Thinking of selling one of my 98 X308 jags and getting a X350. But on a limited budget, so I went to test drive a 2008 long body with over 170,000 miles. The car had all of its air shocks replaced by coil over traditional shocks.
there were 2 errors on the dash: Cats failure and air suspension failure - He said these errors have been on the dash for 6 months (the time the shock swap was done) - Do these errors stay on with a swap OR did the mechanic not do the swap correctly to prevent these faults from showing ?
the car rode stiff more like a BMW than my x308 jags - I knew the coil shocks would be more stiff than air BUT I was thinking it would be more like my X308 - Are there better coil shocks for these jags that are a smoother ride ?
The sunroof had a horrible wind noise when driving but seemed shut and there was no sign of leaking - Do the X350s have problematic sunroofs ? I know some of the X308s did - can these be adjusted for a tighter close ? the rubber looked good and flexible so I am not confident new seals would fix the issue long term

Is 170,000 too high a mileage for the X308s any known issues these cars have long term or with higher mileage ? I am familiar with the tranny issues and timing chains with the X308, I know the 350s had issues with thermostats and water pumps, but I am not sure of other issues the X350s have

Thanks

Only a couple of aftermarket coilover makers supply a module that takes care of the dash errors. Without that module, the error is permanent but meaningless. Of course they don't sell the module by itself, because then everyone would buy the cheaper coilover kits instead of the good ones. I put Arnott coilovers on mine and couldn't be happier, and Arnott does supply the module to get rid of the error display. As for your ride quality, the coilovers are available in "comfort" and "sport," intended to duplicate the factory air struts as far as ride quality goes, with most X350s having Comfort, and some having Sport. No idea how to tell which yours have, or if they're even intended to replicate the factory ride.

The air suspension system on these is well past its design lifetime, and upkeep on it is expensive. If the current (or another previous) owner went cheap on the coilovers, they may well have lowered the ride qualty, or they may have intentionally gone for a stiffer ride thinking they wanted it "sportier."

Bc racing coilovers seem to be strong on the conversions adjustable in height and soft / stiffness

Thanks for the replies, I am trying to find out which shocks this guy put on this car. Driving this jag was almost identical to driving a half-ton pick up in 4 wheel drive with studded winter tires.It was loud humming with strong vibration felt through the steering wheel. The tires are 2months old with less than 4k miles on them, no noises to suggest wheel bearings - is it possible those new shocks are that bad ? anything else that would cause that ?

On a side note

This 2008 had a very low gloss appearance. I know the X308s had horrible clear coats. Both of mine are peeling like crazy. In fact with the dozens of these cars I have never seen one that doesn't have clear coat damage. But I have only seen 2 or 3 X350s - do they have thin clear coats ? or was this specific car just abused on its finish ?

I was also shocked to see a sagging headliner - I have never seen an X308 without a sagging headliner - so I just assumed jag would have fixed that in the X350 (none of my other cars chevys, fords, chrysler have ever had a sagging headliner)

Silly thoughts and questions to follow! - but sometimes all that is all that is available in my head ;-) ....

What you are feeling might not be necessarily all related to those shocks.
Over inflated tyres will definitely make the car unsettled and harsh, even just a few extra pounds makes a big difference (yes I'm still talking about tyre pressures folks!).
What tyre sizes and pressures are your running? Wouldn't be the first time a tyre outfit didn't reduce pressure in the tyres after beading them!

If it's on 20" rims and 30 series tyres, then it will naturally be a harder ride as you will get far more feedback with that combination due to less isolation from the road. I feel quite a lot more of the road with my 19" 40 series on the XJ, compared to my X-Type on 16" 50 series.
It will get progressively smoother as you come down in the rim sizes and subsequently increase the tyre depth.
That being said if the springs are too tough and/or the shocks too resistive (not being appropriately selected/tuned for the car), then that will definitely transfer a greater amount of road anomalies into the chassis.
Check your tyre pressures, see if you can borrow a set of suitable 19" 40 series or even 18" 50 series rims.
Just be aware that what you gain comfort will be a trade-off in handling. But if you not hell bent on throwing it sideways, then you can probably afford to increase comfort.

The x350 might have harder and snugger seating than the x308s you are used to as well.

Regarding the headliner, unfortunately the answer seems to be "nope, they did not"... if you look into the forum, you will see that it is a recurring issue. My car also had the problem.

Best regards,

Thomas

Actually the standard 17" wheels on the NA cars.
Would give you a softer ride.
Unaware what wheels come on the Super V8's.

On the wheels, a lot of people insist on the large wheels and ultra-low-profile tires for the looks alone. I don't think they look better, and I know they don't work better. It's entirely possible some previous owner was trying to make a sports car out of it, which rather misses the point of the car entirely, with a wheel/tire package, and "sport" struts. There's no way that an X350 should be harsh in any way, shape, or form.

If you haven't bought it yet, I would suggest don't.

I suppose that it was the same worldwide, but at least here in Europe the older Super V8s had 18" wheels as standard, in a unique style ("Presige") for the Super V8, and the XJR had 19" ("Performance").

For the NA cars, 17" wheels where standard only for the 3.0 V6 and 3.5 V8, the 4.2 V8 had 18" wheels as standard.

I run 19" "Custom" wheels in summer and 18" "Luxury" wheels in winter, and ride wise I do not feel a big difference.

Best regards,

Thomas

Form everything you said I would steer clear. These cars are very cheap to buy in good shape, no sense in buying one with a ton of miles and lots of issues, it will cost you a lot more in the long run. Spend more and get a better example.

As for the clear coat - that should not be an issue on the car. I've had numerous x308s and my current x350 and never a paint issue. I would look for a better car.

Some of the harshness in ride may be to not getting an alignment after installing coil overs, especially if any other work was done. I can tell you my car rode like my ram truck after changing suspension components on the way to getting an alignment. Smooth as could be afterwards. Can't say the same on my second alignment recently after getting new tires installed. Dealer forgot to use a torque wrench. Unfortunately its the only dealer in town and know of no other place close with the equipment to do it or I would never go back.

Regarding the sunroof, it can be adjusted. There is also a rubber gasket that can be replaced around the glass but most likely the air noise is from the sunroof not sitting flush.

Thanks again for all the replies, I have been too busy to get back to checking on this. The car is being offered about 1,000 below avg value for my area, which gives some room for improvements. BUT even if I can get everything under control within that cushion in the end that 170k mileage still has me concerned. If it was 150k or less I would probably grab it, I don't think I myself have ever seen an XJ8 with over 220k mileage (I have seen quite a few volvos, benzes, and BMWs over 300k). I have also even noticed a few 2011 and 2012 XJs and XFs that are just a few hundred dollars more than the X350s in my area and even though I like the looks of the classic X350 much much better, I am also wanting to spend more time driving and less time repairing.

On a side note I just saw a 2004 XJ8 with sagging headliner and clear coat peel off entire roof, hood, and trunk. A friend told me Mercedes had a clear coat problem for 3 model years, but I am thinking we have had a problem for for 10+ with clear coats

These cars will do serious mileage. I have seem numerous on the FB Groups with over 200k. Obviosuly those cars are very well maintanined so maintenance history is important. If the paint is fading I'd question how the rest of the car was taken care of.

Yes, some manufacturers have issues with paint/clear (Honda being the biggest, happened over a long period), but Jag is not one of them. Very rare to see paint issues on these cars unless they are stored outside and not taken care of. Paint/body work is also the most expensive repair to make. I'd rally suggest spending more and getting a better car, these cars are pretty cheap. If you don't care about how it looks that's one thing, but getting it back into shape cosmetically will cost a good bit no matter how good the mechanicals are.

I think it's just time and sun?
All 15+ year old cars I see have clear coat damage and sagging headliners?
I live in the south where it's hot and ALL brands/makes of cars suffer from this. The problem is the heat destroys the glue and then it starts to let go.
Your car looks like it has been parked and cooked in the sun for years.
.
.
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I have been reading this forum (X350) for many years and reports of clear coat problems
have been virtually nil.
Just Googled it and I am correct. LOL

I have an 04 XJR and it has several clear coat issues. And an 09 with very thin clear coat. I think Jaguar drove them through the paint booth at about 30mph.
Seats on 04-07 much less comfortable than X308. X308 XJR had some of the most comfortable seats I've ever sat in. Go with 08 or 09 for comfort.
Headliners falling are a very common fault. Definitely will happen if car has been left outside.
In the case of this particular car, I too, would pass. Although these cars will do lots of miles, mine will hit 170k in a few weeks, I wouldn't buy one with that mileage. And if this one already doesn't ride well, don't think I'd spend the money to try to sort it.
I have coilovers on one of my cars and they have been fine. Motorcars LTD set way back when. Good quality and ride. Don't know about others.