Hello from Chelmsford

[P.L]

Hello there,

I am finally in XJS ownership for two weeks now and just wanted to give a quick hello and thank you!
Backed with loads of information from this forum and Paul's very helpful advise on the phone (Thank you very much for that again, Paul!) I was able to source a well looked after 1995 Celebration Coupe made in sapphire blue with cream interior.
She comes with 130 tmls on the clock and some obvious bits and bobs I am looking forward to put my hands on: A/C blower fans not working, passenger door release not working, stuck aerial, brakes kind of wobbling during the first few brake actions, driver's door slightly drops when opening, coolant temperature gauge sometimes slightly above N.
However, she feels alright, looks amazing and I keep my fingers crossed none of the above items turns out to be too serious.

I will come back to here in the near future and ask for more advise. Most probably I will show up somewhere to get an expert's eye judging my new pride and joy.

Thanks again and best regards,
Peter

[Neville]

Hi Peter

Welcome to the Wonderful world of the XJS. Had mine 2 1/2 years now, drive it everyday and love it. Search the forums on all the bits you mention and you will find previous threads with great information.

NevB

[ptjs1]

Peter,

Congratulations on your purchase and I'm glad that we're able to be of some help! Good colour combination as well!

The good news is that you're already experiencing some of the foibles of XJS ownership, so nothing will come as a surprise any more!

Some of the points that you've mentioned sound relatively minor and you'll be able to fix them over time; a few of them might require some more professional help.

As Neville has mentioned, if you use the Search function on the XJS section of the Bulletin Board, you can find a wealth of helpful advice. I would keep a very careful eye on that temperature gauge. It could be just a dodgy sensor but could easuly be a failing radiator due to fin erosion. See my brief article on the Intro Page of the XJS Forum pages accessible from "Model Forums" on the top menu of this page, for a bit more info.

Good luck with car. Come back and tell us all how you're getting on!

Paul

[XjRestorations]

Congratulations Peter - a fantastic choice of XJS to buy. I am sure it will provide you with many years of pleasure

All the best,
Keith

[P.L]

Thank you all for the warm welcome, I really appreciate it!

I decided to start with the easy stuff and did the aerial right away. The mast needed some hard work on the thin bush but finally came out. I can really recommend this gentleman on eBay known as car-masts-uk, he seems to know what he is talking about.
The door lock turned out to be a broken hinge with the lock assembly. I sourced a good used one and installed it - although working in the door isn't too comfortable - rather quickly.
Unfortunately I realised the electric cooling fan was completely stuck so this one needed replacement as well. The lower radiator fins are full of the obvious debris so I hope to be persistent enough to get it cleaned some day.
It seems the wobbling brakes are because of sluggish pistons on the driver's side calliper. This will probably need a professional to work on.

After all, still happy with my new cat

Thanks again,
Peter

[MikeB]

Welcome.

I'm 4 years in now and the pleasure still outweighs the worry

I've just solved slight wobble on my steering on initial braking by replacing the LH caliper. One of the 4 pistons was solid.

Recon caliper worked a treat. Green stuff pads offer more feel. Took a day to undo the brake pipe nut! Patience prevailed in the end.

Check your aux fan isn't seized, common fault. I replaced mine with an electric fan off ebay. Think it was 7 inch and fitted perfectly.

My rad went 3 months ago, so fitted an exchange recore. Took about a day in total. Temp guage is now rock solid just under N regardless of outside temp and air con settings.

Cheers now,

Mike.

[franrca]

Hi Peter

Welcome to XJS ownership, good to hear things are working out. If you need a recommendation of a local Jag specialist mechanic, although you sound like you get your hands dirty, I can recommend Alan Collins in Maldon (01621 852058). I've also been recommended the name and number of a bodywork specialist on Sunday by the Essex / Suffolk borders region, who I shall also be trying out in the near future and can supply details if you're interested at any point.

Richard