Hello Everyone,

i recently purchased a 2001 XJR with 98000 miles. it appears that the valve cover gaskets are leaking as i can see oil underneath the valve covers collecting on that "sill" and i can smell the oil burning. anyway, i got an "over the phone" estimate from my local Jaguar dealership of 770 bucks. he says its a 4 hour job. is this about right? i am tempted to take it to a "European Auto Shoppe" down the road from me to see what they say but i am a bit worried they might screw up the repair being that it is a Jaguar as they may not be all to familiar with the parts and torque specs of the bolts, etc. should i just pay the 770 bucks for the peace of mind?

regards, dan

 

The supercharged cam cover gaskets are a little tougher than naturally aspirated ones to do only because of the room involved.
4 Hours to me sounds a little steep, but not outrageous. You need to ask if they are going to clean the covers and all the oil off the exhaust manifold for that time.

A local shop should not have any problem doing the cover gaskets. Not a mind stretching job at all. However you will have a one year warranty on parts and labour at the dealer, what would you get at the outside shop?

 

wow, thanks for the incredibly speedy response to my question. i haven't even called the other shop yet. i am now leaning towards having the dealer do it. furthermore, the fellow i bought it from always used the dealership himself and i was told that i can get a printout of everything that was ever done to the car. so i guess i will just pay the money.

 

Good choice.