A friend of mine took her 2004 XJ8 with 95K on it to a local mechanic because the air suspension was down.

He replaced some of the suspension components, (I don't know which ones, but I think it was the air shocks) then told her when he plugged the "computer" back in that it smoked and fried it.

He told her could not fix it and that she needed to come get it with a wrecker and take it to the dealer, and, oh, by the way she was to pay this "mechanic" $3200 for the work he had done to the car so far.

She paid him (big mistake, I know)and picked up the car with a wrecker and took it to her home where it has sat for the past month or so.

I went and looked at it today. It starts and runs, all four corners are down, compressor runs for a while then stops and "suspension low" displays on the dash.

When I went to plug into the OBD system, the plug was not in place, I couldn't find it in a brief search under the dash. See pic #1.

He also left two items in the trunk. One looks like an air manifold, the other looks like a computer module. See pics #2 and #3.

Can you guys tell me what could have happened to the OBD port? I guess it is probably tucked up behind the dash somewhere?

Can you tell me what the two units left in the trunk are?

What would be the best way to approach fixing this car? Rip all the air suspension stuff out and put coil conversions on it? Replace the "computer" module the guy burned up? Or just sell it for next to nothing and be done with it?
Vector

 

That is definitely where the obdii port should be..
As for those parts, that's the computer and the air distribution block for the suspension.

I'm not sure why the hell he would have pulled those units....no need to do that to replace any other suspension component. Also no reason to unplug the unit...

 

Might pay to ring Arnotts https://www.arnottindustries.com/
They are in Florida if they don't have on site technicians they might be able to point you to a reputable repairer

I had a similar experience here in Australia with a Citroen gearbox after $5000 spent in Queensland and no joy and the same problems reoccuring I sent it on a truck to Melbourne 2000,K,s away month later car fixed for nothing bar the $900 transport

My mate has just bought a peugeot it is showing gearbox problems he has already spent a grand no joy

I said don't waste any more money up here the grand you have spent could have been spent on shipping the car down to the specialists then you could always just drive it home as a test that's what I did with my Citroen at the time then

 

Well, this is a nightmare....the thing to do is to get it to a dealer and have the situation asessed. If it has all new air springs, the Jag originals are worth about $4000. The dealer can tell her what the guy did and give a cost to make it right, then she can decide what route to take. Not sure how plugging the module in could damage it, but there are professional level idiots out there! This mechanc was obviously way out of his league with no clue as to how to proceed to fix this.

 

And as i say cheaper can be alot more expensive. That valve block should never have been replaced nor the computer. If you have a air leak you have aair leak fix that not replace everything cause you dont know how to diag and fix it. Oldmots, you got a typo on prices
if they put a module in it has to be programmed and the cars air suspension has to be calibrated. Both dealer only issues without correct software.
Look under the dash and feel, obd2 connectors can pop out, they just snap in place

 

You're in Central Florida? Call Bill Suter at All Jaguar in Longwood.