I will say upfront that I am writing this more to amuse and calm myself after a long three days. It will be lengthy, and I am not asking for negative comments about what we did to get home. You weren't there...and I was desperate.
Just read it if you have a few minutes to kill and want to laugh at my expense.



I had been searching for a 2004 XJR for about 4 months with no luck. Color was really important to me, and I realized that I could only be happy with black, green, or silver. Seemed that I could only find blue, gold, red. I found a silver one in SC at a decent price...$11,500. It had 118,000 but I was told it was pristine. I arranged for an inspection and was ready to fly out and get it as soon as I got the thumbs up. However, the dealer called and said they saw the car pull in the lot and knew what was going on. They knew the car well, and told me to run away as fast as I could. The guy had had the engine worked on somewhere else and had limped it to them the month prior to see if they could fix the work the first guy did. And the hood had been repainted. So I ran.

Then I found a black on black with 116,000 miles for $12000 in Florida. I was ready to move on that one as it was my favorite color choice. Unfortunately the seller was upside down on the car, and was not able to get the cash together to clear the title. Really? They why list it????

There were three others that failed to work out, so I was pretty frustrated and started looking at BMWs again.

Then, I saw an ebay ad for a 2004 black on black XJR with 85,000, one owner, all service records, great shape. I called the dealer in St. Petersburg and negotiated a price of $14,200. I flew down on Wednesday morning to pick it up. The salesman picked my dad and me up at the airport, and took us to see the car. They had it in the new car showroom...nice presentation!
Took it for a test drive, and really liked it. Did the paperwork, and off we went. I had intended on going by myself to get the car, but my dad insisted on going with as an extra driver. We left St. Petersburg at 5pm. to head back home to Wisconsin.

About 20 minutes down the road, I thought I saw an AIR SUSPENSION FAULT light come on, but it was gone before I could blink. I drove another 2 hours and thought I saw it again. I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, but everything seemed to be working well. I drive for a couple more hours with no issues, stopped in northern Florida for dinner and let my dad drive a while. He was in heaven. He loved the car. As did I. After having owned Porsches, Ranger Rover, Mini, BMWs, etc, this ranks as my favorite. Great ride, incredible sound, and luxury to spare.

We made it to Marietta Georgia at 1:30 am and found a Days Inn to sleep a bit. It was a nasty place, but we were really tired. Neither of us slept well, and were up and ready to go by 5:30am. Thought we would grab a cup of coffee and make it to Chattanooga for breakfast. We went to load our bags into the car and found the front right tire to be flat.
Ok, not happy, but I got the jack out and set to change it. The wrench slipped off the first lug so easily I knew I was in trouble. Looked like the wrench had been pounded on to something other than the Jaguar at some point and was distorted enough to not fit anymore. Great. I called AAA and had them come out to change the tire. It was 33 degrees out and I was not dressed for roadside repair work. Mario from AAA was there within 10 minutes. He struggled for 20 minutes, even using his air impact wrench but could only get 2 lugs off. He had to call Scott with a flatbed wrecker to come load up my new car and drive it to the only tire store that was open.
I watched Robert at NTB fight for an hour trying to get the last two lugs nuts off. He was breaking impact tools on it!!! I was amazed the lugs didn't snap!
Seems the tire had a gash in the sidewall (the car had new tires when I bought it) and was shot. I tried to get a matching pair for the front, but they could not get the other wheel off either!
So, with one new tire, I hopped in to head out 6 hours (!) late and saw the VEHICLE TOO LOW light on. I flipped through the manual, and did as it said. After about 2 minutes of sitting with the car running, the light went off and we were good to go.
We went about 30 miles north and the AIR SUSPENSION FAULT light came on for real this time. The front of the car dropped down and the ride got rough. I pulled into a gas station and shut it down. I called the dealer I bought it from and they told me to contact the nearest Jaguar dealer (Atlanta) to see what could be done. Figuring I had a bad shock, I called and asked if they had one, but they couldn't get one in for a week!
I restarted the car and it pumped right up, all warning lights cleared, and we headed out again. Every 30 miles it would repeat the process. A quick stop and reset, and we were good for another 30 miles. I limped to Chattanooga, TN, and bounced in to the Jaguar dealer there.
Randy and Matt got the car in to the service center right away (I had called ahead) to see what they could find. It was sitting low when we got there, and the fault light was on. Fortunately they were having a roll out event for the new Jaguar 4 and 6 cyl. cars. Big catered buffet, drinks, nice spread. They expected 100 people, but it was just me and dad. They were sooo happy to see us, and treated us like royalty. Super nice people. We spent three hours waiting for a fix, and looked at all the new Jaguars, including the XJ Ultimate. $155,000 car, and wow was it nice!! Only 30 are made, so I took the opportunity to sit in every seat and really check it out!

After three long hours, Randy came out to tell us that they couldn't find a thing wrong with the car's suspension. Graciously, they did not charge us for their efforts, and we hit the road again. After a quick stop at an antique mall (for dad) we headed north again. The car drove like a dream for 4 hours straight. We were supposed to have made it all the way home to WI that day, but due to the delay in getting the wheel off the car, we knew we could not make it. So our goal was Paducah, Kentucky, just at the Illinois border. About 30 miles away, the car dropped again, and wouldn't reset with our previous trick. I called AAA again and they said they would send a truck, but it would be at least an hour. It was cold out, so after about 15 minutes, I started the car to warm up, and the suspension pumped right up!! My dad wanted to wait for the wrecker, but I was determined to make forward progress. I figured we could make it 30 miles...
Wrong. About 2 miles down the road the light came on again. Luckily, about 1/2 mile later, the lodging list on the interstate appeared. We found a Hampton Inn a mile later and stopped for the night. I did call AAA to let them know were were ok and didn' t need a truck. We talked for a while and searched this forum for ideas on what to try in the morning.
After a great night sleep, we checked on the car. It was all the way down and would not pump up any more. The only plan we had was to get some green slime and try shooting some in the shock to seal up the leak. I called Napa and they said they would actually deliver it to us! I ran down to see exactly what tools we might need, and started the car just for kicks. It pumped right up! I ran and got my dad and we hopped in and headed to Napa...kind of. I turned the wrong way on the interstate. Napa was actually backtracking, but I had headed north toward Paducah. Realizing my mistake, turning back would have been a longer trip that just trying to make it to Paducah, so we lugged on. We had to stop once on the way to pump up again, but made it to Auto Zone. We got supplies and set to work. I took off the airline to the front right shock (which in the culprit..long hiss as the car would drop). However, there is no way any green slime would have been able to get in through the top of the shock, so I didn't even try. I reconnected the line and started the car. It pumped right up, so we kept heading north. We limped very slowly to Mt. Vernon Illinois and found a NAPA store.
My dad had an idea. He figured the car was dropping due to the leak in the shock making the compressor run too much. When the compressor timed out or over heated or whatever it does, the light comes on and the car goes into limp mode. His idea was to supplement the pressure tank in the trunk with a bigger tank. This tank could be pressurized at a higher pressure than the car system, and using a regulator, continuously add pressure to compensate for the air lost due to the leak. This would mean the compressor would not have to run much, and thus would not trigger the fault. He set off to assemble his plan, getting the fittings and gauges all set up in the store. We had to cut the air line to the car's tank, and put a t in the line. While he was doing all of this, I read the sticker on the car's tank...pressure reading was 16 bar. I did a little conversion on my iphone and came up with over 220 psi!!!
Convinced that couldn't be right, I called Arnott's. Yup. Over 200 psi. Crap. So I had cut what turned out to be a $110 air line, spent another $100 on our contraption, and realized that the car was going to be charging our new tank, not the other way around. However, my dad insisted on installing it "just to see". The tank was set at 40psi. We drove about 2-3 minutes, and it was up to 60psi. I then moved the car to a better spot to work on taking the tank off, and the AIR SUSPENSION FAULT light came on, but the front of the car didn't drop. The extra tank was now at 120 psi, and the relief valve had blown. (the only reason we installed the system was the fact the we had two relief valves it the system we built). We removed our device, and the car stayed up, but the ASF light stayed on. I figured I lost my compressor.
Not to give up, I headed north anyway. The worked great for a long time! The ASF light stayed on, but the front stayed up and the car drove with no issues until Champaign IL. We stopped for lunch and noticed it had started to drop. I read some answers to a thread I had posted here for help, and heat was recommended. We ran to Walmart and bought 2 boxes of foot warmers. This kind was air activated...they got HOT as soon as you open the package, and they have a stick on backing. Perfect! I put 20 of them all over the shock and duct taped them on securely. And off we went again.
Now, was it the foot warmers of the outside temp...is was now 44 degrees...I don't know for sure, but we were able to drive all the way to Rockford this way!!! Unfortunately, the temp dropped pretty quickly as we approached WI.
In Rockford the front dropped again. We had to stop. We turned the car on and off about 5 times and got it to pump up again. We had to stop three more times to make it to Madison, WI. There I dropped my dad off, and headed the remaining 110 miles home. I was only able to make it 10-12 miles before it would drop way down again. I called AAA and found I had free towing up to 100 miles. I was at 88. Come get me.
They picked me up on a flat bed at 9:30 pm and I was home with the Jaguar in the garage at 11pm.
This morning the car took some time, but pumped all the way up. The ASF light that had been on continuously is now off. All warning lights were gone. But the right font shock still hisses for as long as it takes for the car to sink again.
So, I now need to get a pair of Arnott shocks for my new car, but I am home, and within week I will be back on the road.
It has been a long process to get this car, but my excitement is unbroken. I love this car. I can't wait to get my confidence back in it.
Thanks for letting me vent. What a trip.

 

Very nice car, sepangs always look great!

I am sure things will be better soon enough...

mag

 

Interesting story, at least you got home!

 

nice looking jag - interesting read and for all the troubles you had - it just adds to the allure of owning such an exquisite piece of machinery!!! Hope the issue is resolved quickly so you can thoroughly enjoy the vehicle.

 

Glad to know you got back safe and sound.

It is really peculiar that these air springs fail so often in the USA. Here in the UK it is never mentioned on a UK Jaguar forum and my local independent shop told me they have never had to replace one. I hav e also never seen a failure reported here except in the USA. Good job you have Arnott units to buy as here we have to get the OEM units and they are mega-expensive.

BTW, after a run, (I'm not sure how long in time), the system will exhaust air back out via the compressor to clear the water trap, so when you get it fixed and hear air exhausting after shut-down, don't immediately think "Oh No!!", as it is normal operation of the system.

PS, you might need a new compressor too after that run.

 

Wish you had asked about the operating pressure. We could have saved you that headache.

On the other hand, I admire your Dads McGyver ability. Sounds like me.

Give serious thought to coilovers as the compressor is probably shot with the abuse it has taken.

 

Please tell me how a horror story trip adds to the "allure."

 

Wow, that was quite a trip! Good luck with the conversions, don't blame you wanting to get rid of the air suspension after that.

Happy to hear you're not soured on the car after that experience. I bought my XJ and the next day the cooling system fell apart. Spent 2 weeks in the dealer service dept (for a very simple issue... long story). Really left a bad taste in my mouth about the whole thing.

 

Not sure where the idea that I am done with air suspension came from...I am keeping it stock for sure. No coilovers for me!
I love how the car rides when its working. Just a wear item that needs to be replaced.
I am confused about the recommendation on the compressor. It is working fine. Why replace it if it is ok?

 

Great post.

What a trip. If that doesn't put you off Jaguar- nothing will!

Graham

 

I've had the XJR sitting my heated shop all day and of course it works fine again. I took my wife and kids for ride. Everyone liked it. My oldest turns 16 in a week. She didn't want me to get the Jaguar (said it was an old mans car). She drove it tonight and has changed her opinion. Now she wants to take her driving test in it! Not gonna happen.

 

Great story recap! I admire your perserverance. My take is you won't regret it (plus you have a story that can be handed down for generations).

 

If and when the compressor does get tired, there is always the repair kit sold on ebay for $52 by BagpipingAndy. BTW, you done good...that is a gorgeous motorcar.

 

Hopefully all worth it now.

 

Quite a story! Once you get the suspension sorted you'll just laugh when you think of that road trip.

Pedantic question now; how did you get an XJR with chrome trim around the side windows & front/rear screens? They are usually colour coded like the grill & the plinth on the trunk...

 

The current XJ (the X351) only has air springs at the rear, the fronts are coils. As far as I know the suspensions of X350 and X351 models are the same, so I suppose you could fit an OEM spring unit complete with CATS. On the other hand, with Arnot rebuilds available (new spring diaphragm), this is much the cheaper option, and keeps the air system. If it were me, I'd at least check out the air compressor whilst your doing work on the suspension.

 

Save yourself the headache and put a piston ring kit on the compressor when you change the air bags.

I can honestly say that the coilover ride is every bit as comfortable as the air ride.

We will hear from you again when you get the "reservoir plausibility error." It will happen before long.

If it appears that I despise the air system you would be correct.

 

Cambo351,
I believe the 2004 model year had the chrome trim, and 2005 and up was color coded.

 

I also have gold center cap growlers, front hood growler, and XJR badges. The leaper is chrome.

 

way to persevere! And gorgeous car also, she's a looker!