Hi,
I am looking to by an xj8 with the supercharger on it. What I am asking is what if anything should I expect to fail or service if I get one. I don't want to buy this model car and then find out I need four thousand dollars worth of service or repairs.
I do not have a specific car located yet but want to know going into what I could get burned on if anything.

Thank you

 

Why not look in the "sticky" thread at the top of the opening page for the X350?

 

The worst job if you have an SC car is probably failure of the "valley hose", which is a coolant hose running in the valley of the V between the cylinder banks, It is a notorious failure item and whilst the part is cheap, the labour is large, because the whole of the SC installation has to come off to get at it, and then, of course, has to be all put back. Grown men who thought they could fix cars have been known to start weeping halfway through this job !! This is a real Jaguar Boo-Boo and somebody should be in a dank and dark dungeon somewhere in Jaguar for authorising the poor quality parts.

 

I took my supercharger off at about 108k miles.
The valley hose was perfectly fine however I replaced it anyway as it was so cheap.

Tackling the super charger was difficult the first time because of "unseen" bolts.

The second time I removed it was a breeze and took less than an hour including some time looking for tools, as usual.

Knowledgeable people in this forum helped me a lot.

Anyone who is considering buying a car of this vintage either has to have deep pockets or good DIY skills.

I bought my car at a little under 100k miles and it was in pristine condition throughout and had been well maintained.

 

lol it’s a pretty good design, the rubber hoses last a long time.

if you want to see a **** poor one go look at the toyota 4.6/5.7 valley sealed with RTV

 

So far I am not hearing anything really bad as it relates to the unit itself. I am DIF savy but not always looking for a car project.

 

A supercharged engine costs more to service. (DIY excepted)
I only have a v6, I would have preferred a V8 just for fun.
What you gonna do? Drag off at the lights once a year? As far as I'm concerned the V6 has quite enough power for normal use, unless of course you're into power.

You might need $4000 for the suspension blah blah (for original one). And all the other suspension bushes etc. Why would you add to your worries with a supercharger?
(I spent, professional service, about $US500 on just some stuffing water hoses and header tank)

P.S. "periles" is not a valid word. But then, no words can describe a "Jaguar Supercharged V8"!

 

What jackra said.
Stickies are great resource. If you're a capable DIY'er, these SC jags are wonderful, though they have 90% same maint/repair needs as the NA models. Valley hose service ain't horrible, esp compared with contemporary german cars, IMHO...

 

I suggest you test drive an SC model and a NA model for comparison purposes.

 

Driving the SC engine is pure fun and puts a big smile on my face at any rpm. Only downside i see is fuel mileage. I get 22mpg highway driving and around 18 elsewhere. From what i've read, the non SC cars get close to 30 highway here in the States.

Plus, if you can find a good deal, the XJRs seem to be moving upward in price and will be more collectible in the future. We drove 1500 miles to get our XJR with no regrets.

 

I suspect that drivers of the XJR are a little "heavier" on the gas pedal?

I know that on any drive, without my wife, I could not resist using the power available at some point.

Getting out of toll booths on highways such as I 95 as an example and many instances of overtaking.

 

Truth. I would suggest driving any Jag variation, as they may share the same engine and varying components, yet perform noticeably different. An XJ8L, XKR Convertible and XJR are in my household and despite the potential extra costs of the XJR over the XJ8, it is hands down worth every potential extra cost in return on smiles. Roadtrips display the most noticeable difference, in my experience. Especially if hills are a component. The extra Torque is a huge plus. Not to mention the upgrades in HP, braking and suspension. The XJR is my go to of the 3 models.

 

TRUTH!!! I just came back from my Vegas home and was without fiance. Yes, fuel economy suffered. But that's the cost of admission for E-Ticket rides....lol.