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Random Corona Virus era boredom lead me to import a Japanese SWB X358 into the UK. I thought I had bought an XJ8 4.2 Sovereign, but when the car's VIN came through I looked it up and it suggested it was in fact supercharged. When it arrived in the UK I waited nearly two months over Xmas and most of January to get a registration number from the UK DVLA and during this period the importer showed me round the car over Whatsapp and there it was, a supercharged engine that I was not expecting. Strange, the car is the full Super V8 SWB spec inside similar to the earlier SWB Super V8s where the rear occupant can move the front passenger seat forward for more legroom, but the rear badge says Sovereign, not Super V8. Another unexpected aspect of the car is it is lowered on coilovers. It looks mean but the ride is a bit bumpy but not worse than my XKR, I am not sure I will keep it this way, but going back to air suspension (which I have never experienced and would like to) is an unwelcome expense at this time.
I am familiarising myself with the car and working through some issues and requirements:
My parking sensors do not work and the red light comes on when I put the car in R.
My windscreen washer seems to be 90% dead and after a long press something resembling water comes out on the screen, but not much.
I have no Bluetooth for phone calls, pressing the phone button and the car says "No Phone Fitted". I have ordered a used 7W93-10D893-AB module which I will try and fit over the weekend. Do you need to configure this module via SDD or just plug in?
The Audio Connectivity Module needed resetting each time I started the car or it would say "No Magazine", today I updated the firmware as per these instructions to version 2.10 (using the Mercedes "only" firmware) and It is now rock solid.
The gas struts on the bonnet/hood do not hold it, up new ones on order.
Cleaned the interior leather with hide treatment, hoovered everything, wiped everything, shampoo-ed the posh lambs wall rugs so the car does not smell of smoking any more.
Japanese Sat Nav DVD would not eject, now it has but the UK DVD does not seem to work and car forever tells me "Reading DVD Please Wait".
Some electric headrests, one front, one rear do not go up and down via the buttons.
Listened to the previous Japanese owner's CDs from the auto-changer.
Any way hello to all X350/X358 owners, I will post some pictures when I have cleaned the car.
Hi Nick,
Congratulations on getting almost the ultimate X350/8. Sure, it's not a portfolio, but close. It sounds very much like my car. My VIN is SAJKC82L78TH25812, and that confirms it as a Super V8. I got the build sheet for mine and an interesting entry is 'No rear badges'. It would seem that either the original X350 badging was preferred or the buyer wanted to disguise the true power of the car. Perhaps the X358 script-badge XJ on the left was not liked. Anyway mine is exactly the same, and I have photos of another identical car for sale in Japan.
I will be very interested in your progress with things like the phone and audio equipment. Japan has a car monitoring system called VICS which is usually removed, but I think the usual phone and voice systems are not used in Japan. Is there a connector in the right hand oddment tray below the key?
Look at my posts for photos of my car, or google the VIN above. Last time I looked the photos of the car at the Japan auction site were still there. Try your VIN, you may find your car too.
Edit: Just realised yours is SWB and mine LWB, so your VIN will be different, digits 6&7 will be 74, not 82. I can post up my build sheet too, if you want.
Pete M
Last edited by Pete M; Mar 16, 2021 at 08:04 PM.
Reason: Resize photo
Japanese imports are common in NZ, must be rare in UK. I've got the V, just missing the Super and the 8
The only Japanese I found on mine is inside the fuel flap. So no-one need know, except us!
FWIW NZ Nav CD worked fine on my car, so it's unlikely to be due to the car's origin. (unlike my Jap Jap imports)
Sounds like you know well enough to have the battery "good" or even on charge if you're extensively playing around.
9. LOL. Previous owner cussing "where'd my CD's go". I lost a Pink Floyd that way...
The windscreen washer could be one of several issues:
1. Clogged washer jets on wiper arms
2. Broken hose under cowl trim
3. Clogged pump
Or a combination of the above.
If you pull the brake reservoir cover and look you should see the hoses to the washer arms. I had one fail from being mis-routed in the past and the hose rubbed through on the wiper linkage.
I also had an issue with very low washer output due to the fluid tank filling with mold/scum. This is due to the design of the fill spout, which allows all the dirty water from the windshield to drain into the tank. Solution was to remove the tank for cleaning, and seal up the OE overflow holes. I drilled a new hole to allow any water to drain out the bottom into the fender well. See this thread here: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-moldy-202527/
Thanks for your messages and for the translations!
Pete, I tried entering my VIN into the decoder from your link in the past and nothing is returned. It is SAJKC74L78TH23176, I did purchase the car trace certificate from Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust and it states make and model, Jaguar XJ 4.2 litre Super V8 manufactured 13 September 2007 and sent to Jaguar Land Rover Japan, Kabush.
I also have a stern Japanese voice complain at me each time I turn the ignition, it seems to come from the VICS, my understanding is there is a toll card or similar that it is expecting me to insert to a slot in a reader that is the cubby hole under the ignition key. It is quite amusing, but probably will get annoying in time. Did you remove or deactivate yours?
Chris, I also have some Japanese under the bonnet, probably telling me to use the right oil and not burn myself opening the coolant cap after driving.
Pete do you have some web link where you and I perhaps can look up our VINs for the auction details?
The little "VICS" box was just removed on mine, I think there's a plug on the back of it.
If that doesn't shut up Miss Konichiwa, there may be a separate tiny speaker near the top of the windscreen. At least there was on my Honda, I just cut the lead.
Pretty cool car!
I would be very hesitant about returning the car to air springs. He converted it for a reason and we all know what that reason was!
Way to much expense and unreliability with the air suspension. It will ruin your experience with the car. Many people gave up on their XJ's and sold them for pennies because of the failure prone air suspension.
My washer jets didn't work due to the filter at the base of the pump/reservoir was completely full of crud.
There's great thread on the Forum on fitting a telephone Bluetooth module, but it won't give you music, just the phone;
Thanks for the link to the bluetooh stuff, I had a look today to see if I have any phone module or the wiring to connect one. In my boot there is the CD-Autochanger and Sat Nav DVD player in the rack, nothing else and no used plugs that are waiting for the Bluetooth option. However to the side of the rack, between it and the amp is a Denso device mounted vertically, do you have any idea what this is? I have Googled the part number but nothing obvious arises beyond it forming part of X type equipment.
I don't know what that module is
Maybe someone who has a later car will know, or is it something particular to the Japanese market.
What is the part number?
My car already had the armrest GSM phone fitted which I removed, so that's why there was a module and wiring there already.
Last edited by paddyx350; Mar 19, 2021 at 11:27 AM.
Wow, great looking car, Nick. Same as mine (colour, interior, wheels}, but much more mint. Do you have the 4-zone aircon? Oh, and mine's close to 200K Km, so well run in. You've got a very good one there. I wonder if they were Yakuza staff cars, same colour and trim etc?
Thanks for your messages and for the translations!
Pete, I tried entering my VIN into the decoder from your link in the past and nothing is returned. It is SAJKC74L78TH23176, I did purchase the car trace certificate from Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust and it states make and model, Jaguar XJ 4.2 litre Super V8 manufactured 13 September 2007 and sent to Jaguar Land Rover Japan, Kabush.
I also have a stern Japanese voice complain at me each time I turn the ignition, it seems to come from the VICS, my understanding is there is a toll card or similar that it is expecting me to insert to a slot in a reader that is the cubby hole under the ignition key. It is quite amusing, but probably will get annoying in time. Did you remove or deactivate yours?
Chris, I also have some Japanese under the bonnet, probably telling me to use the right oil and not burn myself opening the coolant cap after driving.
Pete do you have some web link where you and I perhaps can look up our VINs for the auction details?
Thanks for all the comments,
Nick
Hi Nick,
When I put the VIN in my reply, I noticed that it became live, and I clicked on it too. It doesn't work, not for our VINs anyway. If you put my VIN into the google search bar, some of the auction site pics for my car come up. They are http://www.beforward.jp and for some reason the pics are still there. I tried googling your VIN, but didn't get any hits. https://www.goo-net-exchange.com/ is one site that has a huge list of cars in Japan and includes lots of Jags. Do you know which auction site you got it from?
Most of the x350 service manuals in the sticky posts have an intro section with a VIN decoder that actually works. Don't worry about the emission code "L", which seems to be missing from almost all the VIN decoders, it's in one of the x350 service manual documents. Country allocation of emission specs are given, such as "L or R" for Japan for supercharged 4.2 engines. Interestingly, the same codes apply to New Zealand. On the build sheet, which your local dealer can access on a Vehicle Enquiry, it shows all the installed options etc. Mine was sold by JLR Japan, Kabushiki Kaisha on 28 Feb 2008.
Have you unplugged the box in the cubby hole? Mine was already gone when I got it, and the language etc reset to English. I don't have any Japanese under the bonnet, but as Chris says above, it's in the fuel cap cover. Did you get the dark green folder with the service information (in Japanese)? Looking forward to some interior photos.
Anyway enjoy the car, it's a rare beast. Just get used to the attention it gets!
BOOM Japanese Import X358 Super V8 in the House
