hi guys I'm looking at buying an x350 v6 or v8. I went to see one today a v6 one and on start up it threw blue smoke out of the exhaust along with some moisture. the blue smoke kept on puffing out for about 1/2 hour while idling then after a drive it was puffing out while on the drive up to 70 mph over short distance . when taken back to garage after a 10 min drive it wasn't smoking at all this car had a service about 7000 miles ago and has covered 113000 miles is this likely to have worn valve guides or oil seals if so what's involved financially to deal with this please? thank you P.S what are other issues to look out for on these cars both the v6 and v8? thankyou
bazza1

These engines are known for blowing the rubber valve stem guides. Unfortunately, it requires a complete removal of the heads, variable cams and other stuff. Very few shops have the equipment to setup & recalibrate the heads. If it is the valve guide (s) you might find yourself replacing with a factory rebuilt engine. Very expensive.

Thank you mberman does that mean that all these cars are a potential problem after 100.000 miles then?

My old S-Type 3.0L with 230'000kms on the clock didn't blow a whiff of smoke so I wouldn't say it's a given.

my 04 xjr with 194k on it doesn't blow anything out even after sitting for days and 0 blow by

Essentially, the advice has to be "don't buy that car !!" The 3 litre V6 is basically a Ford engine, and one of the most reliable ever fitted by Jaguar, the AJ16 straight six of 2004-2007 being the other one. So symptoms like you describe show either the owner totally neglected the car and ignored all fault symptoms, OR it is a bad engine that escaped into production. Either way, it will be expensive to fix, so the price of the car must reflect this. Personally, I'd look around for another car.


If you have a read through the forum you'll see what kinds of problems occur, plus there is a buyers guide at the top.

Essentially, the advice has to be "don't buy that car !!" The 3 litre V6 is basically a Ford engine, and one of the most reliable ever fitted by Jaguar, the AJ16 straight six of 2004-2007 being the other one. So symptoms like you describe show either the owner totally neglected the car and ignored all fault symptoms, OR it is a bad engine that escaped into production. Either way, it will be expensive to fix, so the price of the car must reflect this. FWIW, my car is on 109k miles and has none of the symptoms you describe and goes beautifully. If looked after properly, these cars are good to go over 200k miles.


Personally, I'd look around for another car.


If you have a read through the forum you'll see what kinds of problems occur, plus there is a buyers guide at the top.

I'm talking about the 4.2. The 4.0 might use the same rubber valve stem guides.
These cars require maintenence and more than usual repairs. Unfortunately parts are expensive and Dealer shop labor rates are high. The Jaguar indy shops are a little less expensive. Some savings in parts can be had due to the fact that Lincoln LS and the 2002-05 Tbird share some interchangeable parts.
The suspension bushings last no more than 10 years. To replace front and rear suspension components are at least $5K. You can drive these cars and slowly get use to the wear and tear on the suspension and not notice the ride degradation. There is no way to escape the deferred maintenance issue. It's reflected in the resale price. Why can you purchase an XJ S8 with a MRSP of over $100k for less than $25k?
BTW a factory rebuilt ZF6 tranny is $8k installed by the Dealer. A factory rebuilt 4.2SC engine is about $11K from the Dealer. I know this from experience. That's why don't own these cars without a good extended warranty. They are wonderful and gourgios looking cars when maintained properly.
Good Luck.

Thank you guys looked into prices of parts and I'm glad to say that the cost of running in the uk seems to be a lot cheaper than in the states though