Looking at an 03 with 87K on the clock. Priced reasonably. Anything I should really look out for? This will be a Sunday toy so in 10 years It will probably have 92k on the clock. Thanks!

 

Just bought a '03 with 73k, the FAQ is invaluable and that's the first question in it....look at the top of the page.

 

If it's a convertible the latch hoses, plenty of info in sticky's about it other wise enjoy.
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

 

Thanks1
read plenty about the vert top. looks like the resistor is the easiest/cheapest way to go. going to look at another 03 today.

 

Mine is an 03 with 86K miles, and I'll tell you exactly what has gone "wrong" on mine. Most of these things are minor and I was able to easily fix them:

• Visor mirror covers broken
• Head rests didn't work
• Wheel speed sensors were dirty (ABS/Trac Control error on dash)
• Transmission "bark" sound. There's a TSB on this. It just requires a special additive to the fluid)
• Squeaky front suspension (new upper bushings in the front fixed this)
• Steering wheel shake and sometimes a "clunk" sound going over speed bumps or railroad tracks. I'm in the process of replacing all bushings and ball joints in the front suspension.
• Navigation system is worthless. I replaced it with a Garmin.
• Transmission started having rough shifts, but that was only after some very hard driving in the Rocky Mountains. Problem was fixed when I added the "bark" additive. I think the fluid was low, although there were no signs of leaks anywhere.
• I had to get a new battery. The car still had the original. It would go dead in less than a day.

Out of that whole list, the transmission issue and the suspension are the only ones that I would consider "serious". The transmission has been shifting fine since I put in the additive. I changed my fluid and pan yesterday just because I had had that period with the hard shifts and I wanted to do some preventative maintenance. I don't want the transmission to self-destruct some day. The front suspension has been more of a minor irritant. It just feels funny when I go over bumps. So far I've changed the upper bushings and the sway bar bushings. This weekend I hope to be changing ball joints, lower bushings, and tie rod ends.

Finally, make sure you read these two threads:

1. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=24282
2. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ghlight=sticky

 

Thanks! I bought an 03 with 37K on the clock today! A few very minor nicks on the exterior interior is immaculate. Car rode like a champ! Everything worked fine. (vert top was a little slow at first but after two cycles it worked great every time) Forum has been invaluable in helping me make my decision and hopefully avoid a mistake.

 

Now that ya got it the next thing to look out for with the car is your....................



WALLET! Ha ha ha

This is not a Honda it will need TLC most likely and if I were you I would not make it a Sunday car or you will be fixing it alot. These need DRIVEN. That is my experience.

 

Congrats
Hope it brings you many smiles and loads of miles, You'll have a rough time driving only a 1000 miles a year (you'll want to drive it more). Mine's a weekend car, but I usually will go out two or three nights a week just to drive it. I put about 4000 to 5000 a year. That includes weekend trips. Tim's right, run it a couple of times every week or you may have problems.
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

Doug

 

Mind elaborating on that? As someone who would likely only take it out once per week and store it ~5 months per year (Ohio winter weather with its road salt), you've got me wondering what might go wrong.

 

I got a 03 with 72,000 on it. Here is what I found
- replaced all front control arm bushings. They where extremely loose. (that is commong with those and I expect the ball joints to be next. I had a '98 w. 102k mls before)
- The transmission bark sound. I simply changed trans fluid myself. Vareful, Jaguar will charge $ 800 for trans fluid change. You can just add the additive per TSB.
- THe headrests didn't work. There is a TSB / fix. Fairly easy to fix. Sure somebody posted it there. Almost all of the '03 have that problem.
- Check for noise coming from back when going on rough roads. That can be wheel bearings. Not that common though.
- Check if steering is tight and all front end suspension. As I said, it is not uncommon for those to need front end work such as ball joints, control arm bushings and attachment bushings for steering rack. (The later is very easy and cheap)

For me those are no serious issues as I do the work myself and the parts added up to may be $ 500 for all the above. But if you bring you car to Jaguar you can easy drop $ 2-3k for the above.

 

No Jag dealer for me!. Not my first toy and I can turn a wrench to a pretty good degree especially with some guidance. I also have a very good indy mechanic who is great with European high end. Everything worked on the car with the exception of the antenna. No tranny noise. Carfax indicates a transmission service performed. Thanks for the help guys.

 

Sweet! Nice looking car. Get rid of those silly orange lights and replace them with some clear or smoked lenses. The antenna is apparently a pretty easy fix, although it's my understanding that you still have decent reception with the antenna retracted. A lot of people add a switch so that they can listen to a CD without having the giant periscope pole sticking up 4 feet above the car. You'll really like the light-colored interior come summertime. You can park the car in the sun without getting third degree burns when you come back to the car.

 

Very nice! Make sure you've got the navigation disc in the drive, and speaking of boot...hope the convertible top cover is included that matches your interior. My dealer was not going to sell me my car w/ them...and it was a jaguar dealer. I noted the 'missing items' and were provided both, however, the cover was not the right color, so I sold it on ebay, and purchased one that was correct...also on ebay.

 

As quoted by Ohio Xk
Cars that are put into long term storage, shrinking seals and gaskets, battery drains, flat spots on tires, fuel going bad. You can prepare for most of these items. I did have two GM Automatic transmissions on two different vehicles actually dump trans fluid on my garage floor after one month of sitting. A MG that would start leaking motor oil out of the rear seal after two months. With all three of the cars after replenishing the fluids and driving the car and bringing it up to operating temps the seals would swell back up and quit leaking. Also gasoline turning in the SU Carbs, gunking them up.
I do store mine in the winter(Illinois has about the same weather as Ohio) but fortunately It's in a heated garage and I'm able to start and move it. When I start it, I will allow it to reach operating temperatures.
I'm also a firm believer that the electronics in these vehicles need to be used and can come up with more gremlins from not being used. This is only my opinion and I don't know if there really is any logic on electronics sitting, maybe someone on the forum with electronic knowledge would chime in.

Actually I just took the cat out on the road for about an hour for the first time this year. ran great.
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

 

Nothing is going to go bad with the electronics turned off that wouldn't go bad with the electronics turned on. Solid-state stuff can last forever when it is turned off. It's the other stuff that can go bad. For example, a capacitor can corrode and develop a leak, but that could happen regardless of whether the electronics were turned on regularly or not. Old wiring can dry-rot, but it would dry rot even if it was used regularly.

 

I don't know if this pertains to our Jaguars (I get to say that now!) but for all of my previous toys winter storage consisted of stabilizer in a full tank of gas/oil change/check coolant levels/brake fluid/p. steering (where applicable)/lube/trickle charger/over inflate tires/cover/garage. Start every 4 to 6 weeks/ back out to end of driveway and drive back into garage three time or so during the course of the winter.
Never had a problem come spring.

 

Thanks. No navigation (I consider this a plus) Parade boot is in trunk (correct color) and it has a wind screen!

 

The normal stuff then Thanks for the reply, I thought perhaps these cars might have some special concerns.

 

The only electrical example I can think of is relays, where some contact materials can oxidize if not used, causing excessive resistance, especially if the design of the relay does not allow for adequate contact to contact abrasion when activated. Correct matching of the relay contact material to the working current in the appilcation can minimize this problem as well.