It is an interesting feature, and pretty cool, but the complexity of it and the air suspension complexity are not worth it imho. I've seen some pretty amazing setups (ok, mainly at the track) with high quality coilovers.

If regular springs started wearing out every 100k miles, people would get pretty angry...especially if they had to replace the shock with it every time.

 

I have a 2005 XJ8 and mice got to my wiring about 2020, causing the suspension to lock on firm. I paid to have it fixed once as I had no idea why the car would not start, (there were other issues). The cause was that the car sat for many months and the mice caused huge various problems. After the fix, the mice came back and got my suspension wiring. I drive it daily now so there is no rodent problem. (BTW, I trap and kill browsing mice now). I now know of the channel underneath where the suspension damage was done and, so far, have opted to leave it alone. The car now has 48,000 miles on it and I only drive locally. My thought is that not fixing the suspension will add a lot of life to it.
One day I will fix the problem but for now I am OK with it. I kind of like the firm ride. lol
https://photos.onedrive.com/photo/7B...45OTlaJnJ0PTEm

 

You bring up a point of interest, "lock on firm". Is there a way to adjust the computer to 'soften' the ride with the original suspension? Can only the dealer do this?

 

That is interesting, soften the ride without causing the firm lock. I don't imagine that is a possibility, though I do not understand how the suspension works. The worst part of the lock that I can imagine is that, at highway speeds, the car will not lower as it should to lower air resistance and achieve better fuel economy and safety. I just want my car to live and I am guessing that, as long as the suspension is locked on firm, the seals and air pump will not suffer much degradation. I don't often drive at highway speeds, so I see no need to lower. A firm ride is not a deal breaker. I will fix the wiring eventually but am in no rush.
I am more worried about changing the transmission fluid. At about 50,000 miles, it would be in advance of the 80,000 mile recommendation. As I stated, most of the drives are short and harsh on the system. So changing would be advantageous. Originally, I thought to just pump out the old fluid and replace. Now I am thinking it would be better to drop the pan and change the filter. I would appreciate opinions and experiential knowledge of this subject.

 

if anyone is still reading this in 2025 - Most recent development in NY state. The jag dealer in Rochester said they can't do the Air suspension Calibration procedure. Said they don't have the jag special measuring tools anymore and that his computer can't communicate with jags older than 2015.

Looks like all air options are not possible if your jag dealer can't do the calibration ?????

surprised there isn't a law that if an automobile manufacturer abandons technology integral to operation of a vehicle that they must make that technology public domain

 

I have no comptetent dealership nearby, so I bought a VCM, a stabilized power supply and use an old laptop for SDD, and now I can do the calibration myself...

It is actually not difficult to do with SDD, the program (I mainly use V125) guides you nicely through the steps to take.

Best regards,

Thomas

 

Sadly, a malfunctioning, hard locked, suspension is no longer a problem for me. In July 2024 I was making a legal U turn and was charged by a driver on his cell phone. He was traveling at maybe 50 mph twenty feet before he saw me. I had just made a right turn, rolling slow, because the turn arrow had just lit. The guy behind me hit the turn at speed and accelerated. I hit the gas as he was going to smash into me. There was nobody behind me when I began the U turn. For some reason he veered into the direction I was turning and hit my front left wheel and skipped on for another 40 feet before he could stop. Somehow, I was able to pull into a lot beside the accident. A report was filed, the cop left and my car would not move as the front suspension had failed completely. They initially blamed me but, after much interaction, I was able to get blame placed properly. I am still waiting for reimbursement of my deductible.
I miss the Jaguar but life rolls on.