Buying Advise

[MichaelSB]

I am off to view a XJS celebration coupe this evening one owner plus demo any advise welcome
Michael

[Brakebuster]

well,

where to start...

the more history , the better,

look for rust around the rear arches, especially down round the sill section where the radius arms are mounted, just by the rear jacking point, front wings, tops , bottoms and fronts, if the bottom has gone, so will the inner front sill,
seatbelt mounting points, just under there the door handles, rust can only be seen from inside the car though, give it a push through the carpet, it shouldnt give, if it does and sounds ' crunchy ' then its rusty

and rust in the rear buttress by the back window , hard to repair

and rust down below the damper mounts under the bonnet, the skin rots through from the inside out,

look at my ' rusty ' topics on this very forum, it will tell you loads about where they rust

engine dependent, just look for service history, smoke, and oil leaks, make sure the air-con is cold, if not, i bet it wont be just a 're-gas'

suspension bushes and springs etc,

hop some of this helps

BB

[MichaelSB]

Thanks BB I will commit as much as poss to memory
Michael

[MichaelSB]

OK just got back from viewing the car and it is pretty much as described except the air/con does not get cold.
To be fair the car has seen very little use in the past few months and the owner suggested it could be a recharge.
However before I make an expensive mistake what is the likely cost of a fix if it is not just a recharge?

Thanks again
Michael

[almcl]

Michael

What refrigerant has it got? If it is R12, you may not be able to find anyone who can recharge it. In which case you'll need a conversion to something else. 134a is popular but would probably require a change of receiver drier, possibly new hoses, certainly new charging adaptors, replacing the compressor oil and then gassing with a suitable quantity of charge.

All this assumes that there aren't any leaks and that all components are sound and that there are no leaks (in which case where did the refrigerant go...?)

If it has 134a from new, then Halfrauds sell tins for £40 that can be used for topping up but a garage with the proper manifolds and gauges may only charge a little more than this and you have the advantage of being able to take it back if it doesn't work.

[MichaelSB]

Thanks AL
I will ask the owner what it has
M

[ptjs1]

Michael,

If it's a Celebration, it won't be R12, it will almost definitely be R134a. This is a difficult choice for you to make re the purchase. In my limited experience, cars don't need regassing unless they are leaking the gas from somewhere and therein may lie the problem. If it's a leak on a connection that is somewhere easy such as the engine bay such as the compressor, then a regas and reseal could be say £100. However, if you've got a leak on the aircon unit behind the dash, then you've got a problem. Professional repair could be circa £1000 as the amount of labour to get to the unit is considerable.

My suggestion, if you have the option, is to make the sale conditional on having it regassed but with the appropriate leak dye added as well. In that way, a specialist can immediately see where the problem is.

I hope this doesn't worry you, just thought that you should go into this with your eyes open.

Alternatively, you could just buy it on a worst-case scenario and assume that the aircon has a big problem and price it accordingly.

Good luck with your decision. Let us know what happens.

Paul

[MichaelSB]

Thanks Paul
I have emailed the seller to see what his thoughts are along the lines you suggest, the only other concern is the car still has the original exhaust which I would think has done well to last this long and I would want to fit a stainless system.
I now wait and see.
Michael

[ptjs1]

Michael,

The general quality of the exhaust is pretty good being of some form of stainless composition. Most late cars seem still to be on their original exhausts with perhaps just a replacement back box or two.

The real problem with the exhaust system on a Celebration is two-fold. They can be prone to cracks in one or both of the manifolds. I've had one go on mine a few years ago. Budget £200 each. You can't see the cracks easily even with the cover removed. However, sometimes you can hear it from dead cold as a slight tapping sound which then goes away as the manifold gets warm and seals the crack.

The other problem is where the catalyst down pipe goes from two into one just before the join to the intermediate pipe. There is a weld which forms the 2-1 joint. This is hidden behind the heatshield. It is prone to cracking. Mine completely split apart. A new pipe is a horrendous cost - nearly £1000. However, if you can get the pipe out and cut off the last 3 inches of the heatshield, the joint can usually be welded back - £30!!

If this weld is cracking, you can definitely hear it from underneath. But they are prone to just going without notice.

One last point, check for damp carpets in the front footwells. Water ingress around the screen can be a real nuisance. Often initially caused by blocks behind the side windscreen chrome drainage channels leading to corrosion in the screen surround. Open the door, then pour some water down the channels at the corners of the roof and make sure that it drains into the area just in front of the door pillar on the inner wing.

Good luck again.

Paul