Hello all,

recently got myself a ‘96 XK8. Found plenty of issues with it as you can imagine but it was pretty cheap. Have a question regarding the tape deck though, is playback very quiet compared to the radio or CD? I have to turn up the volume to hear the tape deck and then when i switch to radio it is mad scramble to turn it down again as is literally blasting out.

is this just the way it is or is the something I can do to improve things?

thanks.

 

Probably a bad head unit. My tape player requires slightly more volume than the radio, but not to your degree. These head units were pretty cheesy to begin with, and after 20+ years they haven't improved. Jag must have gotten a really great deal on them, and bought tens of thousands, because they kept installing them long after cassette tapes went the way of the 8-track.

 

Thanks for the confirmation, I’ll add head unit to my ever growing shopping list. At this rate I’ll be renaming the car to overdraft!

 

I also bought a cheap 96 xk8 in July. So far I've done timing chain guides and tensioners and replaced water pump and thermostat housing. I have gotten rid of all the electrical gremlins apart from my fobs have stopped working. I also have a weird occasional groaning sound and then the abs kicks in for a second, especially when at low speeds. I think it's the brake servo loosing vacuum. I'm also trying to locate a minor water leak in th passenger footwell. Not sure if it's from the AC drainage or rain water coming through the door seals.

What issues are you experiencing?... Maybe I can help

 

My main issues are :

Welding to both fill fronts and one rear wheel arch
Head liner
suspension bushes
centre console illumination
refit headlights as not secured properly


I have her booked into a local independent Jaguar specialist in North Shields next month for a proper inspection and also to quote on the major jobs. Fingers crossed it doesn’t cost more than the car did!

 

Yes I need to sort out the rear sills, especially on the offside rear.

What do you know, I've just reprogrammed my fobs and now they work again! 😃

 

How much did you get your car if you don't mind me asking? I bought mine for £1000.

As I'm a technician in a garage I do all the work myself but welding is not my strong point. I'm willing to give it a go. I got a quote for the rear sills and footwell and I was quoted 4/5k so decided I would try it myself

 

I paid £2850 MOT till end of August. The car is on 98thousand miles but had a replacement engine at 52k. There is receipts to show rear cills, some floor panels welded and sub frame work. Given what’s already been done to her I’m hoping it is just the front cills and wheel arch that has tin worm left and the rest of the car is solid.

Jealous of you getting one for a grand though! £4k for cills and footwell sounds ridiculous. I’d be teaching myself to weld at that price.

 

i have a new deck cleaner etc,,,cycled thru the deck several times,,i prize my old tapes and found the original recorded quality of them can be an issue,,i prize my old mixes and do like the deck in my 98,,,it and the cd are a fine audio for me,,plus having the queens instructions enclosed along with all the books records and two working fobs,,,best with it all,,and your music in our jags,,,

 

The sound quality of the Cd and radio appears pretty good to me. The tapes are good, I still use an old hifi at home so they are well tested. Will try out a head cleaner though, if it works will be a nice cheap solution. Thanks

 

new ones available on line,,i found mine there,,as i mentioned my deck works fine and ill try to keep things fine,,cycle the cleaner with the fluid,,alcohal i assume ,,lol and my ancient types function,,,i do cds in my time warp,,,and the trunk deck,,,,remember lp s were so gone? see the cost today,,,,lots of complaints back then,,,,jags over heated,,,lucas etc etc etc etypes were gems but so costly for parts etcetc etc,,,im a strong believer owner lack of maint like most cars even today was and is an issue,,price one of the lovely new big pickups,,or a mid level tesla,,,best with those vintage tapes i price mine from the 80s

 

One ordered off Amazon so Should know Tuesday if worked or not. Getting one that cleans and demagnetises the heads so finger crossed.

 

easy battery fix my fobs work just fine ad easy to open unlike my newer ones

 

should help if possible,,,,,,i also have 300 plus vhs tapes i recorded in the day,,most are fine and contain many hours of vintage,,,SPEED CHANNEL items ,,Aviation,,marine,,and auto shows specials ,,F1 etc that will never be shown again,,,a huge amount of Brit auto shows circa 80s i do enjoy,,compared to the drivil now,,i purchased 2 new vhs players on line not long age,,

 

best of luck,,i made a marvelous find in a 98 XK8,,,from calif ,absolute corrosion free,,40k estate sale car,,the slight nit pick items i found are all corrected,,its so fine im worried LOL,,i paid a bit more but the car is near perfect,,,underneath on a lift is a visual delight,,,,