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Jaguar XJ-Series

2801 messages,  Last post on Oct 25, 2012 at 10:12 AM

You are in the Jaguar XJ-Series Forum.

What is this discussion about? Jaguar XJ-Series, Sedan

Messages Page 35 of 281

#333 of 2801 New to the club by vusic

Jun 10, 2001 (9:20 am)

I have just purchased a '99 VDP (one owner, Texas car) with 34k for my wife. The car was purchased via the internet (big leap for us). One of the things that gave us confidence in the VDP was this forum. Jaguars are beautiful cars with owners who are passionate about owning them.
The homework I did on the car revealed a few issues I would appreciate any feedback on.
I spoke with the dealership who performed all of the warranty service on the car. A niggle here, a niggle there, but one issue seemed to be the "air bag" warning light. It was repaired in 2000 but re surfaced at the "certifcation" inspection after the car was traded in (different dealership).
The other somewhat troubling information was that the previous owner complained of a "transmission noise" in 2000 that the dealership couldn't reproduce. This problem was not mentioned by the dealership that performed the "Certification" inspection.
The "Certification" inspection showed that the car needed new front pads and rotors and some duct work under the skid plate (from driving on to a parking stopper). I asked why the car was not accepted for certification. He explained that the cost of bringing the car to "Certified" level coupled with the high trade-in cost may have made the profit margin unattractive to the dealership.
I had the car inspected by a third dealer before purchasing and he mentioned the duct work but said the car was gorgeous otherwise (no mention of the "airbag" light).
All three said the car was never hit.
My local Jaguar service center is ready to do the 30K service and the other work.
I elected to buy the car even with this info because and all of the service managers said that the issues were not major ones and I saved 10k to 15k on the purchase. The car is being shipped to us this week.
Are brakes a problem on the VDP?
Any suggestions if the "airbag" light reappears?
What "transmission noise" should I be listening for?
Can I still "Certify" the car or purchase a warranty extention after the 4 year 50k runs out?
 
Thanks in advance.

#334 of 2801 Squeaky Brakes - XJ8 by sikorski1

Jun 10, 2001 (9:40 am)

I just bought a used 98 XJ8 (31000 miles) and the brakes are squeaking most of the time upon stopping. What would your concerns be if you were me and how much should it cost to fix?

#335 of 2801 Squeaky Brakes by lesliejoy

Jun 10, 2001 (10:56 am)

When I bought my 1998 XJ8L a month ago, the brakes squeaked also. Brought it to a dealer repair shop. It needed new front brake pads.
Cost approx $200 with labor.

#336 of 2801 vusic and brakes by im_brentwood

Jun 10, 2001 (12:07 pm)

Vusic,
 
Congrats! What color? As far as the airbag light... Who's to say, but stuff like that is usually a minor problem. I wouldnt be overly concerned. Trannys are not a problem, maybe the PO (Previous owner) was too.. umm... well, maybe they were "overpicky".
 
He explained that the cost of bringing the car to "Certified" level coupled with the high trade-in cost may have made the profit margin unattractive to the dealership.
 
Sounds like BS to me. Also, those trays under the front bumper are always being replaced. I've ripped mine off a bunch of times
 
As far as the warranty, adding an extended is usually expensive, I don't think that its' possible to add a Select to the car.
 
Brakes: These cars are very heavy and suck through pads somewhat frequently. Common problem. Probably why sikorski has squeaky brakes.
 
Bill

#337 of 2801 Thanks for the feedback by vusic

Jun 10, 2001 (1:03 pm)

Topaz w/ Ivory. It's a beautiful car. We were test driving a LS400 when my wife saw a XJ and said "that's still what I want".
We had driven a few XJ's but the dealership was "uncooperative" price-wise. We don't have a formal Jaguar dealership here but the local Lincoln Mercury dealer is trying hard to get one by stocking 4 to 8 used (ahem....pre-owned) cars from California. They are an authorized service center now.
I kind of suspect your comment about the "certified" inspection is correct, although I hear the market for upper end cars in Texas (and many other places) is very soft....with tight margins.
I'll probably shy away from a extended warranty depending on the near term experience with the car. I hope to get by with the $200.00 Leslie mentioned (thanks) for the brakes, that would be great.
Being an owner of a few older British cars, we'll try to stay away from "parking stops".
By the way, I looked up "National Flags" and could not find the exact flag posted with your correspondence. Which of the British territories is your residence?
 
Regards,
Dave

#338 of 2801 Jaguars from Texas by sho3

Jun 10, 2001 (3:28 pm)

I notice on the internet that alot of Texas
Dealerships sale Jaguars online. With the
heavy rains and severe flooding in Texas
should Texas dealers be avoided? Besides Carfax
is there any other way to check for flood
damage ?

#339 of 2801 vusic by pat

Jun 10, 2001 (4:01 pm)

Welcome to Town Hall! Trust NO one's flag around here. ;-> The flag comes from the country of residence selected in one's profile - many folks decide where they "live" based on what flag they think is attractive.
 
You can see the country of origin for a flag by holding your cursor over the flag itself for a few seconds.
 
Good luck and again, welcome.
 
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

#340 of 2801 Texas Jaguars by vusic

Jun 10, 2001 (4:34 pm)

I'm not sure of any other way besides Carfax. I'd be careful until their data base is updated after recent events. I've been calling the dealer and the shipper to make sure we're in the clear. So far so good.
I scoured the internet for, what hopefully was, the best deal. For some reason Texas is a competitive market. The dealer I purchased from had 99.5% positive comments on E-bay. My experience with them was very pleasant. The real verdict will occur when the car arrives on Friday.
My auto-body person says that the main thing to watch out for in Texas cars is the interior baking in the sun. Try to make sure the car was garaged. Same applies to Southern Cal.
Also, thanks for the tip Pat.
 
Dave

#341 of 2801 vusic by im_brentwood

Jun 10, 2001 (9:47 pm)

Ahh, Topaz is the most valuable color for that car! That and White.
 
As far as where the cars come from, if you bought it from TX Mustang sales, he buys at Jaguar Credit auctions all over the country. I know him from the auctions (Im a dealer) and he's picky about what he buys too.
 
Few of his cars originally came from TX I can tell ya
 
sho, CarFax is an excellent way of checking for flood damage.
 
Bill

#342 of 2801 Bill by vusic

Jun 10, 2001 (10:36 pm)

Your Carnival Red looks great also.
I would have liked to have known about TX Mustang sales during the process (maybe I should have studied this forum more closely). I purchased the car from Expo Motorcars in Houston. The car was sold originally in the Ft. Worth/Dallas area according to Carfax.
I agree, Carfax is a great tool.
Quick question: Carfax only accepts an exact 17(?) digit VIN. Since I can check as many cars as I wish for a two month period for my $19.95 (money extremely well spent), I tried to check some of the other vehicles I own. I found that some of the older ones ('77 back) do not have the proper amount of digits so Carfax will not accept the entry. Is there a way around this, or is it an issue of the age of the cars?
 
Dave

Messages Page 35 of 281

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