Coil over kits are common in Rovers, and they are cheap as well (under a grand for all four corners), I've got a few lovely 2004 XJ8s just tempting me to pull the trigger on them but I'm worried about picking one up only to have to drop a few thousand dollars in repairs just a short while down the road.

Is this problem with the air suspension not as common as I am thinking?

 

I would have no issues picking up a X350 XJR if the Select Edition warranty covers the air suspension but it doesn't, it is spelled out in their documentation. I think this is a major oversight w/ Jaguar's extended warranty.

 

Knock on wood, I have never had a problem with the air suspension.

 

Years ago I had a '90 XJ6 with the load leveling rear shocks and they were quite troublesome. Like most people, I changed them out to conventional shocks. How come Jaguar went back to a system that major issues instead of going with a reliable system?

 

I know this can't be as big an issue as the XJ40 with the hydraulic suspension. I had an '88 XJ6 (the worst year ever IMHO) and a '92 Majestic. Ihad to convert those over to conventional suspension but it didn't cost $3500. I think it was $700 from the dealer and around $400 everywhere else. You could always tell who didn't do the conversion. The rear end would just go up and down on it's own or bounce all the time.

P.S. could someone do something about the apostrophes that seem to multiply? [sm=headbang.gif]

 

I wash the under body and the wheels to remove snow and ice. Air suspension fault came on. Here in Michigan temperature is 21 degrees, the cold weather could be it.

 

I had the same problem on my 04 XJR. Last summer, the left front air spring failed suddenly. Jaguar paid for the long tow (SE) but not the $800 repair. Several months later the air suspension fault warning came back on several times, and the compressor had to be replaced (paid for, but the warrenty is running out shortly). That took care of the ASF warning, but I have 2 more concerns that I hope you guys who really know this stuff can advise on.

First, when I start the car after a few hours, sometimes less, it rises about 0.5 to 1", sometimes from the back first. I took it back to the dealer, but the mech couldn't find any leaks. In fact he didn't even observe the rising, which makes me question his powers of observation. The car goes up almost immediately on starting the engine, so it is hard to believe that the compressor pumps up the system so fast. Maybe the air pressure is coming from the resevoir, but I don't pretend to know how the system works.

Second, my DSC Unavailable light comes on occasionally. It had been more often, but the dealer changed something, which helped, but I still get it occasionally. Is the DSC releated to the air suspension? When the warning is on, I have noticed that the ride can be very harsh. When I turn the engine off and restart, the light goes away and the ride is better.

Could both these problems stem from a faulty pressure regulator? Does the car even have one?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated before I take it back and yell at the service manager.

 

think this is THE "air suspension fault" thread.

i have an issue with the XJ8 sinking all way to the down. (normally it takes a good 3-5 days instead of what's happening now overnight.)

XJ8 suspension sinking overnight
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=28652

 

Zuoom, it sounds like you are describing a leak in the suspension. I would get a bottle of bubble blowing soap and start tracing the air lines. I would start with the lines coming out of the compressor.

 

sounds viable. will do that.

only issue was that it didn't do that till a change in the air compressor last week. (though the air suspension fault light is gone.)

 

Sorry to hear that. I have a 2004 XJ8 and have had no suspension problems.

 

Maybe they hadnt diagnosed the root cause correctly?
If you change you may well get worse problems from another type of car.
FFS its just one problem!
Amazing how things change from this with one problem......

 

I am getting the same thing now on mine, xj8l 2005. I know this might sound stupid, so please humor me, could you replace the shocks with something else, or is the whole all dependent upon each other, I don't care about the air ride, I just do not have the money to shell out on this, and especially for mechanics who are just trying stuff, but not really fixing the problem. This scares the crap out of me because i just replaced a throttle body on it a few months ago for 1400, the car only has 50k on as it is. Should this not last longer?

 

ok so reading thru some other threads on this i have my answer, so who wants a nice 2005 xj8l for sale in the chicago area?

 

giving up jagprog? Did you check for air leaks first, individual shock failure...then the compressor?

 

I just replaced one of the air compressors after getting the air suspension fault light. My second major failure on the car between 50,000 and 55,000 miles (just did the Throttle Body last week). Seems to have been effectively "warranty period engineered".

 

H20, no I did not, I have no equipment or a place to do this, I will see what I can get done in that regard. Its a shame because I really like the car, its been way fun to drive, looks cool, and has major panache in a world full of bmw's/mercedes/lexus, but I can't afford to do repairs that are more than my rent in most cases and on a car that did not cost that much to begin with. I am pretty much resigned to being stuck with this car and even if I could sell it, most likely I will take a huge loss even in that.

For you guys who did replace the compressor, how much $$ was that?

No one ever really seems to post repair costs that much, once in a while I see it.

 

If it may help. I do know of a great mechanic in South Holland. He is the only person I will let work on my 04 XJR. It might be a little south for you, but a quality shop that will not rip you off is hard to find.

 

My compressor repair/replacement was $750 including tax and labor. BTW, there is apparently a $400 core charge for the old part...