Hello everyone:
I now have a 2005 xj vanden plas 70K miles white, ivory. I also have a 2013 xkr and I am on the other board site too.
1.Where do I get replacement for the front two thick fizzy floor mats? What are they called? I even called a jaguar dealership and they could not tell me.
The back two are fine but need the front two.
2. I know this is a 17 year old car and there will be multiple things to fix. (scratches, dents, detail,tires) When do you know when to throw in the towel when it come to fixing the car? I have it checked out on Tuesday by my jag mechanic. He will tell me the sad news I am sure but how much do you spend before you deem the car not worth it? I got it for a reasonable price ($8k) It looks good inside but several things need attention. I have been looking for many months for a car like this one. One popped up on a Sunday. I live in Houston and don't want to fly into California, Florida, or Arizona to view a car then ship it back to H-town. That is several thousand thrown away just to get it here. I see 2005 VP with more miles than this sell for twice a much. I assume that is why the price is lower.

Thanks for all your help. After Tuesday when I get the final diagnosis and if I keep the car and fix it. I will officially log in and become a member of this board too.


JDog

 

I bought Jaguar floor mats from an ebay seller called British Parts Place.

 

1. I'm considering these mats, they also cover US Classic Car Mats 2 Piece Carpet Set (fitmycar.co.nz)
2. Love has no bounds.

Edit: I've ordered those mats in Beige Executive, will see what they're like in a couple of weeks.

 

No, not just regular mats. These are the Vanden Plas mats. They are maybe 1 inch thick . Anyone know about these really thick Jaguar mats?

JD

 

That website does "Prestige" Hi Pile, though the thickness is not given.
But if you want to go the whole inch:
ComfySheep Sheepskin Custom Floor Mats - Covercraft

Even the Lloyd mats only go to 1/2 inch
» Luxe Mats (lloydmats.com)

All models of the X358 brochure just state "front & rear lambswool rug set". Are you sure they aren't after-market?
Edit: Here are the OEM mats. I'm not aware of more than one type.
JAGUAR XJ X350 Floor Mat Set LHD C2C33851AMB NEW GENUINE | eBay

 

I used these guys. Apparently they cannot do the Jaguar logo due to some copyright this or this. They offer free swatches to help with the matching of what you now have. These are Lloyd's mats and of excellent quality. Good luck.

https://www.autoanything.com/floor-m...A6473A0A0.aspx

 

Well, I just got a call from my Jag mechanic. He told me to fix everything, it would be 12K. Now I am trying to weigh out keeping the car or purchasing a better one. The floor mats are called sheep skin and are not made anymore for the xj VD.

JDog

 

Please can you give us a breakdown of that $12k from your mechanic. We'll then be able to tell you what jobs must be done and what jobs are desirable but can wait. Is your mechanic a good'un, being both trustworthy and also used to working on Jaguars ?

 

I think you will find owning a used Jaguar is very expensive if you can't DIY the repairs.
Now the good thing is IF you can there is a lot of knowledge on this forum to guide you.

It's just a car with 4 wheels and an engine after all!
.
.
.

 

Well I trust him BUT he is a jaguar mechanic. His has a good reputation at his shop.He is not going to give me a break on price. Although I can do a lot myself. I have learned so much from this forum. Here is how I figured it. 12K - 1/2 is labor. The other half is parts divided by two . So there is probably maybe 3K parts. I have not got the list yet but I glanced at his handwriting on a piece of paper. He had down 150 for hood shocks. I purchased two for 35. So this tells me somewhat of his markup. I was told I needed new shocks and shock conversion had already been done before. His price was 2200. I have priced some of the shocks from 1300-1500. I just saw a video on putting the shocks in. It is really not a big deal. But I will see. I am going to another mechanic and see what he says. It is kind of like going to the Dr.s office. You get three opinions. I will see what REALLY needs to be done. I went to one mechanic and he told me I needed all these things done on my 13 XKR. I took it to another mechanic and he told me I don't really NEED to do anything but drive the car. I went with the last mechanics advice. The first mechanic mentioned I needed new bushings on about everything in the front suspension. I will let you know what mechanic number 2 tells me. This makes my six jag I have owned. You have to learn how to do most of the stuff yourself. Thanks for everyone chiming in.

Joe

 

Does that 12k include maintenance items like new fluids like ATF, power steering, brake fluid, coolant fluid, brakes/rotors, plugs etc? Or is it just for the suspension? Even a complete coil spring conversion should not be more 1500-2000 in labor. It is like 2-3 hrs per wheel. The coil spring are available from many online retailers under 1500-1800. So my question is where is the extra 6-8k in repairs goings?

 

My advice is If it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

disagree. Some things are definitely worth fixing to save money in the long run.

Examples
1- maintenance for ATF. While doing that I would also replace the differential fluid. It isn't pricey
2- coolant fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid
3- fuel filter, air filter etc
4- new plugs if there are any symptoms of hesitation or bad fuel economy
5- repairing broken suspension pieces
6- replacing worn engine, or transmission mounts
​
the cost of all these neglected maintenance items can easily run $2-4k range. But any failed item in one of those systems is a 2-5k repair by itself.

And my personal opinion. Unless the car is sitting low or has multiple failures with CATS system; rebuilding the main air compressor seal is money well spent. It should fix most problem and give you another 2-3 years of motoring

 

Ok everyone. I got the list of things that need to be done.
rear lower control arms
right upper control arm
both rear sway bar links
transmission mount
both motor mounts
all 4 front lower control arm bushings
both upper control arms front
timing cover reaseal
oil pan gsket
front brake job
It has lift master shock conversion already on the car. He want to change shocks. I guess he does not like lift master.

Any thoughts?

JDog

 

Let me start with how does the car drive?

Does the suspension make any weird noises over bumps especially when cornering? If not; I would postpone most suspension work unless that part is broken or very badly worn. These aren't items that I would repair for preventive maintenance's sake. And I wouldn't replace your coils if they still function bc XYZ is better etc.

The engine & tranny mounts; I would do especially if the car vibrates or doesn't shift silky smooth. Don (one of our most senior members) told me that unless the engine mounts are leaking; they are unlikely to need be replaced on NA (not supercharged X350s). The tranny mount I would do as if neglected it can cause the engine mounts to fail and any tranny failure will likely mechanically total the car. The part is like $275 from Jag dealer (I just did and my mechanic took 1.5 hrs of work).

With all the seals; is the car leaking oil? Ask him to show it to you on a lift. I have never heard of the need to touch any engine seals on 4.2 V8 (especially timing seals)

Finally, brakes/tires are a personal preference item. They will need to be addressed eventually and the more you wait; the worse the existing parts perform impacting your safety on the road. I personally would do the brakes if the funds are available.

Few major items are missing and those are concerning me:

1. Plugs? (how old are the current ones?) Bad plugs lead to poor combustion thus more fuel, more wear and tear on knock sensors, O2 sensors etc. And lost performance.
2. Filters (air, cabin, fuel filter) those items aren't expensive and can save money in the long run by preventing future repairs
3. Fluids? How old is the tranny (should be replaced once every 7-10 yrs or 90k mi), brake, power steering (once every 3-5 yrs), coolant (once every 5-7 yrs) etc.
4. lastly belts? how is the serpentine belt or any other rubber hoses? if anything looks brittle or worn down; I would replace it for peace of mind.

Best of luck