Hello, folks!

I'm new to Jaguars (though not British cars in general; my weekend car is an Aston) and I'm considering buying a 2011 XJL Supercharged. I've done some due diligence on the particular car I'm looking at. It's a southern (U.S.) car, has a clean history, under 55k miles, and looks like it's in excellent condition. The dealer (not a Jaguar dealer) assured me that the water pump had been replaced in the past year and there are no issues with the air suspension system. When I go to test drive the car I plan to thoroughly inspect the sunroof rails for corrosion and have the dealer put it on a lift to check out the underside for any obvious issues.

Since there's no stickied thread on specific things to look for when buying a used XJ, do you folks have any recommendations? Thanks in advance for the help!

 

Welcome!
You've done your homework so let's see the CarFax/Dealer Service Invoices..

Price should be quite reasonable even during the current Pre-Owned Inflation..

 

I'm hoping for good service history, and really hoping it's already had the service bulletin completed for the sticky button issue; they look very good in the photos.

And yeah, I'm surprised that the prices aren't higher on these, considering the insane market. Pickup trucks have nearly doubled, and my Vantage is worth 50% more than I paid two years ago. But, hey, I'm not going to argue with Jaguar's magic depreciation.

Can't wait to drive it.

 

Two main things to look for in our earlier XJ/XJL SC
1) Supercharger snout coupler - Check for rattle/knock. The new couple isn’t expensive, but requires SC to be removed.
2) Timing chain tensioners - Check for rattle at start up that will then subside. That's some major surgery. From what I know, $5K+ repair.

I did #1 but mine had 84K miles and thought of it as preventative work since SC oil is changed and I planned on water pump at the same time. Tough call if it has #2.

 

Thanks, I'll be sure to look for those.

 

Looks like the Schmidt Class Action Timing Tensioner settlement is finally adjudicated..

Robert Schmidt, et al., v. Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLc, et al..

https://www.kgglaw.com/class-action-lawsuits/land-rover-and-jaguar-timing-chain-defect-class-action/

 

With the early year of your car. Be sure and drive it over uneven surfaces to make sure the roof popping issue has been repaired.
Your smart to check on the water pump but there are a number of plastic cooling parts that need replaced as well.

You might want to look for a 2013 and up as they upgraded the car in many ways but the big one is the 8 speed ZF transmission. The 6 speed is good but better mileage and performance with the 8 speed.

Not much air suspension problems with this model as Jaguar only installed it on the rear suspension.

But the big one is can you do any repairs? This forum has most of the problems long figured out but it will be expensive if you use the dealer and finding a good independent repair place is difficult.

Hope you get it and post pictures! My 2014 has been the best car I have ever owned too. No breakdowns and only 2 repairs from new and I am at 50K miles now.
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Another great difference between 2012 and 2013 on is updating of the electrical system from Denso to Bosch. This resoled things like rapid battery depletion. an example pre 2013 XJs would show low battery after less than a week left in the garage or airport and the 2013 XJs could sit idle for weeks.

 

What is the roof popping issue? Does the sunroof unseat while the car goes over bumpy road?

Yes, I do most of the maintenance on my cars myself, so that's not an issue.

I was looking for a 2013+ car but all the ones that met my criteria were in less than great condition.

 

That's good info to have. I don't think it'll be a problem because this will be my daily driver, but I'll watch out for it and use my battery tender if I have to leave it alone for extended periods.

 

buy the newest one you can afford, preferably after 2013. Also preferably the 5.0L S/C as it is the most reliable motor.

 

Yes the roof popping was an early problem. It does not cause any problems other than the noise. Which in an expensive luxury car is not acceptable. No leaks or broken parts. Jaguar worked on it for several years before finally solving it. There is a washer/spacer kit and several TSB's were released.

My 2014 has been 100% silent so again the later the XJ you can afford the better the car is. Search for roof noise or roof popping to see many dozens of threads.
You usually can tell if the car has this problem by driving at an angle over a speed bump or entering a driveway. Get the car to twist a bit.
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Well, I ended up buying the 2011 XJL SC. It's in very good condition, just under 53k miles. There are a few issues I'll have to address, but honestly I'd be more worried about a Jaguar with no problems.

The previous owner changed the water pump, and I didn't find anything else wrong with the cooling system. There is no popping from the sunroof, but there is a bit of squeaking. A little carmex on the seals should fix that. It has no corrosion at all on the rails, either.

Issues to address:
-The TPMS needs a reset; it's giving me the "Right rear tire not monitored" warning, like it would if the spare tire was on that corner. I'm guessing the battery in the sensor has gone dead.
-I'm feeling a slight clunking from the left front wheel on bumps and when I turn the wheel to full lock, accompanied by a vibration in the front end that doesn't get worse with speed. Feels like a ball joint going bad. Do these cars have press-out ball joints, or will I be replacing control arms?
-The previous owner did not have the sticky buttons replaced. I see much Goo-Gone and Q-tip use in my future.
-I was playing with the audio settings the other day and discovered that the speakers in the back doors don't work at all. Is that common? Or maybe the previous owner had them disabled? Needs investigation.
-The resistance/obstruction sensors in the passenger side windows, front and rear, are way too sensitive. They won't roll up until I hit the switch three times. Can I have them calibrated? I tried the window reset procedure in the manual but that doesn't change anything.

All in all, not too bad for a ten year old British luxury car. I've had it less than two weeks and already love it. I think I got a LOT of car for $24k. It already has fresh Pilot Sport 4S's on it, too.

Photos!

 

Good buy! I think since your a current Aston owner the Jag won't present anything out of the ordinary for repairs or the cost of those repairs.
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Thanks.
I was looking through some of the parts available on RockAuto last night and I was surprised that they're not more expensive. I ended up ordering both front control arms, tie rod ends, shock mount bushings, and sway bar bushings, all for under $280. I figure I might as well just replace every ball joint and bushing in the front suspension next weekend, then take it for an alignment. A little preventative maintenance couldn't hurt, and it should tighten up that clattering I'm feeling in the left front corner.

 

I read/ saw somewhere else that earlier year XJ’s may have some concerns regarding the audio system computer software glitching. Truthfully dont know if rear speakers not working could be affected by such a glitch. But, having the dealer update the software may fix this for you, may be worth trying for a $100 (guessing) update? I cannot imagine someone taking the head unit out or taking the rear door skins off to disconnect the rear speakers, but I have seen crazier things in my day 😂.