Greetings,
I have a 2003 VDP, and I'm fairly new to the Jaguar ownership scene. I was curious if there were any upgrades that enthusiasts commonly agree on?

I prefer keeping cars original for the most part, but if there are any certain factory original X308 parts that are known to be trouble, I'd love to know.


As always, thanks in advance for your help and very appreciated advice.

 

I guess it would depend on what you're trying to achieve. Cosmetic, which is very subjective, such as wheels, tint, etc.

Performance? A VDP is a luxury version so I imagine engine mods such as intake, exhaust etc are sort of against the character of VDP.

IMO, the stocks shocks are too soft. Maybe an upgrade there?

Then there's audio upgrades - speakers, MP3 dock, etc, etc, etc,

 

I personally love the soft boat-like shocks, but that's probably because it reminds me of my old Bentley I used to have.

I guess my question should have been worded differently. What mechanical parts are generally faulty, or have a trend of going bad often that should be replaced?

Thanks again.

 

Thermostats should be replaced regularly and valve cover gaskets always seem to leak after a while. Wheel bearings are a weak point of the X308 and should be checked regularly.

 

+1 for leaky valve cover gaskets.. that seems to be a prevalent problem with the AJ motors and if the oil seeps into your coil packs they'll fry.

 

Jeez, I already went through hell after a guy spilled oil during an oil change. My ignition coils were drenched in oil and I was getting multiple misfires.


Oh well, at least it motivated me to change my spark plugs since I was already in there.