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There are so many posts regarding Jaguar Tow Hooks. One of them says that after 2003 the XK8 and XKR have 16mm tow hooks. Guess what? That is incorrect. I have a 2004 Jaguar XKR Coupe and I am still looking for the correct tow hook. I purchased a 16mm reverse thread Jaguar Tow Hook and it is way too skinny. I called the Jaguar dealer and they say it’s 20mm reverse threads and it has to be ordered and costs $113. The threads are still reverse thread, but seem to be fine thread and not course thread. There are posts out there saying to buy the bolt and weld on an eye loop. Good luck in finding a reversal thread bolt. Probably better luck going to a machine shop and having one made. Personally I think Jaguar put on their cars whatever was available as they went through the assembly line.
Thanks Bob. The threads sure look like reverse thread. Also when measured with a tape the opening measures 18mm and I have never heard of a 18mm tow hook. Will let you know what I actual have when I find the tow hook that fits.
Ye of little faith. If motorcarman says M20 then it's M20. The drill size as you can see on the attached chart is 17.5 mm tapped would be an 18 mm hole.
Thanks Vern! New to Jaguar and to the regular Forum members, such as Motorcarman. I can see where Motorcarman is a regular contributor and knowledgeable person. This is just a learning process I am going through as a new owner of a Jaguar.
Flatbed tow truck drivers like them because they are the safe way to pull the vehicle onto the bed. Attaching steel hooks to the underside of the vehicle can damage suspension components if hooked to the wrong thing!!!!!
I used to offer extra tow eyes to the regular wrecker drivers that dropped off cars to the Jaguar dealer. They always appreciated having the correct tool.
A friend has his MGB quit on the highway (fuel pump quit.). The flat bed driver used the front tow eye to winch it onto the bed and then used two chained hooks over the rear axle. It secured the vehicle but those hooks crushed the solid brake lines to the rear brakes. No one knew until after the repair He rear ended a taxi because of no rear braking. The damaged lines were the fault of the tow company but they refused to pay for repares because the car was so old!
Found another alternative for a replacement tow hook. I noticed mine was missing out of my 2003 XK8 a couple of weeks ago. Finally figured out mine was the M20 x 2.5 version. I went to the salvage yard today, but every Jag I checked was either missing its tow hook or had the wrong one for my needs . So I was checking out some different vehicles I had read might have the same thread specs. No luck on the VW or Mazda. Finally found one that was a perfect fit. It came out of an 2007 Hyundai Accent of all things! Works on the front and rear and fits perfectly. The best part was the cost $3.25! Can't even buy an eye bolt for that!
And it fits in the jack kit under the spare with only very minor alteration. Less than an inch of Styrofoam was removed to allow the longer shaft to fit. Kit w Accent tow hook
When I broke down over a year ago I got the tow hook out of the trunk/boot and guess what? It was too big. That is what it came out of the factory with.
When I broke down over a year ago I got the tow hook out of the trunk/boot and guess what? It was too big. That is what it came out of the factory with.
LOL! Sounds like my luck.
Two days after I discovered it was missing from my car, I needed it to unstick the XK8 from a soft spot in the edge of the yard created by all this rain we've had this winter. Had to call a tow truck to move it about 8 inches and get back on firm ground! He used the j-hooks he had to give the the little tug I needed and no damage appeared to be done. Won't have to do that again.
Honestly, there seem to be no rhyme or reason as to what Jaguar tow hook fits per year/VIN. You have what you have, so best by far is to check on your actual car. There might be a rubber plug, and likely some cruft/grease/rust involved, so budget more than a few min to find out. FWIW, my car has the finer threads, that happens to be compatible with Mazda, so a bunch of fancy/cheap/racing options open up (check eBay).
PS: The good part about putting all this effort, you are pretty much guaranteed you will never need it...
06-13-2018, 03:52 PM
2004 Jaguar XKR Tow Hook
