Hi all... I'm looking at a ridiculously large sedan for my wife but I want it to be something I want to drive to. So I'm looking at XJR's. Are their common failure points for these cars?

Are air suspension problems common? I believe the car has the same 6 speed ZF trans as my Audi so I already got a grasp on that.

Basically I'm after any common failure point and/ or any kind of "big" (timing belt, etc) maintenance that has to be done.

How does the car compare to other cars you've owned/ driven? Does it drive as big as it is?

 

Search this forum and you will find all the common issues. The cars are pretty reliable but, parts are exspensive. I would say they break a little less than most. The XJR is very responsive in all ways!! I forget I have rear seat all the time. Also, winters can be rough and I don't drive my 04 in the snow. Many have said you can if you have snow tires. Same maintenance as most cars.

 

AIR SUSPENSION! The air struts can fail with as few as 40k miles (typically the fronts)--about $900/each for rebuilt struts + installation. The air compressor can also fail at around the same mileage, which is about a $400 and about an hour of your time.

Of course if you have broken air struts and you take it to the dealer, they'll probably want $1500/corner. I've heard of some dealers wanting $3000 to replace the air compressor.

 

Like all expensive, up-market cars the parts prices relate to the price of the car when new. Trouble is the parts don't depreciate in price like the cars do ! So they can seem expensive when you bought a used one for less than 1/4 of the new price, (like I did). Usually the after-market suppliers come to the rescue, but not in all cases, in which case its "bite the bullet" time and buy new, or look for used parts from breakers.

Service items are cheap enough. Most servicing seems to be oil/filter changes, plus inspections. Brembo brakes fitted to some of the cars, (I think XJR), are usually horrendously expensive to fix if they need fixing. There are no timing belts, by the way.

On these cars, the air suspension compressor is a regular item - they don't last too long, but are quick to replace, (not much labour charge), and service exchange ones are available. The suspension arms on front and rear have non-replaceable bushes (or so say Jaguar), but there is now an aftermarket bush, and also these arms can be bought new on the internet for about half what the main agents charge.

 

You and your wife will love driving the Jag. There's much more class and elegance than any car coming out of Germany or Japan. As sporty as it can be, I find it quite easy to drive at or below the speed limit too.

One item to keep in mind on 04's is the torque converter. It's a $2000+ job and common on the earlier built XJ's.

I love how everything is so intuitive and easy to use in the Jag. My parents borrowed it and they did not need a tutorial to drive the car. I recently drive a BMW 330 and I felt senile; so many buttons and gadgets to figure out.

If it’s an option to you, buy a Super V8. It’s the best expression of this XJ in style, luxury and performance.

 

Thanks guys. My daily driver is an A8 so I'm already used to paying a premium for replacements parts. It doesn't sound like it's any more trouble than the A8 either so that's good. She wants an A8 but I figure if I can get her the Jag we can have a little variety instead of two matching A8s.

What is a super V8? Is that a trim level? Is that available on the XJR?

 

The Super V8 I guess would be a trim level or model? Basically, it's an XJR that looks like a Vanden Plas. Has all the power and braking of the XJR, but all the chrome and luxury upgrades of the VDP. It's best of both worlds.

I think 2005 was the first year?

 

Get the Super V8 Portfolio!

 

If you buy the XJ and already have an A8 you will have examples of the two technologies used to make aluminium cars. The Audi construction system is probably not as advanced as the Jaguar, it came out a lot earlier, along with the little A2, another aluminium car, but is still very good, but does not achieve the same weight reductions, although this is marginal. The A2 failed in the marketplace due to its eye-wateringly high price, at least in the UK.

 

My A8 is an 04' so it's actually the latest body (save for the 2011). So it actually came out the same time as the Jag and the A8 has been aluminum since it's inception (at least stateside). The Audi is supposed to be "the" car to have and I think it is. I drove the 745 (to industrial) and the S class (to floaty and posh). The A8 is the perfect balance of power, ride quality, build quality and overall luxury. The car is just an absolute pleasure to drive and my 4200lb long wheelbase model feels lighter than my 3400 Grand Prix.

I've actually gone through a few cars this year. I absolutely love the 02-05 Q45s but they're so rare that after a few months of searching, I gave up on finding one that was in decent condition. I liked the styling of the Jag so I went out and drove an 01. It was painfully dull. It felt like I was driving a 20 year old car. As I left the dealer I decided one last time to search for Q45's and found my 02' at a dealer and bought it that day. The Q45 is also a lot of fun but it's a Nissan at it's core so the quality of materials isn't as up to snuff as the top tier brands and I noticed it was just starting to rust on the inside of the wheel wells and I didn't want to deal with that. That's when I bought the Audi.

Back to the Jag though! I still love the way they look though and love the power to dollar ratio on the XJRs. So I did some reading and found that most of the reviews for the pre-2004 models shared my distaste for the car but that just about all the issues people complained about were remedied on the 2004+ models. So for me, when you take aluminum construction (no rust), air suspension, 400hp, great styling and a sub-$15,000 pricetag for a lower mileage model, that's just a win all around!

My only concern now is that my wife has a bad habit of not respecting her cars. I just found an inch of frozen coke in the cupholder of her SHO. I'd probably be on the hook for cleaning the Jag regularly...

 

to floaty and to industrial should be too on both counts. Shame on me.

 

Outside of Ferrari, Honda S2000 and few other exotic cars; you won't find double wishbones on all four corners like on the XJ.

 

Just replace all of the air suspension struts with coil overs that shouldn't cost you,,$1000 and 300 For installation and you get the electronic module to shut off the air compressor no more idiot lights !!!!, Aftermarket call over strats !!!!!!!

 

Everyone has their own opinions. I have not ridden in a X350 with the replacement shocks, but most comments say the ride is stiffer. A major joy of the X350/358 Jag is the ride. As long as compressors and air shocks remain available, I recommend replacing them. Yes, it's expensive relative to the used value of the car, but if money is the prime concern, a Lexus is the answer.

 

We've owned a 2006 A8L for 6 years or so with 230k miles now....my wife drives it while I purchased a 2005 XJR a few months back.

The A8 is much larger inside and rides much better...has more menus and features. All around a better car, but the XJR has tons of power while delivering a smooth ride. I've had to replace air struts on the Audi, but so far not the Jag. Think of the XJR as a muscle car - luxury car combo, like the 2007-09 Audi S8 models.

I think you and your wife will love the Jag, it definitely gets more attention then the A8. It makes you feel special somehow.

 

Hi guys the original post are from 2011
but still
The feel quite nimble astonishingly easy to drive

 

The Jaguar X350s are fun cars to drive to be sure, but on average, my 2005 Jaguar XJ8L always requires some unscheduled maintenance about once a year. In fact, I had replaced the #1 cylinder ignition coil only two weeks ago. Anyways, I would highly recommend the coil/spring changeover as the trouble prone air suspension system is not worth monkeying with, and the coil/springs even offer a better ride.

 

Super V8s in X350 disguise were already launched in 2003, at least here in Europe. I have a Jaguar price list dated March 2003 were the Super V8 was already included, and my own car was built in September 2003.

Best regards,

Thomas