If there's already a thread about this, please accept my apologies, I didn't find it.

I have a fairly new-to-me 2003 Jaguar XJ8 NA that I will sooner or later want to have someone work on! I don't want to wait until there's an emergency, I'd rather cultivate a relationship with the right garage now so if I need them for something in the future, they'll already know me and my car.

My question is this -- what, in your opinion, is the best way to determine if someone knows what they're doing? I did an internet search for Jaguar mechanics in my area and was blown away by how many came up, but I have my suspicions about their expertise -- guess I just find it odd that so many mechanics would claim to be Jag experts when most of the time it's hard to find anyone who knows anything about Jags.

So, please offer your best advice regarding how to find the best Jaguar mechanic. Thanks.

I forgot to mention -- I know that referrals and recommendations carry a lot of weight, but I only know two people who own Jaguars -- one goes to the local dealer and gets raped on a regular basis, the other one is now in need of a new shop because the one she was going to just closed (retired). So, if anyone has a recommendation in the West Palm Beach, FL area, I'm all ears!

Ask if they have IDS (factory diagnostics) if not, move on, nothing to see here. This seems to sort the real techs from the bullshatters.