Hello all.

The saga around my 1998 Jaguar XJ8 continues and after I introduced the car to a local Jaguar service center, they really emphasized that the car had a lot of rust. I know that Jags are prone to that especially if they’re daily rides in rather humid climates like in the UK and northern France.

I really got so many opinions on that car now that I don’t know what to think anymore.

• The Controle Technique inspector noticed the rust as well and recommended that I start addressing the issue if I want to preserve the car. But he didn’t seem to be overly concerned.
• A local body shop checked the car as well and told me that he has seen much worse and recommended that I start addressing the issue in the spring/summer.
• The review from Jaguar was the worst. The tech told me that the car was a death trap and he wouldn’t drive the car in this condition.

I posted a few pictures showing the under body of my car. What’s your take on that?

How concerned would you be or think I should be?

I may have an opportunity to get out of the sale (for reasons I mentioned in earlier posts) or renegotiate the purchase price to a significantly lower number.

Thanks for your time and feedback. I really appreciate it!

Cheers!

 

If you have access to a ramp or pit, probably sandblasting is the best way to get off the surface rust without major dismantling. The remaining surfaces need rust-killing with acid which converts red rust to black (this works BTW, I've lots of experience with rusty cars from the 1970s). Two coats of red lead paint will be good if you can get it.
All that rust looks to me like the results of salt on icy roads.
It's a long messy job and I don't envy you!
Leedsman.

 

As Leedsman mentions it will be a long and tedious job.

The car looks as if it has been standing for a few years. (pic 4, oxidisation on the inner edges of the alloy wheel).

Special attention should be paid to subframe mounting points, suspension mounts, brake pipe condition and unions, + fuel pipes (replacing here is really the only option).

You also really want to have a good look at the floor pans and bulkhead areas. Pics 1 and 7. Carpets out. Condition of the inner wings, look for bubbling around the splash guard plastic studs on their top sides in the engine compartment.

The exhaust looks about due for replacement, maybe useful to help with price negotiation.

Whilst you are at it, give the sills a thorough inspection, pay attention to the front and trailing ends.

It will come back, but will be a labour of love and time, not to mention a few Euros.

Non perforating rust will be noted but is not necessarily a CT fail as some of the binder twine and plywood 2CVs attest to.

So it really comes back to what you want from the car, if it is just to have a cheap Jag to hack around Brittany in then fine, but if you want it to be a nice luxury example then there is work to be done.

Sand/shot blasting will save weeks of work.

@ Leedsman, do I remember correctly that I used Phosphoric acid back in my youth?

Oh and a PS, what is the external appearance of the car.

 

Phosphoric acid WAS the major component of rust-killers like "Jenolite" and "Naval Jelly" (what a lovely name that is!). Almost any strong acid will work though, I've used old battery acid for rust killing in the past, and still use it down the toilet to get that limescale off.
Rust killing with acid is probably the most important part of the job. If you don't do it, the rust will come back. I seem to remember the american motor industry had a process called "phosphatization" prior to paint application. All this does so remind me of the 1970s!
Leedsman.

 

Thanks Leedsman, I thought I had remembered correctly, and it was back in the late 70's.

(novel loo cleaner BTW)

 

Having looked at lots of cars on "Louis's " car lift over the years, (my local one-man-band mechanic), your car looks pretty normal for a 12-year old car used in Northern Europe. What mileage is it on - I would estimate around 100,000, am I right ?

Most of the pics show rust on pressed suspension and exhaust parts which look OK to me, although obviously rusty, and if suspect because of rust erosion can be easily and (fairly) cheaply replaced.

For somebody not used to it, it can come as a bit of a shock to see your pride and joy in the altogether in the nether regions.

 

I agree with the others.
The pictures immediately said salt to me, but do not look terminal.
You will have many hours of fun scraping neutralising and painting.
As Fraser says the ancillary parts are easilly replaced if neccessary.

 

Thank you so much for your feedback. I’ll take it as somewhat encouraging. If getting under it and scraping and stripping the heck out of it is what it takes to bring it back, then that’s probably what I’m going to do.

The weird thing with this car is that it’s otherwise in mint, near showroom condition. The exterior and interior are superbe. The leather looks fantastic, no cracks, or rips, everything in the car works, even the electric antenna. Please feel free to check out the pics.

On the other hand, the car has some other technical issues (e.g. headlights not conforming to EU standards) and it looks like I need to replace the fuel injectors plus spark plugs to get it through the Control Technique inspection (MOT).

If you guys have a good source for these parts, I’d be very happy to hear from you.

Many thanks for your time and help.

 

Badcat, I am going to give my 2 cents on the issue. First off, having rust on something is not necessarily bad. In actuality, having rust on the surface of metal can be a very good thing (it can actually provide a protective layer that will prevent further rusting, common practice in nuclear power plants). The big thing you want to look for is that the rust is a tight layer (think of it looking like a layer of paint). If you see the rust starting to bubble up or flake, then that is bad. On suspension parts, I would say to use the 25% rule (ie, if 25% of the thickness has been eaten away by the rust, the part needs to be replaced). With the frame, you can get away with more as long as it isn't all the way around the support structure. The body, as long as the rust isn't penetrating, not an issue.

But, as was mentioned, taking care of it sooner than later will save you money. So, your call.