My son landed a 2008 XKR to replace a 2001 xkr that was recently totalled by a semi.





As his 'mechanic', I'll be joining this group to share in your wisdom and experience!

One thing I've noticed is the lack of apparent 'gotchas' that were common on his 01. Are the x150 series really that trouble free?

2008 XKR

 

Like your son, I have an X100 convertible (2002 XKR), and thoughout the 6 years and 100,000 miles that I've put on the car, it has suffered through every one of the common maladies that plagued the series: Secondary tensioners, green shower, supercharger rebuild, shifter module, abs/traction control warnings, etc...........and now after 160,000 miles it runs better and without warnings than it ever has. I love the car, its unsurpassed beauty and sensualness, still are stirring to me. In order to preserve its life, I wanted to purchase an X150 coupe and had the opportunity to buy one about a year and a half ago that had a new engine replacment for a very low price. While I still find the body of the X100 more attractive, the suspension, handling, and power of the X150 is light years ahead of the previous generation. The TPMS warnings are the only recurring issues very much like the ABS/Trac warnings of the X100. It is much less termperamental although there have been reports of bad water pumps.

I love them both for different reasons. Hopefully your son will enjoy the new coupe as much as his previous car. And maybe, as his mechanic, you'll have less to do!

 

Water pumps are problematic with the 5.0L engines, not the 4.2L. Common problem areas include leather dash shrinkage (particularly in hot locations like Texas), low battery (keep it on a CTEK maintainer to repel electrical gremlins) and premature catalytic converter failure.

My 2009 has been very reliable, except for one catalytic converter (replaced under warranty). My leather dash is still like new because I was aware of the problem and always use a reflective sunshade and leather conditioner every 3-4 months.

Good luck with your 2008, and I hope that you and your son enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.

 

I forgot to mention another common problem with the 4.2L X150 models - the A/C drain hose. The "duckbill" end gets clogged up and results in condensate backing up and leaking onto the floor of the passenger compartment. That hasn't happened to my car yet, and hopefully it won't. Search this forum for preventive measures and fixes.

 

Nobody has said anything about the floppy Glove Box Door. Those are a very easy fix with I think nine screws and a drill bit and an extra small screw.

 

And the non-latching ash tray cover (small plastic springy thingy falls out of place). Also easy to fix, once you take out the center console (the not so easy part :-( ).

 

Thanks folks! It's good to know I might have something fiddly to do one day!