Hi! I'm just about to pull the trigger on a beautiful 2017 XJL Portfolio at a great price with 47k miles. However, two things are driving me nuts: the start button is worn, and the varnish on the wooden steering wheel feels like it's "pitted". I read that's what happens when a driver wears lotion often. I've been looking for months so I'd hate to pass this one up but the wheel is driving me nuts. 2 q's:

1. How hard is it to replace the start button?
2. Can the steering wheel be "refinished" somehow so it's nice and smooth? Or do I have to replace it? If so, can I locate a used one (with heat etc) and have it replaced? Are they rare or is the procedure costly?

Thanks so much, hope to join the club soon!

 

Start button is simple and not too expensive to replace. I think your good with that minor problem. You can also go real cheap and just glue a top on the start button. Many have done this and they are on EBay if your interested.

The wheel damage I have not heard of before but your explanation does make sense. I would forget about the refinishing as I am sure the cost would be high. I would start cruising EBay again and just make sure you get the right wheel as there are different options plus different types of wood used. I see them for $100-$400 and there are a number of them.

What interior does your car have and what wood is on your wheel?
Here is a decent one but from a 2011 model for under $150. Does the 2017 model steering wheel look any different? I don't think so but I have a 2014 model.
Wood XJ Steering Wheel

One thing to note is even if you find the exact wheel but it's too expensive? There is almost zero demand for used XJ steering wheels because they last so long. Unless someone is changing interiors or has damage like yours it won't be selling. So don't be afraid to shoot then a price of $100 or so just to see if they are serious about selling it!

Now are you aware of the water pump and plastic cooling pipe problems? Have they been replaced? Will you have a warranty? If not can you DIY any repairs?
It's difficult to make a used XJ work unless you have a way to get the repairs/maintenance done for reasonable cost. Heck an oil change at the dealer is between $200-$300!

Can you get a Carfax? It's not great but might have some useful info in it.
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Thanks so much for your advice! My car has the Portfolio interior with brown leather. The Carfax shows lots of maintenance at the dealer, and it was sold from a dealer as "Certified Pre-Owned" in 2021. I feel pretty good about it mechanically. Is the water pump and plastic cooling pipe still an issue in the 2017 model?

 

Wow, I did some research and it is definitely still an issue. I'll have the inspector pay close attention to it -- and probably replace it with an aluminum one when I do the 60k maintenance.

 

For your interior to get the correct color match see if you can get the interior color code?

Now that you know about the cooling problems just keep an eye on fluid levels. Many don't until it's too late. Also if you see ANY indication of over heating or steam shut the car down NOW and get it towed. Many people have continued driving with disastrous results. You will see comments like I just drove it home slowly or I just drove to the next exit. You can't do that! These are all Aluminum engines and the heat will warp the heads and block.

A bit of background here? Jaguar has on purpose "damped" the response of the engine temperature gauge. What this means is once the gauge gets to mid scale it won't move unless there is a huge increase in coolant temperature! Which normally means it's too late. The engine is already over heated.
They claimed that too many customers would bring their cars in because the coolant gauge was moving around like it's suppose to do!

So don't worry too much because if you stay on top of the fluid levels you won't get surprised.
Glad to see you have found the Aluminum pipes as in my small opinion this should have been factory issued!
One other suggestion is to ignore the factory oil drain intervals if you plan to keep the car. Most of us have settled on a 6K-8K miles change interval.
But it's up to you as it's your car!

One last suggestion? I don't know what engine you have? If you can post all your info when asking questions it helps a lot. Year, engine, amount of miles and prior work if you know it.
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