Picked up my 2000 XK8 the other day. On the way home, the "LimitedPerformance" light came on after driving about 20 miles on the highway. !0 minutes after that, the amber Check Engine light appears. The LP light kept coming on and off and I was able to make the 100 mile journey home. I had the car Emission Tested the next day (required for an out of state car) and it failed. I had it tested to document the issue so I might have some leverage with the dealer I purchased from. Emissions gave me a code of P0304-Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected and P1316 Manufacturer Controlled Ignition System or Misfire. I also took it to Autozone where they scanned it and got similar codes.
I tracked down, via repair receipts from the previous owner, the mechanic who worked on the car and he told me he "suspected" the #4 coil but wasn't 100% sure because the PO got pissed off and picked up the car to trade it before he could complete the work. I am returning the car to the dealer (where I'm covered under the Mass 30 day lemon law) and give him an opportunity to repair it. Question, does this sound like a relatively simple repair or could it be a deal breaker?
Thanks

 

I should add - In the last thousand miles, these are the repairs done to the car
Timing Chain and Tensioners - Upper and Lower
Water Pump
Fuel Pump
Thermostat
Plugs
Oil Change
Trans Fluid Change
New Performance Switch
New Throttlebody
2 new ignition coils (including the suspected No. 4)
New weather strips on windshield
New Control unit AES controller
New Seats
New Arm Rests
New Matts
New Shift Ball
New Power Antenna
New Rotors and Pads
New Tires

5000 miles ago
New Air Suspension Conversion Kit
New Top Hydraulic pump and hoses

The car now has 69K on it, the paint looks flawless,the interior is brand new leather and it is tight and smooth as, I suspect, the day it was made.
I'm really hoping this issue can be resolved without too much drama - I love this car!

 

Well you never know. However, my instincts are that after all this work the car should be damn close to "sorted out", as the British blokes like to say.

I would stay with it, stir in a little patience and TLC and hope for the best.

 

I wonder what the value of all that work done was; That could cost anywhere from 4k-10,000 $

 

Have to agree, all that work pretty much covers what commonly goes wrong with these cars.

The only one I would question is the air suspension conversion. These cars never had air suspension, nor any kind of air pump, so I can't imagine what that one might have been.

As for your current problem, a coil is one of the most likely reasons for the misfire. There have been a few posts on the forum about aftermarket coils not lasting very long, so it's possible that it has failed again. Since you have the lemon law on your side, I would ask that any part replaced be a real Jaguar branded replacement.

 

Agreed - insist on genuine Jaguar coils. You'll have a better chance of keeping future coil issues at bay....

 

Close - I have receipts starting in 11-2012 for 11,400. I also called the shop to verify if in fact the work had been performed and I wasn't looking at a pile of estimates. Work done. The mechanic who worked on the car was in the middle of diagnosing what the same issue I'm having, when the owner called, told him to stop immediately and put the car back together - he'd decided to trade it in on a Corvette.

 

I think you're 100% correct. While speaking to the mechanic who worked on the car, he mentioned he replaced two coils. One he bought from Jaguar for approx. 200.00. The other, (although not certain, he suspects it's the No. 4), was bought, online for 149.00 by the previous owner. He can't say for sure, but he pretty much said the same thing.
Regarding the suspension - quite right. I have no receipts for that except, in the file which contains receipts from both owners, is bill of laden and documentation, including a ground package label from UPS to Motorcars LTD, Houston. The literature is from British Parts international. I assumed that was installed by the first owner.