So, I've been tooling around catching kudos in my 90-year-old-uncle's (barn-find) 83,000 mile XK8 for over a year now. It was garaged, but neglected for years. I had to immediately replace the old, dry-rotted tires, plus a few items like the under-dash brake switch, brake pads and rotors, plugs, and some fluid replacements.f Oh, and the battery. Plus, I've added Angel Eyes around the low (dip) and high beams, and replaced the low (dip) beams with HID lamps (I tried LEDs, which are an improvement but in my experience, you can only be seen better than you can see, if that makes sense). I have added about 8,000 miles on it, including several 500-1,000 mile trips. No major issues beyond the AC not being cold enough (Schrader valve and 2 O-rings), the car riding kind of unlady-like, (which I attributed to it needing to go very fast to run smoothly), plus some brutal, high speed transmission down-shifting experiences from time to time.

I've honestly enjoyed driving it but have always wondered if the new Pirelli P Zero tires I bought for it were defective, as the ride continued to be harsh and the tires seemed excessively noisy. That is, until I replaced some 92,000-miles-old parts two weeks ago. Razorboy recommended an excellent indie mechanic here in Las Vegas who knows Jaguars inside and out, and who charges a very, very fair price for his labor. And he doesn't mind at all if you bring your own parts for him to install. So, I purchased new shocks, front and rear stabilizer bushings and links, inner and outer tie rods, upper control arm bushings, ball joints, and while I was at it, a new water pump, tower, thermostat, upper and lower hoses, reservoir, idler and tensioner pulleys, serpentine belt, and a case of Mercon SP trans fluid. Can you believe he installed all parts, plus serviced the differential and trans, AND had a 4 wheel alignment done for less than $1,000 labor (actually, less than $900 labor, but come on, how could you not give him a well-earned tip)?

Difference in ride, handling, running temps, and grin factor? Priceless! What a transformation! The engine used to run between 203 F and 215 F, now it runs between 188 F and 204 F. The tires are miraculously quiet and seemingly more sticky, and the ride now resembles exactly what you would expect from a USD $75,000+ car. Notes: The old water pump vanes were visibly cracked, the hoses were swollen and bulging, the thermostat was crudded up, the tower was unbelievably brittle, and the reservoir was leaking at the seams. The serpentine belt wasn't bad, but the idler and tensioner pulleys were definitely shot. Every last part of the replaced suspension items were just worn out and sloppy, and even the upper shock bushings were toast, so I'm happy I replaced the shocks and lower bushings at the same time. The 126% pucker factor from closed-course, back road speeds is now gone; handling at warp speed is now just complete confidence. Plus, with a big debt of gratitude to Razorboy for reflashing my transmission after the drain and flush, shifting is as smooth as I wish I had been in high school. Now, I need only to have a few spots of exterior paint touched up to totally rule rolling up to my 50th high school reunion this summer. Peggy Sue Sullivan is gonna wish she had paid me more attention way back when...!

Point being, if you haven't done all the 75,000 mile, 90,000 mile, and/or 125,000 mile maintenance items yet, jump in there and get them done while they're just maintenance and not repairs. You won't regret the return on investment! While I was just getting prep'd for a (hopefully) trouble-free 4,000 mile holiday across 5 southwestern states in the hot, hot, hot, summer time to go back and attend my high school reunion, I have actually just accomplished replacing about 95% of what I needed to do to until my 150,000 mile PM, and it all needed to be done (even tho some items were not on a PM list). And you know, while there will be some other aging parts to replace in the next 5 years, I'll probably never have to replace any of these items within another 75,000+ miles! Come to think of it, replacing many of these high-mileage parts has undoubtedly prevented premature wear or failure of other connected components.

I'm starting to think my uncle didn't skin me as bad as he thought he did...