if you are not in UK or the US ,be prepare to wait a long time.Dealership have one tecnician,if he is sick or on hollidays you can wait 1 month easily.

 

My only real complaints are the large A pillars, randomly opening ash trays in the doors, and sometimes it's a little difficult to see curbs if you're tight against them due to the doors coming up kind of high.
I wouldn't trade it for the world, though.. I love this car.

 

Issues,problems,and how they are finally resolved should be posted,reported somewhere,a board where all dealers could access.

 

Not too much really.

The stereo quite simply sucks. There's no provision for a decent XM/Sirius installation and no AUX input.

I'm 6'3" and it's a bit tight inside, but that's not the car's fault, I'm a big guy.

Compared to the X308 the ride seems a bit harsh.

But none of this really annoys me, the car is fantastic.

 

1. Hate when a passenger is yanking on the exterior handle and when they finally get it open explaining how to pull the handle from rear to front.

2. And yes the cheap noise the alarm makes when a door or trunk isnt closed. Kind of embarresing.

3. The unlock button on the dash seems a little slow

 

I think the major thing is the lack of foresight when it comes to telematics decisions. The result is a seriously difficult car to add any kind of audio or video accessories or to keep up with changing technology. Heck a base Hyundai Sonata has aux and USB connectors. The nav is just OK, bluetooth requires a very expensive upgrade (if you didn't have factory BT) and the base audio system is pretty lame.

The next thing I find annoying is the durability of the leather. All my Jags (XJ6, X-type, 2 S-Types) have all had leather that didn't seem to be very high quality, showing marks, scuffs and signs of wear very quickly. A 10 year old TX jag leather is something else to see!

I really wish that Jaguar had implemented an AWD XJ8 option. All the competitors in this class have an AWD option – Merc, BMW, Audi etc.

I also wish that Jaguar had put a limited slip differential in the XJ8, or at least an option for one. Fixed differentials are so 80’s!

Finally I wish that Jag had made it easy to service the transmission, the ridiculous procedure currently being implemented by owners due to a lack of forethought by Jaguar is laughable, "Sealed for life" is not the answer.

Engine, brakes, handling and safety are all top rate.

Having said that I can’t find anything that I’d rather be driving, apart from an XJR....

- Tim

 

I love my VDP.... except for....
- trans still hunting even after rebuild and dealer pretends all is working within parameters
- seat bolsters too narrow/hard (I'm 5'9": 165lbs, so I'm not too wide )
- can't seem to get the perfect seating arrangement

 

i have an 04 xj8. overall its awesome. headliner sag gets me annoyed. also sometimes the trunk doesnt pop n i have to use the key. other then that the plastic panel under the motor makes changing the oil in my driveway harder then it needs to be. and no i pod. dont get me started.lol

 

I've thought this over for quite a while. In the end, the most annoying thing about my 06 Super V8 is that I can never get anyone to drive so I can watch movies in the back seat. This what I envision if I ever do get into the back:

 

Not much I don't like....it would be nice if the steering wheel telescoped towards me a bit more, and if the driver's seat travelled back a bit further. Oh and some of the tech for the price - this car cost $30k more (new in 06) than the 2005 TL I traded in, yet the TL had Nav and 6-CD in dash changer. I could care less about Nav or Bluetooth - never really used em - but a single CD sure seems out of place in this car. The stereo does sound fantastic, that I will give it

 

Ahh yes - forgot the big one it took me all of 2 days to notice - the crazy brake dust! Cleaning 15 spoke wheels is a chore one should not need to do 3 times a week. How much for the RedStuff pads people have suggested, and where is the best place to get em?

 

Hey, you are the guy from Miata.net! I am miatafiend68! I am buying a 2006 Jaguar XJ VDP on Saturday!

We should bring the Miata.net spirit in here--over there posts are so frequent, you can get a rapid discussion going. Here it can take 5X as long (I guess there's just not as many members in the X350 forum).

 

Hey! Yes I've been on Miata.net over 10 years. Tell me about your new Jag!

 

Having now had 6 months with the car the latest event leads me to what I don't like about the car.........

Replacing the air suspension compressor, that's what !! And at only 38,000 miles. OK car is 7 years old. Dealer rang today, and wants £386 off me. They are pretty good as they give 20% off labour, and 10% off the parts. Talking to the service manager today, I was told these compressors were originally supplied only as new items at £600. After a few owners had made a fuss, a service exchange system was soon introduced.

Apart from this, I just love the car. Maybe I am stupid or something !

 

about the brake dust gripe. i recently changed to all ceramic pads. i got them at my local autozone. for around 70 bucks an axle. noticed a big difference in the amount of brake dust. not sure of the quality of pads the previous owner had installed but the ceramics greatly reduced to amount of dust.

 

Ceramic pads of any kind generally reduce the amount of brake dust.

 

Beware I ramble with a single malt in hand.........

Well first off, I really do love my car, I always have loved Jaguars, and have owned quite a few over the years.
I served part of my apprenticeship(9 years with British Leyland) at Browns Lane and Castle Bromwich in the seventies;
(when we were not on strike or a 4 day week); some parts that did not warrant $$$ in time effort and execution were wonderfully made and installed, whilst it was not unusual for many of the more important and crucial items to be, well, shall I just say...lacking, some of that seems to have lingered on to this day.For example, take a look at the design of this model's
bonnet/hood open close, lock mechanism; the external push release latch has 247 parts alone, yes I exaggerate,
but not by much.
The point is it's almost as if a boss said "ok, we have budget of $40 million for this new XJ8 hood latch, you better use all of it"; and God forbid some one piped up and said " well , can we use this old design, it has worked great for years and we have never had any flying open , it wont cost a penny and with what we save we can spend it on".............."You are not listening to me" said the boss...."if we show we have saved money here we will have to spend it on designing and engineering something even more staggeringly expensive like a...like a... Yes like a transmission fluid dipstick or a GPS system that you can use without stopping and adding an hour to your 20 minute journney....so there ! "

Now let me say what I dont like or ****les me about my current XJ.The auto censor on this forum wont let me say n i g g l e s...LOL ! Damn.

Here we go then,

It had water in the trunk due to lack of sealant around rear glass in production.
I do not like the GPS (and consolidated control pack that comes with it), it is clunky to use and operating the climate controls are more dangerous to other drivers than texting drunk.I would like to be able to adjust light levels on it myself, well that is if I ever had the time to wait for it to sort a route, honestly,it would be quicker asking a blind man with a stammer than use this bugger, then again, you never know at what speed it will look up stuff; it actually found POI,s in my locale that have never exsisted, I think it may also be the ******* in control of the wipers, seat heaters, side mirrors and parking sensors.
The lcd displays for the lower heater controls look like a 1980 calculator display.
Hate the fact that the oddometer is a krypton green lego block, always lit and in my face that never really dims down even with the dimmer.
I can hear the mice on the wheel that run behind the tachometer.
The trunk floor hatch does not lock open as designed when accessing spare tire.
I hate the way the 2 part glove box lid always slides to cup use position every time I open it.
I hate the silly wheel lug nut cover caps that jingle, and how many of us tried to remove these "covers " before removing a wheel?Yet another classic Jag trick of putting money where its not needed just to give the owner one more thing to worry about.
17 inch stock wheels are too small, 18 should have been the minimum not an expensive upgrade.
The cheap nasty horizontal grill slats that came in the stock car, dear me, Hyundai put more thought and style into the Accent which only has one slat and coincedentally at $9000.00 US for the whole car is the same price for the mesh grill upgrade from your friendly local Jaguar dealer.
More farts and sighs from the air suspension on shutdown than my dear old Gran after a Christmas dinner.
Just wonder how many air suspension cars have to be built by Land Rover, Jaguar or Ford before they get them spot on and trouble free.
More black dust on my shiny wheels than a coal miners helmet.
Sometimes I think my lights are on as the instrument binacle is always lit.
I have wind whistles around driver and pass front door glass over 55mph.
Both front seats rock and creak a bit.
Tiny storage in center console;not that you will want to go there anyway due to the lid design.
My steering wheel sounds like a hamster in a vice at low speed turns as it rubs something plastic.
The road wheel rim lips are proud of the rubber and can rash out with just a kiss of the curb.(easily done when you think you are piloting Shamu)
I find also find this car hard to judge on size when parking(bad with the previous problem)or then again, maybe I am just getting old.No,not that old;a big car that really feels bigger than it is, particularly in the city.
Sparce dealer network, eg: only one in the whole of Oregon, bummer when you get in a fight.; and oh yeah, only one certified body shop too.
The J gate shifter, it sucked 30 years ago.
Suspension does not inspire as much condfidence as I would like at speed, it can get a bit floaty when you push.
Question: does Jaguar change( soften) the suspension for the North American market?I see other posts on here re the max speed limiter which is 121 for the regular V8 over here versus 155 in the UK, so yes the tires are changed thats for sure, makes you wonder what else ?

Wipers that march to their own drum and feel justified in stopping at the top of a sweep if they damned well choose to.
Dealerships only seem to have one tech that knows his onions, pray he is working when you go in.
Crappy starter sound.
I would like to have the option to switch off steeing wheel heat.
Why do the seat heaters take so long to warm up while I could toast bread on the wheel in 45 seconds; I guess it was the lawsuit from the family of the driver who got in the car soaking wet from being caught in the rain, he poached himself to death.
Goofy cup holders.
Wish the leaping cat up front was a little bigger.
Wish the S sport button would firm up the suspension settings rather than just change shift points
I want a little mini-visor in front of the rear view mirror.
I wish there was a bit of colour or pop on the engine when I open the hood instead of looking at , well just a mass of black plastic.

Q When is a door not a door ?
A When it is a jar.

The pass side view mirror does not always return to the original position after kicking down for back up.
I hit the garage door opener button for the interior lights button and vice versa.
How could any more bolts and fasteners of diferent sizes and styles can be used on the engine undertray, and if you must do it that way, please can we please have a little door to get to the damned oil filter.
The grill design somehow is just not quite right, and as much as I love the styling in general there are just some areas that seem a bit forced, as if it was just an X type that got pumped up; in fact , on the road,I often have to double take to dif between the two ( and had to go online to a friend to prove "there is no station wagon version XJ".
My washer bottle leaks,but I dont worry too much about it as the low washer level warning light does not work either.
Was the writing of the owners handbook outsourced?
Some of the chromed plastic body trim is so so.Let me re- edit that point, all the plastic chrome is crap.
Do not like tranny drips at 30 K. " Sealed for life, will not require maintenance"; err, thats assuming it doesnt get sick, right?
Oh, can I have a tranny dipstick and fill tube please ?
"Err, how much did you say to activate bluetooth"?


The cars always had beauty and soul, what was their logo in the 50,s..."Grace with Pace" (or something like that), and because of that you forgave them a lot; I guess I still do love and am willing to forgive.Then again I am still in love with my exwife of 15 years ago and she was a total *@#^% so what do I know.
It is still a passionate car with all the good and the bad that word entails.

PS
Can someone please send this thread to someone at Jaguar who might not only read it but do something or can we expect our grand kids to be writing the same stuff in years to come?


PPS
no sorry, I was halucinating ,"Forum Member 2005XJ8L" just dropped off some serious chronic, sooooooooooo yeah, nooooooooooo, yeahh it wuz er yeah the
2004 car.
2004, also know as J8 Beta 0.1 -..evidently...

evidently... this word was really hard to think of let alone spell right now.

David

 

LOL

That is hilarious!!!!!!!

By the way what year is your XJ?

 

1984.............

see my PPS above
have to sleep now

 

Love the post!
Re the steering squeak there is a possible cure
Early X Types, S Types and XJs had this and Jag brought out an additive to cure the squeak in most cases.
It worked on my 2002 X Type.
The part number is C2S48887 and Im sure there is a Jaguar TSB about it on somewhere on the forum on how to officially add it to the Power Steering Fluid.
Many have just removed 50ml fluid and then added the additive which has warmed up during normal use and cured the squeak.
Mine was still squeak free 3 years later when I traded the X Type.

Re the black wheels
Was sick of that on my 20" wheels too.Changed pads to Redstuff Ceramics and virtually ended black wheels.What dirt there is is just grime from the road and wipes off easily.There is no brake dust and now stops on a sixpence.