X350 buying hints and tips.

[J44EAG]

Looking at buying an X350? These notes might help you.

There are three generations of model. Early cars run from MY53 plate up around 2005. VIN is from G00001 to G49700 for the earliest models.

Supercharged V8 models in this early series range are not fitted with variable valve timing which can make them slow away from a standing start. MY05 models gain VVT and have improved low speed tractability, more low down torque and 20 more horse power. That is a very useful rework which can make the model easier to drive. Moderate after market tuning equipment can help alleviate the slight sluggishness experienced with the first run of SC cars.

All supercharged models benefit greatly from having an after market 6% or 10% supercharger drive pulley conversion. This allows the supercharger to spin at a higher speed relative to engine rpm. The power comes in lower down the rpm range and makes the car less "all or nothing". It is a good mod to do.

Very early model MY53 cars can exhibit prop shaft issues. Spares for prop shafts are getting difficult to source but the after market can provide a new prop centre bearing unit which is unavailable from Jaguar. Avoid any cars with propshaft issues. Repairs could prove expensive. MY04> cars appear relatively free from this issue.

The middle of the series cars run from VIN G49700>. These are distinguishable by the lack of low level door protectors and a clear oval shaped front wing indicator repeater lamp in place of the long orange repeater found on the early cars. They feature various modifications. The V8R will be fitted with VVT units visible atop the front of the cam covers at the front of the engine.

Big bumper MY08 onwards models known as the X358 were seriously reworked with flush fit double glazing and a double bulkhead. Seating and trim levels were improved. External styling is more aggressive and build quality reached its peak. These are the cars to go for if your pocket is deep enough.

Corrosion issues tend to just be confined to to paint defects or break down. I have not heard of any structural corrosion issues which might affect the underbody. Paint finish on the steel sub-frames is non too clever. Most cars will show evidence of minor corrosion of those units but not enough to affect structural integrity.

The car features underbody aerodynamic under-trays. There is a large under engine tray and two rearward trays either side of the prop shaft. Steel screws and clips corrode badly which can make removal of the trays frustrating. Trays have to be removed even to get to the engine oil filter. There exist replacement clip kits on ebay which are somewhat better than the OE items. However, they still retain steel clips but have stainless bolts. The kits are a partial answer to the issue but not a whole. New clips and machine screws should be coated in Duralac when first fitted. This will act as an electrolytic barrier between two dis-similar metals and help prevent further clip and screw corrosion. Easily removable undertrays take the nause out of undertaking a service.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JAGUAR-XJ-X35 ... 19f737879f
Early cars should be checked to ensure a manufacturers TSB regarding rear off side brake pipe condition has been complied with and modified if found defective. The under-tray covering the brake pipe run had a foam plastic top face lining and touched the brake pipes. It would hold water and the steel brake pipes could rot out. All foam lining should be removed and brake pipes checked to ensure rampant corrosion to the pipes is not present.

Parking sensor malfunctions are an ongoing irritation for many Jaguar model owners. The X350 is no exception to the problem. Electronic diagnosis will point towards any defective sensors or at the control model in the spare wheel well of the car. Bumper cover removal at both ends of the car is required to deal with defects which might include sensor replacement.

X350, S-type and XF models share the majority of suspension components. All cars are likely to experience progressive suspension wishbone bush degradation as age progresses. Standard OE rubber bushes can collapse or break up. Quality is far from satisfactory and in this respect, the suspension is the cars biggest weakness. Most cars will require complete re-bushing by 80k miles. I can recommend installation of Powerflex long life, lifetime warranted replacements in place of the standard OE bush components. All wishbones are fully recondition-able with the exception of upper wishbone components which may at high mileage suffer ball joint wear. New upper wishbones will need complete replacement if ball joints are defective.

Lower rear wishbones have three bushes. The front inner bush is a mentalistic type and I recommend these bushes be replaced with Powerflex alternatives. The two other patent ball and tube bushes in this lower rear arm should only be replaced with similar OE grade components. Off side and near side lower rear wishbone bushes should be replaced as a complete set of four. They are £30 each from Racing Green Cars and will avoid the necessity to replacing the two lower rear wishbones at huge cost. Here is the link to Racing Green and their RG109 bushings. These bushes are NOT available from Jaguar. This bushes fit all models listed above.https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... GehwckCnCg

Brake parts of Mintex OE quality can be sourced on ebay at very reasonable prices if some research and deal hunting is carried out. I recently sourced four new Brembo "big brake" type discs and two full pad sets for just £167. Jaguar wanted around £380 for the same parts supplied in a Jaguar box! My complete new set up cost less than the brake set bought for my parents 1.6 Focus!

New and second hand parts are easily available for the X350. Taking a part number and typing it into a search engine will find you the best deals. Just ensure you are buying for your own particular model of car!

The X350 has proved itself of being able to cover very high mileages and to be able to survive. However, it is imperative that servicing is carried out at 10k mile intervals and that a fair amount of out of service schedule remedial repairs are regularly carried out. Scheduled servicing only really covers oil changing and some basic inspection and perhaps replacement of braking components.

Oil changing of the ZF 6HP26 gearbox and supercharger oil should occur at each 60k service. Failure to do these actions will severely compromise long term component life. A rebuilt gearbox will cost nothing less than £3k and the replacement of a supercharger, something approaching £2k. Neglect at your peril.

Rear axle oils will require change at around 80k miles. Front wheel bearings can need replacement by 80k. Suspension bushes can decay from around 40k miles. Difficult to install anti-roll bar bushes appear very long lifed. Not so with the early S-type which would eat them for breakfast by 40k miles!

Any car which you might be considering should come with a long MOT, a fully stamped service book with maintenance being shown at regular 10k intervals. Cars which are presented with few additional invoices for out of service maintenance are likely to need a great deal of immediate work done soon after purchase. That could be the reason a car is offered for sale!

All cars should have the V5 present and have two sets of keys. Key replacement is expensive. Ensure the radio code is disclosed in the documentation.

ALWAYS CARRY OUT AN HPI TYPE CHECK ON ANY CAR YOU ARE CONSIDERING BUYING. Go to UK Vehicle where for around £5 you may check that the car is not stolen, wanted by the Authorities, is not an insurance write off and that finance is not still outstanding. Ignore this advice at your peril. One in ten cars on UK roads holds a hidden secret! Don`t be the one that finds out later when the repossession boys come to call!

PM me or use the email address give on the X350 Forum header in the magazine if you require further buying advice for these cars.

Mike K

[Cossington]

Thanks for that information, Mike.
I have owned my 4.2 for nearly 3.5 years and didn't know half that info. I am considering a swap for another X350, so that is very timely.
Now, back to trawling the web, looking for a non grey/silver, 2003-2006 XJR or XJ 4.2...

David

[J44EAG]

David,

If you go to Trovit, register there and enjoy the benefits of the site. Put in your desired brief, ie X350/358. The site harvests most of the typical sales sites and puts them all in one place....Trovit will ping the newest advertisments to your email several times a day. It is a really good facility and will save you hours of hunting through all the other usual sites. There are some seriously nice looking cars available presently. Go for the ones that can verify more work having been done over and above those just limply advertised as having a full Jag Main Dealer service record. You need to know more about the history of an intended purchase....much, much more, before commiting to buy.

Any questions? Just ask.

Mike

[Ludden]

Thanks for that information on testosterone boosters Mike.
I have owned my 4.2 for nearly 3.5 years and didn't know half that info. I am considering a swap for another X350, so that is very timely.
Now, back to trawling the web, looking for a non grey/silver, 2003-2006 XJR or XJ 4.2..

Thanks very much. I'm on the lookout for an X350 now so this is very helpful Mike.

[robv12]

well, here's my 2008 58 plate XJR X358 for sale

http://www.jaguarclassifieds.org.uk/ind ... rs&id=6649

probably one of the best cars I have ever owned, but time for a change

[charlier6790]

I'm thinking of buying an X350R to replace my elderly X308 Sovereign. I thought Mike's hints and tips were excellent. I'm also reading Nigel Thorley's very helpful "Essential Buyer's Guide". But are there any special issues with Japanese imports?

I've noticed that several of the X350Rs advertised online are low-mileage Japanese imports. Some look very good though, of course, at £10k-plus they are not cheap. Are there particular issues to look for with these cars? I assume that radios, speedos, sat navs, etc will need changing. But what about service history? Will any written records be understandable - and will Jaguar hold any central records for cars sold and serviced through their Japanese dealerships?

If anyone has any advice or experience your views would be much appreciated. Many thanks. Charlie

[J44EAG]

You can expect importing to cause many paper and technical headaches. Some may escalate to nightmarish proportions and you may live to regret the decision to go in that direction.

You will certainly need to check closely what components will need changing and cost for labour and components. This is hardly likely to be cheap or easy.

The first thing I would be looking at asking your insurance company whether they will underwrite an import and what paperwork they will want to see.

I have to ask. Why bother? Why go through an import nause when there are plenty of straight UK cars to be had at very reasonable prices. You don`t need to buys someone else`s problem or give yourself untold grief.

Mike

[charlier6790]

Mike, sorry - I appreciate everything you say - but I think I may have misled you.
Several dealers now seem to import X350s from southern Japan. They say they do so because they can pick-up pampered, low mileage executive cars (Jaguar, Mercedes, BMW, etc) which have not suffered the ravages of salt and grit like their European counterparts. These dealers claim to have modified or replaced components such as radios, speedos and sat navs and to have sorted-out all the necessary paperwork with DVLA.

One X350R I was thinking of going to see was a 2006 (55 plate) with just 38k miles on the clock. The online photos look stunning. But I appreciate that digital photos can mislead! The dealer also has several UK X350s.

I take your point about possible insurance issues and I remain concerned about what information is available in terms of service history. Do you, or other JEC members, know of anyone who has purchased one of these cars? If so, I'd love to hear from them. I'm still, of course, thinking of looking at UK cars, too. Thanks again. Charlie.

[J44EAG]

I`ve certainly not heard of any member buying one of these imports so advice is going to be slow coming!

I watched Japanese XJR import sit on an advert in Trovit for nearly a year before the ad got taken down....I appreciate they may be high quality cars but how much resistance exists in the UK market place for imports. I`d certainly be very wary as a buyer and that might eventually make the car difficult to sell on at a later date. I`d want to know the car is ok to insure, has had any duty applicable paid with certification and I`d also want a certificate of conformity for accepted use on UK roads together with a valid MOT ticket. The other matter is that of obtaining proof of clear and without lien registered title and all the other safeguards that come with running an HPI or UKVehicle status check.

You also have the square American type rear number plate plinth on the boot lid to deal with. A complete replacement boot lid with our more usual oblong plate plinth would need to be sourced. That would be a minimum £300 job even with a good second hand correct colour unit being obtained.

I`d not venture into that market without some specialised experience professional assistance. It could be easy to burn your fingers within a very steep learning curve. If it can go wrong, it probably will! Happy to accept though that I might be completely wrong and be forced to eat my socks!!!

The older I get, the more cautious and suspicious I become.

Mike

[Manbearpig]

Id like to know more about Japanese imports too. Not necessarily XJs though as there seems to be a reasonable supply of those in UK spec.

Many imports look tempting, their bodywork and especially interiors often look incredible for their age. I was warned about one thing though; smoking was still a big thing in Japan until fairly recently and the interior could be heavily impregnated with the smell. A lot of Japanese territory adverts say "smoking car" or similar, these descriptions do not seem to make it back to the descriptions when re-hawked by UK garages!

I once owned a car which had bee n smoked in heavily by both passenger and driver, and although It was regularly steam valeted the smell never went away in several years.

[PaulGover]

Re: importing X350s - don't forget they have aluminium bodies and plastic under-trays, so keeping them away from cold, wet, chilly Blighty has much less benefit than it did in the days of the E-type or original XJ6.