Just bought a 1998 XK8 Convert. No accidents, one owner, 56k miles, non smoker. PLEASE someone tell me the pros/cons of this car, and what to look forward to. Does this car take Reg or Prem fuel (had mixed replys). Never, never did I think I could afford a Jag. Thanks.

 

I have a 2001 XK8 convertible and the only major difference I know of is that your car has a Nikasil engine which is a chemical treatment of the aluminum cylinder bores that has a less than stellar reputation. Apparently, chemicals in gasoline attack the Nikasil and your cylinder walls wear away, your compression goes away, and your engine becomes scrap metal. Other than that, I'll tell you about my experience. My XK8, while not perfect (nothing is), is the most reliable, best built car I've ever owned. I can see the quality of the paint as compared to most cars. With regular maintenance and care, it has served me well and given me many miles of fun. My original battery lasted for 14 years and I only replaced it because the window dip was malfunctioning. Everything else was fine. I document all maintenance and I realized that I had one calendar year when I spent exactly 0 (zero) dollars in maintenance. Not even an oil change, which I do every 3 to 5 thousand miles, but it didn't need one that year because I did one in December of the prior year, then January of the following year. It's also the best looking car on the road. I bought my car in July 2005 and I don't regret it one bit.
When you do have problems or questions, this is the place to be. There is a great wealth of knowledge and people eager to help.
For years I put regular gas in the car but since I don't drive it as much anymore, now it's only brand name premium. I didn't have any problems with regular, but I want the better gas with detergents, etc. to keep things clean and I feel that I don't need to use injector cleaner as much, if at all, now. With your mileage you don't need to replace your plastic timing chain tensioners and guides with metal ones soon, but you will have to. Start making a plan. Other than that, things that you need will be apparent. Green fluid dripping from the top of the windshield will tell you to address hydraulic hoses for the convertible top. Orange dust around the top of the front shock absorbers will tell you that the mounts need to be replaced. When the engine quits for lack of fuel, you will replace the fuel pump, or you can do that before it dies. I removed the fuel tank to replace the fuel pump and I'm glad I did. Others cut a hole in the rear shelf since the fuel tank is behind the rear seat.
I've had very good luck with the car being garaged. Weather is an enemy of most any machine. If you can garage it, and if the car was garaged by previous owners, you are ahead of the game.
Good luck and have fun!

 

1lowufoo,

Welcome to the forum and +1 to stu’s Advice above.

You’re in possession of a powerful, beautiful convertible that will need care and attention.

Do you have any service history on the car? This is important as some problems may have already been taken care of. In my case a previous owner had my engine changed under warranty.

Hope you’re handy with a wrench in the garage as this will keep the cost of ownership down. Otherwise you’ll need a fat wallet if you pay professional garages to fit relatively minor jobs.

As I am an amateur home DIY shade tree mechanic, my 99 XK8 convertible has been relatively easy to work on. Servicing oil, air filters etc is dead easy. Parts aren’t that expensive with many cheaper Ford cross-over and Lincoln parts that will fit. Some plastic trim parts are becoming rare and expensive though. For these eBay seems to have most.

A short list of things to inspect on your car
1. Engine cooling system- clean coolant in expansion tank, cap ok, hoses etc esp. as it’s an Aluminium block so overheating is an engine killer
2. Suspension - age rather than mileage means rubber deteriorates. Check ride height, bounce, bushes etc
3. Inspect hydraulic hoses for the convertible top - 2 min job to pull out trunk RHS wall trim to check condition of hoses at the hydraulic pump. Try not to touch the plastic wire connectors as they embrittle with age.

You’ll need an OBD2 code reader - cheap will do for now - to plug into the car as these DTCs codes will enable you to quickly diagnose what is wrong.

Enjoy the car’s ride and these Jag’s have always been real head turners.

 

Welcome to this forum. You are in for quite a 'Ride', pun intended. Our cars are great to own, but do require constant attention. If this is your primary ride, better invest in backup(primary) car. That being said you have come to the best place for really good(and sometimes a bit questionable) information. Go over this forum to learn all the available info(XK Bible, other parts). We all enjoy our rides to the fullest, most of the time.

 

Thanks very much to all, by not only taking the time to respond, but also for your information. As I said in the beginning, the car has had one owner for 21 years, and 56K miles, and I have a listing below of what 'CarFax' has told me about. I never thought I would own a Jag, as all my other cars have been 6 cylinder or 4. I bought the car for $7500, which seems good to me. I guess it was owned by a wealthy Gent, as painted on the doors, above the handles, is 'Wellington Farms' ! The Car is flawless, Brit Green w/ Tan top, and leather int. painted wheels with no 'rash' not chrome.
CarFax info:
@5200K miles Brake light switch replaced.
@9200K miles Thermostat housing/gasket replaced
Lower control arm bushings replaced
@23000 Battery replaced
@29000 Throttle body replaced
Seems all work was done at the same Jaguar/Land Rover Dealership

 

Read up on secondary chain tensioners before starting the engine again, and convince yourself the plastic parts have been replaced with the proper 3rd gen metal parts...

 

I assume that the thermostat housing replacement means that the plastic one is gone in favor of a metal one. That's a standard task that we all know well and relatively cheap and easy.
One owner is a good sign. At least you can get good answers to your questions.

 

This post should have been all CApS IMHO lol. You are at prime mileage to lose your complete engine if this has not been addressed. Ask the dealership if they did this job and if not get it done now! My timing chain snapped on my previous 98 because of these cheap plastic chain tensioners. “Luckily” for me I was in a parking lot and it snapped on startup so it “only” cost me $3k for the new chain and guides etc. If I had been driving it probably would have been a total engine loss $15k or whatever they are these days.

when I got my 01 at 23k miles 8 yrs ago I drove it straight to the shop and had the plastic tensioners replaced with metal ones for about $800.

 

I bought a 2000 xk8 Convertible last fall, 53K miles, body in great shape!. Only "known/disclosed" issues were a squeak above the visor and separated dimming fluid in the mirror.
The squeak turned out to be worn front suspension system "donut pads". The fuel pump failed and left me stranded. The mirror was sent off, after the mechanic broke my windshield and was repaired for about $150. Recently the hydraulic hoses for the front "claw" that grabs and secures the top failed. Cruise control needed a new brake switch so that it would engage. And a few other minor repairs.
So I got a great price, and have invested 75% of the purchase price in repairs.
Spent a bit more on repairs than I expected, but it is more fun and I expected, and I'm hoping I've reached the end of the big repairs.!!!

 

I have a '99 convertible. I did the timing chains and tensioners myself. I have previous experience with engines. If you don't have this experience fine someone that works on Jags and English cars. But get this done NOW! After buying my car with 70,000 on it the parts I took out were beat up. I was lucky. There is an excellent video on the forum with pictures that I used and the job went well. Make sure the parts are third generation.
Good Luck
Mitch

 

Those are normal wear and tear things for these cars. BUT...the replacement of the plastic CAM chain tensioners is MANDATORY! Mileage doesn't matter. DO IT NOW! If you are mechanically adept you can do it yourself. A little help makes it easier. There are tutorials on this site, and a set of cam lockdown tools available to rent. It's not hard, just time-consuming and finicky. Having it done at a shop will be $thousands.

 

Welcome to the forum and congrats, you'll LOVE the XK8, it's an awesome high performance car with a few things to watch out for and if you don't mind a little DIY, this forum will save you plenty. Also, share your adventures with us. For me, the tensioners were a HUGE issue, nearly lost the motor, they were all cracked and ready to go. That was a WHEW moment for sure. I've also replaced the shocks, and all the components, when you hear/feel the front wheels rubbing against the wheel well on a tight turn, that's when I knew it was ready to replace. Finding a high quality mechanic that can fix the problems you can't AND at a reasonable price is key, the dealership will charge you out the nose and usually with the wrong diagnosis.

I buy a lot of my replacement parts from rock auto. Usually OEM or comparable at low prices. As mentioned, fluids need to be spot on, especially coolant. Mix with the wrong one and you end up with goo. I replaced the water pump, the original was plastic and it was completely shredded. I flushed the motor, replaced the pump and added fresh coolant. Stays cool as a cucumber even in the desert heat with A/C running.

Also, make sure the battery is strong. This car is VERY sensitive when it comes to voltage and you'll get all kinds of errors if the battery is not strong and charged.

 

As previously said check those upper chain tensioners, its not the miles its the age of the plastic. An absolute must, I'm another one that had them go while I was parked so engine ok.

 

Does my 2006 XK8 have the plastic tensioners?

I thought I'd be among the low milage people, 47,000. But look at these guys with older XK8s with milage in the 50's!

 

No. Many of the weaknesses had been addressed by the arrival of the 4.2.

Mileage isn't really a yardstick:- 'wear-out' items will be less of an issue, but the 'age-out' stuff will still need attention. Proper maintenance is the key.