Am I mad?

[ianoliver57]

Considering buying a 2006 X350, import from Japan, pristine condition, no rust at all, full service history, one owner and a genuine 30,000 miles. V6 3 litre. Question is, am I mad? If not, then are there any issues or areas that may cause concern despite the very low milage? Are there any age related issues, belts, bushes etc to watch out for or expect?
Any thoughts?

Regards

Ian.

[ptjs1]

Ian,

Many of the ex-japan cars that I have seen have been in extraordinarily good condition, and clearly well-maintained.

However, one issue may be that it is sometimes difficult to get a clear transcript and proof of what servicing & maintenance has been undertaken on a japanese import.

- whilst a low mileage car may well be expected to be in better condition than a high-mileage car, the lack of mileage may indicate that certain maintenance tasks have not been undertaken. For example, it is quite likely that the car may not have had its autobox fluid & filter changed, or coolant, diff fluid, brake fluid etc. But the age of the car would mean that all of these should have been done in the last 24 months, despite the low mileage.

So, go into it with your eyes open, try and gather as much info on the maintenance history, and price in the cost of changing ALL fluids and filters, particularly the autobox.

Good luck

Paul

[ianoliver57]

Excellent advice, exactly what I was looking for. If I go ahead with it, then the first trip will be to Douglas at Prestige Jaguar to attend to those points. Then, off to the local unit for full underseal.
Thanks for the guidance.

Regards

Ian.

[PaulGover]

Given the X350 has an aluminium body and should have plastic undertrays, there's almost nothing you can underseal. There are steel subframes and other bits that probably could do with their paint being repaired/overcoated with stonechip or whatever, but the undertrays then turn out to be a problem. On my 2008 car, trying to remove the torx-head retaining screws usually results in the screw snapping - they've rusted solid into their clips. The local Jaguar dealer has clearly had the same problem while doing work for me, as several of the screws are missing - thankfully there are so many of them the undertrays aren't flapping.

While overhauling the suspension compressor, I found I could get the LHF wheel arch liner's screws out, and from there get to spray penetrating oil on the clips for the front under-panel, and had that worked I could probably have worked round the rest of the undertrays with a gentle application of brute force to get the penetrating oil onto the nearest clips. Unfortunately, even the penetrating oil had no effect

My plan, when I have enough spare time, is to buy a load of new clips, and deliberately snap the remaining seized screws and replace the lot - though I've not actually tried removing the clips, so this might turn out to be a pipe-dream.

[ptjs1]

Good points Paul.

On my 04 X350, the first thing I did when I bought it in 2011 was to undo all of the undertrays. I did that primarily to service the engine and autobox but realised that those screws were likely to get seized. I coppereased all of them before install. I then did the wheel arch liners etc and all undid except one screw that was seized, which I replaced. After that, they all came undone easily for repeated maintenance and repairs, and were coppereased each time on refitting.

I'd strongly suggest that any X350 owner should remove all the trays and wheel liners etc, change any seized screws and apply copperease before refitting. You'll thank me next time you come to a maintenance job!

Paul

[ianoliver57]

Slight change of plan. The 2006 XJ6 was sold on the morning I was considering it. However, I have since agreed to buy a 2009 XJ8 Sovereign 4.2 with just 32000 miles. Full history and a translator app on my I phone! Looking forward to it and I will certainly mention the issues with the under floor panels to Prestige Jaguar guys when it goes in for a once over and fluid change. I suspect they will already be aware of the under floor problems. Post pics when I take delivery. Happy days and thanks for the advice.

Regards

Ian.

[ianoliver57]

Pic attached. Being delivered on the 11th March.

[JimMann]

Hi Ian, very nice acquisition. You should be registering to bring it along to our Scottish Jaguar Enthusiasts Day on Saturday, the 29th of June 2024 at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow. See the information on the link below. Any problems, send me a PM and I will follow up.

https://jec.org.uk/regions/events/scott ... -gathering

Jim M.

[ptjs1]

Ian,

Lovely-looking car! Well done!

I loved my 4.2 X350. Probably the best long-distance everyday car that I owned.

I bet you're looking forward to it arriving. Let's see some more pics!

Paul