I just got a 2003 XJ8 VDP. Needs some TLC but still an amazing vehicle. Build quality is astounding and the 4.0 V8 Jaguar built from the ground up motor is truly a marvel if we'll maintained. It's definitely not a "Ford" engine as many assume
I 100% agree. Yes, the all aluminum X350 is probably the better car but the rear looks to fat. It still looks better than any 5/7 series, A6/7/8 or E/S Class.
Can’t tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to do this video. I used to be a manager at a Jag/Rover dealership. I currently own a x300 white/oatmeal that has been as trouble free as a same year model Lexus and it’s an absolute joy to drive. Enjoy your XJR, Cheers!
@@butwereallsombdyspecial Tough year model for that V8 motor. Jaguar engineers blessed that motor with a substance called nikasil that acts as an internal coating to reduce friction and prolong engine life. It starts separating from the cylinders from about 80k miles on and blocks oil passages which in turn causes engine failure. There are some that feel like after 20 plus years all that has taken place already and if the car drives good you’re good. I’m not sure I’d take a chance. Your BEST bet would be a 95-97 with the straight 6 AJ16 engine, bulletproof and buttery smooth. They can still be found. Good luck, hope this helps
Yes straight sixes have for a very long time been one of the very best motors. My previous car before I purchased this JAG XJR I have now was a BMW 320i and it had a little 2.2 L straight six. It was a lovely motor!
Love my 1998 XJ8 Burgundy and oatmeal with 57k miles, no rust! This video was soooo helpful in lessening my anxiety in investing in a classic jag. With classic car insurance it’s a practical car to have! Thank you for this video.
Great video! I have a 2001 XJR that I enjoy and would like to point out a very unique feature it produces! First, it needs to be said that I have 19 very nice sports cars and luxury cars in all shapes, sizes, prices, and awesome engines with sporty and luxury suspensions. Big V8's from Mercedes, BMW, etc. to high revving flat-six boxer engines that are all fun to drive in a spirited fashion. Now the secret XJR feature. When I take this powerful and capable gorgeous sedan out for a drive, something comes over me. I shift into a more relaxed state of mind where the world is good and the drive is calming to the soul. I am in a Jag and I am enjoying the environment so much that I often find myself cruising a little bit below speed limits. This only happens when I drive the Jaguar XJR. I've shared this with other Jag owners and most of them laugh and smile because it happens to them, but they never really thought of it. Find a video on UA-cam where Jeremy Clarkson races an XJR against many other capable cars, beats them badly, and then at the end says the same thing! :) The Jag makes him feel like cruising in style!
So true. Every XJ6 I have owned made me feel like that, but then that was William Lyons aim. Grace, Space and Pace. But note Pace being speed comes last. With Jaguars you either get them or you don't! I have the more comfortable version. The X330 with LWB. I bypassed all XJR 'sand sports models for the softer ride and the nicer traditional stitched upholstery. Nothing new so far can replace this car. I use it for special events or long trips as I have a 2.1ltr X Type for darting around to the shops etc. No comparison between the two. I love the X Type but hate the V6 engine. A 4 cylinder woud have been my preference. The V6 was just an impression creator for the cheap lead foot. Car performance today is useless for me because the police won't let me go fast anymore. It's only Clarkson who can afford go fast on his old aerodrome strip.
Just bought my first XJR 3 days ago. 1998 model. Now, I`ve learned pretty quickly that this is a completely different beast than the X Types I`ve had before. In comparison, the X Type seems to have been put together by toothpicks and super glue. I`m slowly just trying to adjust myself to getting to know the car, feel it, getting used to it. Its powerful, it attracts a lot of attention, and I need to learn. This is very, very useful to me, and I appreciate these videos a lot. As always, weird electrical issues all over, but otherwise, it seems solid. It hasnt been driven for over a year, just stowed away at a parking lot at a used car dealership, so I figure i gotta change the oil, air filter, cabin filter, check the battery, etc first.
Congratulations on the XJR. For the electrical gremlins a good place to start is making sure the charging system battery and alternator are in good working order. Sometimes issues present themselves just from low voltage. Best of luck with the car and let us know how it works out for you :)
Hey I just got a 98 XJR too! My rear diff is destroyed and the supercharger has a knock that I think is from the snout bearings… but besides that excited to actually drive this damn thing
@@MacLaw3084 as far as I know from the forums and looking at my own car a 2001 x308, the us spec cars do not have the housing that the cabin filter sits in. So if you buy the filter, you won’t be able to install it. So it’s outside air for us! If you have different results please post since I’d love to be able to filter the outside air.
Here is a tip for owners of the X300 series. 95-97 model years. The auto dimming mirror in your car is the identical mirror that was in the 2000-2003 Acura TL. It's made by the same company and it is identical. You buy a cheap Acura mirror,clip off the connector and then connect your old connector then plug it in. Works perfectly. This will save you $$$.
Excellent video, cheers. You have comprehensively covered all bases on these cars and, I agree, provided you do some realistic initial research to get to know these cars one can't go wrong. I have had XJ40's, x300's and x308's - all good cars in their own way. Treat them with respect and they will look after you - I have never been let down either in 30 years of motoring. Still give me the same thrill now as when I got my first one. As soon as you sit in the driver's seat you feel you've arrived and that's before turning the ignition key! What you forgot to mention is the degree to which it is a head turner. Everything in Britain is an SUV anonymous box shaped these days. But cruise around with an XJ and the number of heads that these cars turn is uncanny; men, women, young and old and when you're parked up always a conversation to be had about every aspect of it. What's not to like? There are still good examples out there (but for how much longer) at sensible money. I'd get a 2nd/3rd were in not for the space required. But, yeh, agree with all you say and especially the quirks - single wiper? crap cup holder, no space in the front for storing bits and pieces etc. We say it's like Dr Who's Tardis in reverse - big on the outside but tiny inside ??? :) Duly liked and subscribed. Keep up the good work. From Edinburgh, Scotland.
I’ve owned my 2005 Super V8 for 15 years . Just drove from Nova Scotia to Tucson AZ 3450 miles in 4 days . Beautiful drive , you get out of the car after 12 hrs of driving and you’re not tired at all . 3450 miles @ 75 to 100 mph , 27.8 mpg All the options , Black / Champagne One beautiful and well built Machine. I will never sell it.
If you like the one wiper on the Jag, you gotta see a mercedes W 124 chassis. It has one wiper, but it does a little dance during it's sweep to cover more of the windshield. It's really fun to watch.
excellent video , i really wanted a XJR but found a neglected but low miles Vanden plas locally in my price range , after much love , paint ,tires brakes well the list goes on i have a great looking and driving car however now I'm turning into a Vandan plas "sport" got the asteroids, Bilstiens , springs mesh grill inserts and all well ALL the bits and Jaaaaag pieces , at 62 years old and not in the best of health this old bucket list Jag is keeping me young ! thanks again for taking the time to make this fab video on what is a teuly a FAB car supercharged or not !
I bought a 2001 sold it in 2003 and bought a special XJR R1 package and both had the factory cell phone and I loved using them. They worked perfectly and people never knew I was in the car. I carried the phone everywhere. It was a Motorola flip phone that, at the time cost 900.00 and was amazing!
My 1998 XJR came with a car phone too. I TOOK IT OUT and have it safely here with me. All papers and books too. Car is still in the shop right now. But we are working on it. Hope to have it back Soon! :) Black on black New engine replacement
Bought mine for $7k Put $8k into it Sold it for $4k The key to business: buy high, sell low. Super comprehensive video though. Very informative, thanks!
Well dome sir! You’ve really done your homework. Back here in the UK I have a couple of Jags for weekend fun only- an X308 sport and a ‘96 XK8. I’ve seen so many videos that are full of mistakes, but not yours. Proper job! The only thing to add (certainly for wet places like here in Blighty) is the rust or ‘orange tin worm’. Front sills behind wheel arches, sills, rear lower wings, weld seams and corners of screens. I’ve had issues with all of those on mine. Otherwise, absolutely perfect, informative and entertaining video. Cheers!
I was privileged to be a company chauffeur for a major plc and this was our machine. Equally at home in the city or racking up miles traversing the length of the country, it preformed flawlessly. Classy and understated it was well received everywhere we went without being in your face. Far more elegant than comparable teutonic rivals of the day. I feel it is still relevant today, newer cars lacking something these have. It maybe simple compared to todays tech, but can't replicate the feeling these leave you with afterwards. Range Rovers and Rollers/Bentley's are different genres and all about making a statement. The Jag just got on with it!
Thank you so much for this video. I just purchased a 2000 XJ8. And I did not know what those numbers on the radio were for. I thought it was a Bluetooth connection. Thank you so much for clarifying. My car is gold with the oatmeal interior. I love my vehicle.
@ low tech mechanic I was happy to discover a nice little detail last night when I was going over my car books. Mine came with all the books and a nice green and gold leather folder in almost new looking condition. For being up here in Canada I was happy to read that for warming and defrosting the front windshield you have 2-3 options. 1. Press the large defrost button This will activate a/c and send the air blower to max. 2. Use the button marked floor and windshield. Set temp and fan blower as desired. 3. But there was one more little button in the books called FRONT WINDSHIELD HEATER and behind it marked ( where fitted ) I checked if I have it fitted with this extra little button and yesss I do ! Or rather I remember having it ! :) I also checked and both my front and back leather seats can be heated with the press of a button. This made my day! And so nice to have for up here in Canada where we already had -45 oC this winter. A nice extra little touch! ! ! MADE MY DAY!
I just couldn't afford the stress an upkeep of that motor, kept mine an swapped the motor with a skyline engine, made it fun to drive, an still kept that wow factor when you see it an hear it.
@ Low Tech Garage I must comment that this JAG handled very well in the deep snow and ice after I got my new snow tires. 1 ) BRIDGESTONES from Japan didn’t fit my XJR. 2) I had to go with NOKIANS from Finland which i also was using on my previous BMW. They are simply superlative winter tires! 3) take out just a bit of air for even better traction. 4) look for the snow flake mark when buying your winters. They are mountain pass rated I think if they have the snow flake. 5) the traction control system on the JAG really works well with these tires. You can cut through 3 feet of snow like a hot knife through butter. They really grip like a cat on ice. And claw through deep snow and ice. The car just corrects itself when the rear end fish tales. You can throw it around on the ice and snow. You don’t have to worry about it . If you absolutely can’t stop on ice you can just release the breaks , gear down and steer your way out of or away from trouble. The tires will just take the turn. More danger of people running into the back of you with these tires. I’ll change back to summers around April 2nd - 15th. Never change to summers on April Fools. 4/1 :D Some people here wait until May Day. 5/1 May Day SUMMERS OCTOBER 1 WINTERS I’m personally more of a November 1 to April 2 kind of guy up here --- your winter tires will last a lot longer. I paid just under 1,400 CND for mine but this size of Nokians made in Finland are a bit pricy. They are said to be the only winter tire company that tests on a snow and ice track 365 days a year. The Canadian government secretly sends them gifts of Gold and diamonds for saving more lives than KRAFT DINNER. Haha :D Their rubber is said to be just a little softer. A hard rubber in the cold becomes slick. You sure don’t want to use those ‘soft rubber winter tires’ above freezing on dry pavement. In Japan they measure the depth of the rubber grips on snow tires with a special tool and 1 mm can make a lot of difference on snow and ice. Lower air pressure will take more fuel but provide more traction stability and safely. People here go with just under the air pressure that is recommended. And just over when it is hot in the summer for better fuel economy. :) If you ever get stuck in the mud with a car like a JAG you can urinate on your rear summer tires for a lot of extra traction but that’s really not a well known technique. But it does WORK VERY WELL! You learn things like this if you ever work in the wilderness. Especially if you have to deal with mud and water. Don’t forget to set your tires flat in a cool place when you store them during the summers or winters. I like to keep mine covered too. :)
@ Low Tech Garage I looked again....I absolutely love the heavy silver chrome on yours too. The chrome on yours is exactly like my 1998 XJR Love that classic use of chrome! ! ! Really makes it stand out and stand apart from vehicles we see these days.
I just picked up a 1998 JAGUAR XJR Supercharged 4.0 L V8 in Brooks, Alberta, Canada on November 21st, just last year, 2022. Shiny Black and lots of Chrome. Inside there is black leather and lots of hard wood. I just found out that I have heated seats in the back and an old car phone. This car was fully fully loaded I think. All of the features in the many beautiful books like came with that indicate *where fitted* are always fitted on the one I have so far as I’ve been able to tell so far. Knock on Leather Chrome and Wood. Overall, I’m very happy with my purchase! Added some new Nokians said to be he best of the best winter snow tires in the universe. I’ve had this brand of winter tire before and they seem very good. I did a lot of winterizing as much as possible soon after getting it home and just some basic high quality maintenance. Oil change, fully synthetic, new oil filter, new air filter of course. Used a light high quality synthetic....lighter for the winter months. Hasn’t used a drop of oil after the oil change to synthetic. Also had an oil pan heater installed for plugging in. New car battery that is actually really huge. They put the new battery in the front under the hood right on top of the supercharger and laughed about it right in my face. They said something about how do you like these apples? I thought it was kind of a weird place for a battery but what do I know? ( I’m just joking of course. They mounted it in the huge classic trunk where the old battery was. This new battery they put in is absolutely HUGE! I’ve never seen such a huge car battery. It was running good. I dream to drive. Unfortunately this story ends sadly. A few days ago I lost my timing chain. Damn ! Your videos ! Why didn’t you tell anybody about this ??? ( this is prone to happen !!!!! You bastard!!!!! You didn’t say two words about it !!!! OBVIOUSLY IM JOKING !!!! :D I think you did say quite a lot about timing chain issues and it’s pretty well known so I wasn’t surprised when this happened. ) I’m waiting for my JAG expert mechanic to get back from holidays so it can be fixed professionally. Never thought I’d ever own a JAG !!!! But now I do!!! Do you know if these are going up in value ? Thank you for your video on the XJR . :) Well Done!
It seems that with German and some British Cars it is the high end motor sport versions that tend to go up in value/ be more sought after. The Mercedes Benz AMGs, the BMW Ms, the Porsche 911s and others in their high end range and for Jaguar it is the R if I’m not mistaken along with some of their very old and classic sports cars from the early 1960s. I don’t follow Audi or VW so I wouldn’t know about those and Italian super cars seem in a class of their own as do most of the super cars. This is all a bit new for me and I’ve just realized this autumn what R means to Jaguar cars. I had the pleasure of riding in a Jaguar that was owned by a medical doctor in Nagoya Japan between 2003 and 2005 and I was really impressed with it. The ride and size and class and quality and luxury all seemed great! It seemed very stable and substantial. Not too long ago when I was in Japan I found myself in a Suzuki following a car that looked very big and very powerful and I really like the design of the back end but I couldn’t quite make out what make it was and I’m usually pretty good at spotting and knowing what cars are and I noticed it had these classic little red tail lights that almost looked hot pink but more of a mixture of very hot pink and cherry red. The quality of the tail lights was very pleasing to look at while following behind ( nothing brash of too bright or overwhelming ) and it looked just classic and classy but also modern and more and more like high end quality luxury. But what was it ? I couldn’t place it? Rather than ride bumpity bump over the high way it seem to float , yesss float along. Very pleasing to follow this shiny black mysterious machine. I kept trying to find evidence of it being a high end large German car but I couldn’t place it. It didn’t seem to be that like a Mercedes S . Then ( because I’m sensitive to cars ) I noticed these really big wide huge wheels and tires that looked slightly too big for the car. What ever it was it looked heavy and built for high speeds and power. Only a car with wheels and tires that looked over sized would be built for high speed cursing and power. It looked more and more heavy wide and substantial. Yet under the radar. Somehow modest and classy. But it was also packing huge capability. And also slightly unique looking. Like in a special class of its own. Going it’s own way and doing it his or her way! I could almost hear old blue eyes singing ...I DID IT MY WAY , MY WAY!!!! I got a bit closer. What was it? Damn it ! What is that car ? What kind of car is that anyways with the big rear wheels? On the Prefecture highway in Japan it always seemed to keep the perfect amount of distance between me and the little Japanese Suzuki Alto I was driving to get to Kyoto city. If I sped up , it sped up. If I slowed down it slowed down. This made it a pleasant pleasure to follow but doggedly hard to see the make and model. I could make out shiny black and silver chrome. Spotlessly clean as so many cars in Japan are. And a big sedan ! Ohhh how the Japanese love their big high end sedans don’t they? But it was definitely something non American and non Japanese. Most likely European. German. But it didn’t look quite German. Closer Closer Almost there Now I can see those beautiful little classic tail lights again. Cherry red/ almost hot pink. They seemed to float like the car rather than shine....! And in class ! I’m getting closer and oh! Wow! This car is speeding up suddenly! It can really go when it wants to! Looked so effortless! But I’m close enough to see now. Ohh now I know!!! It’s a Jaguar! This is one of my last memories driving in northern Kyoto Prefecture Japan on my way to Kyoto city. From near the Sea of Japan where I had been teaching back down to Kyoto city. This impressed me and left a lasting impression. Then I remembered the medical doctor in Nagoya also drove a JAG when he was having a special night out on the town. He’s take out his JAG if we were going for expensive sushi . And I’d already sold my BMW a car that I was happy with and missed dearly. But I’d always wanted to own a bigger luxury car that was a true sports sedan. My grandfather used to say that a bigger car , a full sized car will stand up better. He was a Crown Vic sort of guy and that’s one reason why the police use them he’d say! So there you have it. This is why I got my JAG! But had I test drove a Mercedes S class or E class AMG or another BMW in 5 or 7 series in their M package I may have gone with one of those. But when I found out this 1998 XJR had used heavy duty Mercedes Benz GERMAN transmissions to manage the high amount of power and torque from their supercharged V8 I was sold. And that’s coming from a BRITISH car maker that was owned by ford at the time. That impressed me and blew it over the top! I was very happy with my BMW transmission and I sort of knew what JAG had been up to with this XJR when I connected all the dots. British class with something quality German motor sport in it. I loved and adored my BMW for its transmission so I felt that this heavy duty German transmission they put in this XJR is going to come out in the driving experience! :) Kind of like having the best of both worlds! And JAG knew that! :) Amazing!
I love these cars a lot and the facelifted x350 version, which was a lot lighter with it's aluminium chassis and body panels. I just wish they were available with a manual gearbox (I'm from the UK, we like our manuals here, lol!)
@ low tech mechanic I should note that when I press my big DEFROST button this actives not only the a/c and brings the blower up to full blast but it also automatically activates my extra little front windshield heater button and mechanism. When I press my back windshield heater button this defrosts my back windshield and also activated my outside rear view mirror heaters, on both sides to remove an fogging or snow or ice. So all in all I’ve discovered some nice little extra touches that all still seem to work perfectly. :) In your video I noticed what looked like PALM TREES so this cold winter stuff might not be anything you need to concern yourself with on your JAG. I get made fun of all the time up here for trying to run and drive / own a JAG in the winter. If you should happen to break down or not start people in their big jacked up 4WD pickup trucks and even SUVs have a real HEY DAY WITH IT!!!! Going against the grain! DOING IT MY WAY!!!!! With some good new winter tires on you get around just fine! Grip and Cut through deep snow like nobody’s business!!!!! LOVE MY NOKIAN WINTER SNOW TIRES!!!! Made in Finland! Feel like I’m zipping around in a little TANK with these on it! :) They grip so well!!!!!
Just a quick note, the leaper hood ornament has been a dealer installed option for the whole XJ series. All the way back to the Series 1 in 1968. Take a look at the brochures and you won't see leapers. Most dealers installed them anyway through the X350s, at least in the US.
Great job here buddy, I am sure you have seen mine on my Car Channel here on UA-cam. 98 Carnival Red XjR with the ivory interior. Had 51,000 miles when purchased 4 years ago, has 80,000 now.
Great vid! You are spot on concerning common failures/issues with the XJR. Might I add that the ABS Module is notorious for failing as well. Heaven forbid you have to complete the dreaded drive cycles. However, in the end, the car is a joy to own and drive. I've had my 2000 XJR for about 17 years. Can't imagine living without her.
Nice Review and Info. I own a 00 Daimler Super V8 since 1 and half year. Great Car , English Luxury, combined with US Muscle Car Power. I love how silent these Beauty' s are. The X308 was the last inline of this low Super Sedan Jaguar XJ Series, that's what makes driving them so unique ! In the X350 and after, U sit higher . I recently found out the car can also display in the Dashboard ,when my tail light is broken ! Greetings !
The long base was standard on the Vanden Plas. You could not get a VDP with a standard wheelbase. They were optioned as follows: XJ8 is the base model with standard wheelbase. XJ8L is the base model with the 8” longer wheelbase. Otherwise the same as the base model. Vanden Plas is the luxury version of the XJ8L with upgraded leather, upgraded wood, and rear seat tray tables which is a signature of Bentleys. Vanden Plas was also the coach builder for Bentley interiors. XJR is the supercharged version of the standard model, but also added sport seats with the dark carpet and dash. It also came with a sportier transmission and suspension. Super V8 was basically the Vanden Plas with the super charger and tougher transmission. It is the ultimate XJ.
Thanks for the support and glad you enjoyed the content. We had an X350 until recently and loved that. We hope to have a newer XJ in the fleet in the future :)
Nice!!! I bought the 2004 Jaguar XJR last year. People told me i just screwed myself cuz my car is going to cost me a lot to get it fix if something happens. Maybe they are right because my car is at the shop right now and its gonna cost me $1900 to get it fix but…. Still worth it…
After rebuilding my s type r a few things I found that will put these cars into a meltdown. Coil packs use OEM. Plugs must use OEM. Vacuum leaks , auxiliary water pump. My car had check engine and restricted performance light drove me crazy. New 02s , and replace all sensors. I made the mistake of buying a maf sensor from a auto parts store and the car ran worse. I put the old DENSO back in and car ran better but still had warning lights and stuttering at 3500 rpm. After checking and rechecking I decided to clean the maf sensor !!!!! Wallah noore lights and fuel trims are in range !. These cars are very sensitive to vacuum and OEM parts . Do not use aftermarket it's a waste of money and will drive you crazy trying to figure out problems . These cars are affordable but find someone who can fix it before you buy it. If you are handy buy a scan tool and shop repair manual. Also my car had a transmission fault and wouldn't shift. The lifetime sealed unit is bullshit . I changed the filter valve body seals and celenoids and my car shifts like a brand new car ! Good luck . If anyone has any problems you could email me and I could help figure it out.
Hi Mike. I just bought an XJ8, 2002/2003 model with 225,000. What preventive maintenance do you recommend? It's hard the valve cover gaskets, axle seal, water pump & thermostats replaced recently. Your email address would be nice as well. Thanks
I love this video. I purchased my XJR V8 a few weeks back before I saw this video. Mines Sapphire Blue with BBS alloys , 2002. I already know its gonna be a labour of love but I'm smitten. I also have an Type 3.0 Petrol AWD as my daily! I just love Jags!! Very informative video. I subscribed and liked as I know your gonna be a great help in my journey with my Jags.
2002 XJR8 with BBS is probably the best. May have metal tensioners ( recommend have it checked), should have metal thermostat tower, will avoid Nicasil woes and likely to have a high spec. Nice one.
Oh man, Sapphire Blue, that's so beautiful but I couldn't find one when I bought mine, so my 2002 is Zircon blue, which I love as well. Uh, "OJ O" don't I know you from the Web somewhere, some group, Jaguar XJS group? I also own a superb BRG convertible XJS
@ low tech garage One final note: What I love most is that these are Classy Understated and Refined. :) A look closer reveals some under the radar performance and real power. But so beautifully understated and refined. I like this most of all and these ones we have still identifiably look like a JAG!!!! VERY JAGESK!!! :) People can identify them easily as a JAG They definitely have that old classic JAG LOOK! Lovely !!!
Thank you for all your replies. In the world of very very understated and very conservative this car is probably a bit of a power house sporty show off....in the world of very conservative British Sedans this would be the muscular sporty Black Sheep strutting it’s stuff and speaking pretty loudly. Got the tiger by the tail so to speak!! But in the international arena it comes across a pretty classy and understated and sophisticated and under the radar. It’s a nice balance!! The best of many worlds. Using it Year Round.....yess I’m trying to. I’m sure once it is professionally repaired and once winter gets towards the end and it isn’t as cold it will be a great sedan to enjoy again! And be glad I have it! :)
Great Info Video...Thank You...... I had many Jags over the years....1969 XKE.....XJ 12 XJ 6 series III..... and now am ready to get back in the game...... your video was helpful and most appreciated...... Kevin
Chrome surrounds on the windows 🪟 isn’t standard on the XJR internationally. The leaper was a bolt on non standard item often done at the dealership by request by the first owners, they are a throwback to pre 2002 cars XJ40 back.
Good work on my Jag. I’m getting ready to sell it because I have a constant coolant leak that just won’t go away. I’ve changed all different types of belts and hoses.
@@LowTechGarage it’s not the supercharger jaguar. I’m not sure where it is. I’m not mechanically inclined, but they did put a new mass airflow sensor in and some new hoses new thermostat
They said the pressure builds up and there could be more leaks. I thought they could fix all the leaks at one shot but I guess it’s not that easy. Do you have a website I can show you picture of my car and information
Wow ! ... I woke up at the middle of the night cause I couldn't sleep no more and looking for a video on how to replace the front door pocket box, I bump into your video. I own an XJR Supercharged same year as yours with 133k miles. Mine is Metallic Gray / Oatmeal Interior. I cannot address how well spoken and important points you touched during the video. I definitely want to be part of the "Patrion", but I can't find how to join. Again, awesome video and I will really like to keep in touch with you for my future jobs on my XJR. Btw, I also posses a Ocean Blue / NDR Interior 1997 Jaguar XK8 with 43k original miles. See you soon ! Remember to write me so I can join the Patrion's. Thank you.
I had the X300 XJR in BRG with oatmeal interior, apart from the wheels and full centre consul cover (no cup holders at all) it looks almost exactly the same as yours, I absolutely loved the car, only sold due to loss of full income due to a truck rollover otherwise I'd never have sold it, the damn this was quicker than than our then new HSV upgraded SS Commodore (you guys did get a few badged as Pontiacs) it was said to have been the fastest production saloon car in 1995 and cost $176k AUD before on road costs which put it well over $180k AUD (all of our vehicles and parts cost around 35% more than the USA regardless of origin) I allowed a few friends to drive it solo and never told them it was supercharged and like everyone they floored it once out of sight then pulled over and lifted the hood to see why grandpa's old Jag nearly broke their necks: I now own a 1999 4 litre Sport that would put most one year old's to shame, these seem to get looked after more than most luxury cars, we also had the same options for the X300's but for the X308's had a 3.2l V8 along with the 4l and 4l supercharged XJR, the 3.2l is more common for some reason, it also uses more fuel so no idea why, it's just one of those stupid thing's like Jeep did with the JL Wrangler, the USA originally had I think five engine options, we had two which quickly dropped to the one 3.6l petrol which is ridiculous as they did offer a 2.2l Alpha diesel which was a huge let down as their 3l diesel is quite good and us Aussie love our oilers, anyway back to the Jag... My 95 XJR should I still have it with the same mileage would now be twice the price, I even sold it for $6k AUD more than I paid and I purchased it from a dealer (It was a personal import by the owner who purchased it new in the UK and due to it only being a year old when shipped had not really seen a salted road) Now 12 odd years later after owning a few Jap 4x4's for their towing capacity only and hating every mile I started thing "another Jag" but I hadn't kept up with prices and was shocked to see the prices had doubled and not decreased as expected so instead I set my sights on a 4l Sport and was lucky to find something I didn't think existed, an X308 with graphite leather interior (I've only seen a photo of one other, are they that rare?) which had me sold as I'm not a huge fan of light coloured interiors, paint is metallic Topaz with satin black trim around the windows which is quite classy though I'd much prefer BRG, am considering swapping the wheels to a staggered 8" and 9" x 18" in black as the oe one's are 17" just a similar style to the oe one's, also either blacking out the rest of the chrome trim or painting it Topaz, possibly lowering it but it already has a roof height around 6" lower than most in its category and as you said it rarely if at all bottoms out (my SS Commodore ute was lowered and scraped near every speed hump if you didn't hit them cross ways, and the Jag lowered would look insane: I wish they made the X308 in a coupe like the XJC, if younger I'd buy a huge miler and extend the doors, add at least a 600 rwhp LS and do much much more but at 67 and refitting which will be my last boat, or rather yacht I already have my last fling into stupidity) I've always loved English cars and in particular Jaguars, the extra cost to keep some on the road has always been money well spent, at times it's been quite a lot but like my last V8 diesel L322 Range Rover tuned and with 22" wheels that cost me just over $15k over three years I actually got $3k more than it owed me when I sold it and the new custodian has messaged me twice saying he can't get the smile off his face and he's a Range Rover tragic: I was sad to see it go but at the time I didn't know it'd be replaced with an X308 and leave me with close to the purchase price left to play with and in turn I'm watching the value rise: the only issue I'm having is it occasionally and at random goes into limp mode (limited performance) then for who knows why sorts itself then can be perfect for the rest of the day only to do it yet again the next time I take it out... will be taking it to a specialist when I have time, iot was fine before having the timing gear updated so I'm thinking they may have not connected something properly. Good vid btw, the late 80's when Ford had them sorted them back to being the reliable vehicles they always should've been, the nikasil engines need to be driven to keep the oil impregnated in the cylinders and new oil is a given, it has to be changed every six months, not years and by mileage alone, the only issues they had in the day was dirty European fuel, nowadays an older nikasil engine that's lasted those times and if looked after will be close to indestructible.
@@LowTechGarage Yeah, as much as we all love a V8 there’s just something about a Jag that screams “straight six or Double Six”. An old English mate did his automotive apprenticeship at a Jaguar dealership in the UK when the V12’s were the thing’s to have, he’d service and tune them only as usual to end up with one rocker out by one small shim, easily fixed he says while doing one here in an E Type with myself watching in amazement at how much better it ran, I figured he’d leave it as it was within tolerance but no, he hit the offending rocker with a hammer, stuck a feeler gauge under it and perfect 👌 and all while smoking and ashing his cigarette down one of the carbs.
I bought a Jaguar XJ6 Sovereign 1991''XJ40'' and parts are mostly available on eBay. Not much more expensive than a regular car, but still a wait to receive the parts.
We have found the same with the x308 and the x350 platforms. For the most part not too much more than normal cars. There are always some outliers but totally worth it for an amazing drive :)
In the prosess of buying a 1999 xjr that i saw at a dealer here in norway. It is black with cream interiour and dark wood trim. It has cats and org phone. I have always liked these cars,but never had the money earlier. Car needs to fix rear end and an oil leak from the trans and a coolant leak from the engine. Possibly the hoose you mentioned. Dealer is doing this before delivery and full tuneup. 100k miles. But it does not have the leaper unfortunatly
Since my comment, I’ve owned 3 Land Rovers… Disco 1, L322 and now a P38 but I think I’ve decided it’s finally Jag time. New Zealand market never got the sunroof which is a bummer but I’ve found the only one that’s listed for sale in the country and if I can sell my Autobiography P38, I’ll straight up buy it.
List of my xjr supercharged 1995 problems in ten years. Propshaft failure because of extreme heat from exhaust burns rubber internals and finally breaks free. Exhaust connection leak and final mufflers rust off. Gearbox spring mount too loose. Most common issues is from electrical system. Steering wheel tilt/ in&out motor fail. Driver seat doesent come forward when ignition on. Memory seat sometimes fails. Trunk isnt opening from outside. Yes there are valet button under armrest. Passenger mirror doesent come to normal position after reversing. Lcd displays also dark but it is normal from this age. Overall performance and smooth drive makes you forgive these quircks. :)
ahhh the joys of an old jag! I will say, be sure to check all you grounds and clean them and replace and corroded ground wires. They can cause gremlins like you mentioned. Best of luck!
I`ve had Xj`s since the mid 90`s & love them. My current 99 XJR (which I got in 2008) had been perfect reliability-wise, until Covid.. I didnt start it for a good 18 months, when I went to, it wouldn't.. Turned out the fuel pumps had both seized, & nothing would bring them back. As you may or may not know, getting the pumps means either pulling the tank, or cutting through the parcel shelf. Why do people cut the shelf? Because getting the tank out is an ordeal, primarily because to do it properly, you have to move the rear differential to access the pipes.. Its also worth pointing out, these rust in wet & snowy countries.. The first rust you`ll likely get is the front chassis legs behind where the front rigid brake pipes join the flexi`s, at the same time, the scuttle under the wiper trim panel will likely be going (& you may notice water ingress into the car). The front wings (fenders), behind the wheels go, whether you have mud guards or not. You`ll also get rust at the leading edge of the floorpans, either from the rusted scuttle letting water into the car, or, from stonechip damage, or a combination of both ..The rear arches go too, usually at the bottom by the door. Occasionally you`ll get rust round the rear screen rubber, Finally, the sills (rockers), inside & out, including jacking points & rear trailing arm atachment points. Oh, & the rear suspension frame rots too.
Hi, I have a MY1998 Daimler (4.0L SC LWB) with now only 120,000km on it. I changed the timing stuff years ago. I bought mine about 11 years ago. * You forgot to mention the nikasil piston liners. Some say to get a blowby/compression test on the early X308 models before they changed to steel liners in the early 2000s. Mine is ok I reckon. In Australia we have low sulphur in the higher octane petrols. Jag spec is use of 95 or greater octane. Oz has 91, 95 and 98 versions of petrol. The US mainly has 87, 91 and 93(95?) octane from memory , not sure if the sulphur content in the US is better these days. Sulphur is what kills/erodes the nikasil piston liners. With low sulphur content the nikasil will last really really well and I expect to get a long life out my engine , with regular oil changes of course. * Mine doesn't have the front cup holders (only in rear) and was disappointed to find that the front cupholders are useless. Damn, I was going to see if I could get a 2nd hand front cupholder, now I don't know what to do. * I had my engine ECU go up in smoke but fortunately got it repaired. I bought a spare one from the US but was useless because they are security coded individually for each car, luckily the guy fixed my old one without using the bought spare. It was a capacitor that blew its guts and destroyed part of the pcb tracks. Go to my utube channel if you wish to see the story. @850mk3
Excellent video - on my 3rd XJ308 LWB Sovereign, first one caught fire after a transmission failure, next one had a complete ZF transmission failure and Engine failure, had both rebuilt to latest spec, kept that one and the 3rd has just shown signs of "Gearbox Fault" which comes and goes. So on vehicle #3 I have a fully operational "spare" for parts that are "as new". Beautiful cars but you need to be prepared for problems. The LWB is a more comfortable vehicle. Thankyou for a great review.
Concur with your opinion of the LWB. Much more comfortable for passengers and makes an excellent "van" for weekly trips to the shops or transporting DIY goods. Yes, the ZF gearbox is not good. I had mine replaced with a ZF unit that has been "rebuilt" twice. It sometimes jolts at very low speeds on downshift 2nd to 1st but otherwise generally ok. An oil & filter change to the box assisted.
@@LowTechGarage Thanks, I will check with my friends at Roadbend Jaguar in WA (Australia) and see if they will function with the standard electronics, assume they will bolt up the same. Strange to not have offered the R Series in LWB. Best regards, Alastair.
Great video! I would recommend to check the chains and tensioners on these 4.0 V8:s. The weak link is the upper chain tensioner. Secondary chain must not be changed, except if the plastic ski of the secondary tensioner was already gone and there was thus a potential abrasion of the chain. In this case, the chain must be changed and the oil and filter renewed (due to metal particles in the oil). This cost me 1600 but was worth it since the car is a keeper. I know the factory started to install upgraded tensioners in late 1999. These should be more reliable, but i still had this issue in mine XJR from 2001. A superb engine otherwise.
@ Josh Thank you for your reply! Very helpful! :) I’ve been in touch with the owner of the shop and he believes it is a sensor inside the transmission. He is going to get me to agree to ordering that sensor that they think it is based on codes that came back. Before opening the transmission case and taking a look see. Again based on codes he thinks that’s definitely one of the problems and if that’s it hopefully that’s all there is wrong with the transmission. We anticipate changing the transmission fluid completely. New seals of course.
My friend had one, wish i bought it off him. Car sat for some time, he had it regular serviced at Jag. At 44k miles we removed the air filter. It was rammed with dead leaves. Jag had never removed to check filter.
Many thanks for this nice and usefull video. Living with these cars is more of a love-affair and less of just a ownership. A good XJR/X308 here in Germany is hard to find and will cost you at least USD 20.000.
@@amiomi4970 Thanks for the offer but im totaly happy with Deborah (a 2000 XJR in all black) and Angelina (a 1998 XJ8 Sovereign in British Racing Green)
@@interceptor124 "Deborah and Angelina" I like that, never thought about naming my cars but those sound so cute... although I'm not so sure if girls' names are adequate for 370 HP muscle "guys"... my (show car) XJS is called "My Dream XJS".
Hello 👋 Josh love ❤️ your channel buddy you have the best advice and you are super smart on jaguars. I just got my first jaguar in June of last year my aunt gave it to me she quit driving I got it running after sitting for seven years I fell in love with the design and I'm going to try to find some and start collecting them I've got a 99 vanden plas..lwb.I'm currently looking for parts and having a hard time finding them..
Awesome video! Not sure if / when I’ll be able to buy one of these but you definitely set my mind at ease on potential issues. I do my own maintenance and this doesn’t look too bad to work on. Great choice on colour, I’m from the UK now living in Canada so definitely biased to the British Racing Green 😉 Thank you for the video, super informative.
@ Josh Just want to say also that I really like your UA-cam videos! They are very well made and you highlight every important detail of these cars. An English car with Italian styling and a German transmission I remember someone saying and one might add also with a bit of new age American muscle for good measure. I like the Italian styling bit. It’s ROCKY BELBOWA in a TUXEDO:) Wish me luck !!!
@ LTG 1998 has sentimental value for me too. But that’s just a very personal thing for me. I’ll imagine that there is likely a year of XJR that people that love them tend to love the most. :) I love the heavy use of silver Chrome on these especially around the back doors and I love the full size spare tire with matching rim in the very big trunk. All the JAG books and the green leather car booklet folder are so interesting to look at too. :)
@ LTG I wanted to say also that I thought your video was very well done! :). What an excellent job you did!!! The British Racing Green comes across so very well on your video! I absolutely love that particular color of GREEN!
Yes you are welcome! The shop I currently have my 1998 XJR supercharged at is really dragging their heels on looking at my car. Last week they said they would look at it later in the week because the JAG mechanic just got back on Monday. On Friday they said they didn’t get to it. I’ve had it sitting down there since Dec 15 So this coming week I think they are going to finally get around to looking at it. They said they think it’s going to be a BIG job. So I’m trying to be patient. They might be swamped after the mechanic got back from his month long holiday. But he is said to be the best in town and from Europe. Not just any old mechanic. ( strongly suspecting serious timing chain issues ) There seems to be a BUZZ about older Jags right now. Their popularity seems to be increasing at a pretty fast rate. Btw I found an old late 90s cells phone in the front of my car. Did you find one in the front of yours and do you think there is also one in the back? Also, I play with the gasoline I use and always the highest octane premium I can find. 93 seems to be the highest we can find in Canada but I’ve noticed a big difference depending on the gas station I use. SHELL seems to be good for my previous BMW 320i and for this JAG at most of their newer locations. This made a big difference for me. Esso gas didn’t seem to be good at all. We sometimes say at car shops that they have water in their gas. SHELL CANADA has been about the best for me if at a newer location and NOT ethanol blended gas. Said to be very bad for these. When I finally get my car back and it is fixed I’m going to fill it up and take it for a good hard run. I love the color of green you have! :) never get tired of seeing it!!!! I also like how these are come with a big FULL SIZED ZR rated SPAIR TIRE in the trunk with a matching full sized RIM. They didn’t cut any corners!!! :) It was all there and nice to see when I opened my trunk.
@ LTG yep the leaper and the growler. One leaper ( 3 if you count the small side emblems ) one if you count the big honking classic chrome hood ornament. 6 growlers in total. 7 if you count the spare tire rim in the rather spacious trunk. I have 4 tires in my trunk right now in total. I think that’s all of them unless you can think of any others. In my trunk someone removed the carpeted first level that is usually over top of the spare tire and full sized rim and battery. So when I pop the trunk I usually see everything that’s in there right away. It might be interesting to note that this car originally seems to have come with ITALIAN TIRES. My spare tire is still the original Italian brand. I thought oh wow they went with Italian rubber on an English car with a German transmission and suspension with an Irish-American supercharger! The Eaton M112 So we have FORD in on this car which is American and I’ll presume that at least a few parts are from Ford. So American We have English. Obviously as it is a JAG We have Irish-American We have a good chunk of German And Italian! That’s a pretty intentional car if you ask me. Lastly I want to note: I absolutely love the LEATHER SEATS ( I think they are just so iconic! ) and this is the very first video I ever watched of yours and it was after I got my JAG in November. We have some of my parts ordered now and I’m asking the shop to MAKE SURE WE ORDER THE UPGRADED ‘METAL’ Timing chain GUIDES AND TENSIONERS. I absolutely hate to tell you this but they were just going to go ahead and order the plastic ones. :( And have the plastic ones put in again. I called right after work to ensure they wouldn’t do that. One timing chain failure is enough to last me a life time. I don’t wish to have another one.
I have a 2000 XJR with 45,000 original. Love this car a my girl will not let me part with it. Paint is as fresh and the under carriage is clean as the top. Don't know that I would ever sell it, my retirement car.
Thank you for the informative video, the XJR is a very special Jaguar, I just had the good fortune of picking up a 1998 XJR in British racing green, it has the usual issues such as the sagging headliner and wear on the leather seats and elbow restpoints on the drivers side. I’m confident to resolve the issue within a reasonable cost. The only issue that the car has and not sure if it’s a common issue is that the sensor for the 2nd gear has failed, getting a quote for the repair on this next week. Is this a known issue?
Never heard of the 2nd gear issue. I had a 1998 XJR8 and found the MB gearbox fine. Ultimately it succumbed to bore wash (Nicasil) and pumped out oil through the breather pipe. That said sold the car to my garage who put a s/h engine in and resold to a guy who went on to do a pile of performance mods to it!
It's a beautiful example that you have. I have a 2001xjr in black with the same color interior that you have. If anyone is interested I'm selling it on Ebay..!
@@LowTechGarage Oh yes! You're doing the right thing getting those tires. I put Continentals DWS on my 2002 and you can immediately feel what truly fantastic tires they are. Even on my XJS that was having all kinds of problems with the P Zeros that I had on it, especially with hard steering; when I put the Continental DWS all the problems went away like by a miracle.
Great video, very well put together, Thank you for the great tips, to consider before blindly going into owning a XJ-6. Thank you again. I'm going to look at one tomorrow, and will certainly as all those questions. Thanks again, All the best.
LOL. Only got a little better in the x350. My 04' XJ8 will not take an insulated coffee cup, which is a must here in the winter. Fortunately there's an aftermarket insert with a large and a small cupholder replacing the two smallish ones.
Also the thermostat over time will jam open and cause overheating. If the car continues to cool its self down after the engine is turned off for more than a minute or so - its time to change the thermostat immediately.
Here in Britain the Jaguar used to be THE car of choice for bookmakers, publicans, Managing Directors who while successful weren't quite in the league to buy a Rolls Royce. Last but not least the Jaguar was beloved by London Gangsters!
The top line car for Jaguar is the Vanden Plas. It is 6 inches longer than a standard jaguar it has more chrome better wood Conley leather. Lambswool formats. Inlays in the wood wood table trays in the back. That is Jaguar’s top of the line model
@@LowTechGarage Yes the super Daimler was supposed to be the same as a VP but they were not create equal but you cannot get a Daimler in the United States the VP is the top car offered in the United States
You don't get much more "understated and comfortable" than this. Sure, Rolls Royce is just as comfortable, but is much more showy. Plenty of power too. Even in the 6 cylinder.
Hey .. just watched .. great job.. I have an x308 in South Africa and you mentioned a "plug in" blue tooth ! .. let me know spec and how please .. stay lucky
Found a 2004 XJR-S with just over 25,000 miles at an estate sale - I will be researching to see what they are asking for it - hate that the prices on all cars have increased or this could be a nice deal
Simply one of THE great sedan designs of all time.
Couldn't agree more!
That’s why we have two! VDP and VDPSC!
I just got a 2003 XJ8 VDP. Needs some TLC but still an amazing vehicle. Build quality is astounding and the 4.0 V8 Jaguar built from the ground up motor is truly a marvel if we'll maintained. It's definitely not a "Ford" engine as many assume
I 100% agree. Yes, the all aluminum X350 is probably the better car but the rear looks to fat. It still looks better than any 5/7 series, A6/7/8 or E/S Class.
Can’t tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to do this video. I used to be a manager at a Jag/Rover dealership. I currently own a x300 white/oatmeal that has been as trouble free as a same year model Lexus and it’s an absolute joy to drive. Enjoy your XJR, Cheers!
We are glad you liked the video. It sounds like you have a great pair of vehicles!
What about a 2000 Vanden Plas XJS 99k original miles immaculate condition ?? What's the most expensive thing I'll need immediate done
@@butwereallsombdyspecial Tough year model for that V8 motor. Jaguar engineers blessed that motor with a substance called nikasil that acts as an internal coating to reduce friction and prolong engine life. It starts separating from the cylinders from about 80k miles on and blocks oil passages which in turn causes engine failure. There are some that feel like after 20 plus years all that has taken place already and if the car drives good you’re good. I’m not sure I’d take a chance. Your BEST bet would be a 95-97 with the straight 6 AJ16 engine, bulletproof and buttery smooth. They can still be found. Good luck, hope this helps
Yes straight sixes have for a very long time been one of the very best motors. My previous car before I purchased this JAG XJR I have now was a BMW 320i and it had a little 2.2 L straight six. It was a lovely motor!
Love my 1998 XJ8 Burgundy and oatmeal with 57k miles, no rust! This video was soooo helpful in lessening my anxiety in investing in a classic jag. With classic car insurance it’s a practical car to have! Thank you for this video.
I’m glad it was useful for you! These are great motors!
Great video! I have a 2001 XJR that I enjoy and would like to point out a very unique feature it produces! First, it needs to be said that I have 19 very nice sports cars and luxury cars in all shapes, sizes, prices, and awesome engines with sporty and luxury suspensions. Big V8's from Mercedes, BMW, etc. to high revving flat-six boxer engines that are all fun to drive in a spirited fashion. Now the secret XJR feature. When I take this powerful and capable gorgeous sedan out for a drive, something comes over me. I shift into a more relaxed state of mind where the world is good and the drive is calming to the soul. I am in a Jag and I am enjoying the environment so much that I often find myself cruising a little bit below speed limits. This only happens when I drive the Jaguar XJR. I've shared this with other Jag owners and most of them laugh and smile because it happens to them, but they never really thought of it. Find a video on UA-cam where Jeremy Clarkson races an XJR against many other capable cars, beats them badly, and then at the end says the same thing! :) The Jag makes him feel like cruising in style!
You hit the nail on the head with that. These cars are just a lovely place to sit in and enjoy. :)
So true. Every XJ6 I have owned made me feel like that, but then that was William Lyons aim. Grace, Space and Pace. But note Pace being speed comes last. With Jaguars you either get them or you don't! I have the more comfortable version. The X330 with LWB. I bypassed all XJR 'sand sports models for the softer ride and the nicer traditional stitched upholstery. Nothing new so far can replace this car. I use it for special events or long trips as I have a 2.1ltr X Type for darting around to the shops etc. No comparison between the two. I love the X Type but hate the V6 engine. A 4 cylinder woud have been my preference. The V6 was just an impression creator for the cheap lead foot. Car performance today is useless for me because the police won't let me go fast anymore. It's only Clarkson who can afford go fast on his old aerodrome strip.
Just bought my first XJR 3 days ago. 1998 model. Now, I`ve learned pretty quickly that this is a completely different beast than the X Types I`ve had before. In comparison, the X Type seems to have been put together by toothpicks and super glue. I`m slowly just trying to adjust myself to getting to know the car, feel it, getting used to it. Its powerful, it attracts a lot of attention, and I need to learn. This is very, very useful to me, and I appreciate these videos a lot. As always, weird electrical issues all over, but otherwise, it seems solid. It hasnt been driven for over a year, just stowed away at a parking lot at a used car dealership, so I figure i gotta change the oil, air filter, cabin filter, check the battery, etc first.
Congratulations on the XJR. For the electrical gremlins a good place to start is making sure the charging system battery and alternator are in good working order. Sometimes issues present themselves just from low voltage.
Best of luck with the car and let us know how it works out for you :)
Hey I just got a 98 XJR too! My rear diff is destroyed and the supercharger has a knock that I think is from the snout bearings… but besides that excited to actually drive this damn thing
There are no cabin air filters in the us spec x300 or x308.
@@muria64 as in a cabin air filter cannot be installed in a us spec x308 xjr?
@@MacLaw3084 as far as I know from the forums and looking at my own car a 2001 x308, the us spec cars do not have the housing that the cabin filter sits in. So if you buy the filter, you won’t be able to install it. So it’s outside air for us! If you have different results please post since I’d love to be able to filter the outside air.
Here is a tip for owners of the X300 series. 95-97 model years. The auto dimming mirror in your car is the identical mirror that was in the 2000-2003 Acura TL. It's made by the same company and it is identical. You buy a cheap Acura mirror,clip off the connector and then connect your old connector then plug it in. Works perfectly. This will save you $$$.
Anyone wants it done contact me I'll do it for 20 dollars and return postage.
Great advice!
Excellent video, cheers.
You have comprehensively covered all bases on these cars and, I agree, provided you do some realistic initial research to get to know these cars one can't go wrong.
I have had XJ40's, x300's and x308's - all good cars in their own way. Treat them with respect and they will look after you - I have never been let down either in 30 years of motoring. Still give me the same thrill now as when I got my first one.
As soon as you sit in the driver's seat you feel you've arrived and that's before turning the ignition key!
What you forgot to mention is the degree to which it is a head turner. Everything in Britain is an SUV anonymous box shaped these days. But cruise around with an XJ and the number of heads that these cars turn is uncanny; men, women, young and old and when you're parked up always a conversation to be had about every aspect of it.
What's not to like? There are still good examples out there (but for how much longer) at sensible money. I'd get a 2nd/3rd were in not for the space required.
But, yeh, agree with all you say and especially the quirks - single wiper? crap cup holder, no space in the front for storing bits and pieces etc. We say it's like Dr Who's Tardis in reverse - big on the outside but tiny inside ??? :)
Duly liked and subscribed. Keep up the good work.
From Edinburgh, Scotland.
Thanks for the lovely comment. You are correct , the older these cars get the more heads they turn and we love it!
I’ve owned my 2005 Super V8 for 15 years . Just drove from Nova Scotia to Tucson AZ 3450 miles in 4 days . Beautiful drive , you get out of the car after 12 hrs of driving and you’re not tired at all . 3450 miles @ 75 to 100 mph , 27.8 mpg All the options , Black / Champagne
One beautiful and well built Machine. I will never sell it.
If you like the one wiper on the Jag, you gotta see a mercedes W 124 chassis. It has one wiper, but it does a little dance during it's sweep to cover more of the windshield. It's really fun to watch.
The Mercedes wobble one is good too!
excellent video , i really wanted a XJR but found a neglected but low miles Vanden plas locally in my price range , after much love , paint ,tires brakes well the list goes on i have a great looking and driving car however now I'm turning into a Vandan plas "sport" got the asteroids, Bilstiens , springs mesh grill inserts and all well ALL the bits and Jaaaaag pieces , at 62 years old and not in the best of health this old bucket list Jag is keeping me young ! thanks again for taking the time to make this fab video on what is a teuly a FAB car supercharged or not !
Thanks a lot! It sounds like you have a lovely Jag yourself !
I bought a 2001 sold it in 2003 and bought a special XJR R1 package and both had the factory cell phone and I loved using them. They worked perfectly and people never knew I was in the car. I carried the phone everywhere. It was a Motorola flip phone that, at the time cost 900.00 and was amazing!
Gotta love the car phone.
My 1998 XJR came with a car phone too. I TOOK IT OUT and have it safely here with me.
All papers and books too.
Car is still in the shop right now.
But we are working on it. Hope to have it back Soon! :)
Black on black
New engine replacement
What an awesome video! Thanks for keeping the love for these going!
Thank you! These are fabulous cars and we love sharing them.
"He played a mean guitar, he loved to drive his Jaguar" hehehe simply the most wonderful sedan of ALL times ❤️ Thank you, pal!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Bought mine for $7k
Put $8k into it
Sold it for $4k
The key to business: buy high, sell low.
Super comprehensive video though. Very informative, thanks!
Hahaha certainly not always the most economical cars to own but they are a treat to drive!
Well dome sir! You’ve really done your homework. Back here in the UK I have a couple of Jags for weekend fun only- an X308 sport and a ‘96 XK8. I’ve seen so many videos that are full of mistakes, but not yours. Proper job! The only thing to add (certainly for wet places like here in Blighty) is the rust or ‘orange tin worm’. Front sills behind wheel arches, sills, rear lower wings, weld seams and corners of screens. I’ve had issues with all of those on mine. Otherwise, absolutely perfect, informative and entertaining video. Cheers!
Thank you for the feedback! We are spoiled by the climate here but you are right about the potential rust areas others should be aware of and check!
I was privileged to be a company chauffeur for a major plc and this was our machine. Equally at home in the city or racking up miles traversing the length of the country, it preformed flawlessly. Classy and understated it was well received everywhere we went without being in your face. Far more elegant than comparable teutonic rivals of the day. I feel it is still relevant today, newer cars lacking something these have. It maybe simple compared to todays tech, but can't replicate the feeling these leave you with afterwards. Range Rovers and Rollers/Bentley's are different genres and all about making a statement. The Jag just got on with it!
Couldn’t agree more!
Thank you so much for this video. I just purchased a 2000 XJ8. And I did not know what those numbers on the radio were for. I thought it was a Bluetooth connection. Thank you so much for clarifying. My car is gold with the oatmeal interior. I love my vehicle.
Congratulations on your new purchase!
@ low tech mechanic
I was happy to discover a nice little detail last night when I was going over my car books.
Mine came with all the books and a nice green and gold leather folder in almost new looking condition.
For being up here in Canada I was happy to read that for warming and defrosting the front windshield you have 2-3 options.
1. Press the large defrost button
This will activate a/c and send the air blower to max.
2. Use the button marked floor and windshield.
Set temp and fan blower as desired.
3. But there was one more little button in the books called FRONT WINDSHIELD HEATER and behind it marked ( where fitted )
I checked if I have it fitted with this extra little button and yesss I do ! Or rather I remember having it ! :)
I also checked and both my front and back leather seats can be heated with the press of a button.
This made my day!
And so nice to have for up here in Canada where we already had -45 oC this winter.
A nice extra little touch! ! !
MADE MY DAY!
Love the featured for the age.
I just couldn't afford the stress an upkeep of that motor, kept mine an swapped the motor with a skyline engine, made it fun to drive, an still kept that wow factor when you see it an hear it.
That sounds like a cool build.
@ Low Tech Garage
I must comment that this JAG handled very well in the deep snow and ice after I got my new snow tires.
1 ) BRIDGESTONES from Japan didn’t fit my XJR.
2) I had to go with NOKIANS from Finland which i also was using on my previous BMW.
They are simply superlative winter tires!
3) take out just a bit of air for even better traction.
4) look for the snow flake mark when buying your winters. They are mountain pass rated I think if they have the snow flake.
5) the traction control system on the JAG really works well with these tires. You can cut through 3 feet of snow like a hot knife through butter.
They really grip like a cat on ice. And claw through deep snow and ice. The car just corrects itself when the rear end fish tales. You can throw it around on the ice and snow. You don’t have to worry about it . If you absolutely can’t stop on ice you can just release the breaks , gear down and steer your way out of or away from trouble. The tires will just take the turn. More danger of people running into the back of you with these tires.
I’ll change back to summers around April 2nd - 15th.
Never change to summers on April Fools. 4/1 :D
Some people here wait until May Day. 5/1
May Day SUMMERS OCTOBER 1 WINTERS
I’m personally more of a November 1 to April 2 kind of guy up here --- your winter tires will last a lot longer. I paid just under 1,400 CND for mine but this size of Nokians made in Finland are a bit pricy.
They are said to be the only winter tire company that tests on a snow and ice track 365 days a year.
The Canadian government secretly sends them gifts of Gold and diamonds for saving more lives than KRAFT DINNER. Haha :D
Their rubber is said to be just a little softer.
A hard rubber in the cold becomes slick.
You sure don’t want to use those ‘soft rubber winter tires’ above freezing on dry pavement.
In Japan they measure the depth of the rubber grips on snow tires with a special tool and 1 mm can make a lot of difference on snow and ice.
Lower air pressure will take more fuel but provide more traction stability and safely. People here go with just under the air pressure that is recommended. And just over when it is hot in the summer for better fuel economy. :)
If you ever get stuck in the mud with a car like a JAG you can urinate on your rear summer tires for a lot of extra traction but that’s really not a well known technique. But it does WORK VERY WELL!
You learn things like this if you ever work in the wilderness. Especially if you have to deal with mud and water.
Don’t forget to set your tires flat in a cool place when you store them during the summers or winters. I like to keep mine covered too. :)
Bought a XJR-98,amazing car eventhough 22years old! Hello from Sweden!
We love the XJR. Its a keeper for us!
@ Low Tech Garage
I looked again....I absolutely love the heavy silver chrome on yours too.
The chrome on yours is exactly like my 1998 XJR
Love that classic use of chrome! ! !
Really makes it stand out and stand apart from vehicles we see these days.
Awesome thank you!
I just picked up a 1998 JAGUAR XJR Supercharged 4.0 L V8 in Brooks, Alberta, Canada on November 21st, just last year, 2022.
Shiny Black and lots of Chrome. Inside there is black leather and lots of hard wood.
I just found out that I have heated seats in the back and an old car phone. This car was fully fully loaded I think. All of the features in the many beautiful books like came with that indicate *where fitted* are always fitted on the one I have so far as I’ve been able to tell so far. Knock on Leather Chrome and Wood. Overall, I’m very happy with my purchase!
Added some new Nokians said to be he best of the best winter snow tires in the universe. I’ve had this brand of winter tire before and they seem very good. I did a lot of winterizing as much as possible soon after getting it home and just some basic high quality maintenance. Oil change, fully synthetic, new oil filter, new air filter of course. Used a light high quality synthetic....lighter for the winter months. Hasn’t used a drop of oil after the oil change to synthetic. Also had an oil pan heater installed for plugging in. New car battery that is actually really huge. They put the new battery in the front under the hood right on top of the supercharger and laughed about it right in my face. They said something about how do you like these apples? I thought it was kind of a weird place for a battery but what do I know? ( I’m just joking of course. They mounted it in the huge classic trunk where the old battery was. This new battery they put in is absolutely HUGE! I’ve never seen such a huge car battery.
It was running good. I dream to drive.
Unfortunately this story ends sadly.
A few days ago I lost my timing chain.
Damn ! Your videos ! Why didn’t you tell anybody about this ??? ( this is prone to happen !!!!! You bastard!!!!! You didn’t say two words about it !!!! OBVIOUSLY IM JOKING !!!! :D I think you did say quite a lot about timing chain issues and it’s pretty well known so I wasn’t surprised when this happened. )
I’m waiting for my JAG expert mechanic to get back from holidays so it can be fixed professionally.
Never thought I’d ever own a JAG !!!!
But now I do!!!
Do you know if these are going up in value ?
Thank you for your video on the XJR . :) Well Done!
These have gone up in value. Usually the chains do not fail themselves. In most cases it would be the tensioner and guide. Best of luck with your jag!
It seems that with German and some British Cars it is the high end motor sport versions that tend to go up in value/ be more sought after. The Mercedes Benz AMGs, the BMW Ms, the Porsche 911s and others in their high end range and for Jaguar it is the R if I’m not mistaken along with some of their very old and classic sports cars from the early 1960s. I don’t follow Audi or VW so I wouldn’t know about those and Italian super cars seem in a class of their own as do most of the super cars. This is all a bit new for me and I’ve just realized this autumn what R means to Jaguar cars.
I had the pleasure of riding in a Jaguar that was owned by a medical doctor in Nagoya Japan between 2003 and 2005 and I was really impressed with it.
The ride and size and class and quality and luxury all seemed great! It seemed very stable and substantial. Not too long ago when I was in Japan I found myself in a Suzuki following a car that looked very big and very powerful and I really like the design of the back end but I couldn’t quite make out what make it was and I’m usually pretty good at spotting and knowing what cars are and I noticed it had these classic little red tail lights that almost looked hot pink but more of a mixture of very hot pink and cherry red. The quality of the tail lights was very pleasing to look at while following behind ( nothing brash of too bright or overwhelming ) and it looked just classic and classy but also modern and more and more like high end quality luxury. But what was it ?
I couldn’t place it? Rather than ride bumpity bump over the high way it seem to float , yesss float along. Very pleasing to follow this shiny black mysterious machine. I kept trying to find evidence of it being a high end large German car but I couldn’t place it. It didn’t seem to be that like a Mercedes S .
Then ( because I’m sensitive to cars ) I noticed these really big wide huge wheels and tires that looked slightly too big for the car.
What ever it was it looked heavy and built for high speeds and power. Only a car with wheels and tires that looked over sized would be built for high speed cursing and power. It looked more and more heavy wide and substantial. Yet under the radar.
Somehow modest and classy.
But it was also packing huge capability. And also slightly unique looking. Like in a special class of its own. Going it’s own way and doing it his or her way!
I could almost hear old blue eyes singing ...I DID IT MY WAY , MY WAY!!!!
I got a bit closer. What was it?
Damn it ! What is that car ?
What kind of car is that anyways with the big rear wheels?
On the Prefecture highway in Japan it always seemed to keep the perfect amount of distance between me and the little Japanese Suzuki Alto I was driving to get to Kyoto city.
If I sped up , it sped up.
If I slowed down it slowed down.
This made it a pleasant pleasure to follow but doggedly hard to see the make and model.
I could make out shiny black and silver chrome. Spotlessly clean as so many cars in Japan are.
And a big sedan ! Ohhh how the Japanese love their big high end sedans don’t they?
But it was definitely something non American and non Japanese.
Most likely European. German.
But it didn’t look quite German.
Closer
Closer
Almost there
Now I can see those beautiful little classic tail lights again.
Cherry red/ almost hot pink.
They seemed to float like the car rather than shine....!
And in class !
I’m getting closer and oh! Wow!
This car is speeding up suddenly!
It can really go when it wants to!
Looked so effortless!
But I’m close enough to see now.
Ohh now I know!!!
It’s a Jaguar!
This is one of my last memories driving in northern
Kyoto Prefecture Japan on my way to Kyoto city.
From near the Sea of Japan where I had been teaching back down to Kyoto city.
This impressed me and left a lasting impression.
Then I remembered the medical doctor in Nagoya also drove a JAG when he was having a special night out on the town.
He’s take out his JAG if we were going for expensive sushi .
And I’d already sold my BMW a car that I was happy with and missed dearly.
But I’d always wanted to own a bigger luxury car that was a true sports sedan.
My grandfather used to say that a bigger car , a full sized car will stand up better. He was a Crown Vic sort of guy and that’s one reason why the police use them he’d say!
So there you have it. This is why
I got my JAG!
But had I test drove a Mercedes S class or E class AMG or another BMW in 5 or 7 series in their M package I may have gone with one of those.
But when I found out this 1998 XJR had used heavy duty Mercedes Benz GERMAN transmissions to manage the high amount of power and torque from their supercharged V8 I was sold. And that’s coming from a BRITISH car maker that was owned by ford at the time.
That impressed me and blew it over the top!
I was very happy with my BMW transmission and I sort of knew what JAG had been up to with this XJR when I connected all the dots.
British class with something quality German motor sport in it.
I loved and adored my BMW for its transmission so I felt that this heavy duty German transmission they put in this XJR is going to come out in the driving experience! :)
Kind of like having the best of both worlds!
And JAG knew that! :)
Amazing!
I love these cars a lot and the facelifted x350 version, which was a lot lighter with it's aluminium chassis and body panels. I just wish they were available with a manual gearbox (I'm from the UK, we like our manuals here, lol!)
It’s a real bummer that only a select few XJR6 had the manual gear box.
Actually there's very little difference in the weights, specially when you consider the trouble they went through saving it.
@ low tech mechanic
I should note that when I press my big DEFROST button this actives not only the a/c and brings the blower up to full blast but it also automatically activates my extra little front windshield heater button and mechanism.
When I press my back windshield heater button this defrosts my back windshield and also activated my outside rear view mirror heaters, on both sides to remove an fogging or snow or ice.
So all in all I’ve discovered some nice little extra touches that all still seem to work perfectly. :)
In your video I noticed what looked like
PALM TREES so this cold winter stuff might not be anything you need to concern yourself with on your JAG.
I get made fun of all the time up here for trying to run and drive / own a JAG in the winter.
If you should happen to break down or not start people in their big jacked up 4WD pickup trucks and even SUVs have a real HEY DAY WITH IT!!!!
Going against the grain!
DOING IT MY WAY!!!!!
With some good new winter tires on you get around just fine!
Grip and Cut through deep snow like nobody’s business!!!!! LOVE MY NOKIAN WINTER SNOW TIRES!!!! Made in Finland!
Feel like I’m zipping around in a little TANK with these on it! :) They grip so well!!!!!
Awesome that you are using it year round!
Just a quick note, the leaper hood ornament has been a dealer installed option for the whole XJ series. All the way back to the Series 1 in 1968. Take a look at the brochures and you won't see leapers. Most dealers installed them anyway through the X350s, at least in the US.
The US loves the leapers. Our XJS has a keeper and the emblem!
I had a 2001 Vanden Plas that I drove for 11 years. My favorite car I've ever owned!
They are wonderful motors!
Great job here buddy, I am sure you have seen mine on my Car Channel here on UA-cam. 98 Carnival Red XjR with the ivory interior. Had 51,000 miles when purchased 4 years ago, has 80,000 now.
Thank you! You have a beautiful example! :)
@@LowTechGarage thanks,
You're absolutely talented you should have a show I thoroughly enjoyed the going over on the XJ8 Amazing you are a hidden talent
Thank you! Lots more content to come!
Great vid! You are spot on concerning common failures/issues with the XJR. Might I add that the ABS Module is notorious for failing as well. Heaven forbid you have to complete the dreaded drive cycles. However, in the end, the car is a joy to own and drive. I've had my 2000 XJR for about 17 years. Can't imagine living without her.
Thanks for you input on the ABS module. Thankful we haven’t encountered that. We adore the XJR!
Nice Review and Info.
I own a 00 Daimler Super V8 since 1 and half year.
Great Car , English Luxury, combined with US Muscle Car Power.
I love how silent these Beauty' s are.
The X308 was the last inline of this low Super Sedan Jaguar XJ Series, that's what makes driving them so unique !
In the X350 and after, U sit higher .
I recently found out the car can also display in the Dashboard ,when my tail light is broken !
Greetings !
I wish we could get the Daimlers here, we would have to find space for one in the garage!
The long base was standard on the Vanden Plas. You could not get a VDP with a standard wheelbase.
They were optioned as follows:
XJ8 is the base model with standard wheelbase.
XJ8L is the base model with the 8” longer wheelbase. Otherwise the same as the base model.
Vanden Plas is the luxury version of the XJ8L with upgraded leather, upgraded wood, and rear seat tray tables which is a signature of Bentleys.
Vanden Plas was also the coach builder for Bentley interiors.
XJR is the supercharged version of the standard model, but also added sport seats with the dark carpet and dash. It also came with a sportier transmission and suspension.
Super V8 was basically the Vanden Plas with the super charger and tougher transmission. It is the ultimate XJ.
This must have changed on the X350 platform as we had a SWB VDP. Maybe the X308 was different. Thank you for sharing!
36 mins 55 secs - I watched all of it. Excellent content. I want an X358 (latest XJ model)
Thanks for the support and glad you enjoyed the content. We had an X350 until recently and loved that. We hope to have a newer XJ in the fleet in the future :)
Nice!!! I bought the 2004 Jaguar XJR last year. People told me i just screwed myself cuz my car is going to cost me a lot to get it fix if something happens. Maybe they are right because my car is at the shop right now and its gonna cost me $1900 to get it fix but…. Still worth it…
These are great cars, they do require maintenance like any other vehicle. It is worth keeping them in nice shape to enjoy the experience!
After rebuilding my s type r a few things I found that will put these cars into a meltdown. Coil packs use OEM. Plugs must use OEM. Vacuum leaks , auxiliary water pump. My car had check engine and restricted performance light drove me crazy. New 02s , and replace all sensors. I made the mistake of buying a maf sensor from a auto parts store and the car ran worse. I put the old DENSO back in and car ran better but still had warning lights and stuttering at 3500 rpm. After checking and rechecking I decided to clean the maf sensor !!!!! Wallah noore lights and fuel trims are in range !. These cars are very sensitive to vacuum and OEM parts . Do not use aftermarket it's a waste of money and will drive you crazy trying to figure out problems . These cars are affordable but find someone who can fix it before you buy it. If you are handy buy a scan tool and shop repair manual. Also my car had a transmission fault and wouldn't shift. The lifetime sealed unit is bullshit . I changed the filter valve body seals and celenoids and my car shifts like a brand new car ! Good luck . If anyone has any problems you could email me and I could help figure it out.
This is very good information. Any sensors use OEM! We had the same experience on our X350.
Hi Mike. I just bought an XJ8, 2002/2003 model with 225,000. What preventive maintenance do you recommend? It's hard the valve cover gaskets, axle seal, water pump & thermostats replaced recently. Your email address would be nice as well. Thanks
I love this video. I purchased my XJR V8 a few weeks back before I saw this video. Mines Sapphire Blue with BBS alloys , 2002. I already know its gonna be a labour of love but I'm smitten. I also have an Type 3.0 Petrol AWD as my daily! I just love Jags!!
Very informative video. I subscribed and liked as I know your gonna be a great help in my journey with my Jags.
Congratulations on your purchase, your 02 sounds lovely! Plenty more jag content to come in this space! :)
2002 XJR8 with BBS is probably the best. May have metal tensioners ( recommend have it checked), should have metal thermostat tower, will avoid Nicasil woes and likely to have a high spec. Nice one.
Oh man, Sapphire Blue, that's so beautiful but I couldn't find one when I bought mine, so my 2002 is Zircon blue, which I love as well. Uh, "OJ O" don't I know you from the Web somewhere, some group, Jaguar XJS group? I also own a superb BRG convertible XJS
@@Reinaldo146 probably one of the groups I think I have popped into the XJS forum but I'm not a member. Lol
@ low tech garage
One final note: What I love most is that these are Classy Understated and Refined. :)
A look closer reveals some under the radar performance and real power. But so beautifully understated and refined.
I like this most of all and these ones we have still identifiably look like a JAG!!!!
VERY JAGESK!!! :)
People can identify them easily as a JAG
They definitely have that old classic JAG LOOK!
Lovely !!!
Understated is very true!
Thank you for all your replies.
In the world of very very understated and very conservative this car is probably a bit of a power house sporty show off....in the world of very conservative British Sedans this would be the muscular sporty Black Sheep strutting it’s stuff and speaking pretty loudly.
Got the tiger by the tail so to speak!!
But in the international arena it comes across a pretty classy and understated and sophisticated and under the radar. It’s a nice balance!! The best of many worlds.
Using it Year Round.....yess I’m trying to. I’m sure once it is professionally repaired and once winter gets towards the end and it isn’t as cold it will be a great sedan to enjoy again! And be glad I have it! :)
4-8k? That would be a dream 😬 Here in Switzerland a XJR V8 S/C with 100k miles is around 11-13k.. still looking for one myself as well 🥰
Good luck with the search! The prices have gone up a bit here since we posted the video. 🙂
I just found an immaculate XJR 2006 with 26,000 miles with the paltry price tag of $24,500. After Bidenomics it will probably sell for 50 K next yr.
Great Info Video...Thank You...... I had many Jags over the years....1969 XKE.....XJ 12 XJ 6 series III..... and now am ready to get back in the game...... your video was helpful and most appreciated...... Kevin
We are glad this was useful for you! Best of luck in your search for a new to you Jag!
Chrome surrounds on the windows 🪟 isn’t standard on the XJR internationally. The leaper was a bolt on non standard item often done at the dealership by request by the first owners, they are a throwback to pre 2002 cars XJ40 back.
All the US market XJRs have the chrome trimmings. We would love to find the blackout trim but its not common state side.
Good work on my Jag. I’m getting ready to sell it because I have a constant coolant leak that just won’t go away. I’ve changed all different types of belts and hoses.
Where is the coolant appearing? Have you replaced the under supercharger hose. That is a very common one to leak
@@LowTechGarage it’s not the supercharger jaguar. I’m not sure where it is. I’m not mechanically inclined, but they did put a new mass airflow sensor in and some new hoses new thermostat
They said the pressure builds up and there could be more leaks. I thought they could fix all the leaks at one shot but I guess it’s not that easy. Do you have a website I can show you picture of my car and information
I bought the same exact car last weekend with a tripped inertia switch for 250 bucks.
Well played!
The cup holders are for our tea 🍵 us British love our tea great video thanks from the UK 🇬🇧
😀
Excellent review. I've just inherited my dad's black 2000 XJR. I love it so much and share your passion for these fabulous cats ❤️
Thank you! They are fabulous!
Wow ! ... I woke up at the middle of the night cause I couldn't sleep no more and looking for a video on how to replace the front door pocket box, I bump into your video. I own an XJR Supercharged same year as yours with 133k miles. Mine is Metallic Gray / Oatmeal Interior. I cannot address how well spoken and important points you touched during the video. I definitely want to be part of the "Patrion", but I can't find how to join. Again, awesome video and I will really like to keep in touch with you for my future jobs on my XJR. Btw, I also posses a Ocean Blue / NDR Interior 1997 Jaguar XK8 with 43k original miles. See you soon ! Remember to write me so I can join the Patrion's. Thank you.
Thank you for the kind words. It sounds like you have a nice Jag collection! :)
You can find out Patreon here: patreon.com/LowTechGarage
I had the X300 XJR in BRG with oatmeal interior, apart from the wheels and full centre consul cover (no cup holders at all) it looks almost exactly the same as yours, I absolutely loved the car, only sold due to loss of full income due to a truck rollover otherwise I'd never have sold it, the damn this was quicker than than our then new HSV upgraded SS Commodore (you guys did get a few badged as Pontiacs) it was said to have been the fastest production saloon car in 1995 and cost $176k AUD before on road costs which put it well over $180k AUD (all of our vehicles and parts cost around 35% more than the USA regardless of origin) I allowed a few friends to drive it solo and never told them it was supercharged and like everyone they floored it once out of sight then pulled over and lifted the hood to see why grandpa's old Jag nearly broke their necks: I now own a 1999 4 litre Sport that would put most one year old's to shame, these seem to get looked after more than most luxury cars, we also had the same options for the X300's but for the X308's had a 3.2l V8 along with the 4l and 4l supercharged XJR, the 3.2l is more common for some reason, it also uses more fuel so no idea why, it's just one of those stupid thing's like Jeep did with the JL Wrangler, the USA originally had I think five engine options, we had two which quickly dropped to the one 3.6l petrol which is ridiculous as they did offer a 2.2l Alpha diesel which was a huge let down as their 3l diesel is quite good and us Aussie love our oilers, anyway back to the Jag... My 95 XJR should I still have it with the same mileage would now be twice the price, I even sold it for $6k AUD more than I paid and I purchased it from a dealer (It was a personal import by the owner who purchased it new in the UK and due to it only being a year old when shipped had not really seen a salted road) Now 12 odd years later after owning a few Jap 4x4's for their towing capacity only and hating every mile I started thing "another Jag" but I hadn't kept up with prices and was shocked to see the prices had doubled and not decreased as expected so instead I set my sights on a 4l Sport and was lucky to find something I didn't think existed, an X308 with graphite leather interior (I've only seen a photo of one other, are they that rare?) which had me sold as I'm not a huge fan of light coloured interiors, paint is metallic Topaz with satin black trim around the windows which is quite classy though I'd much prefer BRG, am considering swapping the wheels to a staggered 8" and 9" x 18" in black as the oe one's are 17" just a similar style to the oe one's, also either blacking out the rest of the chrome trim or painting it Topaz, possibly lowering it but it already has a roof height around 6" lower than most in its category and as you said it rarely if at all bottoms out (my SS Commodore ute was lowered and scraped near every speed hump if you didn't hit them cross ways, and the Jag lowered would look insane: I wish they made the X308 in a coupe like the XJC, if younger I'd buy a huge miler and extend the doors, add at least a 600 rwhp LS and do much much more but at 67 and refitting which will be my last boat, or rather yacht I already have my last fling into stupidity) I've always loved English cars and in particular Jaguars, the extra cost to keep some on the road has always been money well spent, at times it's been quite a lot but like my last V8 diesel L322 Range Rover tuned and with 22" wheels that cost me just over $15k over three years I actually got $3k more than it owed me when I sold it and the new custodian has messaged me twice saying he can't get the smile off his face and he's a Range Rover tragic: I was sad to see it go but at the time I didn't know it'd be replaced with an X308 and leave me with close to the purchase price left to play with and in turn I'm watching the value rise: the only issue I'm having is it occasionally and at random goes into limp mode (limited performance) then for who knows why sorts itself then can be perfect for the rest of the day only to do it yet again the next time I take it out... will be taking it to a specialist when I have time, iot was fine before having the timing gear updated so I'm thinking they may have not connected something properly. Good vid btw, the late 80's when Ford had them sorted them back to being the reliable vehicles they always should've been, the nikasil engines need to be driven to keep the oil impregnated in the cylinders and new oil is a given, it has to be changed every six months, not years and by mileage alone, the only issues they had in the day was dirty European fuel, nowadays an older nikasil engine that's lasted those times and if looked after will be close to indestructible.
We really love those XJR-6 jags. We secretly want to add one to our stable!
@@LowTechGarage Yeah, as much as we all love a V8 there’s just something about a Jag that screams “straight six or Double Six”. An old English mate did his automotive apprenticeship at a Jaguar dealership in the UK when the V12’s were the thing’s to have, he’d service and tune them only as usual to end up with one rocker out by one small shim, easily fixed he says while doing one here in an E Type with myself watching in amazement at how much better it ran, I figured he’d leave it as it was within tolerance but no, he hit the offending rocker with a hammer, stuck a feeler gauge under it and perfect 👌 and all while smoking and ashing his cigarette down one of the carbs.
That's the same one I have, I have a 2001 xjr, British green with the oatmeal seats
Skyline swapped motor, lowered on after market 18s
Nice!
You are talking about the pre 2002 models where the tensioners for the timing chain was corrected. I suggest to anyone buying an XJR buy a 2002-2003.
Yes. The early cars were more prone to the tensioner issue!
I bought a Jaguar XJ6 Sovereign 1991''XJ40'' and parts are mostly available on eBay. Not much more expensive than a regular car, but still a wait to receive the parts.
We have found the same with the x308 and the x350 platforms. For the most part not too much more than normal cars. There are always some outliers but totally worth it for an amazing drive :)
I used to have one, you’re very knowledgeable about cars and were 100% accurate with everything you said. Good video
Thanks! 👍
In the prosess of buying a 1999 xjr that i saw at a dealer here in norway. It is black with cream interiour and dark wood trim. It has cats and org phone. I have always liked these cars,but never had the money earlier. Car needs to fix rear end and an oil leak from the trans and a coolant leak from the engine. Possibly the hoose you mentioned. Dealer is doing this before delivery and full tuneup. 100k miles. But it does not have the leaper unfortunatly
Enjoy your XJR! They are great!
My dream 2-car garage is XKR coupe (X100) and XJR (X308) both in black.
That would be a lovely pair!
Greatest video I’ve ever seen on the X308 Jags. Thank you so much!!!!!
btw my prime colour combo would be your exact car but second you would be Blue paint with black interior WITH a sunroof. Loooove sun roofs
Thank you for the kind words! We will have a lot more content on the car coming soon.
Since my comment, I’ve owned 3 Land Rovers… Disco 1, L322 and now a P38 but I think I’ve decided it’s finally Jag time.
New Zealand market never got the sunroof which is a bummer but I’ve found the only one that’s listed for sale in the country and if I can sell my Autobiography P38, I’ll straight up buy it.
Probably the only reliable and solid Jag
Still soldiering on after 22 years
i have a 99 xjr, silver with the black interior. such an amazing vehicle and being a 20 year old owning one just feels badass. lol
Great choice sir!
List of my xjr supercharged 1995 problems in ten years.
Propshaft failure because of extreme heat from exhaust burns rubber internals and finally breaks free.
Exhaust connection leak and final mufflers rust off.
Gearbox spring mount too loose.
Most common issues is from electrical system.
Steering wheel tilt/ in&out motor fail.
Driver seat doesent come forward when ignition on.
Memory seat sometimes fails.
Trunk isnt opening from outside. Yes there are valet button under armrest.
Passenger mirror doesent come to normal position after reversing.
Lcd displays also dark but it is normal from this age.
Overall performance and smooth drive makes you forgive these quircks. :)
ahhh the joys of an old jag! I will say, be sure to check all you grounds and clean them and replace and corroded ground wires. They can cause gremlins like you mentioned. Best of luck!
I`ve had Xj`s since the mid 90`s & love them. My current 99 XJR (which I got in 2008) had been perfect reliability-wise, until Covid.. I didnt start it for a good 18 months, when I went to, it wouldn't.. Turned out the fuel pumps had both seized, & nothing would bring them back. As you may or may not know, getting the pumps means either pulling the tank, or cutting through the parcel shelf. Why do people cut the shelf? Because getting the tank out is an ordeal, primarily because to do it properly, you have to move the rear differential to access the pipes..
Its also worth pointing out, these rust in wet & snowy countries.. The first rust you`ll likely get is the front chassis legs behind where the front rigid brake pipes join the flexi`s, at the same time, the scuttle under the wiper trim panel will likely be going (& you may notice water ingress into the car). The front wings (fenders), behind the wheels go, whether you have mud guards or not. You`ll also get rust at the leading edge of the floorpans, either from the rusted scuttle letting water into the car, or, from stonechip damage, or a combination of both ..The rear arches go too, usually at the bottom by the door. Occasionally you`ll get rust round the rear screen rubber, Finally, the sills (rockers), inside & out, including jacking points & rear trailing arm atachment points. Oh, & the rear suspension frame rots too.
Thanks for the supplemental information this is very helpful for our subscribers! :)
Hi, I have a MY1998 Daimler (4.0L SC LWB) with now only 120,000km on it. I changed the timing stuff years ago. I bought mine about 11 years ago.
* You forgot to mention the nikasil piston liners. Some say to get a blowby/compression test on the early X308 models before they changed to steel liners in the early 2000s. Mine is ok I reckon. In Australia we have low sulphur in the higher octane petrols. Jag spec is use of 95 or greater octane. Oz has 91, 95 and 98 versions of petrol.
The US mainly has 87, 91 and 93(95?) octane from memory , not sure if the sulphur content in the US is better these days.
Sulphur is what kills/erodes the nikasil piston liners. With low sulphur content the nikasil will last really really well and I expect to get a long life out my engine , with regular oil changes of course.
* Mine doesn't have the front cup holders (only in rear) and was disappointed to find that the front cupholders are useless. Damn, I was going to see if I could get a 2nd hand front cupholder, now I don't know what to do.
* I had my engine ECU go up in smoke but fortunately got it repaired. I bought a spare one from the US but was useless because they are security coded individually for each car, luckily the guy fixed my old one without using the bought spare. It was a capacitor that blew its guts and destroyed part of the pcb tracks.
Go to my utube channel if you wish to see the story. @850mk3
Thanks for the input. We will check your channel out.
Excellent video - on my 3rd XJ308 LWB Sovereign, first one caught fire after a transmission failure, next one had a complete ZF transmission failure and Engine failure, had both rebuilt to latest spec, kept that one and the 3rd has just shown signs of "Gearbox Fault" which comes and goes. So on vehicle #3 I have a fully operational "spare" for parts that are "as new". Beautiful cars but you need to be prepared for problems. The LWB is a more comfortable vehicle. Thankyou for a great review.
Thanks a lot, have you considered an XJR as it has a different gearbox that is less prone to failure?
Concur with your opinion of the LWB. Much more comfortable for passengers and makes an excellent "van" for weekly trips to the shops or transporting DIY goods. Yes, the ZF gearbox is not good. I had mine replaced with a ZF unit that has been "rebuilt" twice. It sometimes jolts at very low speeds on downshift 2nd to 1st but otherwise generally ok. An oil & filter change to the box assisted.
@@LowTechGarage Thanks, I will check with my friends at Roadbend Jaguar in WA (Australia) and see if they will function with the standard electronics, assume they will bolt up the same. Strange to not have offered the R Series in LWB. Best regards, Alastair.
Very nice work blud! As I'll tell anyone within earshot, I'm being buried with mine. Best overall package I've ever driven. :)
So true!
Great video! I would recommend to check the chains and tensioners on these 4.0 V8:s. The weak link is the upper chain tensioner. Secondary chain must not be changed, except if the plastic
ski of the secondary tensioner was already gone and there
was thus a potential abrasion of the chain. In this case,
the chain must be changed and the oil and filter renewed
(due to metal particles in the oil). This cost me 1600 but was worth it since the car is a keeper. I know the factory started to install upgraded tensioners in late 1999. These should be more reliable, but i still had this issue in mine XJR from 2001. A superb engine otherwise.
That is a good point. Timing chains are worth inspecting especially on the earlier cars.
I had a 2001 xjr,great car.At the time the fastest 4door built. Yours looks beautiful. 19 inch rims on the R.
Thank you! The power is a lot of fun!
Bernie Mann NZ THANKYOU SO MUCH BROTHER
You’re welcome!
@ Josh
Thank you for your reply! Very helpful! :)
I’ve been in touch with the owner of the shop and he believes it is a sensor inside the transmission.
He is going to get me to agree to ordering that sensor that they think it is based on codes that came back. Before opening the transmission case and taking a look see.
Again based on codes he thinks that’s definitely one of the problems and if that’s it hopefully that’s all there is wrong with the transmission.
We anticipate changing the transmission fluid completely. New seals of course.
Good luck!
So far it has been a lot of headache and heartache and maybe quite a bit of bad luck but we seem to be slowly getting there.
My friend had one, wish i bought it off him. Car sat for some time, he had it regular serviced at Jag. At 44k miles we removed the air filter. It was rammed with dead leaves. Jag had never removed to check filter.
Friends car engine so quiet i thought it had stopped till i looked at the rev counter.
Classic dealership move
Thank you for the underrated review on an underrated car
You’re welcome! Don’t tell anyone how good they are 🙂
Hilarious comment about the cupholders. So true.
It’s a jag thing
Many thanks for this nice and usefull video. Living with these cars is more of a love-affair and less of just a ownership.
A good XJR/X308 here in Germany is hard to find and will cost you at least USD 20.000.
Well said!
We have similar prices in Australia USD20+
Hey if youre interested let me know i have the exact same one
@@amiomi4970 Thanks for the offer but im totaly happy with Deborah (a 2000 XJR in all black) and Angelina (a 1998 XJ8 Sovereign in British Racing Green)
@@interceptor124 "Deborah and Angelina" I like that, never thought about naming my cars but those sound so cute... although I'm not so sure if girls' names are adequate for 370 HP muscle "guys"... my (show car) XJS is called "My Dream XJS".
Hello 👋 Josh love ❤️ your channel buddy you have the best advice and you are super smart on jaguars. I just got my first jaguar in June of last year my aunt gave it to me she quit driving I got it running after sitting for seven years I fell in love with the design and I'm going to try to find some and start collecting them I've got a 99 vanden plas..lwb.I'm currently looking for parts and having a hard time finding them..
Most mechanical parts are still available. There is a great community on Facebook that can help source trim components.
Awesome video! Not sure if / when I’ll be able to buy one of these but you definitely set my mind at ease on potential issues. I do my own maintenance and this doesn’t look too bad to work on.
Great choice on colour, I’m from the UK now living in Canada so definitely biased to the British Racing Green 😉
Thank you for the video, super informative.
You’re welcome! Definitely get one! 🙂
@ Josh
Just want to say also that I really like your UA-cam videos! They are very well made and you highlight every important detail of these cars.
An English car with Italian styling and a German transmission I remember someone saying and one might add also with a bit of new age American muscle for good measure. I like the Italian styling bit.
It’s ROCKY BELBOWA in a TUXEDO:)
Wish me luck !!!
Thanks!
Oh how I’d love to go back to that pricing
There is a minty condition one locally here for $7,500. Check Facebook marketplace, deals come up!
Enjoyed this video very much. Thank you for taking the time to put it together.
Glad you enjoyed it!
@ LTG 1998 has sentimental value for me too.
But that’s just a very personal thing for me.
I’ll imagine that there is likely a year of XJR that people that love them tend to love the most. :)
I love the heavy use of silver Chrome on these especially around the back doors and I love the full size spare tire with matching rim in the very big trunk. All the JAG books and the green leather car booklet folder are so interesting to look at too. :)
@ LTG I wanted to say also that I thought your video was very well done! :). What an excellent job you did!!! The British Racing Green comes across so very well on your video! I absolutely love that particular color of GREEN!
Thank you very much!
Yes you are welcome!
The shop I currently have my 1998 XJR supercharged at is really dragging their heels on looking at my car. Last week they said they would look at it later in the week because the JAG mechanic just got back on Monday. On Friday they said they didn’t get to it. I’ve had it sitting down there since Dec 15
So this coming week I think they are going to finally get around to looking at it. They said they think it’s going to be a BIG job.
So I’m trying to be patient.
They might be swamped after the mechanic got back from his month long holiday. But he is said to be the best in town and from Europe. Not just any old mechanic. ( strongly suspecting serious timing chain issues )
There seems to be a BUZZ about older Jags right now. Their popularity seems to be increasing at a pretty fast rate.
Btw I found an old late 90s cells phone in the front of my car.
Did you find one in the front of yours and do you think there is also one in the back?
Also, I play with the gasoline I use and always the highest octane premium I can find. 93 seems to be the highest we can find in Canada but I’ve noticed a big difference depending on the gas station I use. SHELL seems to be good for my previous
BMW 320i and for this JAG at most of their newer locations.
This made a big difference for me. Esso gas didn’t seem to be good at all. We sometimes say at car shops that they have water in their gas.
SHELL CANADA has been about the best for me if at a newer location and NOT ethanol blended gas. Said to be very bad for these.
When I finally get my car back and it is fixed I’m going to fill it up and take it for a good hard run.
I love the color of green you have! :) never get tired of seeing it!!!!
I also like how these are come with a big FULL SIZED ZR rated SPAIR TIRE in the trunk with a matching full sized RIM. They didn’t cut any corners!!! :) It was all there and nice to see when I opened my trunk.
@ LTG yep the leaper and the growler.
One leaper ( 3 if you count the small side
emblems ) one if you count the big honking classic chrome hood ornament. 6 growlers in total. 7 if you count the spare tire rim in the rather spacious trunk. I have 4 tires in my trunk right now in total. I think that’s all of them unless you can think of any others. In my trunk someone removed the carpeted first level that is usually over top of the spare tire and full sized rim and battery. So when I pop the trunk I usually see everything that’s in there right away. It might be interesting to note that this car originally seems to have come with ITALIAN TIRES. My spare tire is still the original Italian brand.
I thought oh wow they went with Italian rubber on an English car with a German transmission and suspension with an Irish-American supercharger!
The Eaton M112
So we have FORD in on this car which is American and I’ll presume that at least a few parts are from Ford.
So American
We have English. Obviously as it is a JAG
We have Irish-American
We have a good chunk of German
And
Italian!
That’s a pretty intentional car if you ask me.
Lastly I want to note: I absolutely love the LEATHER SEATS ( I think they are just so iconic! ) and this is the very first video I ever watched of yours and it was after I got my JAG in November.
We have some of my parts ordered now and I’m asking the shop to MAKE SURE WE ORDER THE UPGRADED ‘METAL’ Timing chain GUIDES AND TENSIONERS.
I absolutely hate to tell you this but they were just going to go ahead and order the plastic ones. :(
And have the plastic ones put in again.
I called right after work to ensure they wouldn’t do that.
One timing chain failure is enough to last me a life time. I don’t wish to have another one.
We are glad that our videos are useful for you! You can’t beat the lovely seats in these cars.
I intend to buy an XJ8 sport in the not to distant future, would love a black car with the cream leather.
That sounds like a really nice combination. Good luck with your search!
I have a 2000 XJR with 45,000 original. Love this car a my girl will not let me part with it. Paint is as fresh and the under carriage is clean as the top. Don't know that I would ever sell it, my retirement car.
Sounds like a lovely specimen!
Thank you for the informative video, the XJR is a very special Jaguar, I just had the good fortune of picking up a 1998 XJR in British racing green, it has the usual issues such as the sagging headliner and wear on the leather seats and elbow restpoints on the drivers side. I’m confident to resolve the issue within a reasonable cost. The only issue that the car has and not sure if it’s a common issue is that the sensor for the 2nd gear has failed, getting a quote for the repair on this next week. Is this a known issue?
Normally the gearboxes on the XJRs are rather robust. I have not come across this fault myself. Best of luck getting this resolved!
Never heard of the 2nd gear issue. I had a 1998 XJR8 and found the MB gearbox fine. Ultimately it succumbed to bore wash (Nicasil) and pumped out oil through the breather pipe. That said sold the car to my garage who put a s/h engine in and resold to a guy who went on to do a pile of performance mods to it!
The other xj's for Transmission hat the 480LE made by GM so if you got problems, it's not hard to fix
Our XJS has that trans and it works a treat
It's a beautiful example that you have.
I have a 2001xjr in black with the same color interior that you have.
If anyone is interested I'm selling it on Ebay..!
Thats a nice spec. Depending on condition you should consider listing on Bring A Trailer
Factory tires on the XJR were Continental P Zero Asimmetricos 255/40/r18! Not Michellin's. Just had to spend close to 1300 on a new set for my 99 xjr.
We are moving to the Continental DWS when replacing these.
@@LowTechGarage Oh yes! You're doing the right thing getting those tires. I put Continentals DWS on my 2002 and you can immediately feel what truly fantastic tires they are. Even on my XJS that was having all kinds of problems with the P Zeros that I had on it, especially with hard steering; when I put the Continental DWS all the problems went away like by a miracle.
Great video, very well put together, Thank you for the great tips, to consider before blindly going into owning a XJ-6. Thank you again. I'm going to look at one tomorrow, and will certainly as all those questions. Thanks again, All the best.
Best of luck tomorrow (or today).
Hey thinking of buying the same car how did it work out for you
LOL. Only got a little better in the x350. My 04' XJ8 will not take an insulated coffee cup, which is a must here in the winter. Fortunately there's an aftermarket insert with a large and a small cupholder replacing the two smallish ones.
So true, the euro cup holders don't work is the land of big gulps :)
Also the thermostat over time will jam open and cause overheating. If the car continues to cool its self down after the engine is turned off for more than a minute or so - its time to change the thermostat immediately.
That is a new one I haven't heard of before. Thank you for sharing that with us!
@@LowTechGarage The central part is made of wax and ideally needs to be replaced every 3 - 4 years depending on mileage - it is fairly inexpensive.
Here in Britain the Jaguar used to be THE car of choice for bookmakers, publicans, Managing Directors who while successful weren't quite in the league to buy a Rolls Royce. Last but not least the Jaguar was beloved by London Gangsters!
I believe that!
You’ve really done your homework sir!
Thanks a lot. I am glad this was informative for you!
Thank you for this vid. Your work is greatly appreciated.
So nice of you
Excellent video I have the x type green 2002 3.0 version !!!! But it needs a lot off work I still love the look!
These cars are all lovely. Keep up the good work!
The top line car for Jaguar is the Vanden Plas. It is 6 inches longer than a standard jaguar it has more chrome better wood Conley leather. Lambswool formats. Inlays in the wood wood table trays in the back. That is Jaguar’s top of the line model
I think the Super V8's and Daimlers even surpass the VDP. They did lots of specialty models.
@@LowTechGarage Yes the super Daimler was supposed to be the same as a VP but they were not create equal but you cannot get a Daimler in the United States the VP is the top car offered in the United States
You don't get much more "understated and comfortable" than this. Sure, Rolls Royce is just as comfortable, but is much more showy. Plenty of power too. Even in the 6 cylinder.
Yes yes yes!
Most informative and your passion is clear for all to see, Thanks.
I appreciate that!
Only 2 cars I regret selling, 2002 xjr and a 1999 Saab aero!
The Jag is a wonderful car and the Saab are great too!
@@LowTechGarage my Saab was stage 1 with 296 hp, civic killer!
thank, you for you're video and you're time spent.
My pleasure!
Thank you for the review. I have an XJ in my sights.
Good Luck with your purchase!
I have two. One a S and a R. Both have EVAP issues and will not take fuel. Been doing some research but have not tackled it yet.
Does the evap canister need to be replaced? Sometimes those become clogged and cause this issue.
Thats the same ZF transmission that were used in Audi A8’s. Unfortunately transmission service doesn’t mean much, they’re 100k transmissions at best.
They seem to hold up a lot better than the naturally aspirated v8 variant that comes in the regular XJ which is a huge plus.
Great video, you got new subscriber. Just one question, what year XJR you recommend to buy. Thank you in advance. 😊😊
For the x308 2000-02 are generally considered the most sorted from the factory
Hey .. just watched .. great job.. I have an x308 in South Africa and you mentioned a "plug in" blue tooth ! .. let me know spec and how please .. stay lucky
We have a video on the Bluetooth. Have a look in our other content and it will detail it out!
Found a 2004 XJR-S with just over 25,000 miles at an estate sale - I will be researching to see what they are asking for it - hate that the prices on all cars have increased or this could be a nice deal
The X350 is a great platform. One of our first videos was on these. We hope to have another X350 in the future!