Yes, it definitely dates from Jag's 'Long & Low' heyday. In fact, it sits just a tad *lower* than my XK8 (sorry for crappy cellphone photo).

 

I always liked that scalloped chrome trim on the rear.

 

This is definitely the issue with reversing sensors. You get used to them. If you have more than one car, and one or more do not have them, woe unto you if you forget which car you're backing up.

 

I did the same to my XJS years ago when I was doing a tune up and left the hood up overnight. Hey, the struts has supported it all day so no need to put a safety bar in place. The next morning the hood was down and I had a nice dimple to remind me for the rest of the cars life.
I am certain this is why whiskey was invented!

 

My bonnet shocks are weak(but i didn't know this), doing my valve covers, I have a large gash and imprint of the bonnet latch on my head with missing hair to treat the wound!

Then the ratchet I was holding hit the fender, and bam nice scratch there!

 

Yep - I'd just quit IBM and handed back my company car which had sensors. Went and bought the Clio and it never crossed my mind to ask if it had them... :-(

 

My first thoughts: Better a scalp wound than damaged sheet metal. Of course, you completed the task by denting the fender. Strong work on the double fail.

 

If only the sheet metal would heal instead of the scalp wound.
No, wait a minute, I'm not *that* crazy

 

I've done some stupid things, but they were all pretty minor, so no need to mention them here.
HOWEVER......One of the guys in our local Horseless Carriage Club was big into fire engines, and had deep pockets, too.
He located the first combination pumper and chemical truck made by Peter Piersch (sp?) back in the 1930's. It was fabulous, in perfect condition, and came with every original part and tool, and all the orginal equipment. I guess he had been badgering the former owner over a period of 20 years or so, and the guy finally told him to drop by and pick it up and take it home. This was in the early 70's
He drives there with a big truck and trailer, loads this magnificent fire engine, and starts out for home.
Within 200 feet of leaving the guy's garage, the hitch broke on the trailer. The chains tore out, and the fire truck and trailer overturned. Then they rolled, chained together, 6 times down the side of the hill, to the bottom. He coasted to a stop by the side of the road, watching this beautiful machine get pounded to pieces.
Talk about heartbreaking!
He still has the fire engine, in his huge garage, and he swears one day he will fix everything and put it back together. He is now in his 70's, and I don't think he will live long enough for that.
At least he is living proof that you can laugh about stuff years later, because as he tells it, it is a really funny story, but I am sure at the time it was a real tragedy!
He has enough old cars that for him, it is just one story amoung hundreds, but it gave me a real taste for what true trouble is.

 

That is one of the saddest stories I've ever read.

 

Stupidest thing I've done so far was with my XK8. It was on the trip home from Atlanta where I bought it, and I needed to stop for gas.

Keep in mind I was used to only driving my Land Rover at the time.. and approach angles on an LR3 and XK8 and very different, in case you didn't know.

Mine is an '05, so it has the revised front bumper that further reduces ground clearance.

Pulled into the gas station too fast, at the wrong angle, and did a number on the bumper.. scuffed it badly underneath and also on the front (but no cracks, fortunately). Buffing helped to minimize it, but its still noticeable.

 

When I lived in Phoenix in the 70's I took a friend to a used car dealer where he bought a white '67 XKE Roadster. He drove it home and parked it up his steep driveway and went in to get his wife and kids to show it off. Well he left it in neutral and the parking brake didn't hold and it rolled down the driveway, crossed the street without hitting anything, went through a low guardrail and down an embankment across from his house. Rolled several times and was totaled. Only got to drive it that one time. He always made it sound funny when he told the story...



Dave

 

It's that time again for those of us in the Northern climates to bring out our Jaguars and if you did your due diligence you placed a number of mouse traps under your Jag to fend off those nasty critters that want to chew your car to bits, good for you.

I went out this morning to change the oil and do a shake down run. I took a broom and brushed the mouse traps out from under the car before crawling under it. I was anxious to get started so I didn't count the traps I brushed out.

Here's the tip: Count the mouse traps, they come in packs of two so if find 5 there's one more under there somewhere.

I found the last one, right next to my oil filter wrench. Ouch!

 

edit: see my post on gas filter ! dah

 

Went camping on the beach of The Gulf of Mexico in my Toyota truck. I had a lightbulb just like the ones in your house, but it was 12V DC current. I put some alligator clips on the end of an extension cord and used to hook them to the battery and use that light at night instead of one of those Coleman lanterns. It works a lot better in the strong wind and doesn't get so hot. I left the hood open just a bit so the clips would fit. Just about bedtime a big gust of wind came along, lifted the hood and then dropped it. There was about a two or three second light show and when I went over the battery had burned a crescent shaped hole in the hood. No, the truck wouldn't start and I had driven three hours to get there. I went down the beach and found someone to come over and give me a jump start. I let the truck run all night, fished in the morning and drove home. New battery and a hole in the hood..... and a bunch of fish.

 

Thanks for the story. Excellent imagery. The addition of the arc welding mod to the hood makes it extra special.

 

Nothing like letting the bi-fold hangar door come down across the bonnet of your X300 right across the leaper. $1,100 later good as new.

 

Thanks for your share. That makes this tiny dent seem nearly insignificant.

 

This turns out to be a "Dumbass" sharing moments. I got a few to throw in...Both jobs are to my Saab:

1. A simple brake job: I mixed up my "Righty tighty lefty loosey" I yanked a caliper bolt using my breaker bar and snap the bolt in two ..the rest of the day was spent trying to get that bolt out from the caliper bracket.

2. Another similar dumbass moment was to a spark plug...plugs seized so I use my breaker bar...same thing happened, snapped the plugs leaving half of it in the engine... again the rest of the day was spent carefully drilling the plug and using the extractor.

All my wife heard was...screaming all kinds of profanity!

I guess we all live and learn....the joy of turning your own wrench...you can't blame it on anyone but yourself

Planned job in the XK:

1. replace front end bushings.
2. Replace strut mount and upgrade spring (Mina lowering)
3. Transmission fluid (I maybe end up paying a shop to do this)

 

This year's dumbass moment:

When searching for an electrical short always remove your watch. Note the burns on both sides of the watch band as I tried to weld the watch to my wrist.

Good news, I found the short. But I wish my left eye would stop twitching.