean NO ONE wanted this car, so I raised my hand, offered what I thought was a ridiculous price and....I am suddenly a Jaguar owner! Drove it home....cold air, smooth transmission, good brakes, 130K miles, black exterior, tan interior. Several problems (none major, for the most part) and lots of dirt, dust, tree sap and general pollution on the paint, but.....NO dents. And, someone had just put new tires on it? Yep....sure did! Having worked on most American and a few Japanese cars since I was in high school, I felt like the low cost would offset my nevery having worked on anything British before, if this thing turned out to be a complete dog.....
So, after several days of rubbing and cleaning, I found a black diamond buried under a filthy lump of coal. Problems? All four speakers shot, no power antenna, hood wouldn't open, split leather on the driver's seat, a rattle in the front end. After a few days of rubbing, shopping on Amazon and at the local self-help junkyard, I had most of it fixed....
New speakers, used hood release handle, several of the plastic engine cover parts replaced, a used power antenna, and lots of car wash detergent, polish and carnuba wax got things off to a good start. Complete engine flush and oil change, new shocks and stabilizer links on the front end were next. Noticed a really bad leak around the oil pan, but no indication of cracks or major leaks, so a bottle of AT-205 reseal fluid, made by ATP products got the oil leak sealed up after about 100 miles of driving. A used seat from LKQ parts from a donor car has the interior looking great. So far, it is all about 95-99% back to what a premium luxury automobile should loook and sound like. THANK YOU to other Jag owners and mechanics for posting sooooo many useful videos on YouTube!!!
The only remaining problem I haven't solved is a non-blinking airbag light on. My local Jag expert, Victor's Jaguars in San Antonio, diagnosed it as a bad module (code B1342, I believe). So far, I have removed the old module, cleaned the terminal with electric contact cleaner, and made sure the module was in good contact (grounded) to the body. Still have the light, and will be replacing the module soon.
The bottom line is, the car now looks more like a well-cared for semi-classic premium luxury car rather than someone's 15-year-old beater. And, as for yours truly, the owner, I'm afraid his prognosis is terminal and permanent. Once this Jag finds a new home, I will IMMEDIATELY be looking for another one......maybe an L, a Vanden Plas, a supercharged 4.2 or.......who knows? But I DO know this.....after only a few months, a Jaguar WILL have a reserved place in my driveway. I can now tell BMW owners to enjoy their electronic nightmares and hope Mercedes owners enjoy making the house AND boat payments for their local mechanics because their German machines are sooooo expen$ive to repair. I will keep the cat on the front of my Jaguar pinted straight and going down the road.......
Joe Wiggins
San Antonio Joe
2003 Jaguar XJ8
An average-looking 2003 XJ8 is crossing the lane at a local dealer's auction. I'm thinking it should wholesale for $3-5K, since it was complete, running, not smoking and looked filthy but not abused. No one, and I mean NO ONE wanted this car, so I raised my hand, offered what I thought was a ridiculous price and....I am suddenly a Jaguar owner! Drove it home....cold air, smooth transmission, good brakes, 130K miles, black exterior, tan interior. Several problems (none major, for the most part) and lots of dirt, dust, tree sap and general pollution on the paint, but.....NO dents. And, someone had just put new tires on it? Yep....sure did! Having worked on most American and a few Japanese cars since I was in high school, I felt like the low cost would offset my nevery having worked on anything British before, if this thing turned out to be a complete dog.....
So, after several days of rubbing and cleaning, I found a black diamond buried under a filthy lump of coal. Problems? All four speakers shot, no power antenna, hood wouldn't open, split leather on the driver's seat, a rattle in the front end. After a few days of rubbing, shopping on Amazon and at the local self-help junkyard, I had most of it fixed....
New speakers, used hood release handle, several of the plastic engine cover parts replaced, a used power antenna, and lots of car wash detergent, polish and carnuba wax got things off to a good start. Complete engine flush and oil change, new shocks and stabilizer links on the front end were next. Noticed a really bad leak around the oil pan, but no indication of cracks or major leaks, so a bottle of AT-205 reseal fluid, made by ATP products got the oil leak sealed up after about 100 miles of driving. A used seat from LKQ parts from a donor car has the interior looking great. So far, it is all about 95-99% back to what a premium luxury automobile should loook and sound like. THANK YOU to other Jag owners and mechanics for posting sooooo many useful videos on YouTube!!!
The only remaining problem I haven't solved is a non-blinking airbag light on. My local Jag expert, Victor's Jaguars in San Antonio, diagnosed it as a bad module (code B1342, I believe). So far, I have removed the old module, cleaned the terminal with electric contact cleaner, and made sure the module was in good contact (grounded) to the body. Still have the light, and will be replacing the module soon.
The bottom line is, the car now looks more like a well-cared for semi-classic premium luxury car rather than someone's 15-year-old beater. And, as for yours truly, the owner, I'm afraid his prognosis is terminal and permanent. Once this Jag finds a new home, I will IMMEDIATELY be looking for another one......maybe an L, a Vanden Plas, a supercharged 4.2 or.......who knows? But I DO know this.....after only a few months, a Jaguar WILL have a reserved place in my driveway. I can now tell BMW owners to enjoy their electronic nightmares and hope Mercedes owners enjoy making the house AND boat payments for their local mechanics because their German machines are sooooo expen$ive to repair. I will keep the cat on the front of my Jaguar pinted straight and going down the road.......
Joe Wiggins
San Antonio Joe
2003 Jaguar XJ8
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 120,439
Likes: 17,009
From: Durham, UK
Welcome to the forum Joe,
Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums.
2003 was a model change year for the XJ8 from the steel bodied X308 (1997-2003) to the aluminium bodied X350 (2003-2009). Follow this link XJ XJ8 / XJR ( X308 ) - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the X308 forum or this one https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-x350-x358-28/ to the X350 forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top of each is a good place to start for information on regular issues.
Please 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 Southwest Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/us-southwest-37/ to find other members in your region.
Enjoy the forums.
Graham
Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums.
2003 was a model change year for the XJ8 from the steel bodied X308 (1997-2003) to the aluminium bodied X350 (2003-2009). Follow this link XJ XJ8 / XJR ( X308 ) - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the X308 forum or this one https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-x350-x358-28/ to the X350 forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top of each is a good place to start for information on regular issues.
Please 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 Southwest Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/us-southwest-37/ to find other members in your region.
Enjoy the forums.
Graham
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 121,073
Likes: 6,652
From: PHX some of the time
Welcome to Jaguar Forums Joe,
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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