My wifes 2005 XK8 burst one of the hydraulic hoses going to the roof latch about a year ago, and i have been avoiding fixing it. I first called a local jag dealership and inquired about the cost to replace both hoses and after getting a quote of 3500 dollars i decided to order hoses and fix myself. This job was very time consuming but only cost me about 400. 350 for hoses, and 50 for fluid and the jaguar sticker on the aluminum kick plate.

 

Good job, eeb89. I would have advised you to get the rams rebuilt, but what the heck, no leaks and you are good to go.


Well done. Wayne

 

Glad you got it fixed, it is time to go topless.

For anyone reading this thread in the future I recommend the hose that Gus talks about. It has much higher tolerances and should never burst.

JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

 

another option (at least for my 99 )is to eliminate the top latch from the system and operate manually. block the ports for the top at the pump.... then open the latch manually ...lower the top ....lower the latch... usually have to hit the switch again for the latch to register closed ... reverse the procedure for raising the top.

 

There are details on doing this in my sig. line below.

 

Why have the car if you are unable to operate it the way it was intended.

 

Because some owners prefer the simplicity of a manual top. Knowing what I know about the Rube Goldberg-designed ragtop system in our XK8s, I certainly would....

 

I still do not get it!

 

Last Saturday was the first time I popped the top in quite a while--shame on me. But I was going to Queen's English and the weather was great so I pushed the button, held my breath, and hoped for the best. Top went down flawlessly. I shouldn't be as concerned as I am since I had replaced both the hoses and pump and also installed the LSI valve.

Of course the Jaguar gods have a sense of humor since when I got home and leaned the seat forward I discovered my headrest fix (which I had done at least twice before) had once again failed. Gives me something to fix.

Doug

 

Hey Gus, have you ever heard of the hose you found having issues. I still only open and close the top with the car off to reduce the voltage a bit, but I probably do not need to do that with the much better hoses.

 

sometimes finances dictate what you can and cant do .

 

No problems with the beaded hoses.

 

$3,500 is nuts.


I ran my top a few months ago and saw one drop of fluid at the header. I knew what that meant and decided not to operate the top until I got the hoses replaced. I bought hoses from Top Hydraulics...


Top Hydraulics | Rebuilt and Upgraded Convertible Top Cylinders, Pumps, Hydraulic Lines - Top Hydraulics, Inc


Rebuild/Upgrade Service for '96-'06 Jaguar XKR/XK8 Convertible Hydraulic Components - Top Hydraulics, Inc


Rebuild/Upgrade Service for '96-'06 Jaguar XKR/XK8 Convertible Hydraulic Components (2) - Top Hydraulics, Inc


Two front hoses at $150 each. I had a dealer install them for around $1,000.


They did a good job with the hoses. They messed up about 4 other things while they had the car. The mechanic is a slob. They put those right, but I will never let them touch the car again because of this issue.


That said... I use my top a lot. I am a convertible guy. All works well. The top on these cars puts Rube Goldberg to shame. Hey, maybe he was on the Jag payroll.


But if the top does not work I do not need or want the car. I use the top when I want. If it fails I will either fix it again or dump the car. This is the first convertible top I have owned that was not manual. Manual is better. But I do love this car.


Jack

 

I agree--$3,500 sounds absolutely insane. If I am unlucky enough to get a leak again, I would probably buy the hoses on my own--either the ones Gus talks about (Colliflower?) or the upgraded ones from Top Hydraulics. I probably would not go to the dealer for the install but would use one of the two or three independents I deal with. It sounds like novices are able to do the job in 6 to 8 hours and even at $125 an hour, we are looking at labor in the neighborhood of $1,000.

Doug

 

Yep. I think the time per the flat rate book is 7.5 hours. Believe it or not the dealer had the car for 5 days!! They were not able to get the top to operate after the install. Turned out to be air in the lines that needed to work its way out. And this issue is not even one of the four that will keep me from returning!! Hey, they gave me a loaner for no charge for the week they had the car.


Not sure anybody can back up $3,500 for this job.


The worst part of this whole issue is the damage caused by the green shower to everything the fluid touches. And possibly being stuck out on the road somewhere with the top not latched. That is why I had it repaired as soon as I saw the first drop. The laughable engineering and the cost of fixing it is just a bonus.


Jack

 

I also have Top Hydraulics on my page for you to look at and to date know of no problems with them.

 

I put in new Top Hydraulic hoses (also rebuilt rams) and Gus's LSI about 6 months ago. In addition, I put in thejagwrangler's remote control top module. It used to make me nervous to lower the top so I didn't do it as often. Not anymore. I lower the top now all the time. Even for short runs. I can't imagine doing it manually and/or not at all. The car feels more like a luxury convertible now that I can work the top remotely and not have to worry about green showers.

 

I had the infamous green shower about 4 years ago, had my mechanic order hoses custom made from a local hose maker. Had some trouble at the beginning with seepage from the fittings, and I installed Gus' pressure reduction system. I put the top down at least 355 days per year, and have not had a problem. One thing that I do, however, when putting the top down, is I "help" it. When first pressing the down button, I push up on the headrail to 'unstick" it from the seals. This is obviously when the most pressure and most motor effort is required to start the descent. All I can say is I have operated the top at least 1400 times since replacing the hoses and the ram, and no issues.

I dread having said this as the Jaguar spirits are casting their evil eyes at me right now.

 

I meant to say Braided Hoses

 

The beaded hoses are for XK8 ragtop owners who followed the Grateful Dead around the country back in the day....