Hi Guys,

My 1998 XJ8 went for it's MOT last week... with the usual sense of trepidation.

It needed the lower driver side balljoint replaced, which was done, along with a couple of bulbs that I had missed.. this involved just under 4 hours labour.

When I collected the car they said everything had gone smoothly, but, there was some welding that will need to be done, and if done next year it will be an extensive job.

Now, I am OK with the basics like brake pads, general basic servicing etc but never have been particularily good with mechanics.. so I wanted to pass this by you guys and see what the concensus is.

The garage said that the metal at the top of the front suspension arms, on the inner wings is badly corroded, but has only gone through one skin so far.. I have not asked for a quote yet as considering the car is generally rust free as far I can see I had not considered a big corrosion issue looming.

In addition to this I know of one other area of corrosion which I was trying to work out how to tackle, and that is under the air intake just in front of the windscreen there is a hole in the metal where there would normally be slots to allow air in.. approx 10cm x 6cm.

I have been looking at car values in the UK, and X308s seem to be going for around £3,000 or so if in fair to good condition with low milage, and this one has 73000miles on the clock.

Any ideas on likely costs, and if it is worth doing? I love the X308 to bits, but it has to be financially viable to keep it..

 

Not had mine long, i bought it knowing it needed welding, in the areas you described, also inner/outer sills at the front, I did the work myself, so no cost to me, i love this car, so thought a had a bargain overall. If i were you, get it fixed up, better the devil you know.

 

A picture speaks a thousand words. However, I would have thought that sooner is always better than later, with rust. When you do the repair, remove any rust and use lots of weld-through primer on the bare metal so rust doesn't take hold again.

 

I've just had a load of body work done on my car, mainly paint but there was a small amount of welding required on the front chassis legs behind the front shock absorber. He did both sides and repaired the corrosion on the rear wheel arch and it was less than £120.

 

I will be popping into the garage to get a quote next weekend, and will try to get some photos of the issues for you, and pop them up with the quoted costs to see what you think.

I would absolutely love to keep her, as she is big, perfect for family holidays, and the same model as my first ever Jaguar, but the finances have to considered :-( not just my heart.

Thankyou for the feedback guys.. and if you are in the market for doing the same job as on yours at a reasonable cost you may well have a customer here :-)

I will update this thread as I go

 

Stu.. thanks for your input.. last time I had some welding done on my X-Type sill that cost me a good £300 down here.. hence my worrying about this corrosion and whether it was financially worth doing

 

Here's what mine looked like before the welding, it's a mud trap in this area so it's best to check regularly and keep on top of your under seal. It looks brand new now and has liberal coatings of under seal.

 

So far I am working blind just based on what the MOT inspector said sounding very grave and foreboding.. sigh.. he said the corrosion is at the top of the front suspension struts so would I be right in saying that that is where the top of the front shocks are fitted? Apologies if I am sounding a bit ignorant here :-( My usual garage will be taking a look Sunday morning, so whilst they point out the work needed to me I will get some shots to post up here to see what you (knowing a darn sight more than me) think..