Nothing in these cars is simple when you're @ peace with them (hmm much like beautiful women I suppose). I finally track down great conditioned defrost vents to replace my cracked & noisy ones. I remove the old & of course they disintegrate on touch, spend several minutes which felt like hours due to the hunch overed stance I was precariously balanced in to fish out each broken piece to avoid a future rattle. Then I go to install the new units, a straight forward snap in place & go job right ??! No, low & behold the 3 clips that hold the vents in the dash still have pieces of the old vent tangs broken off in them. I try to wedge out w/ my finger, no dice, I try tweezers again futile ?! It's those really odd clips too, so if I try to be too forceful with them they will perish into the ether that is known as the dash.

I think I'm just going to pay my audio guy to do this lol.

@ CK I'm going to like the chrome as I don't have a front license plate to break it up visually. On yours I like the red best, more cohesive IMO.

 

[QUOTE=King Charles;2026687CK I'm going to like the chrome as I don't have a front license plate to break it up visually. On yours I like the red best, more cohesive[/QUOTE]

I am surprised how different a look a chrome and colored bar can make. I have also just bought a set of OEM XJR mesh grills, which I think suit the colored bar even more. I can't take pictures of the colored bar and mesh grills right now as I am in the middle of replacing the "under-the-intake-manifold-heater-hoses" and the car is currently non-operable so I can't get at the front to take pics, but I will later.


I feel for you KC, I thought I could maybe be of assistance to you with the donor car I found at the local Pick-n-Pull, but I couldn't believe how fragile those vents were when I went to remove them, I hardly touched them and they disintegrated!

.

 

Finally got my defrost vent system installed/replaced, it's like night & day noise-wise.

 

Almost hit a sizable black bear late last night/early AM. That's my cue to upgrade my headlights, I've been planning to do so anyways. Going w/ Sylvania Silverstar Ultras from O'Reillys.

Edit :
Installing the bulbs I noticed my driver side low beam has failing reflective lining on the bottom half of the fixture. Guess it's time for a new fixture.

Found a good conditioned single low beam unit on eBay for $43 w/ shipping = win !

 

Two potentially interesting X308 events today.

1) I bought some little self-adhesive felt stickers; round. I removed all my trim wood and strategically put them at connection points. Lots of test driving on less than perfect roads that usually cause some dash noises. Not a sound or rattle so that was a positive accomplishment today.

2) Took the same XJR for it's annual inspection today. The one time per year the government mandates I let someone ELSE touch my car! The guy connected and re-connected the car at least 5 times; he couldn't get a communication signal. He said his State test computer has been acting up for quite a while and it has nothing to do with my car. He finally gave up and apologized that he could not complete the inspection. I got in and saw the first check engine light I've ever seen in that car. I was concerned and a little angry! I checked the code with my phone app. and it was a P1649 - CAN BUS connection issue. Now it has a code so I can't drive to another place for an inspection! So, I clear the code and now I have a P1000 so still, can't be inspected! I drove all over, maybe 30 miles, and only two systems cleared. I gave up and put her back in the garage. That's why no one else touches my car! LOL

On the up side one of the mechanics there was in love with my car. He grinned the whole time he was looking at it and got really excited checking out the engine compartment. He asked about 20 questions. Always nice when someone appreciates something you've worked hard on.

 

After all the grief of finding & installing new defrost vents, today I take a turn @ speed & I hear vent debris sliding around in the dash lol. After I meticulously hunched over & fished/picked it out, now I have to risk removing it again, go figure lol.

 

I made a separate new thread regarding this, but as it is "what I did to my x308 today" I thought I could/should also post it here.

I replaced the heater hoses and 3-way connector under the intake manifold on my 2001 XJ8 VDP.

The job wasn't that difficult, except for those pesky Jaguar hose connections, which wasted a lot of my time.

I also got to install the metal thermostat housing which I have had for nearly a year now, sitting on the bench in the garage. With the intake manifold removed it is a simple job to replace it.

Here is a "walk thru", with parts used and their part numbers. (Is there a better way to upload a pdf to the forum?)

https://docdro.id/xtykZl9

Hope it helps others contemplating doing this preventative maintenance.

CK

.

 

Chrome splitter/vane arrived today as the week countdown to paint begins !

 

Looking good KC, it's gonna compliment that new paint job just fine.

I installed my "new' OEM XJR mesh grills with a painted vane. So now I have the choice of VDP-or-mesh grill inserts, combined with red-or-chrome vane. Decisions decisions!

 

Ticked over 216k miles on the way to work today. I rewarded it by making the last payment today. 4 years and 100k+ miles. Longest I've actually owned a single vehicle (probably because I usually don't have a loan, so not much choice!)

 

Wow, what a clean looking ride.

 

I am considering to put the 19" Apollo wheels on my VDP, and the 18" Double Fives on my XK.
What you think?

 

I like the D5's on the 308 the Apollos are a bit too busy for me.

 

Definitely these!

 

We do use our Jag for grocery shopping, and various other tasks that involve putting goods in the trunk that could possibly spill. A leaking carton of milk or a leaking egg carton, or just something dirty put in the trunk could/would stain the spare tire/battery covers. So today, being a rainy day with little else to do, I went to Lowes and bought a 3'x4' rubber-backed mat and cut it to fit as a Cargo Mat. Held in by its own weight, it is easily removed, and protects the original trunk flooring.

Which just reinforces the fuzzy warm feeling that my "to-do" list is really at an all time low

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Mohawk-Home...-in/1000265863

 

Replaced one of the last cracked interior pieces, the visor feet trim. That brings my to-do list of interior tasks down to :


Wood refinished (2 panels have a line through coating)
Seats' refurbished (bolster wear)
Rear seat belt holder escutcheon current one's oatmeal not SDZ.
Replace door card pockets (that material is tissue thin & heat compromised)

With paint scheduled for March 1st, we will be sitting lovely come the warm months of 2019. I truthfully don't expect anything to surface mechanically either, key word here is expect lol. I think I've brought this ole girl along to where she's as good if not better than the day she left Coventry.






Also did a quick exterior wash likely in vain as it's been showering days' on end here lately.

 

My OEM style Ruby Red wheels center caps arrived today.

The car came originally from Coventry with the OEM Silver Grey wheel centers, and I changed them for some cheapo aftermarket red ones, but was never really satisfied with them. Today I changed them for the OEM style Ruby Red ones from Welshes Jag Parts.

 

Perfect match ... beauty is in the details ...

 

Researching sealants for the Pentas, I'd like to keep them pristine as long as possible.

 

I tried to give mine away, didn't work. Well, ok, not quite, but I asked the dealership where the next car is coming from, if it was something they'd even be interested in taking on trade, given it's issues and mileage. And I quote:

"The trade is worth more to you than a trade value to a dealer. Your Jaguar is a beautiful vehicle and I do not want to disrespect you or the vehicle from it's market value with 200,000 miles plus."

So looks like at least for the time being, it'll be kept and tinkered with, though if a member wants to pick up a car for parts cheap, maybe...