Great video, i have the same car and went through the same restoration experience but if you love these cars for what they are you don't get upset or give up and think of selling it as like a loyal pet they will treat you kindly. My car is the zircon blue type but your car is beautiful. Jaguar cars are like Jazz music - once hooked you are a fan for LIFE!!! Enjoy your car!
Thanks for the kind words! Although I regret to inform you that I just sold it yesterday, but if I had the space, I'd definitely keep it! It still commands respect and looks elegant after all these years. Sure don't make 'em like they used to!
Nice video. Reminds me of all the quirks I fixed plus a few I should look at. After 5 years of owning my 04 XJR, I finally have a clean dashboard with no warning lights. One of the best things I did was to install a Tesla-style head unit to replace the seriously lacking original. With updated NAV, Bluetooth, and Android Auto, every trip is even more enjoyable.
A new infotainment system would do wonders for the experience, though the original does have its charm. I love how they included an option to just show the Jaguar logo !😂
My daughter drove 1 of these until she got T-bone and total it. Great car to drive. I own a 2012XKR convertible. Love that car. Getting ready to start for the winter
This is excellent. I bought a 2009 XJ8 a little over 2 years ago. I might need to do a similar recap of my journey. I had a lot less to do since my car only had 43k miles when I bought it, but still I fixed a lot of the little details too when I got it and have had a few repairs along the way. Thanks for sharing and the car looks fantastic!
Thanks! I found the XJR to be somewhat difficult to work on, especially with the heat exchanger sandwich in front of the engine but overall it was a great experience. Enjoy your XJ8!
always loved this generation of Jag, the last of this shape, seriously thought of buying one back in late noughties, but maintenace scared me and downunder here, bought a Oz Ford Falcon 4L turbo, traded that in 2020 for the last of the Holden LS3 V8, similar to the Chevy SS that the Americans got, it's a keeper, probably park it next to the 68 Cougar.
Yeah this generation isn’t horrible with maintenance but still requires TLC once in a while. Those Holdens sound great and have a such a great presence! I was tempted to delete the mufflers from the XJR but sold it before I got a chance to experiment with it. V8s deserved to be heard!
inspiring! thank you for Posting. I just bought a 2004 XJR (Ebony) last month, and am starting down the same journey. My wheels are toast, too. I like yours! Powder coating seems the best path, for sure! I have also just picked up new XJR badging. I love the car, and plan to restore and enjoy it for many years to come! thanks again for posting!
Congrats on the purchase! They react well to cosmetic upgrades to rejuvenate the classic looks. Powder coating isn’t cheap but worth it due to its longevity so definitely recommend it.
Lovely car ! I ran two, a 2003 Sport bought in 2010, and then another, a 2007, (with the slight restyle) in 2016, a Sovereign. Both cars had the 3 litre V6, a lovely engine not exported to the US, but is actually a Ford engine not a Jaguar development. I now have an XE. Why, well I just got fed up with constant replacement of certain suspension bushes, as you'll no doubt find out about. I also had to replace the heater core on the second car. Neither car ever let me down, and I regularly took them to Germany on holiday. Furthest trips were to Berlin and Nuremberg, so about 3000 miles driveway back to driveway. The 2003 was more troublesome than the later car even though it had many fewer miles on it. I suppose the first year of production is always a bit risky.
Very nice! Never driven one with a V6 but I’m sure that adds its own character. How bad was the heater core replacement? Did you have to remove the entire dash?
Thank you! If you're looking for a more in-depth guide, I created a thread where the photos were originally uploaded. You'll find part numbers and other useful info too: www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xj-xj6-xj8-xjr-x350-x358-28/jag-me-mum-fulfilling-dream-249650/ Good luck! They're great cars.
Definitely! I had a 2003 M5 before and this Jag totally reminded me of it. Same general size, both about 400 hp, and both from an era that really emphasized cohesive, timeless design. I really wished the kept the quad headlights.
I just bought a 2005 s type v8 and live in West Hollywood, could I bring it round to you somehow and get some pointers? You seem really experienced, and this is my first car. I got it because I’ve wanted one since I was younger, and wanted to restore her to her former glory. Thank you for the video!!!
Congrats on the car! Quite the option for your first one too! I’ll refer you to www.jaguarforums.com as I only had the car for less than a year but found plenty of great info on that site. Good luck! 👍
Not seeing the reply Steve that I just tried to give you but when it does show up I was serious about the secret site try not to spread that around it's basically a in the circle between salvage yards or salvage yard owners and operators source which is why you might find some of the prices better than what you might hear when you ring one up
Thanks for repping the orange gloves. Also what is the two vice grip method called? Can I find that in the shop manual? Last nitpick, you have the wrong backdrop for the final photos, totally more of a yacht club vibe going on there. The attention to detail is impressive…you must be an engineer
That method is called "CSG" named after the "Carroll and Scherer Grip" for their steadfast determination to work together and make the impossible, somewhat possible. Agreed on the yacht club backdrop but there's no water around me so that would've been difficult to accomplish, see.
Great Car and Video, At what mileage are you changing the transmission Fluid and rear Differential oil Exchange. Did the transmission Downshift faster after the service? Appreciate a response I 2 XJ 358 08. Thank you
Thanks! This was all done at 108k miles but the transmission fluid/pan were replaced at least once before. I think flushing both fluids every 60k miles would be ideal. The shifts weren't necessarily faster but much smoother with the new transmission fluid.
Ha...well hey, next time you're doing an oil change, set aside a weekend (or 3) and clean up all that oil! I have no idea if your oil pan is leaking but let's just go with it for the sake of my comment.
