www.jec.org.uk

Hi,

I have the opportunity to purchase a v.late Dec 2003 '53 plate XJR at what I believe to be a great price.
Basically it was traded in recently and I could get it for the px price (c£1500 lower than the cheapest private/trader car I've seen).

The car has service history as follows;

(1yr/10000 stamp) 29/10/2004 10596m Supplying Jaguar Main Dealer
(2yr/20000 stamp) 01/03/2006 22237m Supplying Jaguar Main Dealer
(3yr/30000 stamp) 28/09/2006 30641m Supplying Jaguar Main Dealer
(4yr/40000 stamp) 15/06/2007 40112m Supplying Jaguar Main Dealer
(5yr/50000 stamp)
(6yr/60000 stamp) 29/08/2008 59370m Supplying Jaguar Main Dealer
(7yr/70000 stamp)
(8yr/80000 stamp) 04/06/2010 79816m Supplying Jaguar Main Dealer
(9yr/90000 stamp)
(10yr/100000 stamp) 20/11/13 99756m Jaguar Independent Specialist
(11yr/110000 stamp) 10/03/15 108996m Rolls Royce, Bentley Jaguar Specialists.
(12yr/120000 stamp) 05/03/16 112872m Rolls Royce, Bentley Jaguar Specialists.
(13yr/130000 stamp) 27/02/17 122984m Rolls Royce, Bentley Jaguar Specialists.

Additional paperwork shows;
01/2014 99463m Replaced 2x front lower shock bushes, 2x rear lower wishbones (Jaguar main dealer)
10/2014 104442m - Gearbox leak; replace gearbox electrical sleeve kit, sump filter kit & fresh oil (Rolls Royce, Bentley Jaguar Specialists)
03/2015 108996m - Service included; replace rear pads & discs, parking brake pads & cooling system header tank (Rolls Royce, Bentley Jaguar Specialists)
04/2015 110040m Remove bumper and replace washer tubes & jets (Rolls Royce, Bentley Jaguar Specialists)
07/2015 Aircon recharge (Formula One autocentre)
11/2015 replace n/s/r wheel sensor (Rolls Royce, Bentley Jaguar Specialists)
03/2016 112872m Service included; parking brake motor, n/s & o/s banana arm bushes & brake fluid change (Rolls Royce, Bentley Jaguar Specialists)
11/2016 replace: nsr & osr suspension arms, front pads & discs, osf caliper, parking brake module, exhaust heat shield (Rolls Royce, Bentley Jaguar Specialists)
02/2017 112984m Service included; replace n/s parking brake cable (Rolls Royce, Bentley Jaguar Specialists)
05/2017 126464m Wheel alignment and 4x alloys balanced
05/2017 126484m Suspension fault, air compressor replaced. (Rolls Royce, Bentley Jaguar Specialists)
07/2017 126823m Coolant leak investigated - Valley pipe under supercharger replaced. (Rolls Royce, Bentley Jaguar Specialists)

The car now has c133K miles on the clock.

So I've read the forum top to bottom and therefore had an idea off issues know to the model.
Supercharger valley pipe (Replaced <8k miles ago)
Air suspension Compressor (Replaced <8k miles ago)
ZF Gearbox oil/pan change (completed <30k miles ago)

So is the service history too patchy (not all within 10k miles/1yr), but it is 14 years old.
Overall condition is absolutely superb inside and out.
No sunroof, no elec seats, no TV/rear screens.
Does have touch screen satnav.
Tiny, tiny amount of aluminium (reaction/corrosion?) on boot lid.
19" (unmarked) alloys with nearly new Dunlop 'Winter' Tyres fitted all round.
4 owners, so I would be 5th.

Currently due an MOT in the next couple of months, but going to take it along for a test (prior to purchase) and see if there are any problems.

So questions....
Is there anything I desperately need to check?
At a price sub £4k does it sound worth taking the punt?

XJR is an itch that I'd really love to scratch!

Any help would be appreciated

sorry meant to say no HEATED seats. the seats are very much electric, with memory!

The car appears to have been rather better schedule serviced than most examples on the market. The history is very complete. Also good is out of schedule records. That is a very big plus point. I`d say it was well worth a punt.

A few comments then.

There doesn`t seem to be any mention of front wheel bearing cartridges ever having been replaced. In my experience they never last much more than 90k. I`d jack the car at the front and spin the wheels, listening for bearing noise and feeling top to bottom and left to right for any play. Cartridge bearings can be found for around £70 per unit.

The gearbox service appears late. Really it should have occurred at each and every 60k service interval. The same for the supercharger oil change. I`d also have diff oil changed immediately if you can`t find ant record of it occurring.

The replacement of the under charger valley heater pipe is a big bonus. Removal of the charger is not easy, funny or nice. So little spanner swinging room at the back of the engine. Too much stuff in too small an area. It is very rare to find an XJR or Super V8 with that work actioned.

Panel corrosion is not that big an issue. Aluminium corrosion is not usually subject to much erosion or pin holing. Provided W&D production paper or any steel tools containing carbon are avoided in the initial oxidisation removal process and aladine based two pack primer such as U-poxy is used, paint repairs then follow the usual repair methodology. I do all my own paint repair jobs to professional standards with aerosol Holts paint specially mixed at Halfords for about £16 a can, with off the shelf clear lacquer being used on top of the colour coat. See my paint repair threads on this X350 bodywork site.

Do check air con function and also that when you set the heating on the touch screen panel using the face vent image, ensure you set the heat level to high and ensure you have really hot air coming out of the vents either side of the clock. Colder on one side indicates a partial blockage in the twin core heater matrix. No heat at all suggests axilary heater pump failure.

I see the header tank has been replaced. The top stub pipes can break off due to sustained heat embittlement. Its replacement is another point in the cars favour.

Sad to hear there are no heated seats. I have to say they are a Godsend in cold weather. A cold bum is no fun!

I think you might have found a good car. Test drive, check gearbox works well, that the engine pulls strongly with no nasty noises and that the suspension is firm but definitely not un-compliantly hard. Listen for suspension noise. Bonk-thonk indicates ARB bush wear. Replacement requires sub-frame lowering and suspension re-alignment once bushes have been changed. Click-clack indicates ARB to lower suspension arm links are shot. Replacement parts are not expensive and all four links can be changed in an hour.

I always advise getting a prospective car on the ramp and checking for obvious defects. Also HPI check the car to ensure it is not a write off, has been stolen, is wanted by the authorities or owes finance. UK Vehicle is a good site which usually only charge a fiver for a comprehensive status check. Using that facility avoided me buying a CAT D car. That was a lucky escape!

Go and have a close look at the car and come back to us if you have any issues.

Happy hunting. That car sounds a good prospective purchase.

Mike

Sounds a cheap-ish way to scratch the itch if nothing else. You can always move up the ladder later if it turns you on. I discounted a bargain low mileage £4500 03 XJR a year ago because it had no heated seats. Mistake really.

Thanks for the reply Mike, lots of good information


“The car appears to have been rather better schedule serviced than most examples on the market. The history is very complete. Also good is out of schedule records.”

I was concerned that some of the stamps were blank and others were over 1year or 10K apart. Normally advice is to try and get a complete service history.
But given her age now (she was 14yrs old on Xmas eve!), I think it’s more about condition/records/how its been treated and it appears (certainly byt the last owner at least) to have been looked after. I suspect there will be ongoing issues along with regular maintenance in between services anyway, as is the normal case when running an older car.


“There doesn’t seem to be any mention of front wheel bearing cartridges ever having been replaced. In my experience they never last much more than 90k. I’d jack the car at the front and spin the wheels, listening for bearing noise and feeling top to bottom and left to right for any play. Cartridge bearings can be found for around £70 per unit.”

Unfortunately, besides the service books etc, I only have additional paperwork pertaining to the last owner (c4 years worth) so it may be these items were done as part of the previous services (stamped in the book) that I don’t have paperwork for... but yes I intend taking it for an MOT (the current one expires in March), and getting a mechanic friend to give it a thorough going over.


“The gearbox service appears late. Really it should have occurred at each and every 60k service interval. The same for the supercharger oil change. I’d also have diff oil changed immediately if you can’t find any record of it occurring.”

Again both of these items were listed amongst the paperwork of the past 4 years, and were also only as a result of rectifying faults; gearbox oil leak and coolant leak.
My question then; it doesn’t mention an oil change on the Supercharger separately or are you saying that the oil had to be changed because the charger was removed to fix the valley pipe? If not then potentially it still needs doing…
Similarly the diff oil may have been done under a service (for which there is no paperwork), but definitely worthwhile to do it and then know its done.


“Panel corrosion is not that big an issue”

Literally all I can find is some very, very minor bubbling on the boot lid on both corners, where it meets the bottom of the rear pillars/rear screen. I will most likely just monitor it for now.


“Do check air con function and also that when you set the heating on the touch screen panel using the face vent image, ensure you set the heat level to high and ensure you have really hot air coming out of the vents either side of the clock. Colder on one side indicates a partial blockage in the twin core heater matrix. No heat at all suggests auxilliary heater pump failure.”

Aircon definitely works - nice and cold, but I'll take your advice and test out the heater to confirm if there are any blockages.


“I see the header tank has been replaced. The top stub pipes can break off due to sustained heat embrittlement. Its replacement is another point in the cars favour.”

This was actually in response to a leak (apparently).


“Sad to hear there are no heated seats. I have to say they are a Godsend in cold weather. A cold bum is no fun!”

I could always look to retrofit them if the parts came up cheaply enough, but otherwise I can live without them.


“I think you might have found a good car. Test drive, check gearbox works well, that the engine pulls strongly with no nasty noises and that the suspension is firm but definitely not un-compliantly hard. Listen for suspension noise. Bonk-thonk indicates ARB bush wear. Replacement requires sub-frame lowering and suspension re-alignment once bushes have been changed. Click-clack indicates ARB to lower suspension arm links are shot. Replacement parts are not expensive and all four links can be changed in an hour.”

I have already driven the car for a short run, and been driven-in it (both as front and rear passenger), and it drives smoothly, changes gear nicely and stops on the button! All electrics work as they should.
I heard/felt a bit of a ‘clonk’ going over bumps/potholes from the n/s/f, but I’m not sure yet if it’s a bush issue or just 19" rims and hard suspension!
I am in the enviable position that my brother’s dealership took the car in PX, he took a shine to it and took it home (with a view he may buy it as a ‘toy’). I expressed an interest and he’s ‘currently’ giving me first refusal.
This means that I have some time to do some investigating/poking around first, and unless I find something horrendous and choose not to proceed, he’ll probably keep it anyway.


“I always advise getting a prospective car on the ramp and checking for obvious defects.”
As I say the plan is to get it MOT’d and then a mechanic friend to give it the once over before committing.


I’ll keep you posted, but hope to be an XJR owner soon!

Cheers
Carl

Hello Carl,

The charger oil change is mentioned on the 60k service schedule. It may or may not have been actioned. The same for the diff oil. One never really knows how diligently maintenance was carried out...its all down to the techi and whether he is running behind schedule on the allotted hours needed to satisfy his hours allocation. Sometimes, maintenance also gets missed because the guy doing it really doesn`t give a stuff! My car had what appeared to be a reasonably good Stratstone stamped history. The actuality of the matter was that when I started opening up suspect areas, I found some real horrors. That`s a second hand car for you. All part of the perils.

Gearbox oil and sump/filter at or before 60k. The same with charger oil. Diff oil is at 90k but in my experience would be better to do it every 50k. Diff oil takes a real sheer stress hammering can be sucked out looking like totally lifeless grey/green gravy. Better safe than sorry in all cases.

Check anti-roll bar bushes at the front end to attempt to find that knock. That means removal of the engine under-tray...sometimes a nause as fixings can corrode very badly...out comes the angle grinder at that point. Not nice!

Mike