So, here I am, a week after my blind XKR purchase.
It is now apparent why this car was traded in to some FL dealer, instead of having 500 items fixed and addressed. Most seem like no big deal, however few are rather disappointing.
Any advice, or how-to and where is appreaciated.

1. Transmission had power cable leak, god fixed with new kit ($11 at Chrysler dealership), but I still see some wetness in under connector area.
Are these Mercedes plugs so terrible and should I pull new plug out and silicone the crap out of it this time?

2. Transmission, erratic shifting is gone, after 3 drain and fills with ATF +4, which seems to be used in the same transmissions by all Chrysler dealers. It only drains 2.5qts every drain, so I refill it to level, with MB dipstick tool, yet fluid is still turning to brownish-yellow, from awesome stinky cranberry red. I supppose, few more drain and fills?

3. I found two rusty areas on the bottom, as usual Jaguar these were well camouflaged by original rust proofing gunk. All I noticed was slight brownish streak, which had led to one fully developed hole on drivers side and one nice rust sandwich on the passenger side. I will split that nasty area this week and post some pictures, I am sure I am not the only one who will need these areas touched up.

4. There is slight oil leak from the front main seal area, am I to assume that it is indeed from main seal, or there some secret to it?

5. Front suspension feels a bit out of alignment, with rather aggressive negative camber. Upon further inspection, both upper ball joints have broken boots, is ~70K miles about the time? I ordered pair of new ones for $50, so I suppose alignment will be in order afterwards?
Also, how long are the front struts good for?

6. Both headrests do not go up and down, only make rattling noise. Where do I go from here?

7. Half of rear view mirror is stuck dimmed, so I suppose LCD backing is junk. What year and model jags are there cross with?

8. Both mirror covers in sun visors are missing, I suppose these were flopping like in my dad's X-type, so previous owner broke them off. Where do I get new ones, do I have to but the whole sunvisor?

9. PCV breather rotted off the intake side, so I replaced it with nice cooling hose, however I see some oil fog getting into intake. I know it is fairly normal, to have some oil come out of engine breeather, but oil separator would be nice.

Other than the nine above, I absolutely love the way it runs and how supercharger revvs up when I get on it.

Some pics of the subject.

 

yah, that's a shopping list allright. I'd say half of those have been covered in detail, just need to find the correct thread linked in our FAQ list...just go to the xk8/R area, look for the Frequently asked questions...thread stickied to the top.

Those mirror flaps...yah, sadly, the clips were the only thing to come off inside, but once they've been torn off, you cant fix it. gonna have to get the whole visor, i'd shop some salvage yards, or do a car-part.com search. Plug n play items.

The suspension items are what I find to be the most challenging on my car. My shocks are coming off this week, 120k miles. the bushings in the lower control arms and ball joints on the lower are also being replaced...along with the sway bar bushings, end links, and tie rod ends. I'd say the shocks are probably at their end...though they still rebound well. The original jaguar bushings are either oil-filled, or when the disintegrate...become mush like oil...either way, newer OEM rubber is much harder and last longer. My entire side was eaten away when my power steering line leaked...not once, but twice. That stuff eats away rubber easily.

the negative camber can't be totally removed w/o changing coils...very pricey. I'd recommend a couple things...while checking your control arm bushings...both upper and lower. The upper shock mount disintegrates, most around here have replaced them with some nicer ones (check motorcars ltd in houston...they have equally priced mounts, with better bushings) and that'll sag your front end more than anything. I remember someone getting a 0.5" of ride height regained after replacing the very worn upper mounts. There is an eccentric camber bolt that you can add from the dealer, and that'll get you maybe a tenth or two back also. After that, w/o the coils, you're looking at being right at the edge or just out of recommended spec range. Either way, you'll chew the inner edge more than the rest...and we all just deal with it.

 

So, is negative camber a design feature, or common wear and tear item?
I do not see any frame damage, or signs of previous accidents

Also, I will check all the bushings, along with replacing upper ball joints, however lower ball joit boots seem perfectly intact.

Thank you!

 

if the boots are good, don't worry about them.

Yes, some negative camber is designed into these cars.

 

Hi Guys

New member so please forgive me for interupting not sure yet how to use this site.
Just purchased my 2001 XKR and discovered a oil leak when opening the roof coming from the Sun visor mount green oil running out???
warnings notices reading suspension failure and electrical failure
anyone any ideas????????:

 

Welcome to the forum Phil,

You've posted to an old thread here but have arrived with some common issues on the XKR. If I move your post you may not find it again!

Please post in New Member Area - Intro a MUST section by following this link and introduce yourself and your XKR to all the members:

New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

The 'green shower' is a regular topic in XK8/XKR section as are all the various warning messages that can appear. If you can't find the answers in the 'HOW TO' at the top of the threads, post details of the actual warning messages you're seeing.

Graham

 

For your suspension failure and electrical failure, you'll need to have the computer codes read so they can give somewhere to start looking. Try a free reading from a local auto parts store, most will do it for you...just write it down and then post it up in a new thread you start. I would venture that about 70% of all the codes that have been troubleshooted (is that a proper usage of the word?) on the forums have been resolved. Many have very detailed explanations and writeups on how to correct them from a DIY perspective. good luck!