Hey guys I am going to buy an 88 Jaguar XJS v12 in about a month. This car has just had about 6k of repairs and has just been tuned up and I want to keep it in tip-top shape. Does anyone has any maintenance tips to keep this car running? I am in school so I would prefer not to spend $$$ on repairs that I can easily avoid.

 

"I want to keep it in tip-top shape" --> conflicts with < -- "I would prefer not to spend $$$ on repairs that I can easily avoid"

The fact it had 6k spent on it last month doesn't mean it won't need another 6k spending on it next month.

How much of the repairs & maintenance are you willing and able to do yourself ?

 

funny, my XJS just had 4k worth of tune up stuff done to it by the previous owner and it runs great!

 

lol what else does it need??

its kind of a flawed thing to say X was spent on it because so much is used on labor....

really just do what you would to a normal car taking into consideration things that the car is known for like the cooling system and half moon seals etc....

look at the maintenance schedule in the manual and obey or best it..

most people either do nothing or change oil and thats about it. Just do regular maintenance and do inspections to see what may need to be replaced soon....

90% of the time is worth it, it feels stupid spending money on something that isn't broken but it WILL break eventually and usually it costs more and damages other things in the process so do it the first time and reap the benefits.

Also depending the age when u rebuild a big thing like the brake system....well its a really nice thing to drive around knowing you braking system is basically newer than every car you see on the road and youll enjoy it

 

-Replace the fuel hoses
-Make sure the cooling system is 101%
-Clean every ground point and electrical connection you can find

Those suggestions scratch the surface of the surface :-)

Has the car been in storage for any length of time?

Cheers
DD

 

Sarc- I mean I don't really have any experience but I have a couple friends that are mechanics so I'm hoping they can help me out a little bit and teach me a few things. So I'm willing to do anything and everything I'm able to do

sidescrollin- it doesn't need anything done to it, the owner says it has no mechanical problems and the spark plugs, battery, and alternator have just been replaced. So in the manual there is a maintenance schedule and is it pretty DIY friendly?

Doug- I'm pretty sure the 1st owner kept it garaged but the previous owner drove it around a lot and brought it back up to par. Could you send me a little more info on the fuel hoses, ground point, and electrical connections?

Thanks guys for all the help!!!

 

Good!

A bit of warning, though. Even some veteran DIY mechanics find the XJS V12 a bit challenging to work on. These are not easy-to-repair cars and probably not the best car to learn fundamentals on. But, with patience and guidance anything is possible. :-)




[excuse my laughing]
If that's true then you'll be getting the *only* no-repairs-needed used XJS in existence :-)





The underhood fuel hoses harden with age, crack, leak....and then "pooof"....engine fire. If they've never been replaced then the car probably hasn't been serviced by a Jag-savvy owner/mechanic.

A wiring schematic will show the ground points for all the various circuits. They often rust/weaken/come loose, causing electrical problems. Hence they need a good cleaning every 10-15 years

Same for the electrical connections throughout the car...especially those exposed to weather or interior water leaks


Did you see the buyers guide ?
Cheers
DD

 

Doug- Also how do I care for the cooling system?

 

Cooling system care means you are sure everything is actually working, ie the electric fan, the machanical engine fan and clutch, the thermostats, the radiator is flowing properly and/or has been rodded recently, the temperature gauge does what its supposed to and you are sure there is no air in the system (Bleeding the cooling system on a V12 takes skill and patience)

Like Doug, I've never seen or heard of an XJS that didn't need anything doing to it. I've walked around concourse cars at shows and had to drag the owners over to show them things that they really need to fix ASAP (ie fuel hoses).

As hinted before, if the previous owner really is a Jag guy, ask him when the fuel injector hoses were last changed or ask whether it has Lucas or Marelli ignition. If he can answer both of these, then it's a good sign.

Don't take us the wrong way... we are delighted to have a new XJS owner with us, it's just that it's easy to get sucked in to the Jaguar ownership experience with a shiny older car, but then it can easily turn sour very quickly and the next post we will see is either about swapping the V12 for a Chevy V8 (Not that there's anything wrong with a Chevy V8) or advertising parts for sale as the car is parted out. We want to make sure you know the devil you are dancing with :-)

 

she sounds like a bitch..but she is a super model so I'm willing to put up with her I want to have it as a daily driver..is that possible? or am I wasting my time?

 

the possibility of you being able to DD any XJS that you buy is slim to none. especially a first gen aj6.

 

Actually, I think that the 6 cylinder XJS is a reasonable proposition as a DD. The engine is good for 250,000 miles with nothing but normal maintenance (oil, plugs, hoses).

If the body is good, BIG if, then I cannot see many problems, providing the brakes, springs and shock absorbers are all up to snuff. In my experience, used daily these cars are much more reliable than used occasionally.

Word of caution, the water pump on the AJ6 engine is underneath the inlet manifold, and a very slightly S shaped hose joins the pump output to the cooling system. This hose is about 8 inches long and runs under the inlet manifold, front to back. It is normmally ignored/unknown so will definitely fail if not replaced, in an impressive cloud of steam, just when you are blasting past a slow line of traffic! Good idea to replace it ASAP.

Greg

 

I believe we are talking about --> "an 88 Jaguar XJS v12", not an AJ6, thats another thread :-)

Yes, Daily driver is difficult..... It depends on what happens if you don't get to where you are going when you were supposed to. In theory with my job I could just stay at home and work from there, but if you need to clock in and out on time or else you don't get paid, then it may not be a great idea. But, don't students only work a few hours every week anyway ?!

I won't drive my XJS further than 100 miles from my house because thats as far as AAA will tow it :-)

 

An XJS makes a great daily driver...but obviously not until it's had the usual after-you've-bought-it sorting out.

This is one of the most well "documented" cars out there. That is, tons and tons have been written on repairs and upkeep, virtually every problem has been discussed and the cure documented, and parts availability is good.

Now....if a person wants to extend 'sorting out' process over a period of a couple years then, yeah, there's gonna be some problems along the way. The fun ...ha ha....comes in cursing "British engineering" and "the Prince of Darkness" blah blah blah

Or..... OR...ORRRRR.....you buy the car and simply DO all the repairs you KNOW it needs ....90% of which have been documented already.....and get it all over and done with. Plan on spending quite a few weekends and quite a few thou. Then you can start *enjoying* the car and you'll feel confident about taking it anywhere.

(Mine was primarily a weekend car but I had no qualms whatsoever about 600 mile jaunts...AFTER I did all the repairs that everyone talks about. It was a very pleasurable "road trip" car! )

Frankly, the notion of buying and *keeping* a 20-25 XJS on a shoestring budget while at the same time keeping your sanity is a tall order. The same can be said about most 25 year Corvettes, 911s, Beemers, etc. in the price range XJSs typically sell for.

A typical 80s-early 90s vintage XJS will almost certainly need all or most of the following:

-new fuel hoses
-new injector harness
-numerous new vacuum hoses
-numerous grounds/connections cleaned
-full cooling system overhaul
-full brake system overhaul
-front suspension overhaul
-steering rack and hoses
-instrument cluster cleaning/repair
-fuel sump tank cleaning
-AAV replace/repair
-distributor repair
-differential seals
-climate control repairs
-plugs, filters, plug wires, regulators, fluids
-rear suspension mounts
-transmission mounts

Of course there are exceptions but I think we all know from experience that these items are almost a "given". *Most* of these cars have not been well kept at all.

You can save a ton of money by seeking out a car where the seller has already done most of the listed items...but they're hard to find and you'll pay extra.

Off my soapbox now :-)

Cheers
DD

 

You are asking for trouble trying to have a car as a "daily driver", while in school, on a budget, and not having any real mechanical ability. This car will exhaust your friends within three hours.

The ONLY way I would ever suggest you buy this car is to post a list here of everything the PO has done for that $6k, bearing in mind that it's not a huge exaggeration to say if they paid a Jag mechanic to change the battery, alt and spark plugs that could cost $6k alone. Let us look the list over and tell you what's been done and what hasn't and judging by the "spray pattern" of repairs we might also be able to tell you what's wrong and how many decades it will take you to pay off.

For instance: the fact that they changed these parts recently tells me the car has a misfire they can't figure out ($$$$$$$$$) and a charging issue or more likely a battery drain they also can't figure out ($$$$$$$$).

These things are only "$$$$$$" because unless you are an OUTSTANDING shadetree mechanic with a ton of auto electrical experience and an open mind (because Jag doesn't do anything the way a "normal" carmaker would) you are going to pay your neighborhood mechanic (to save a buck) thousands to troubleshoot, and they will fail and leave the car worse than it was. You will then sell the car at either an enormous loss or just park it and use it as a yard ornament. Alternatively, you could graduate from school, then medical school, then finish your internship at a plastic surgeon's office, then win the lottery, THEN afford to pay a Jag mechanic to sort out your electrical issues.

I've only owned my XJ-S for about eight months now and "everything worked" when I bought it. I have been working on cars since I was in high school with no one to teach me (my father needs full-serve gas stations, unlike most other car nuts) and I've actually even done a couple of frame-off restorations by this time (I'm 37). I don't think I'm a good mechanic, in fact probably quite the opposite, but what I lack in knowledge I make up for with a "I'll fix it the right way or die trying" mentality. This car has taught me more in eight months than any other car I've ever owned, American, Japanese, British, diesel, gas, you name it. And I'm still clueless as the guys on this board can attest.

I can say I now have a very, very well-sorted out car that I actually did not spend a lot of money on. However, I have hundreds of hours into this car, and oh, yeah, I have a parts car.

I'm probably the #1 advoacte of the XJ-S fans here of "DON'T FRIGGING BUY IT". I think one of the main reasons the resale and reputation on these cars is so poor is because of either people who think they know cars buying them and screwing them up, or else people who know they don't know anything about cars taking them to the wrong person and shelling out huge bucks for someone who gets paid to think they know what they're doing and that person screwing them up.

Don't do it.

Darel

 

Sorry guys, I thought the original poster was talking about a 6 cylinder car. The main difference between the two (6 and 12) in my experience, is that the 12 wears everything out much, much quicker!

Greg

 

Ok that would be a great help. I'll try to get the car fax asap and I'll post it up here

 

It's very unlikely the carfax will have the required detail on whats been done.

Ask the PO for a copy of the 6k invoice and post that for us to see

Have you talked to the previous PO ?

 

yeah i talked to him, he said has all the receipts from the repairs, he spent 6k on it over his ownership. He said there is nothing mechanically wrong with the car.. I'm trying to get in touch with him today about it all.

 

Well I'm a bit the opposite way, because I have been through this mill, but with a '67 Mark 2 from 1980-1988, and an '80 XJ6 from 1988 to 2002. I remember the hymn I sang at Sunday school which kept me going: -

He who would valiant be ’gainst all disaster,
Let him in constancy follow the Master.
There’s no discouragement shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent to be a pilgrim.

Who so beset him round with dismal stories
Do but themselves confound - his strength the more is.
No foes shall stay his might; though he with giants fight,
He will make good his right to be a pilgrim.

If you have the determination, go for it, your youth is on your side because you will have the energy to do things us oldies shrink from.
Having said that, you absolutely do need a full set of tools, a 2-tonne trolley jack, stands to keep the car in the air, and a torque wrench. Many of the common wearing parts are pretty cheap compared to modern cars, and what is more, freely available on the internet.

However, do be very aware that you are buying one of the most complex cars of its time ever made. Note all the other posters on what they consider you will need to do, some things straightaway, others can wait a bit. If the car has been in regular use that is a big plus, it is not hidden under an 1" of dust is a garage on a farm somewhere; now that would be a challenge.

A Daily Driver, probably, but get the car checked out first. In fact a DD will soon tell you what are the urgent jobs. No real long trips at first unless you have recovery insurance.

Finally, follow Doug's advice closely. He has been there, and done that, on XJS cars. I will help you with advice if you wish,