"Function creep"

 

Its actually the other way around on the 4.0 XK8/R, with the supercharged version being the more reliable of the two, because the XKR has as standard:-

1) Mercedes 5 speed gearbox rather than the ZF 5 speed (which left the factory with a design flaw).
2) A supercharger instead of VVT. You will have to change the oil on the supercharger, which is an easy and cheap DIY job, but as a bonus you will never have to change a faulty/leaking VVT solenoid because there aren't any.
3) Metal thermostat body instead of plastic.

Of course that was all 20 years ago and a well maintained XK8 might well be more reliable today than a neglected XKR, but its a mistake to think that the supercharger is a liability rather than an asset - very few people have problems with them, as you will find if you do a search on this forum.

The car looks like a great project - you will have a very rare car when its done.

 

so Bigger is ... Better ?

duly noted

 

I opted for the supercharged XKR partly because of the increase in reliability and obviously the increase in power.

 

Thank you all for your help, I ended up not buying the car. another model caught my attention with full history.

 

​​​​​​​do tell all. Year of manufacture, history details, and approximate price if willing.

photos would be nice


Z

 

So, it's an XK8 MY2000, 110k km, blue, one previous owner, full jaguar history, MOT (local equivalent).


With minor things for me to work on such as:
- boot lights don't work (the micro switch is fried)
- it has the satnav (where I would have preferred the 3 gauges)
- central console has a mobile phone docking to be replaced with proper lining for storage
On top of that I want to:
- change the radio (maybe using the satnav space for touchscreen ans the satnav button's space for digital gauges)- service the speakers- potentially a reverse camera- install/configure daytime light (DLR)


​​​​​​​Otherwise I have driven a good 300km and so far so good, engine runs beautifully, interior smells like an old Jag, the only thing is that steering is heavier than on modern SUV with electric power steering.

 

Excellent find.

im likely the only one on the forum who actually prefers the retro sat nav unit. The gauges wiild
be nice if they actually showed real data. They would need the real-jag gauge update to be useful. In lieu of replacing my sat nav I’ve put a Autool X60 unit on the corner of my dash. It provides real time engine data. Not built-in elegant, but extremely useful.

Steering wise, I think we are better off than the new cars, with the exception of Porsche, AM, and some other high end cars, most new cars are over boosted and have no road feel. I come from a vintage car background, so I’m inclined to not appreciate too much power steering “help”.

by my standards your car is low mileage, my ‘02 XKR had 116,000 miles when I purchased it, now has 176,000 and going strong.

Are all of the known issues already dealt with, the tensioners, fuel pumps, water pump, etc ?

Do your maintenance records mention servicing of the transmission and rear end fluids ? Those really can benefit from new fluids.

​​​​​​​Z

 

So the tensioner and the water pump have been changed, I am not sure for the rest.... And the gearbox oil needs to changed

 

Nice ! The tensioner issue can be costly, nice to have it out of the way.


the automatic transmission on the XK8 4.0 cars is susceptible to A drum failure. New fluid might delay that, indefinitely one might hope.

Also, the rear end line gets very nasty over time. The drain / fill plug is not that hard to get to on the coupe. I’ve changed mine twice, and it took less than an hour the 2nd time. Getting the rear of the car up on ramps & jack stands was the most time consuming part of the job. The specification calls for 75w-90 fluid, but if you are going to drive the car any great distance at a time, (Mobil 1) 75w-140 will provide more wear protection, imho.


Z

 

Monkeyb, saw the photo of steering wheel. Reminded me of mine 6 months ago. We have a post on interior color combo's from the factory on here, problem was - i couldn't find Antelope paint anywhere. My Antelope color steering wheel leather was really showing the wear!

Here's what I did. Top left or right of dashboard. Triangular shaped vent about 5cm per side. It just lifts out little effort. Took it to Home Depot (I don't know if they're international but they are amazing at paint matching colors).

Painted it on, looks like new. I don't know what color combo you have, but its listed on the sticker inside driver's door jam. 3 capital letters (AGD means Oatmeal).

John

John