There are many reasons why it took so long but none of those seem too important now

The main thing is on Wednesday She passed her MOT which meant an agonizing Three day wait to drive her as I decided to Tax her for July 1st.

They were Three of the longest days that I can ever remember, where the only consolation was that it really pouring down with rain.

And I wanted my first Test drive to be on a Sunny day so I could have the Top Down and just so you know, sometimes 'Wishes come true!'

As when we woke up this morning on Saturday July 1st the Sun burst out of an Azure Blue Sky, which meant that the Weather was perfect.

So down with the Soft Top and on with the black Tonneau Cover, where no matter how She was going to drive.

We both agreed that 'Cherry Blossom' looked absolutely stunning!

The Plan was to do a few short runs before we did an actual trip for real and being a bit Paranoid that She might break down.

I thought I would pack a few extra tools in case it all went 'pear shaped' as earlier on in the game she was leaking some water.

After having to wait so long this was a very special moment for me, as I snuck the Key in the ignition.

The Engine didn't so much as need to turn over, just a twist of the key and She fired!

But unlike my other XJS that roars like a Lion, the Engine on 'Cherry' Silent!

So Silent you could hardly hear it run.

So far so good, so now it was time to back 'Cherry' out of the driveway and at last put Her wheels on the road.

Then having snicked the Shifter into drive we headed off, keeping her to 30 mph as we went through the road works.

Until we got her on the Two Lane Black Top.

That was a twisty and tortuous drive, that showed up one or two faults as all you could hear was the sound of her banging and crashing.

Been there and done it so knew what it was, the Shock Absorber Bushes were completely Shot but that's a very easy job to do.

But once we were on flat Tarmac all those noises disappeared, at least for the time being, so now seemed like the time to stretch her legs.

So giving her a bit of gas She suddenly took off, flying like a bolt out of a crossbow and having only covered 24,000 miles from new.

She seemed much more responsive than my other XJS although it could have seemed that way because this Car was just so whisper silent.

But already we were running out of Gas and so had to call at Tescos to fill up with their Finest Tesco Momentum 99 Octane.

As every UK owner knows when filling up an empty tank its not a cheap day out but if you can't afford to run it then you best buy something else.

Or sleep in a Tent in the Garden and go without food like we do.

If you want to Sleep at night or are of a nervous disposition, its never a very good idea to look at the dial on the Pump.

As if like me you go and put 100 quids worth in, it somehow feels as if you are dying inside.

And if that doesn't kill you, then you can try it again in a couple of days.

It really lasts that long!

But that's enough about Petrol, its really only money after all, as at this very moment in time I only had eyes for the Temperature of the Water.

This was a cause for a bit of concern, as it stayed on the 'N' of the Barrel Gauge all the way through.

Where my other Car always seems to run a lot Colder, though maybe this is Normal for my Car.

Having filled up with Petrol, we did a 20 Mile Trip then went back home to let her Cool Down and checked the Water Level in the Radiator.

She hadn't used a single drop and so that seemed a good excuse to do another trip, with exactly the same result as before.

And so Tomorrow being Sunday, we are planning to do a much longer Trip.

To be Continued.................

The Original Pull Out Stereo, which unfortunately doesn't sound as good as a modern Stereo, at least to my ears anyway.



The Original Pull Out Stereo is being replaced by something with better Sound Quality.

Step One: Pull out the Pull out Stereo.



Step One: Pull Out the Pull Out Stereo



Original Pull Out Stereo now removed

Step Two: Pull off the Air Conditioning Knobs, which were a 'Bar Steward' to get off.



Air Con Knobs Removed

Step Three: Undo the Lock Nuts on the Air Con Controls and Carefully fold down the Front Cover.



Undoing the Lock Nuts on the Air Con Controls with a Screw Driver, no need for Special Tools.



Having Removed the Locking Nuts 'Carefully' fold down the Front Cover.

Step Four: Drill out the 4 Rivets, which hold the Cage in place.



Drill out the 4 Rivets which hold the Cage in place.

Step Five: Carefully pull the Old Cage out, together with the Wiring which at this stage looks a bit like Spaghetti.



Old Cage out together with the Wiring, which at this stage looks like a plate of Spaghetti as there is so much of it.

Step Six: Disconnect the Wiring from the Cage, where Jaguar very thoughtfully labeled all the wires.



With the Wires disconnected from the Original Cage, it really doesn't look that scary now.

Nothing more that I can do except wait for the New Stereo to arrive but having removed the Original one, I'm already to install it when it does.

This was almost the same as the one that I fitted in my Grey XJS last year, the only difference being that it is half as deep and has some extra outputs at the rear.

Which I 'think' is for an Aux Amp if you want to fit one.



Crimping Bullet Connectors on the Loom which is supplied



This Stereo weighs about as much as the Box it came in and only cost £18!

But don't let that put you off, it punches well above its weight and also delivers the kind of Sound that you would expect to get from a Premium System.

And also comes with all the 'Bells and Whistles'

Blue Tooth/Mp3/SD/Aux/Radio/Remote Control Keypad/Bass/Treble/Rock/Pop/Presets/Digital Clock and more......

For the money its Amazing and I just cannot praise it enough, when I fitted it in 'Cherry' the Sound just blew me away.

Wiring it up is a 'Walk in the Park' even if you have never fitted a Stereo before and is a really perfect fit in the old Jaguar Cage.



Unscrew the Block on the Back of the Cage and it comes off together with all the Wires that you see in the Photo which you no longer need.

The only Wire I had to cut was the White one (which I cut in half) in case one day I wanted to Retro Fit the Original Jaguar Pull Out Stereo.



I just unscrewed the Wiring Block and cut the White Wire in half (before that other Plastic Block) on the Side of the Cage, which is a noise suppressor.

The Bullet Connectors that I used made installation easy and the simple Wiring Diagram that comes with the Stereo is very easy to follow.



Fitted and Working in no time and the Sound just blew me away.

Although the Blue Tooth is Flawless and locks on every time, I much prefer to put my 'Tracks' on an SD Card.