Hello
I am a Jaguar lover and own a 1997 Jaguar XJ6.

I am looking at a 2004 XJ8 at a Jaguar Dealer with 61K on the odometer.
The car was a Jaguar Certified Car but it expired this month. The car looks and drives like new.

I have a few questions. I know my 97 runs and runs and runs. But I have no idea about the new Generation.

How reliable are these cars?
Should I get buy an extended warranty? or am I waiting money.

How long do the motors/transmissions last?

Any things I should look out for?

Please help thanks!!

 

Well it is actually more reliable than your XJ , buying an extended warranty won't help because as long as its not Jaguar Warranty they won't cover anything. 61K is not that bad make sure they have replaced the front shox and air compressor though, those two go bad after 50k pumps usually last a lil bit longer but yeah, also the bushings and control arms go bad depending on the climate and how bad is the first owner. The AJ-V8 is a great engine and it will probably last 300K if you take care of it good, they even use the same engine in aston-martins since 2005 but its ofcourse hand built and has more power, and AJ-V8 was also on the WARD's 10 Best Engines list. I'm not sure about the transmission but as far as my experience ZF sure produces good transmissions and I like the tranny on my Jag but I don't think it will last more than 200k miles, eventhough the lifespan on that tranny was claimed 480k miles. So anyway check the shox and pump and transmission then you will be fine.

 

Thanks, That really helps...

 

Extended warranty - even if it is from Jag, it's still does not cover everything as an oil leak, like I had on my VDP a week after I bought it, turned out to be from the transmission and if it was the extended warranty would have cost me > $1K for the repair as the warranty does not cover "wear and tear" items. As it turned out, the Jag dealer just didn't have time to add the 2 year select edition warranty.

The best warranty is the Jag's new car warranty. Traditionally if you buy their "select edition" models, they add 2 more years to the car's original warranty - this one covers everything.

For my experience, our 04 would have been deemed a "lemon", it had about 25 service (count 25) with Jaguar for electronic faults that turned out, as my wife diagnosed herself, to be a loose connection under the Jag's anti-skid button near the gear stick. I had to prove to Jaguar over one stretch of our glorious LA city road that I could replicate this issue over and over again. By this time,they literally replaced all the components here and there...almost a spanking new car but we did get a free rental each and every time the Jag was in service though

Got to test drive a lot of different cars: Lincolns, Xtype, Stype, Ford Edge ....

 

Being unfamiliar with aftermarket warranties and their seeming lack of coverage, I will say I do not regret (thus far) purchasing my first XJ8.

The particular car I purchased was well maintained and in outstanding condition physically so the pedigree only helped seal my decision. As with any high end luxury automobile, there will be risks taken to deal with expensive repairs.

Key is, don't be taken in by outrageous dealer charges for items we can do without their assistance (i.e, $420 for spark plug change when I did it myself for less than $30, even with appropriate plugs, rediculous maintenance charges, etc, etc) Become as familiar with your car as possible. Read, read, then read more and broaden your horizon as to what you feel comfortable doing to the car yourself. Don't hesitate to come to forums such as this and post questions. I have done so and found it to be of tremendous value.

Good luck and enjoy your new purchase if you decide to proceed fwd and never hesitate to branch out. The X350 are truly wonderful cars for a significantly less price when compared to its competitors. I picked mine up for a tad over $12k, loaded to the hilt. Feel free to check out the pics in my profile here then head on to the dealer and pick that one up

 

I have an '04 VDP. I spent the extra money on the extended warranty. I found it money well spent to date. I purchased the extended warranty to cover potential air suspension issues that have been continually noted on this forum. Thankfully, I have not had air issues to date! Buy the warranty!

 

I love my 04 VDP

I changed the brake pads and rotors myself, and the tires last year.

It feels like an extension of me when I drive.

i'm a motorcycle nut, and it;s the only car I've ever driven that is as much fun as a bike. (Not driven a Porsche or Ferrari yet though )

 

Common issues:
Throttle body
air shocks ( they are shocks and wear out)
air compressor
torque converter lock-up ( surges 100 RPM while the car warms up)
eletrical sleeve on the end of the transmission leaks
some has leaks from the rear window that filled the trunk
very early cars had corrosion issues (bad painting technics)

If the issues are fixed I havn't seen a reason why they are not as reliable as the 05-09 cars.

 

I bought my '04 new and it now has 165K miles. As the factory warranty was nearing expiration, I bought a Jag supported extended warranty. That expenditure proved to be a waste of my $$ as the car was nearly trouble free during the coverage period. Since such time, I (too) have replaced the air suspension compressor and a leaking trunk seal. At around 135K, I replaced the front and rear discs and pads (second time for pads).

relinuca

 

But shocks are almost ALWAYS considered wear items. I doubt you will be covered if anything happens in the future.

 

I just like hearing an 04 with 165K and not may problems. On average these are great cars and most of the issues I hear about are maintenance issues. All shocks on cars wear out....PERIOD. Most just like to complain because they cost $900 each instead of $250 like a standard strut.

 

I dunno, most shocks don't wear out at 40k miles. Hell, my Lexus LS400 (and most LS400) shocks have gone on for 130k miles and I hear they are like new until 200k!

 

04 XJ8 with 57k miles purchased with 37k miles in May 2007. so far I have had a serpentine belt to cure squeals, transmission TSB and additive to cure whoop on kick down and somewhat grabby upsifts, new fuel pump and sender to cure erratic sensor and new water pump, header tank, thermostat and thermostat housing. All covered under extended warranty.
Only service items so far have been a brake job, 40k and 50k mile service(50k included fluid flush), tires and wiper blades. Battery is still original. Warranty work has been about $2.5K in 2.5 years so really not too bad at all. This is my 6th Jaguar so I sort of hopefully know what to expect. I put $200 per month into the bank to cover future costs. Also I take it the the main dealer, local indies are not a lot cheaper per hour and do not have the diag equipment, factory resources and knowledge of the main dealer.

- Tim

 

I love my 2004 VDP I purchased Oct 2008 with 33,000 miles.
I'm also glad I paid the top premium for the aftermarket extended warranty.

So far I've had the transmission rebuilt ($0), 1 air spring replaced ($500), and the drivers seat motor replaced ($100). The transmission alone was about $1000 over the warranty cost. The major problem with the non-Jag warranty is they never pay dealer rates for hours or parts, even though I have $0 deductible. (Wheelz)

Additionally, I replaced the tires ($800) which are great in the summer but worthless in the winter. If I could do it again I would get a much more aggressive tread for snow. The best upgrade I did was Akebono ceramic brakes ($155) which eliminated brake dust and eliminated the sticky braking which was maddening. I also painted my calipers red using Duplicolor ($19). It looks good. I also picked up mesh grill inserts but have not had the time to install them. The mesh grill will make a 2004 look like a 2008 for about $110!

Buy the warrenty for peace of mind and enjoy the ride. Everyone will think you got a big promotion. Most people just assume a JAG cost $100k. It's rather funny. If a group of guys are talking about their BMWs and their Mercedes and their Porches, and you mention you drive a Jag, they all go "oohhh". LOL! It's embarrassing at first. But you'll get used to it.

PS - I ordered an OBD-II wireless scan tool for my HTC evo Android ($27) to use with a free app called Torque. I'll let you know if it works.

 

Wow it sure sound like with all the problems these cars have.. They are not built real well.

I love the cars but JEEZZZ

 

2004, first year (actually the ones built in 2003), seem to be the most problematic. Typical first year bugs (buggers?).
By the 2006 model year the XJ8 is the JD Powers top long-term quality car!

Just remember, it's likely that if someone (most owners) have no problems they probably have never heard of this site. Maybe it would be a key question to ask an owner, if they know about this Jaguar Forum. The more familiar they are with this and other "forums", the more likely their car may have issues.

Agree or disagree?

 

I've been really happy with my 2004 XJR, which I bought from the local Porsche dealer and negotiated a 2 year Easy Care Total Care Warranty into the deal. I was told by a local mechanic that Easy Care is the company that provides Jaguar and Land Rover's CPO warranties.

Recently had the "Engine Fault, Parking Brake Fault" issue and car dropped into limp mode. Took it to the dealer in town and told them I had the Easy Care warranty and they replaced the throttle body, and they also fixed an air bag issue I had (but wasn't worried about) as well as a leaking coolant reservoir, all under the single instance. So I was out-of-pocket $250 for the deductible under the Total Care Warranty.

So, the warranty has already paid for itself, in my mind.

 

In re. car Forums, I agree they attract car buffs, owners who are very difficult to please and are very demanding of their rides. Hence, "normal" problems tend to be over-reported, which in itself exaggerates the incidence of occurrences. Hence forum readers should exercise some skepticism before generalizing.

Like my dear old father use to say, "Never ask a barber if you need a haircut."

 

I'm looking for any help with my 04 VDP. A great car but I'm looking for the Rules & Regs of what made it a Jag CPO when I bought it in 07.
It's a legal matter that I've been dealing with for a couple of years. Anybody have insight of what actually made it CPO would be very helpful.

Thanks

 

Hi n8thks8,

You may get more input if you start your own thread with an appropriate title that includes the words Certified Pre-Owned. Posting your question to an old thread on a different topic may limit your replies.

Cheers,

Don