To be honest it works perfectly. I just can't stand it because there is no option to deselect it and still have traditional cruise control.

The reason I can't stand it is because it often over reacts, for example, I could be in the left lane of a 6 lane highway and go to cross over two lanes to the right and there is a car in the middle lane ahead that I am crossing behind by a safe margin. When the ACC senses the car if it is in a certain proximity the ACC might brake heavily which is not only surprising but could be dangerous depending on traffic behind me. Also if I have for example 75 mph selected and it is maintaining, say, 60 for spacing with the car ahead, when I pull into a lane that is clear ahead it will accelerate much more aggressively than most drivers would elect to for smoothness.

It's a smart system and I do appreciate the safety barrier it may provide in certain cases but for me I would much rather not have it at all if I cant have an option to select tradition cruise control. I don't miss it in my XK8 and I would trade it in a minute for regular cruise in the XJR.
2X

 

You can narrow the beam with on the radar sensor so it does not detect the sides so much

You need to remove the bumper to get to the sensor
Cut 2 strips of alloy to cover the sides of the sensor and project forward
Put a bend in them roughly in line (but slightly less than) the width you want the beam
Drill a hole in each plate you added and bolt/rivet on a wire using a lug terminal. Connect the other end of the wire to the chassis (to get an earth)

You may need to change the angles a bit to suit your needs but this will narrow the beam

Cheers
34by151

 

The usual complaint about small cup holders.

The lack of ease in replacing the stereo (and yes, I have read the numerous posts about DIY solutions).

 

I wear lined/padded gloves in the winter. I would like to meet the idiot who thought the valet button should be just above the boot release.

 

For me one of the worst things is the reputation. I often get people coming up and remarking how much they like the car but then the conversation always turns to "I heard these cars have a lot of problems / I bet this car's in the shop a lot / probably and arm and a leg to fix it" etc. They just can't let you enjoy it!

 

Yes the perceived notion of unreliability is a real downer, as well as the perceived notion of the owner's wealth. This is why on my first dates I go in my 20-y.o. Toyota in order to weed out the gold diggers.

I am now engaged to a nice physician who drives a Honda Civic.


As for the cupholders being too small, I do just fine with these --



Cheers,
Wolfy

 

Don't complain about the reputation. I will do all I can to perpetuate it. When I get the same comments I will respond "yea, they are an expensive pain in the *** to maintain, but worth it to me."

That reputation is the sole reason people like me can buy an extremely reliable, high performing, gorgeous eighty thousand dollar car for 24 grand with 32,000 miles on it.
2X

 

Ha! And I find it hard to counter when it's true. My XJR has been a pain and expensive and I've only had it since August. I'm the second owner and my parents were the original owners and took very good care of it.

But I also have two Italian motorcycles. I understand the pros and cons and it's worth it

 

I've had mine (XJ) seven years and other than routine maintenance, the only thing I've needed on it was a water pump. It's been an absolute dream.

I just brought home a used XK with the same 4.2L engine. The car looked beautiful when I bought it, but since I've found out that the poor dear was mistreated by it's previous owner and I'm in the process of nursing her back to good health (and it's expensive).

 

My 04 XJ8 would not have been an eighty thousand dollar car, but it would have been much more than I could afford. My car has a few things that I need to do to it, but for the price I paid for the car two months ago, I can afford to fix one thing, then the next, etc.. For me, the car is fun. It gives me something different to do, it's a car that not everyone on my block has, and it's easy to find in the Kroger parking lot.

My biggest complaint has got to be the front seats. I like the leather. I like the way they look. But I wish it either had smaller bolsters, or the flat seating surface between the bolsters was wider.

 

One thing annoys me every time I drive. I'm 5'9" or so - average height. The rear-view mirror doesn't tilt up far enough - the bottom half of the view is of the rear deck rather than the traffic behind you, and I'm constantly ducking my head to compensate and be able to see out the back. Nothing seems misaligned or otherwise out of place. Does anyone else experience this?

"That reputation is the sole reason people like me can buy an extremely reliable, high performing, gorgeous eighty thousand dollar car for 24 grand with 32,000 miles on it." - Definitely.

 

When I obtained my 2005 Jaguar XJ8L last March, I wasn't very impressed with the air suspension (during the time that it was working) as the rear would bottom out sometimes as I was going over a bump. To be frank, I would never have expected that from an expensive luxury vehicle. Now that I have the Arnott C-2290 coil/spring suspension, the ride is fabulous.

 

I've had my '04 XJ8 for less than two weeks now, but will contribute just a couple of niggling things:

1) the sun visor doesn't slide, so when I have it deployed along the side, it can't slide back
2) the car is very quiet, and I wish the minimum fan speed for the heater were just a little quieter
3) not only do I agree about the J-gate shifter (I'd love a modern shifter where I could upshift and downshift by pressing a button), but the large gearshift knob actually makes it impossible to visually confirm what gear I'm in when manually shifting - at least when I'm in a lower gear than 4th. Stupid design. If Kia can design a gear selector indicator that displays on the dashboard, couldn't Jaguar?
4) my standard equipment stereo (not Alpine) isn't loud enough, at least for many recordings. If I want to crank it up for a Shostakovitch crescendo, then it ought to crank up forte-fortissimo!
5) the door seals creak when I turn a corner
6) wish I could control/minimize the heat output for the steering wheel when the heated seat is activated. The heat for the wheel is also distributed very unevenly - although I like the idea.

That's about all I can think of for now. When I've got some resolution from the Chevy dealer who sold it to me about the transmission fluid leak and running light wiring issues that my local Jag dealer discovered, it will be a nearly perfect car. Overall, I love driving it - and my XJ8 is a work of art.

 

My '04 XJ8 also has the standard equipment stereo. If it were able to produce any more volume, I'd have to ride on the roof .

Like you, I love driving it, too.

 

Love my XJ but things not on my like list are.....


1. Front sensor going off whenever a vehicle moves by (motorcycle) in the adjacent lane when you're stopped.

2. Automatic wipers not coming on automatically after returning to the car after it has been rained on, and sometimes coming on when there's only a few drops (not even a light drizzle) of rain or when splashed by someone else's windshield washer fluid...

3. I have wind whistles around driver door glass over 55mph.

4. Both front seats rock and creak a bit.

5. It's always really embarrassing when you walk away from the car and see yet another person walk by admiring, looking back and checking just once more. Some even almost walk into other cars / lamp posts etc as they walk forward whilst looking over their shoulder......really embarrassing

All really minor IMO and working on resolutions for most of them.

 

I was just thinking the same thing tonight

 

I don't like how the movie industry gives us XJ owners a bad reputation. Have you ever noticed in the James Bond Series how many of the villains' drive or are being driven in an XJ ? In the later 007 movies there are so many in street scenes they make the XJ look as common as a Honda. In Casino Royale I lost count at 18 with the movie ending with the lead villain driving up to his mansion in a XJ8, steeping out and getting shot by Bond.

 

I do not seem to have the problems that others here have listed..touch wood.... however I was irritated by a neighbor who thought I had a Lincoln when he first saw it. So after some research I bought and installed a pedestal trunk spoiler.
I do envy the ICE in the Super V8 so am currently installing an over armrest DVD player that will also play on the NAV screen.

 

I have a black 2006 XJ and couldn't resist the temptation to purchase the toy car promoted along with the Bond movie.

 

In "Skyfall" the XJ was driven by the good guys. But in general yes Jags are mostly portrayed as 'badmobiles' in movies; whereas in real life, Aston Martins are more likely to be driven by the baddies (drug dealers, con artists and such).

The only thing I DON'T like about my XJ8L is the lack of BT, but that will soon be changed with the installation of iSimple ISFM2351. A friend just bought a '13 GS350 and that thing is like hi-tech gizmos on wheels. I prefer my Jag's more luxurious, air-cushiony ride, though.

Cheers,
Wolfy