Wow I'm so happy. Due to the lasting bad summer weather in Belgium I think Santa's agenda got mixed up! Look at what he dropped on my driveway yesterday. I'm so happy Only a few remarks Santa:

- Could it be that you misplaced 2 V12 Mercedes logo's on both sides of the car? I've never seen them on an XJ12 before. If they are not ment to be there they will be removed instantly... Does anyone now?
- 1996 model, is the white stripe on the sides Original, or has someone taped it on there afterwards?
- 2 small isues. There is an Alpine radio system with CD changer. Only when radio is on there is always cracking in the sound. Not when CD's are played. I think there must be an antenne issue... She does come up and goes down when radio is turned on and off... The little digital clock above the radio only shows some stripes and dots, but hour is not visible. I know the car only ran 200 miles the last 8 years. She had her 90000 service done (with invoice) for $1500 and then she was hardly used. Now with only 90400 miles on the clock. Maybe there is a little battery in there that is gone bad? Any ideas?

I drove the car for 300 miles yesterday, perfect oil pressure, cooling and what a power she really made me smile! incredible luxury and effortless power.

She is really stunning with only a small dent in the rear chrome trim on top of the bumper. She will be the ideal sister for my 89 V12 XJS that is still under restoration. I hope she doesn't suffer to much due to lack of attention now

Best regards,

Frederik

 

Great looking car, and cheap to run.

Your radio problem is most likely down to a faulty earth connection either at the aerial or the radio itself. Both should be checked. ie disconnect and reconnect + check the aerial connection itself.

If the noise follows the car's revs, then a suppressor between the battery +ve and alternator would be a good idea.

That's about it for me and audio.

 

Hi Fritzviz,
I am not sure about the decals, if someone put them on in a do it yourself DIY fashion, I would try using a hairdryer to loosen up the glue but be very careful as the paintwork looks very nice and maybe you might leave them, after all it's a v12 and what's the harm.
I would leave the as you may tarnish the paint and the car looks GOOD!
Good Luck and Happy Driving a Lovely Jaguar!
Regards, Stu

 

Congratulations on the new X305 Frederik. It looks great.

The UK registration shows it was first registered in Croydon, North West London between Aug 1995 and July 1996.

Those badges on the wings weren't on UK spec vehicles but may have been available for other markets. Jaguar Dealers did have a love of adding pinstripes in 1996. I've seen a lot of X300 series with them and had one myself.

Graham

 

Eh, what decoder are you using G? I'm showing 08 95 to 07 96.

 

That's nice,a colour ahead of it's time. Badges in the middle of mudguards,unlikely me thinks. One question though...what part of the world would I be in if I were in Poelkapelle.

 

Richard,

Absolutely right - now corrected.

Graham

 

Poelkapelle is very close to Ypres very well known for its war history!

I live about 5 miles from Ypres in Belgium (Europe).

Poelkapelle is the place where mustard gaz (toxic gaz) was used for the first time in WW I .

best regards,

Frederik

 

Hi Stuart,

I'm not sure if it's a DIY job, but the stripes are vinyl glued to the paint. I thought if they were OEM they would be covered with clearcoat,not? I can easily remove them I think, they would just peal off!!!

So that's why I think it is DIY...

 

Ok, both radio and cd produce super sound, except when engine is on... No whining when driving and revs go up, only when engine is on there is cracking in the sound! Earth problem?

 

fritzvis,

The twin coach-lines (called pinstripes to us folks in the USA) are NOT from dealerships but are ORIGINAL FACTORY SPEC from Jaguar. You would be removing the authenticity of your car if you peel them off.

Many Jaguar enthusiasts don't realize this -- they assume that the car arrived at a dealership and the dealership applied them, or that some DIY'er applied them.

At Jaguar Concours events, the Champions division will score cars based on their authenticity // judges will actually penalize contestants if minor details such as coach-lines are missing.

Jaguar applied factory coach-lines on various models such as your XJ, XJ40, Series III, and XJ-S in order to further accentuate the lines and sportiness.

People can still purchase Jaguar OEM coach-lines from the Jaguar Classic Parts website. They come in specific colors, with correct color code according to your cars VIN.

The white coach-lines on your car appear to be factory correct.

Regards

 

That was very helpful Michael, the stripes wil definely stay on now! V12 badges on the sides are removed because they were Mercedes V12 badges and not OEM.

 

Hi Gippsland, the colour seems to be jaguar 95/96 steel grey... and it is a 96 model, last year the xj12 were built!

Best regards,

Frederik

 

Thanks Frederik.
That colour is all the rage with current model cars here hence the comment. But 1996 XJ12's are very hard to find and good ones bring a premium price. You were very lucky to find it (with original pin stripe)
I did "google" Poelkapelle and spent about an hour following threads about the history of your area and learnt many interesting points that I haven't seen before,I am now a wiser man due to your XJ12 !!
Best Regards and most of all Enjoy!! Neil.

 

My Grandfather was there, fortunately he got shot just before the attack and was out of range in a field hospital, but he vividly remembered the damage to his comrades.

Radio, I would certainly be looking at your earthing + other connectors as you say the noise does not change with engine speed.

Some people can forget to actually earth the radio as they can earth through the aerial connections. (ie me as a kid)

Try the radio on BBC R4 LW, here I have problems with MW and FM but I know that they are not vehicle related but are more due to electric fences being poorly insulated.

Constant regular clicking.

 

I like your new Jag Frederik! But I must see a view under the bonnet in order to believe it is indeed an XJ12! Are we masquerading?

All visible signs indicate XJ6 as seen in the USA (except that it is RHD of course, and it had the V12 badges on the wings!).

Very nice steel grey color. Your factory authentic pair of coachlines would be cream colored. Also, they would be painted on, not decals.

In my experience, the original V12 badges were only used on the wings on some of the V12 XJS. I've not seen them on an XJ12.

Welcome to the world of X300/305 ownership! I know you will enjoy it.

 

Hi Richard,

You are 100% correct! Underneath the white vinyl stripes I removed there are cream colored painted on stripes! the cream white paint of the coachlines is cracked and not that good shape if you look up close, maybe that's why they added vinyl strips above the painted strips. I don't mind the cracked paint...
She also has the v12 badges on the B pillars and gold v12 on the wood of dash... And not to be forgotten the 12 pistons under the bonnet
Are you telling me those V12 emblems on the wings were original???? I removed them and broke 1 in the process of doing so they looked so much like the mercedes V12 emblems and i had never seen them on a jag before...
i will post pics of the engine bay asap the car is now in the garage and she will be back next weekend!

Best regards,

Frederik

 

I'm sorry, I couldn't make out the details in your pictures that would visually indicate an XJ12! I suppose for UK and Rest Of World cars there are many variations of each model. In the US, the XJ12 had the additional chrome, the black grille vanes, wood shift knob, and different leather and stitching on the seats. The USA spec XJ12 might be the Daimler Double Six trim in the UK.... anyone know for sure?

Interesting that the D6 and DD6 in the UK would also have the dimpled chrome on the front grill and rear finisher, just like the USA spec Vanden Plas. Not so on the USA spec XJ12!

Bottom line is that in the USA there were limited options. Four categories of the X300, each with its own characteristics. Makes it simpler to keep track of what's what here!

Then it is very possible that the V12 badges were original to your car. Again I couldn't see them very well in the pictures, but I agree they do look a lot like the badge seen on the C pillar of the Merc S500s from the same era!

 

They don't look very Jaguar-ish, don't they?

 

No they don't. Although I believe they are OEM! I think a logo like on the front grill of your XJS would look good, or maybe one similar to what's on the boot of the series 3 E-type? At any rate, we must keep it in good taste!