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1. The seat is made for an obese person. The headrest pushes my head so far forward that I get neck pain, and I think the headrest would break my neck if I crashed.
2. I can't turn the defroster on and off independently of the fan, heat, and cooling settings. This is especially bad at the moment, because I'm trying to fix my A/C, which among other things needs oil, so I mustn't turn it on until it's fixed--which means I can't defrost the window when it fogs over!
3. My right rear-view mirror turns a little bit upwards every time I put the car in reverse, so often I'm taken by surprise on the freeway when I try to check my rearview mirror and all I see is sky.
4. If you park it outside on a very hot day, the car will automatically roll down the windows while you're gone! This car is not designed to be parked outdoors!
5. If I drop something, say for instance the key to the car, between the driver's seat and the hill between the two front seats, it slides under the seat and it's gone, until I have time to remove the seat from the car in order to reach under it. I once spent an hour in a no-parking zone because I dropped my key and it slid under the driver's seat, and I spent that hour poking under the seat with a long screwdriver to get it out, and could have damaged some of the hundreds of wires under there.
6. All electrical cabling is exactly as long as it needs to be, with at most a few millimeters of slack in the cable, making some electrical work take 5 times as long as it would if you had an inch of slack. In general the car seems maliciously designed to make all repairs difficult.
6. There is no drain in the steel bottom of the car, so if I open the door during a downpour, I have to remove both front seats and pull up the carpet to get the water out before it turns moldy. Same thing when the window rain-seal rubber gets old and cracks, and rain gets in through the cracks.
7. Metal-speckled paint is impossible to match when repainting scrapes.
8. Cupholders are bigger than in the X308, but still too small. I read many reviews of Jaguars before buying mine, and this was the #1 reason Americans gave for not buying a Jaguar for more than 10 years. (Europeans seem not to care.) Also, cupholders are cheap and ugly compared to the rest of the interior.
9. No ski-slot between trunk and rear cabin, essential if you buy lumber, which usually is sold in 8' segments.
(I can live with the small trunk only because I'm usually the only person in the car, & so can load things into the back seats.)
Xeno, what made you buy Jaguar? Well I can guess: you did not have enough experience with a Jaguar to taylor your body to fit, I get that. If you so pissed at Jaguar ergonomics, engineers, designers and not to forget marketing for not tayloring X350 serial production to your personal taste, needs and physic, why do you still keep it? Have you heard expression "...cut losses early...?
If you got rid of the car, what made you come to this forum? Don't get me wrong this place is not exclusevly for Jaguar owners, just for the sake of full disclosure.
I'm picking the only timber (lumber) the designers through these cars would be asked to carry is that which they inlaid into the dash and door panels.
Never thought to use either my X-Type or XJ8 as a trade vehicle.
As for carrying skis and awkward loads, again I'm picking that the designers thought anyone with the chops to buy a XJ would likely have a sister Range Rover or Disco for their cargo runs and ski field adventures.
Abused the absolute hell out of my 1978 3 door SWB Range Rover!
Perhaps this XJ8 is more to your preferred specification....
Yes the side mirror tilt creeping is a pain and quite bizarre, but manageable.
Don't know what sized "cups" you Americans have, but by the sounds of it here it would probably require pool fencing to be installed around it.
As for metal speckled paint.......what the?.......try and buy any new car with a solid non metallic paint these days.
Last edited by h2o2steam; Jul 31, 2023 at 01:30 AM.
@WHITTALL the sounder is under 'parcel shelf' behind rear window. You can just disconnect it. You need to remove rear seat and rear back suppert to get there. Not a diffcult task
1. The seat is made for an obese person. The headrest pushes my head so far forward that I get neck pain, and I think the headrest would break my neck if I crashed.
2. I can't turn the defroster on and off independently of the fan, heat, and cooling settings. This is especially bad at the moment, because I'm trying to fix my A/C, which among other things needs oil, so I mustn't turn it on until it's fixed--which means I can't defrost the window when it fogs over!
3. My right rear-view mirror turns a little bit upwards every time I put the car in reverse, so often I'm taken by surprise on the freeway when I try to check my rearview mirror and all I see is sky.
4. If you park it outside on a very hot day, the car will automatically roll down the windows while you're gone! This car is not designed to be parked outdoors!
5. If I drop something, say for instance the key to the car, between the driver's seat and the hill between the two front seats, it slides under the seat and it's gone, until I have time to remove the seat from the car in order to reach under it. I once spent an hour in a no-parking zone because I dropped my key and it slid under the driver's seat, and I spent that hour poking under the seat with a long screwdriver to get it out, and could have damaged some of the hundreds of wires under there.
6. All electrical cabling is exactly as long as it needs to be, with at most a few millimeters of slack in the cable, making some electrical work take 5 times as long as it would if you had an inch of slack. In general the car seems maliciously designed to make all repairs difficult.
6. There is no drain in the steel bottom of the car, so if I open the door during a downpour, I have to remove both front seats and pull up the carpet to get the water out before it turns moldy. Same thing when the window rain-seal rubber gets old and cracks, and rain gets in through the cracks.
7. Metal-speckled paint is impossible to match when repainting scrapes.
8. Cupholders are bigger than in the X308, but still too small. I read many reviews of Jaguars before buying mine, and this was the #1 reason Americans gave for not buying a Jaguar for more than 10 years. (Europeans seem not to care.) Also, cupholders are cheap and ugly compared to the rest of the interior.
9. No ski-slot between trunk and rear cabin, essential if you buy lumber, which usually is sold in 8' segments.
(I can live with the small trunk only because I'm usually the only person in the car, & so can load things into the back seats.)
Wow I know the title of the post is "what don't you like" but if you are that unhappy with it, maybe time to get something a little more fitting...
We have owned over 30 cars to include at least one from each US manufacturer and BMW and Mercedes, Most were purchased new & saw less than 50k miles before they were traded.
I have enjoyed & cherished this 04 coming up on 20 years and she recently turned 95k miles. She has become an essential part of my persona for which I give thanks continually.
As I've said before, this forum has made it practical for me to keep & enjoy this car on many levels including the joy of repairig her.
So after reading almost all of the replies to what XJ owners DON'T like about their cars, it's time to state what IS liked (that's why we buy these cars, right?).
1. The BEST looking luxury sedans on the road. Once the X-350 went away, so did the classic Jag styling.
2. The 2005 XJR is a great balance of sport and luxury vehicle. It has the comfort AND drivability that is still unmatched by most other auto makers.
3. Getting into an XJ is always like getting into a new car for me. The quality, aroma and fit of the car are just outstanding.
4. The sound of the car when it is driving. Quite as can be when you want it quite, classy exhaust note when you want some gitty up!
5. Great passenger car. It's nice that friends and family feel pampered and in control of their creature comforts when they are in the car.
6. Nice, stock sound system. As long as the car is properly maintained, the sound system is excellent (upgrading to Bluetooth and streaming is also easy and relatively inexpensive)..
7. Excellent storage (small cup holders prevent me from drinking too much on long trips...LOL).
8. Still get nice compliments and looks. The color, Pacific Blue, is also just such a classy, deep, rich tone.
Think positive folks and fall in love with your XJ all over again!
So after reading almost all of the replies to what XJ owners DON'T like about their cars, it's time to state what IS liked (that's why we buy these cars, right?).
1. The BEST looking luxury sedans on the road. Once the X-350 went away, so did the classic Jag styling.
2. The 2005 XJR is a great balance of sport and luxury vehicle. It has the comfort AND drivability that is still unmatched by most other auto makers.
3. Getting into an XJ is always like getting into a new car for me. The quality, aroma and fit of the car are just outstanding.
4. The sound of the car when it is driving. Quite as can be when you want it quite, classy exhaust note when you want some gitty up!
5. Great passenger car. It's nice that friends and family feel pampered and in control of their creature comforts when they are in the car.
6. Nice, stock sound system. As long as the car is properly maintained, the sound system is excellent (upgrading to Bluetooth and streaming is also easy and relatively inexpensive)..
7. Excellent storage (small cup holders prevent me from drinking too much on long trips...LOL).
8. Still get nice compliments and looks. The color, Pacific Blue, is also just such a classy, deep, rich tone.
Think positive folks and fall in love with your XJ all over again!
I’m definitely happy! Just bought my first JAG, a 2005 XJ8L in Zircon Metallic, with almost 200k on it and the only issues I have is an oil leak at the timing chain cover, 1 ignition coil + spark plug and a tranny fluid change. And all for just 3.5k.. 😂😂
We did the same with mercs and BMWs and bought a used 2004 XJR 12 years ago, it now has 220k miles on it. I needed another car for commuting, so I recently bought a 2004 XJ8 with 90k miles.
I’m definitely happy! Just bought my first JAG, a 2005 XJ8L in Zircon Metallic, with almost 200k on it and the only issues I have is an oil leak at the timing chain cover, 1 ignition coil + spark plug and a tranny fluid change. And all for just 3.5k.. 😂😂
THAT A STEEL!
I HATE YOU!
Hey, good luck!
Regardsing back up camera: I installed aftermarket radio/android tablet in Aprill and it had input for back up camera and aux input as well as Android Auto, GPS, independent cell connection if you want to use it. That made 2004 Jag very much in line with curent 2023 state of technology. One thing I may be missing is advanced cruise control. I really do not miss it much though, and I hate lane departure warning in modern cars.
As far as TPMS: man! I have no use for it!, I glad mine doesn't have it: cost of those sensors is ridiculous. battery last for 10 years max and then you have to replace sensor! Waste in manufacturing those sensors outweights benefits those sensor brings.. Use of those sensors was mandated by goverment as reaction to Bridgestone/Bronco gate!
There are less expensive/waistfull ways to monitor tire pressure on cars with ABS!
THAT A STEEL!
I HATE YOU!
Hey, good luck!
Regardsing back up camera: I installed aftermarket radio/android tablet in Aprill and it had input for back up camera and aux input as well as Android Auto, GPS, independent cell connection if you want to use it. That made 2004 Jag very much in line with curent 2023 state of technology. One thing I may be missing is advanced cruise control. I really do not miss it much though, and I hate lane departure warning in modern cars.
As far as TPMS: man! I have no use for it!, I glad mine doesn't have it: cost of those sensors is ridiculous. battery last for 10 years max and then you have to replace sensor! Waste in manufacturing those sensors outweights benefits those sensor brings.. Use of those sensors was mandated by goverment as reaction to Bridgestone/Bronco gate!
There are less expensive/waistfull ways to monitor tire pressure on cars with ABS!
It was a steal!
Do you mind sharing the info about that aftermarket radio/Android tablet?
I bought mine from: https://www.canavie.com/97-tesla-sty...-p3601220.html
But there are other sources that may be cheaper.
It works well, despite the fact that there is vertually no support and no manuals. I did take gamble, and it worked for me.
I bought mine from: https://www.canavie.com/97-tesla-sty...-p3601220.html
But there are other sources that may be cheaper.
It works well, despite the fact that there is vertually no support and no manuals. I did take gamble, and it worked for me.
Thank you!
that definitely looks like it is part of the car. My only issue with it is that it is placed too low in the dashboard and following GPS directions is risky. I managed to route my music and phone calls over to the audio system via a radio transmitter and tuned the car’s radio on that specific frequency. I keep my phone mounted above the AC vents very close to the steering wheel. So far that worked well because it is in my line of sight without having to look down to the right when I use GPS or need to see who is calling or texting me.
that definitely looks like it is part of the car. My only issue with it is that it is placed too low in the dashboard and following GPS directions is risky. I managed to route my music and phone calls over to the audio system via a radio transmitter and tuned the car’s radio on that specific frequency. I keep my phone mounted above the AC vents very close to the steering wheel. So far that worked well because it is in my line of sight without having to look down to the right when I use GPS or need to see who is calling or texting me.
That would be fantastic! I don’t know if any car that is offered with one. I’m thinking of teaming up with my engineering buddies and make one.
Hi 2005xjx350,
Save your energy and creativity. Have a look on AliExpress or Banggood, There are hundreds of types of cheap head-up displays available. I bought one for my Honda. It plugs into the OBDII port and gives you speed, rpm, economy, temperature, voltage information. It sits on the dash top and reflects on the inside of the windscreen/windshield. I think it cost about $NZ60, so about $US 35.
