Title says it all,

Going to taking a trip to NC in summer, but I am a little fearful to take the Jag in case something goes astray.

Tell me to lose this fear.

 

If the car has been reliable for you up to now, if you give things a thorough check over before you leave, then you'll be fine. Being a bit mechanically aware and inclined helps, because you can often diagnose and address problems on the fly. There really aren't that many issues that would leave you stranded.

On the other hand, if you've been suffering multiple issues lately, or you know something is getting tired and about to die on you, then go the safe route. Like the investment markets, past results are no guarantee of future performance!

(I'm aware that my reply is of no help to you at all)

 

I've done two cross-country trips (DC-LA-DC, DC-Tucson-DC) in the last 12 months and the car was flawless.

 

I think Coupe has some good advice. Following that, there was a thread a while back offering suggestions for a tool & spares kits to put into the boot/trunk for just such a trip. From just the last couple of day's posts, I would start with electrical contact cleaner, tools and bits to fix a vacuum leak, maybe even the fuel line release gizmo. Heck, even the tools required for secondary tensioner repair would fit into just small bundle! For the most part, whatever you choose will be just so much dead weight you'll cart around with you, but at least you'll have the piece of mind of being one step ahead of the faults you DID predict.

Have fun, I'd like to have the time to do something like that.

Steve

ps. Where's "OTown"?

 

If you've got an Android mobile phone, I would also recommend getting the Torque app. It gives you trouble codes as they appear, and also gives you lots of realtime data. You can ignore it until there's a problem, or suspicious that a problem is brewing. I use mine all the time.

The Torque app is only about five bucks in the Google / Android marketplace...the other thing you'll need is a bluetooth adapter for your OBDII connection...Torque recommends several options.

 

No idea where Otown is or how far that might be from 'NC". but what problems have you had with the car that makes you doubt it's reliability?

If the answer is 'none' then what are you worried about?

 

I believe "O-Town" is one of the nicknames for Orlando, Florida. "NC" is probably North Carolina, the state we live in....

My wife has driven our S-Type from Raleigh to Tampa, Florida and back many times since we purchased it in December 2008 primarily for her to make that solo trip. She does it 6 or 7 times per year to visit her elderly parents, usually for a one-week stay each time....

She drove her recently-acquired XK8 on that 1,500-mile round trip for the first time not quite a month ago. She reported no issues whatsoever and thoroughly enjoyed driving the XK8 instead of the S-Type even though it cannot haul as much luggage and does not ride as smoothly as the S-Type suspension does on those very long highway stretches (in my opinion, anyway)....

So if you keep your XK8 in good mechanical shape and routinely check the fluids and pressures, you should be fine....

 

I've read through your posts to the forum which tells me:

1. the 2003 XK8 is your wife's daily driver covering 12k per year
2. you were looking for a local indy
3. nothing serious has happened since you got the car

If it sat in the garage for weeks on end and you were thinking of doing 750 miles without any attention to it, then you might have something to worry about.

To really put your mind at rest, you're going on a trip to Reverend Sam's home state. You've got more reliable backup there than you do at home.

Graham

 

Plan your route and look up some places where you could take your car to be serviced, just in case something happened and take their addresses and numbers with you, in case you have to limp into, or be towed into one.

I understand your reticence, mainly because I also realize that you can't just take your Jag to any old repair shop to get something fixed the way that you could with any American car.

Good luck, hope you have a great, trouble free trip.

 

Sorry I did not offer enough details.
Trip is from Orlando FL to W Jefferson NC. The car is a daily driver and is being driven slightly more as my wife has to go to Tampa weekly. The car has not given any issues.

Kevin D hit on what my is in my head.

Doing a small trip this weekend down to the glades in it.

 

Lots of useful (and other) info here
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ct-tape-70880/

 

I bought my 03 XKR in Raleigh last month and drove it back to Connecticut about 700 miles without any problems. The only issue I had was the airbag lite was on. I am sure there are plenty of Jaguar dealerships located along your route. For piece of mind when I bought my 01 XK8, I bought the best AAA membership, that had the 200 miles towing, just in case. I had to use this once when my 01 XK8 developed a thermostat problem last summer and had to be towed 75 miles to my Jaguar Dealer for repair. You may want to look into an extended warranty. Most of these come with a towing package and free rental car if you break down.

wcnesta
03 XKR vert
01 XK8 vert (currently for sale on cars.com)

 

Merci Steveinfrance, that's the thread I was thinking about. Very useful, and entertaining.

And now I know Otown is Orlando. Cool.

Steve in San Diego

 

Is Breakdown Insurance not available, unusual or especially expensive in the US?

I'm covered for breakdown and vehicle recovery to home from anywhere in Europe if the car cannot be repaired locally. I don't find Jaguar Dealerships sufficient of a tourist attraction to contemplate modifying my route to go near them!

Graham

 

I put 2600 miles on my car after owning it for only 4 days.............


When I got to Phoenix I had to replace all four tires..........no biggie
Car ran like a champ.

Do your basics and go

The biggest danger was my father in law hitting it his car............he did and now its been in the shop for longer than I have owned it.

 

If you are going through Atlanta, pm me and I'll give you my phone number. I am almost always home and I have a lift and reasonable selection of tools for minor repairs.
RJ

 

If the car is running fine now, not to worry. Check the oil, coolant and belts, take a basic tool set, a jumper cable and a credit card, should be fine.

 

Ensure you have full AAA and a code reader. I do about 6000 miles each summer on road trips and I've had to replace a MAF on one that I bought at a standard auto parts store. Enjoy.

 

Well I am just doing it. I do not have a reader (and yes I know I need one - so recommend one to me: lets look at a $150 ceiling and a $400 ceiling - we do plan to keep the car.)

I hadn't driven it recently and was surprised to see 69+K on the odometer. Then I realized, we got it 1 year ago (plus 3 days). We got it with roughly 59K as I recall, so I guess my mileage estimate at 12K was pretty good (actually on the high side).

I do have an extended warrantee on it that carries me up to roughly 99K miles. Have totally forgotten if it has towing. Will make sure that the doc is in the car.

 

Sometimes ignorance is bliss!!! Notwithstanding its undeniable value as a source of information, this forum also serves to pinpoint every possible fault with these cars....resulting in a certain level of paranoia. The fact is, 90+% of owners don't even know about this forum or the potential problems and they go about their days blissfully driving their Jaguars without a worry in the world.

The point being: mapatton, enjoy your trip and your Jaguar. If #@&* happens along the way, it could happen to a Toyota just as well, so don't worry about it!