I've read most of the posts about the top latch hyd. hose failure. Kudos to those of you who went to the trouble of documenting the pressures involved, etc. It's a shame that Jaguar didn't acknowledge the problem from the beginning! Re-sale value reflects their decisions on this and the cam chain tensioners. Just my $.02...

The car came with a receipt showing that Jaguar changed the lines in 2012.

Two questions:
1) should I be concerned with these new lines and install the hyd. pressure bypass/reducer kit?
2) if the answer to #1 is yes, should I purchase the kit from LSI, or is there another (cheaper) source?

Thanks.

 

The answer to (1) would be yes in my opinion. The answer to (2) would be to go through the various threads discussing the options (probably in the FAQ section or at least that is where it should be) and come to your own decision.


Doug

 

AFAIK LSI is the only one offering kits, steveinfrance did post a diy alternative which depending on how much effort you want to put in will save some cash.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ist-faq-75709/

The LSI kit can be found here Jaguar Kit | LSI Controls, Inc.

Details of the resistor solution are here http://www.scorekeeper.com/jaguar/jaguar01.htm

 

I've changed all six lines on my car and was talking about this very subject with an Indy in Naples last Friday. He said that typically the hoses last 12 years(which coincidentally is exactly how long mine did) and that he thought the new Jaguar hoses were better made than the original fitment. My feeling is that we have to acknowledge we are running older cars and some stuff is time limited as well as mileage related - after all, I wouldn't expect not to change (for example) coolant hoses in such a time frame.
Your choice as to pressure reducing systems of course, but IMHO they haven't been around long enough for a definitive answer as to whether or not they extend hose life.

 

My experience has them failing at about four years. 1999 XK8 failed in 2003, 2003 XKR failed in 2007/8 followed by the OEM splice kit which failed within a few months. Replaced with OEM hoses. A year later I added the LSI pressure reduction kit.
Don't let the fear of failure stop you from enjoying top down driving.

 

My 99 just had the 3rd set put on with the LSI kit. Always a CA car so maybe the temp makes a difference too. The installer said there was general deterioration throughout the whole hose and not just the failure point. As was said "put the top down" and accept it as a quirk to live with.

 

Far too costly a repair for me to chalk it up as a "quirk"....

I call it a design flaw....

 

I have the new Jaguar hoses, they are rated at I believe 3200 psi, do not quote me as my memory is not always the best. But I did talk at length w/Gaudlin mechanic and parts guy, both said the new hoses are rated much higher and are of better quality then original hoses.

They were very helpful in making my decision to go back to OEM, call them or any jag dealership and talk to the guys who see the cars daily.

 

My guess (only moderately-educated) is that sun and intense heat speed up the degeneration. I doubt that subfreezing temps do much to help either. The upshot being that keeping the car in a climate-controlled garage would help immensely. My 2006 model's hoses were replaced under warranty in early 2010, before I took possession, so I'll let you know how the garage-storage thing works out

Agree with previous posts: Drive your car and enjoy it.

 

I paid $1300 for new OEM hoses installed including the LSI kit. If it lasts for 10 years that's $130/year or way less that a one month lease payment on a Yaris. It is clearly a design flaw but, I still wouldn't trade my Jag for a highly reliable, ugly car!

 

Check if Jaguar changed the lines all the way or used a splice kit (although the splice kit has been discontinued for a while). The splice will definitely leak. If it is a continuous line all the way to the pump ( you should be able to look at the hoses at the pump end to tell if they are new) then you have a good shot at not having issues.