Now the OP is aware of the potential frailties of the XK, he is better armed to make a wise decision on the purchase of his potential new car. He knows a little more of what to look out for.
My car has had some of the issues I listed and others I have not. I have owned mine for 2-1/2 years and while it has not been flawless, it has been no worse than the BMW’s, Mercedes, Bentleys, Maseratis and GTR’s that I have owned. I believe telling my experiences, good or bad in cars rather than to claim they are perfect, will never go wrong and leave some guy with a false sense of security.

 

Hello,
Here is what the ppi said as well as some info from the car fax.
Moisture / coolant around frt coolant manifold. Frt and rear manifolds look original.

What are your thoughts, Would you know approximately how much something like this would cost, and any places that you recommend. I'm in L.A. but no problem driving to O.C.

I'm trying to download the report, but I guess they took a picture of it, and for some reason it's giving me a hard time.
but that's all it said, besides tires have 80%. No codes. Breaks are good. No accidents.

from the car fax:
in 2011, at around 9200 miles, Water pump replaced, power steering hoses replaced.

in 2013, 28K miles instrument cluster reprogrammed, body, computer module reprogrammed, wiring repaired.

2014, Battery replaced.

2015, 41k Miles, ECU replaced again,

Besides that all regular maintenance looks like it was done.

 

Any evidence of coolant anywhere externally means something is leaking. Could be a hose, could be the water pump again. If it was replaced in 2011 it's probably bad again. The most recent pumps are supposed to be better (I suppose we will see) but the pump from 2011 is just as unreliable as the original pump. Get it checked out at a dealer/indie that is familiar with the 5.0L XK. Pump and plastic bits replacement at a dealer will run about $1400. Maybe save a few hundred at an indy. Genuine Jag replacement parts will run between $400-700 depending on where you buy them. My dealer wanted $700 for the parts. I bought from various dealers online and saved about $300 and brought the parts to the dealer to install.

The ECU replacement is a little scary. Especially twice. I don't even want to know how much that would cost out of warranty..... I don't know of any issues related to ECU. Maybe search the forum. It's not common, even here. It would be good to see if you can find out why it failed twice if possible. Probably doubtful though.

 

Just saw this on the Audi form I follow because of my kids Audi. This is a reliability issue and if Jaguar has a similar problem then the consumer should persue the same avenue. https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a4-...ranty-2983932/

 

Cant believe how scared people are to buy British cars.
Our Queen was a mechanic for crying out loud, no it wasn't out of necessity.

Do you think the Fuehrer ever turned a wrench, look at all the problems the Audi has.

 

The memories or nightmares of British Leyland still live on. Pathetic cars made my people who could give a **** and spent most of their days standing outside the plants on strike. (Jaguar was owned by BL) Yes, it was a long time ago but certainly is still a strong memory in my mind. Oh and the QEll is of German descent so I would imagine she would have been a pretty good mechanic. Probably had to be to fix all of her Jaguars!

 

Thank you for sharing the results of the inspection.

Have you decided to move forward with the purchase?

 

I'm going back and forth. I really like the car, just concern if that will be a continuous problem, let's say if I replace the water pump, the outlet pipes and anything that has to do with the cooling system, will it be okay for a few years?

It looks like you are in Newport Beach, anyone there you recommend to work on the car that's honest and reasonable?

 

Thank you for the info. I think I made a mistake, the ecu was replaced just once.
That has been my nervousness about buying the car. Even if I replace all the parts that needed to be, will it need to be replaced again within a year? Scares me a bit.

 

There are several Jaguar specialists in the area, but I personally have no experience with them as I do all the necessary work on my own cars.

You might want to look on Yelp or Facebook to see what others think of the shops.

 

I just had a local Jag service department replace my water pump. I was reluctant for months. I purchased my 2010 XKR with 29k on the odometer. it currently has 33K. The whole time I owned it i would occasionally smell antifreeze after a drive. There were no signs of leaking coolant. I could not identify anything with my scope. But, after 4K miles I had lost about 1/2" of coolant loss from the coolant reservoir. So, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know there was an issue somewhere. I knew it was not an internal consumption issue because I had an engine oil analysis done. Total cost of the repair was less than $900. Which was a shock to me, as I expected at least $1,200 - 1,400. At any rate, i am glad I had it replaced. Only other issue is my TPMS sensors are starting to go out. But, that should come as no surprise because the batteries in them are at least 9 years old. Other than the rear window separating from the fabric, I have had no issues.

 

oo zone, you didn't mention if it was a coupe or a vert I don't think, or why you're looking at this particular car you mention. There's an 08XKR Portfolio convertible in Clovis posted in the classifieds here with 40,000 miles. You seem to be on the fence with the 5.0 liter, so just asking what's driving your interest in this particular car if you don't mind?

 

If my arithmetic is correct, I have counted 3 members on this forum with the 5.0 engine that still have the original water pump. Cee Jay, Queen and Country, and Myself! That says something. Not every water pump fails, even after 70,000 miles!

 

I happen to remember those days quite well.....I was one of the unfortunate people who purchased a brand new British Leyland car (1970 MGB) during those dark days of labor problems and strikes in England. It turns out that my car was indeed sabotaged at the factory. After only a few months of ownership, the car threw a rod that punched a hole in the oil pan. These 1798CC engines were bullet proof and this was unheard of. I waited almost 9 months for a new short block from England. The cars I believe back then only had a 12 month warranty. After getting the car back, I had an electrical fire under the dash, which I managed to stop before the car went up in flames. That incident turned out to be caused by an alligator clip that was found under the dash around the wiring harness. I also heard of owner with strange interior noises finding soda cans sewn inside his seat. Yes, the early 70s was not a good time to buy anything from British Leyland. I ended up selling my car after less than 12 months of ownership. I didn't mention 3 alternators, 3 resonators, and numerous other issues.

 

Hi,
Thank you for letting me know. I looked at it and it looks nice, unfortunately it's a bit too expensive for e at this tie.
But thanks again.

 

I think it was rather necessary at the time.

 

If the car is made in the UK or Italy; it needs a battery tender. Seems to be a constant for cars made in either country.

 

Yep, ISTR that Stanley Steamers had a habit of blowing boiler gaskets. Shame on them, I'm never going to buy one of them Now BL, on the other hand, that was only about 50 years ago, almost yesterday.

 

Wrong. Try again. Both of our Volvo's have needed one. Waiting to see if the current replacement does also.

 

Count me in too! I sold my 2010 XK 5.0L S/C earlier this year with mid-70K on the clock. Original water pump, no leaks, no dash peeling or headliner issues, no A/C issues, no TPMS so can't comment, no diff issues, no timing chain issues, no untoward noises from the S/C (this list for you, Mufc) and the original battery was replaced in 2018 only as a precaution with a good quality battery of a reputable make which helps prevent premature replacement battery replacement. The only real mechanical issues have been seized rear brake caliper bolts and seized bolts on the front O/S air filter housing (N/S for US readers).

I surmise that as most posts on fora such as this deal with problems and whinges it is easy to get a very skewed impression of the breed. I took my 2005 XK8 to 111K miles and other than a burst octopus pipe at the rear of the engine and a sticky serpentine belt tensioner (both easily and cheaply rectified) she was one of the most reliable cars of the quite a few I have had over the decades.