Hi Gents and Ladies of course. I am a avid car forum guy and once belonged back in the day with my 2008 XKR and then 2012 Xkr.. I sold those to free up some cash and am now on the hunt for a affordable sedan... I came across a 2003 XJR that I hope to look at next week when the seller is back in town. I have been doing alot of research and Im aware of the suspension. Some questions I have are there doesn't seem to be alot of the x350 XJR in 2003 , seems 2004 pops up on YouTube etc alot more. was it a transition year from the x300 and therefore not alot of them.. When did they make changes through out the year. I know 2008 is a new body shape etc.. but is 2003 and 2006 the same ? any improvements they made. Also what is the timing belt situation as this one has 209km on the clock. Just looked at a 2004 Audi A8L with 212km and no record of a timing belt change , it should have been done twice according to the forums.
I will research how to get bluetooth going as I imagine the 2003 does not have... Cheers for any insight.

Regards Jordan

 

Also Im trying to see the difference from a normal xj 2003 to a xjr ? looks wise

 

xjr has body color mesh grille regular has slats

 

thats all ... thank you.. so no changes from a 03 to 07? then they switched to the x358 ?

 

in 05.5 they got rid of the door strips added vvt to the engine and a bunch of other small changes

 

So a 2003 and 2004 are the same? Were parking sensors standard fair ?

 

Cheers thanks ...

 

I own both a 2006 Audi A8l & 2005 XJR. The Audi timing belt, water pump, thermostat change is very expensive. The last one i did was $1800 at an independent German shop. If you have no way of determining the last belt change, i would move on to another car. Having said that, our A8L has 240k, miles and runs like it has 40k miles. No leaks, odd sounds, vibrations, etc. Just an awesome car, but very complex even for a 2004+. You need the VagCom cable to troubleshoot issues or set options. Both Jaguar and Audi are great cars, but very different.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_XJ_(X350)


Model year 2004 was the first I believe .

 

X350 starts at the 2002.5 model year.

 

that makes sense why there isn’t a lot of 2003 xjr as it flowed into the the new model year and the xjr was probably released later than the new xj8 etc…

 

Thank you for the true real life info. The 06 was I think face lifted maybe not and I’m not sure if they changed anything else. I know 07 went to a timing change. The Audi I looked at had a valve cover gasket leak and needed some stabilizer bushings .. outside car which seems to always have more Issues with hoses and leaks. The jag is better looking to me but the Audi was and is nice. A8l so the big boy too.

 

Not many x350's in Australia.
I have a November 2003 model which I bought in London with 30,000 miles
on the clock.
It has been a great car and much admired.
Now on 104,000 miles and only problems have been:
No 7 cylinder coil failed
No 8 cylinder injector failed
both at the back of the engine-probably the hottest area of the engine bay.
Water pump now needs replacement.
I am not a fan of the X358

 

Nice , I actually have a 2004 xj8 near me that came up for sale.. Wondering how much a difference the Xjr would be to the xj8, power wise I know as ive had that engine already in my 08 xkr... I dont mind a softer ride as I sold my 09 M3 lowered etc so a non stiff ride for a bit wil suit me just fine. although Im guessing I go Coil Overs on the Xjr if the air ride went bad..

 

Forgot what is the situation with the timing belt on these cars. as in when should they be done and is it a pain... costly ?

 

The x350:really have two major problem areas.
1. Air struts fail. Not if but when. The Audi A8 struts last 3 - 3 times as long.
2. Suspension rubber was fouled up. The boots and bushings fail at a surprising rate. Looking at a 2004, peek around the tires and look at the upper ball joints. Most likely no boots left. Same with control arm bushings, tie rod joints, sway bar links, and sway bar bushings.
The A8 has two big Problems too.
1. Timing belt on 2003 - 2006. BFM engine. The thermostats are crap too. Several I know have had thermostat stick closed. That is between 75,000 mile changes with timing belts. The 2007+ FSI suffer with carbon build issues. But have a timing chain. Almost a wash..
2. Sunroof drains. This is worst design ever. There is a filter at the bottom of the roof drain. Debris washes down and gets stuck on these nipples. Inaccessible. They also trap debris by the passenger firewall. If plugged it dumps water in the ECU.
The suspension on my 2005 A8 still looks new. Front struts were rebuilt by RMT several years ago.
The XJR has a timing chain. Not a regular maintenance item. The sunroof drains have never plugged up, and we get record rains here in Houston. Like 50 inches in three days. A8 had 6 inches in floorboard then.
Love them both. Both mine are the short wheelbase versions. Neither is daily driver.
The A8 drives like a new car. The XJR drive nice, but like a 15 year old car with 120,000 miles. Maybe new air struts will fix that. Has ALL new suspension under it already.

 

I s'pose a chain is a type of belt.

"In their zeal to reduce the weight of the valve train and related components as a way of improving fuel efficiency, the engineers under designed the AJ-V8's timing gear: in particular, the cam chain tensioners. These plastic components are part of the AJ-V8's single-chain design, a weight-saving alternative to the more robust double-chain approach Jaguar has used on most of its six-cylinder engines. (The new 4.2L version of the Jaguar AJ-V8 engine has double timing chains.)"
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A significant trim difference is that early models may not have a Touch-Screen, if you wanted one.

 

My knowledge of running changes is limited. Most gathered here.
The biggest change was in mid year 2005. The VVT was added to engine. More zoom.
But the influence of Ford may have allowed some redesign of electronics.got a little more up to date. The CAN buss system was updated in 2006. Modules started to communicate easier. Some scanners do not support early x350.
The appearance differences between XJ and XJR are very clear. There is a chrome delete on XJR and panels are body color coded. No portals too. The ride height is lowered. The stance is aggressive. Struts are tuned for the less suspension travel.
The 2006 - 2007 are actually x356. 2008 was the start of x358.
My car is still shiny, and gets positive comments. Most ask model and cannot believe it is a 2006.

 

Great info thanks, the one im looking at is 2003 but the x350.. its 4 hour drive from me but the seller is on vacation so when he is back im going to look at making the trip to view and maybe buy. Hence why I am trying to get as much info as I can. everyone has been very helpful. there is also a 2008 XJR which personally I love but it's double the price of the 03.. so my budget wants to get the 03.