www.jec.org.uk

Good day all,
My son is considering the purchase of a 2006 XJ 3.0 Petrol V6 model. Are there any aspects of this car that should be focused on in a pre sale inspection? Not being an Owner of this model it would be appreciated if any owners could assist, thanks in advance.

Hi,

Take a look in the x350 Forum website pages. General info there in "Buying an x350" & "Running an x350".

Check bottom of doors, front of boot lip, around headlights for corrosion.

Ensure the engine does not make a "dry" noise around rocker gear. Gears should engage immediately without a delay or harsh selection. Drive the car and ensure the transmission is smooth again with no harsh changes.

These cars are quite good reliability wise.

Make sure the car doesn`t wander all over the road. Check for rear brake pipe corrosion under panels at the back of the vehicle.

Get a feel for the car and look on ebay, Trovit, Gumtree, Preloved etc to get an idea for prices. Try to buy a car with a full service history. Buy the most perfect car you can find. Avoid cars with problems.

Just bought one myself.

Do a status report before you buy the car. Go to ukvehicle.com and run a check for £3.99 and ensure the car is not stolen, wanted or written off. Imperative you do that. i tripped over a Cat D the other day. One in twenty cars hide a secret.

Others will be along later and will give further advice.

Mike K

great car, cover the miles in huge numbers and wear those miles well, so look for condition, condition, condition and history, loads of good ones out there so ignore the tatty ones or ones that need work unless the price is right and you feel able to tackle problems. Interiors are long lived and hard wearing unlike previous XJ's, I had a 270K mile one here which was like new inside

common problems, easily fixed are odd electrical gremlins usually caused by bad earth points at the front of the car

other warning lights can be "air suspension fault" an easy fix if the bumper comes off, just a £15 piston ring in the compressor, at worst a used compressor will solve this one, "hand brake failure", usually a worn motor, the brake works as it should but the car will not pick up the correct signal , "restricted performance" is common on s/charge and devil juice cars and can be expensive, but 3.0 never seems to suffer , in fact 3.0 engines never suffer full stop!!

gearbox fluid needs changing at 80/100K allow £400 for a proper job

Suspension bushed DO wear and need to be 100% to give the car its magic carpet ride, bushes are available now for most if not all applications, not expensive, and not difficult to do if you have the right kit or a good local guy

other wise apart from regular maintenance that is about it, 350, great car, best jaguar built imo

Good day Mike & Rob
Many thanks for your assistance in the pointers to look at, will do lots of reading and checking the areas highlighted- let the journey begin
Steve H

happy to help where I can, call me if you need advice, numbers in the magazine or on the club officials page

Rob Jenner

Take a peek at this post which describes the purchase of my new to me, X350R.

http://www.jec.org.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=280&t=9799

Also of interest is a post on the importance of status checking a car before purchase and a list of Technical Service Bulletins applicable to the X350.

http://www.jec.org.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=9784
http://www.jec.org.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=280&t=9854

A good look at all sections of this X350 BB will be useful to you. There is a mountain of information available and it is definitely worth spending some research time getting to know the model before you take the plunge.

Mike K

Give me a ring anytime for further advice , this is a brilliant car and now becoming so cheap to buy.
Barry Wilkinson X 350 coordinator. ( number in the magazine)
Mike Kennedy has a fantastic technical knowledge as well , so just post here for any number of responses