A very "Practical" Classic

[Dave Eynon]

I've recently read a lot of the posts on the X-type and wondered how many share my view that this is, possibly, the last of the Jags that you can own and maintain in the manner of the other Classic Jaguars? They are affordable, practical, well equipped and repairs can be undertaken by the DIY car enthusiast. There is a Haynes Workshop Manual to provide the technical information and guidance, and great spares availability too. Surely these cars provide the same Jaguar experience that I bought into in 1982 with my first XJ S1? What's not to like about the X-type? The first compact Jaguar saloon since the Mk1/2 and there derivatives? (2.0 / 2.5 / 3.0 and diesels?). Luxury or Sports?
If you enjoy all aspects of classic car ownership but want a car that can be driven all year round and looks like a traditional Jag, buy one while you still can.
Dave Eynon
X-Type Coordinator

[Astromorg]

Hear, hear Dave
My wife and I had a 2.5 X type SE Auto for 14 years and the current 3.0 Sovereign Auto for for the last couple of years covering the best part of 100,000 miles in them without ever being let down by either.
Highly recommended

[jeff1954]

The engines are probably the best part of these cars. Iv'e been doing some research for a friend of mine who want's to buy one and to be honest Iv'e told him not to waste his money. The reason I came to this conclusion is because of body corrosion.

[Astromorg]

MY2004 and later have a better 'internal drainage system so corrosion is much less of a problem, especially if, as in all used car purchases, you look around for a good one. And there are still many good ones out there or you wouldn't see so many X types on the road with valid MoTs

[Dave Eynon]

Well, that's a very sweeping statement and could have prevented someone enjoying a great car. A cheap poorly maintained X-type, like any car is best avoided. Choose wisely and look after it and its a wholly different experience.
Lets see how the X-type display at Bicester goes and perhaps it will help to overcome some of the prejudices that exist towards these Jaguars.

[Jades]

I find the Haynes' very useful for helping me to decided which jobs I will be able to do myself with the skills and resources I have and which I would be better off paying someone else to do for me.

When one of my Xenon headlamps failed, first going pink and then a pale blue that didn't cast much light, I had a look at the Haynes'. After reading the instructions for the various steps involved I got to the bit where it said to take the front bumper off, at which point I decided it was going to go off to the nearest Jaguar main dealer for them to do it (and then it had to go back to them again to have the alignment corrected as they didn't check it during quality control).

On the other hand, extracting an unwanted passenger from my rear light cluster (a dead spider) was something I did myself as I had the tools to do it and some instructions in the Haynes (although these didn't cover removing the sidewall carpet around the optical drive, which was a bit of a clart. In the end I had to remove the light cluster from the car and dislodge the spider with a paint brush and shake it out of the housing.

By comparison with that replacing the rear window outer waist seals was pretty straightforward.

Next job is having the alloys refurbished, ideally I would've had this done before Bicester but I hadn't counted on them having a three week waiting list.

[Astromorg]

Oh Jades, I'm disappointed , so let me encourage you for next time

If you're confident enough to invest in a Haynes Manual, I bet you're good/brave enough and equipped enough to take off an X type bumper. Honestly. It really is just a number of small size nuts and bolts and a soft surface to lay it down on.

The only complications that might be met are, first, headlight washers - they operate every 5 (or 6?) operations of the screen wash/wipe while lights are on. Grab each jet when it emerges and put a clothes peg on it to hold it out while you carefully unclip the end cover, then let it go back.

Second might be front Park Assist sensors - but just one multiway connector to disconnect.

And third, it's got to be said, rust! The screws and spire nuts that hold the undertray to the bumper are usually troublesome and are best carefully ground out ( don't over heat them doing this - it melts the undertray!) and replaced with new stainless screws and good quality spire nuts that don't seem to be available in stainless . Doing this will pay off many times during future maintenance jobs!

[Jades]

Oh Jades, I'm disappointed , so let me encourage you for next time

If you're confident enough to invest in a Haynes Manual, I bet you're good/brave enough and equipped enough to take off an X type bumper.

You owe me three pounds and fifty pence. The main reason you've lost the bet is the "equipped" bit. The last car that fit in our garage and the driver could exit from through the driver's door was Mam's second Vauxhall Nova. Dad just managed to get her brand new 02 Corsa in between the uprights but quickly realised that he would be unable to get out of the car. Mam took this news in good spirits and gave Dad permission to change the garage into a workshop for building his model railways.

Now, this may seem like a good opportunity to say "Ah ha! Jades has a workshop!" but it's Dad's workshop and is focussed towards model engineering, not automotive engineering, and there is even less space in there for a car now than there was before. The only safe place I would have to do big jobs in is the drive, if I could persuade The Parents to move their cars off the drive and park somewhere else so I can shift the X-Type off the road.

Even then I don't currently have any ramps (Dad got rid of his quite some time before I bought the X-Type) let alone a trolley jack and axle stands. Quite fancy buying some, to be honest, but the main issue is storage space. Oh, and I'm not thin any more!

Thanks for the tips though, one thing David didn't mention at the start of this thread (but has mentioned in the mag) is that we have a number of forums at our disposal, through the JEC and also in other places on the web. They're full of people who are happy to help relative newbies such as myself and I really appreciate all of the help, advice and banter I've had since the fateful day I decided I wanted to buy a Jag.

[Dave Eynon]

Hurray! I love this enthusiasm for the X-type. Meeting and talking with owners at Bicester and the Breakfast Club at Gaydon there is a healthy interest for these cars. Long live the X-type!

[Astromorg]

Mentioning 'other forums' raises an observation that has always had me puzzled;

The UK site, jaguarforum.com, X type section with over 30k threads and over 300k messages, has more than twice the content of the next most popular model, the S type, and the other models of all years fade away behind them both.

On the US forum, jaguarforums.com, (note the plural!), the X100 section is understandably tops at 25k threads, but the X type comes a strong second at 19k with the S type and X308 closing at 17k.

I have belonged to both those Forums for many years and the membership is invariable enthusiastic and in many cases very knowledgeable, but I wonder how many belong to the JEC?

[Dave Eynon]

Yes interesting observation and one that I think the JEC recognises cannot be ignored. So many owners now use on line forums and facebook etc ahead of other conventional routes to engage with other enthusiasts. Ray Searles, in his Chairman's Chatter in the July mag, is asking for help in the social media area. We must also engage with owners who prefer this means of sharing and communicating with owners over the traditional hard copy magazine. There is tremendous enthusiasm for the X-type out there which we need to be part of as well.

[Jades]

I know of a couple of regular posters on jaguarforum.com who are also members of the JEC but am not sure how many there are in total, it doesn't seem to be a topic that comes up much. I did mention a number of times that I was going to Bicester with my X-Type but don't recall anyone else in the X-Type section saying they were also going. There were a few who said they were going to the Jaguar Breakfast Club event at Gaydon however.

[Dave Eynon]

Could it be that forums and social media platforms align with the informality of breakfast meets? Communicating on line ensures it can be arranged quickly or cancelled if need be. Breakfast meets impact less on your time and with more of them there is likely to be one near you.
I also went to the Gaydon meet on the Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it.