Just got a $700 parts and labor quote for secondary upper timing chain tensioners but the mechanic said depending on if the guide rails are broken it could be more(how much more would you say).... is this reasonable?
and should I feel confident just replacing the uppers? Ive read quite a few threads on this topic and some Jag techs have commented the uppers are pretty much always the ones failing...
In fact I havent even taken the cover off to see if PO had this job done already... is it simple to check for the plastic tensioners?
anyone see a write up to pop the cover off to make sure I dont send this cat in there with gen. 3 tensioners already in place?
Thanks everyone!

 

$700 is a bargin; I was quoted $4k by a Jag dealer.

Mark

 

I am including a link to jagrepair.com. The first article by D. Jensen has a good description and pictures on removing the valve cover and identifying 1st vs. 3rd gen. tensioners.
The second, by EZDriver describes the zip tie method, which is a very simple method of replacement. If you trust the mechanic, that is a very good price.

JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

 

Sounds pretty good. I paid $600+tax for just the secondary tensioner replacement a few months ago in MD before I drove my car home to Chicago area.

 

Thanks everyone! I felt like it was a pretty good price and the shop seems reputable. They are a Jaguar certified shop and do this job all the time. This type of work scares me a bit so I will leave it to the pros but I will be inspecting the tensioners hoping that the PO did this job already!
Thanks again

 

Have a picture taken with your new tensioners in before they close it up. It can help with resale one day...especially if everything looks nice and clean in there.

 

I paid about 2k at a Jaguar dealer about 6 months ago after another shop could not diagnose the problem correctly. Dealer told me they are on the 3rd generation tensioners. I took my old ones back and they both were cracked and one actually had the plastic plate off. I guess I was lucky to catch it before real problem arose. MY '01, 65k miles at the time.

 

The parts from Ford are cheaper than from Jag. Boxes still says Jaguar on them.