Hello,
Probably time I try to get my plastic chain tensioners in my 2000 XK8 replaced. It has 42,000 miles, but from what I'm seeing on the forum, it's just a ticking time bomb due to age either way. Does everyone agree to get this fix accomplished?

I've found some REALLY bad shops close to where I live (Northern Virginia). Does anyone have any suggestions for an HONEST RELIABLE and COMMUNICATIVE Jaguar shop in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, or Pennsylvania that could do this work? I know it requires some time, specialty tools, and expertise that I don't have. Thanks for any tips.

-Chris

 

English Auto in Odenton, MD.

 

Thank you, I will look into this shop.

 

If you can, recommend visit. Manager and mechanics that know the car. Clean, well organized and ideally some XK8's being serviced. FYI best estimate I've gotten is 2,575 (+ sale tax). The right shop makes all the difference. Good luck!

 

You could check out London Auto Services, LTD, in Falls Church, VA. It's been many years since I've been there, but they did a lot of Jaguar work.

 

Thanks, but London Auto is the shop that I had a horrendous experience with and I would never even consider them.

 

Chris, here's another cc: of Jag shops in your general area. FYI full tensioner replace (4 tensioners, chains, guides, etc) out here is 2,800 (including 8.5% CA sales tax). Hopefully prices back
there are lower.

 

Ok, did a quick look at that list. Top Line Jag Repair looks interesting. Check out the picture!

 

Thanks, but Top Line is the first shop I had problems with. They just threw parts at things instead of diagnose them. Tried to sell me some unnecessary repairs, poor communication. Very expensive. I was unhappy with them.

 

Sorry to hear. Hope someone in here can direct you to a good shop. Mine wasn't drivable when I bought it. Never again. Shop diagnosed and did repairs cheaper and faster than I could. Shop manager drove the car for a couple of days
(100 miles) to make sure repairs worked. For me it was a value add. I'm going to test drive cars to learn the breed. Am looking at a 2005 w/ 52k this morning. Asking is 10.9

Top on mine stopped working. Rear windows do go up/down and pump clicks weakly. Thanks to this forum I've got some basic info. I can check fluid level (and quality) and hydraulics. Manually unlock latch and lubricate. If it's the pump, my indie has donor parts cars so may have the used option.

 

I had great experience with both Chandler's and Abacusracing in Va Beach. I can tell you two not to go to in PA. Nothing worse than a bad mechanic who treats the car like a beater. My next PA attempt will be Coventry Motors in Lancaster County. Spoke them on the phone and they were honest and upfront regarding their capability. Chandlers is almost worth the 5 hour drive just for the service. Good luck.

 

Thanks for all the tips. I am currently looking into the shop in Odenton, MD. Will be visiting on Monday to scope it out a little. Got a rough estimate from them; a little high, but the DC area has crazy high rates for labor no matter where you go.

 

This may not be of any use, and I hate to sound snarky, but I had a bad experience with Chandlers in VA Beach. I made an appointment with them and took my car in there because it failed safety inspection due to the defroster not getting warm. I knew it was the heater pump (aux coolant pump), and I told them this. I've done this job before - on my 2001 VDP, and I felt like paying someone else to do it (I'm getting a little older now). Anyway, dropped the car off, waited until the next Friday afternoon before they closed and called them. They hadn't looked at it yet, but said they would change the thermostat and it would probably be ready to pick up late Monday. I said please don't, and picked the car up on Monday. I had told them they could check the heater motor continuity at the connector on the firewall. When I got home and looked at the car, they had broken the connector lock on the heater valve connector - not even the right one (when I picked it up they said they checked the continuity and it was fine). Long story short (too late for that), I got all the parts and hoses and replaced the heater pump and octopus and valley hoses, which it needed anyway, and the brushes on the old heater valve motor were gone. I lost the use of the car for a week, and paid ~$150 or so for "diagnostics".

 

Visited English Auto in Odenton, MD. They seem great, although much pricer than the estimates folks are providing here. I think everything is just crazy expensive in the Washington D.C. area. I have an appointment to drop off my car next week, so we'll see how it goes. Thanks again for the tips.

 

Got my car back from English Auto. Now that is how to run a shop! They were great, honest, cared about my car, shop was clean, uncluttered, unlike the other shops in Northern VA that looked more like a junkyard from the outside than a repair shop. These guys are former Jaguar dealership technicians from 1994-2006-ish, so they are experts at cars from this era. Took it in to get the plastic chain tensioners replaced, fluids changed, and intermittent trunk light fixed.

Even more great news, they took off the cam cover and the replacement had already been done in the past! The previous owner said it had not been changed, to his knowledge, which is why I took it in. What great news that is, saved me about $3,000. The shop replaced the fluids and replaced the trunk switch. Again, a little pricey, but well worth it in this case to get professionalism, honesty, and a reasonable price for the high quality of work received.

Thank you to WhiteXKR for the original suggestion. Although they are a good 75+ miles away from me, I was able to drop the car off and take the train home, while I wouldn't say it was convenient as far as time, it was great being able to get a ride home for only about $12. I couldn't imagine how much an Uber ride would be. I now have a good shop and I will continue to give them my business.

-Chris

 

Chris glad to hear things worked out so well. Sounds like a great shop. Man, you lucked out on the tensioners! Congrats.