Is an early XK8 a china cabinet?
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RE: Is an early XK8 a china cabinet?
Ok I just spent a beautiful weekend here and left the Jag undriven in the garage!! Reading all of the problems really made me upset. I went and got my ASC MCLAREN Capri convertible out of storage and got it ready to sell in a car corral this coming weekend.
Monday I decided to research some items to decide how bad it could be. I got some help with production numbers and figured out that there are about 76,540 of these 4.0L in the XK and XKR cars. I have no interest where else they may have been used.
Now I feel better. Is the failure rate 10% or even 20% of these motors? I would take that bet in Vegas and with some vigilance and good hearing I am going to drive the damn thing.
If you own a Buick V6 3.8L then you have to watch your lower intake gasket for failure. After 100-120,000 miles. A Miata used to require a new timing belt at 60,000. This issue is nothing new in engines.
I won't accept a 1% pilot or engine failure in an airplane but I will live with these odds on this motor!
By the way the 4.0L v8 was a Ward's 10 best motor in 2000 and I figure that covers my 99.
I am going to focus on the many many positives of owning this Cat, which is the most beautiful car I have ever owned.
Nuff said
Monday I decided to research some items to decide how bad it could be. I got some help with production numbers and figured out that there are about 76,540 of these 4.0L in the XK and XKR cars. I have no interest where else they may have been used.
Now I feel better. Is the failure rate 10% or even 20% of these motors? I would take that bet in Vegas and with some vigilance and good hearing I am going to drive the damn thing.
If you own a Buick V6 3.8L then you have to watch your lower intake gasket for failure. After 100-120,000 miles. A Miata used to require a new timing belt at 60,000. This issue is nothing new in engines.
I won't accept a 1% pilot or engine failure in an airplane but I will live with these odds on this motor!
By the way the 4.0L v8 was a Ward's 10 best motor in 2000 and I figure that covers my 99.
I am going to focus on the many many positives of owning this Cat, which is the most beautiful car I have ever owned.
Nuff said
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: 33498
RE: Is an early XK8 a china cabinet?
Yeeehaw.
You can about triple that number when you throw in the XJs and then the S-Type varient of the 4.0 too. They are good engines overall and I would say that the actual failure rate is under 20%
Enjoy your ride.
You can about triple that number when you throw in the XJs and then the S-Type varient of the 4.0 too. They are good engines overall and I would say that the actual failure rate is under 20%
Enjoy your ride.
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RE: Is an early XK8 a china cabinet?
I purchased a 1999 XK8 in 2002 with about 24,000 miles on it. The car currently has about 82,000. This is my fifth Jaguar; xk150, XKE, 2 XJS's. It is a beautiful car and is great to drive as all of them have been. Since I have owned five over the years, many of my acquaintances ask me ifJaguarsare reliable as they have always heard otherwise. I tell them that if they want reliability they should buy a Camry, or Gran Prix or Corvette. If they want pride, fun and exhilaration, buy a Jaguar, but do not be deceived; you will most likely spend more money and time on maintenance than on a "regular", boring car.
That is not to say the Jaguar is unreliable. I currently have four cars; 1987 Alfa Romeo, 1988 Pontiac Fiero, 1999 Pontiac Gran Prix, 1999 XK8 Jaguar andspend more on the Jaguar than the other three combined. I drive the Gran Prix and the Jaguar about the same, and the Fiero and the Alfa about a fourth as much. Now to be fair, the Gran Prix is, surprizingly, the most reliable car I have ever owned. It has over an 150,000 miles and other than routine things like oil, air filters, brakes, I have spent less than $1000 on repairs in the nine years I have owned it. On the other hand, I have spentover $8,000 in sixyears on the Jaguar. However, some of the problem is with my local dealer. I am convinced he does not read the TSBs. Additionally, his hourly rate is 40% higher than the Ford and GM dealers and about twice that of most independent shops. The last three times I have taken my car in for repair, I have had to return because the problem was not fixed. These were not complex repairs, A/C, convertible top hydraulic motor, cooling thermostats, hoses and lines. Additionally, I have had the ABS system repaired twice ($2000 each occurrence) while I believe the real fault in the transmission. My firstpaying job wasas an auto mechanic fora local foreign car dealship repairing MGs and Austin Healeys. While automobiles havebecome much more complex since the mid sixties, I am still rarely wrong when I diagnose a problem with one ofmy cars.
It has been my experience with all of the Jaguars that I have owned, that mechanically (engines, transmission, suspension, body, brakes, etc.) they are outstanding but the supporting components (starters, alterntors, gauges, rubber gaskets, A/C, etc) are frequentlyless than satisfactory. Why do I continue to buy Jaguars? While I have owned a wide variety of automobiles, I find the Jaguars the most alluring.
A list, probably not complete, of autos I have owned; 1950 Ford, 1950 Ford flathead 8, 1954 V8 Ford, another 1954 V8 Ford, 1958 Alfa Romeo Spider, 1959 Alfa Romeo Spider, 1959 Jaguar XK150, 1960 MGA twinCam, 1960 Plymouth Hemi Convertible (rocket car), 1960 Chevy Bel Air, 1962 Hillman, 1963 Austin Healy 3000, 1964 Aston Martin DB4, 1963 XKE, 1976 Fiat Sedan, 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider, 1978 Opel Manta, 1982 Olds 98, 1985Olds Sierra, 1987 Alfa Romeo Milano, 1985Jaguar XJS, 1986XJS, 1988 Pontiac Fiero, 1992 Ford Taurus, 1999Gran Prix, 1999 Jaguar XK8. The best car for reliability reasons is the 1999 Gran Prix, butthe best car for every other reason was the 1963 XKE with the 1963 Austin Healey and 1964 Aston Martin coming in a close second.
That is not to say the Jaguar is unreliable. I currently have four cars; 1987 Alfa Romeo, 1988 Pontiac Fiero, 1999 Pontiac Gran Prix, 1999 XK8 Jaguar andspend more on the Jaguar than the other three combined. I drive the Gran Prix and the Jaguar about the same, and the Fiero and the Alfa about a fourth as much. Now to be fair, the Gran Prix is, surprizingly, the most reliable car I have ever owned. It has over an 150,000 miles and other than routine things like oil, air filters, brakes, I have spent less than $1000 on repairs in the nine years I have owned it. On the other hand, I have spentover $8,000 in sixyears on the Jaguar. However, some of the problem is with my local dealer. I am convinced he does not read the TSBs. Additionally, his hourly rate is 40% higher than the Ford and GM dealers and about twice that of most independent shops. The last three times I have taken my car in for repair, I have had to return because the problem was not fixed. These were not complex repairs, A/C, convertible top hydraulic motor, cooling thermostats, hoses and lines. Additionally, I have had the ABS system repaired twice ($2000 each occurrence) while I believe the real fault in the transmission. My firstpaying job wasas an auto mechanic fora local foreign car dealship repairing MGs and Austin Healeys. While automobiles havebecome much more complex since the mid sixties, I am still rarely wrong when I diagnose a problem with one ofmy cars.
It has been my experience with all of the Jaguars that I have owned, that mechanically (engines, transmission, suspension, body, brakes, etc.) they are outstanding but the supporting components (starters, alterntors, gauges, rubber gaskets, A/C, etc) are frequentlyless than satisfactory. Why do I continue to buy Jaguars? While I have owned a wide variety of automobiles, I find the Jaguars the most alluring.
A list, probably not complete, of autos I have owned; 1950 Ford, 1950 Ford flathead 8, 1954 V8 Ford, another 1954 V8 Ford, 1958 Alfa Romeo Spider, 1959 Alfa Romeo Spider, 1959 Jaguar XK150, 1960 MGA twinCam, 1960 Plymouth Hemi Convertible (rocket car), 1960 Chevy Bel Air, 1962 Hillman, 1963 Austin Healy 3000, 1964 Aston Martin DB4, 1963 XKE, 1976 Fiat Sedan, 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider, 1978 Opel Manta, 1982 Olds 98, 1985Olds Sierra, 1987 Alfa Romeo Milano, 1985Jaguar XJS, 1986XJS, 1988 Pontiac Fiero, 1992 Ford Taurus, 1999Gran Prix, 1999 Jaguar XK8. The best car for reliability reasons is the 1999 Gran Prix, butthe best car for every other reason was the 1963 XKE with the 1963 Austin Healey and 1964 Aston Martin coming in a close second.
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 23
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From: Auckland
I have to say I probably did the worst thing and just went and picked up a 1997 model imported from Singapore into NZ. The car was dirty and probaly I should have stayed away however, it's looks just drew me in (Ice Blue colour). After a good tidy up it is back to looking as it should even with the orginal star fish wheels. What helped in the decision was finding a car with the orginal manuals and a full service history from a Singapore Jaguar delaer, the engine ran well and perfomance was as expected. The car is old and although 63,000KMs on the clock there are some supension knocks that will need sorting but overal I drive it every day and in comparison with the newer car I had before the cost of parts and labour is no different any high performance car will cost money. Sit back and enjoy the ride if the car performs well and it has lasted this long then it will go on, my previous car only went for 3 years just as the warranty expired and begain to fall apart (Chrylser).
Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 68
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From: So. cal
Galpin Jaguar maintenance manager told me they routinely get 99-2002 XK8s in for regular maintenance that have 185,000+ miles. Of course, there are afew pigs in the mix too.
Mine is a 99 and I drive the **** out of it. currently 87,000 miles.
Mine is a 99 and I drive the **** out of it. currently 87,000 miles.
I am the PROUD owner of a 1999 xk8 and we use it as a daily driver. It has been driven 109,000 mi and runs great! Now, have I had problems? YES! Was it worth the repair? YES! You ask why on the forums is everyone talking about repairs. A good question and is best answered by saying the forums like this is a knowledge base for others. Now reading the articles in these forums could scare the hell out of the average person contemplating the purchase of a Jag xk8 but, have you taken the liberty to look at other forums pertaining to other cars? It may change your mind and your opinion on your xk8.
The other day returning home from dinner I found our car parked next to a new Jag xk and the owners were just getting into their car when we began looking at each other’s Jag. We struck up a conversation about both cars and compared the two.
My advice to you is for you to drive the car and enjoy it as long as you can. It is a great car and it is fun to drive. Will it give you a fit over repairs? From time to time yes it will. I love my (our) car and love driving it!
As a cancer survivor, life is short!
The other day returning home from dinner I found our car parked next to a new Jag xk and the owners were just getting into their car when we began looking at each other’s Jag. We struck up a conversation about both cars and compared the two.
My advice to you is for you to drive the car and enjoy it as long as you can. It is a great car and it is fun to drive. Will it give you a fit over repairs? From time to time yes it will. I love my (our) car and love driving it!
As a cancer survivor, life is short!
Veteran Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,904
Likes: 364
From: SW OH
I have had my 97 for a year now. I new about the Timing Chain Tensioner. It DID go at 70k. I fixed that and a few other things while it was apart (water pump, plugs, other little thing) and have no other issues with it. I did have front rotors and pads put on but she has been good. Worst thing is it sits for a bit if a major repair comes. We have OTHER cars to drive if it does go down. I did not buy it thinking it would be a daily driver and never have issues. As it turns out now, it prob get driven 2-4x a week on avg.
Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 57
Likes: 3
From: Massachusetts
I've had my 98 XK8 convertible for just over 5 years. I've changed the oil, upgraded the wheels, brake pads, rotors, grille, exhaust tips, and some very light interior work. I've replaced the battery, radio, cd player, rear view mirror, and a couple of bulbs. I must say, I read the forums and start to wonder "Am I just lucky"? I purchased the car as a summer toy. I have just hit the 65k mile mark. I love to drive it, and I love to look at it. So far, so good. Enjoy the car. Don't worry about the possibility of a headache. It could be worse, you could have purchased a Pinto.
Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 73
Likes: 3
From: Warrington Cheshire UK
I've had my 1997 XK8 for 3 months now, I bought it with the gearbox in limp mode for £2,500, I found an engine and box out of a 2001 car and decided to swap both which was harder than it looked.
A previous owner had spent a lot of money fitting the XK-R bonnet(hood) front bumper, grille, correct badges and wheels so it looks the part.
Every time I walk out to it I have a smile on my face.
I took it for it's MOT test which is an annual test to establish it's roadworthy, they check bushes, suspension, tyres, wheel bearings,brakes, emissions etc etc, it sailed straight through with no faults, when he put it on the brake tester , he said bloody hell they're good as the dial went right round
A friend of mine summed it up, his manager has just spent £20,000 on a new peugeot convertible which was parked next to the jag.
he looked at the peugeot and then at the jag and said if you pulled up at a 5* hotel at the same time as the peugeot the valet would come to you first because it looks like you'd give the biggest tip as you're driving a £35,000 car .
They're not that expensive to run as long as you're not going to Jaguar for parts and service,i'm amazed by the constant listing of parts on ebay for peanuts compared to what jag would charge
A previous owner had spent a lot of money fitting the XK-R bonnet(hood) front bumper, grille, correct badges and wheels so it looks the part.
Every time I walk out to it I have a smile on my face.
I took it for it's MOT test which is an annual test to establish it's roadworthy, they check bushes, suspension, tyres, wheel bearings,brakes, emissions etc etc, it sailed straight through with no faults, when he put it on the brake tester , he said bloody hell they're good as the dial went right round
A friend of mine summed it up, his manager has just spent £20,000 on a new peugeot convertible which was parked next to the jag.
he looked at the peugeot and then at the jag and said if you pulled up at a 5* hotel at the same time as the peugeot the valet would come to you first because it looks like you'd give the biggest tip as you're driving a £35,000 car .
They're not that expensive to run as long as you're not going to Jaguar for parts and service,i'm amazed by the constant listing of parts on ebay for peanuts compared to what jag would charge
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This was a funny post, since I probably have the oldest XK8 on the list (registered 10th Oct 1996) which I've had for 5yrs. Now has 108k miles on the clock but engine (replaced by Jaguar for previous owner at 58k miles). Car has been faultless and last month it had it's first faults which were a faulty ABS sensor and an original top hose that split. Apart from that everything I've had done has been my choice and the list is quite long:
mcleod x-pipe
oem xenons
full polybush set
upgraded rear light clusters
clear/lit cruize lights (non-standard in the UK)
motovac carbon clean
cleaned and calibrated injectors
auto-rx'd engine
royal purple oil
purolator oil filter
apexi air intake
iridium plugs
LPG (Propane in the US) conversion as 60% cheaper than unleaded here
side skirts
aluminum thermostat housing
aftermarket tyre pressure monitor (tyresure)
Nitrogen in tyres
Uniroyal Rainsport 2 tyres (it rains a bit here!) which are the best I've had
Parrot CK3100 universal bluetooth
Aftermarket DAB radio
Kappa infinity 11 speaker system
LED interior lighting upgrade
Leather refresh
Smartnav SatNav
dual aux power in centre console
blue silicon flush-fit wipers
akebono pads
EBC grooved/dimpled discs/rotors
red painted calipers with 'jaguar' legend in silver
rear spats
rear mud flaps
SS brake lines
new ARBS
New wheel bearings
new ball joints
2005 springs
new shocks all around
aerial cut-off switch in centre console
latest tensioners chains (both sets) and guides
chrome grill (loosing the over-riders)
boot striker in chrome with working boot release
auto trans flush/filter change and refill
Am still planning:
auto-lighting
auto wipers
HUD that displays speed on front screen.
I have always bought cars that I intended to modify/enhance and would never buy anything JUST to drive reliably. But then my insurance..inc business miles costs just £208 ($310 USD) per annum so maybe I've got more money to spend on it??
But that could just be me??
Toodles!
Mark
mcleod x-pipe
oem xenons
full polybush set
upgraded rear light clusters
clear/lit cruize lights (non-standard in the UK)
motovac carbon clean
cleaned and calibrated injectors
auto-rx'd engine
royal purple oil
purolator oil filter
apexi air intake
iridium plugs
LPG (Propane in the US) conversion as 60% cheaper than unleaded here
side skirts
aluminum thermostat housing
aftermarket tyre pressure monitor (tyresure)
Nitrogen in tyres
Uniroyal Rainsport 2 tyres (it rains a bit here!) which are the best I've had
Parrot CK3100 universal bluetooth
Aftermarket DAB radio
Kappa infinity 11 speaker system
LED interior lighting upgrade
Leather refresh
Smartnav SatNav
dual aux power in centre console
blue silicon flush-fit wipers
akebono pads
EBC grooved/dimpled discs/rotors
red painted calipers with 'jaguar' legend in silver
rear spats
rear mud flaps
SS brake lines
new ARBS
New wheel bearings
new ball joints
2005 springs
new shocks all around
aerial cut-off switch in centre console
latest tensioners chains (both sets) and guides
chrome grill (loosing the over-riders)
boot striker in chrome with working boot release
auto trans flush/filter change and refill
Am still planning:
auto-lighting
auto wipers
HUD that displays speed on front screen.
I have always bought cars that I intended to modify/enhance and would never buy anything JUST to drive reliably. But then my insurance..inc business miles costs just £208 ($310 USD) per annum so maybe I've got more money to spend on it??
But that could just be me??
Toodles!
Mark
Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 73
Likes: 3
From: Warrington Cheshire UK
One point that always seems to be ignored when asking about the cost and problems of running a jaguar is depreciation.
I've never owned a new car, the closest I got was a 6 month old Ford Mondeo ST200 , It depreciated faster than I could pay for it, in the 2 years I owned it I lost £7,000, had I bought it new I would have lost £12,000.
I can't see me spending £12,000 on my XK8 if I live to 75 (i'm 48 now)and never sell it so I can't say i'm worried about the running costs.
Plus it puts a
on my face every time I look at it
I've never owned a new car, the closest I got was a 6 month old Ford Mondeo ST200 , It depreciated faster than I could pay for it, in the 2 years I owned it I lost £7,000, had I bought it new I would have lost £12,000.
I can't see me spending £12,000 on my XK8 if I live to 75 (i'm 48 now)and never sell it so I can't say i'm worried about the running costs.
Plus it puts a
on my face every time I look at it
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Wack how much do you think insurance, servicing, road tax and ancilliaries are going to cost for another 27yrs on any car not just this one? with any car I think you'd be paying double your £12k and that excludes fuel.
Appreciate your point that it is a thing of beauty that the new model simply doesn't have. However they are fast becoming classics and if maintained well I don't expect pristine examples (FSH, steel clad engine & new tensioners) going for much less than £8k...so around 12% of their original value. I've already been offered £12k for mine which is the same as I paid for it 5yrs ago...so not too bad!
Was looking to upgrade earlier this month to a Bentley GT and I could have purchased a 2005 with less than 25,000 on the clock for less than £35k..on a car that was £140k new. Personally I don't see these cars ever dropping below £25k at 10 years...so the recession is a time to buy if you have the funds!
Appreciate your point that it is a thing of beauty that the new model simply doesn't have. However they are fast becoming classics and if maintained well I don't expect pristine examples (FSH, steel clad engine & new tensioners) going for much less than £8k...so around 12% of their original value. I've already been offered £12k for mine which is the same as I paid for it 5yrs ago...so not too bad!
Was looking to upgrade earlier this month to a Bentley GT and I could have purchased a 2005 with less than 25,000 on the clock for less than £35k..on a car that was £140k new. Personally I don't see these cars ever dropping below £25k at 10 years...so the recession is a time to buy if you have the funds!
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 647
Likes: 60
From: Kentucky
I bought my 99 xk8 coupe with 31K and pain just under 29K. The only major problem was the nikasil linings. I had a reman engine instaslled under warranty. My engine has a tag on the head@block on the passenger side by the fire wall that says reman and has a reman number. You could look there to see if yours had the nikasil lining issue addressed. Everthing else i've done is maintenance. But parts are not cheap but you found the best site to find the best source for the most cost effective alternative to the dealer.
On oil changes I am using Castrol edge that was a 15,000 or one year change interval plus a warranty against oil related failure. This saves you money even if you use dino as your choice. Just plan on setting aside money each month as you should on any vehicle for surprises and maintance. All cars have issues.
But nothing looks as good as a Jaguar XK. Looks good standing still.
On oil changes I am using Castrol edge that was a 15,000 or one year change interval plus a warranty against oil related failure. This saves you money even if you use dino as your choice. Just plan on setting aside money each month as you should on any vehicle for surprises and maintance. All cars have issues.
But nothing looks as good as a Jaguar XK. Looks good standing still.
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