# My Jaguar Super V8 project



## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Well guys... my Daimler V8 is gone...

See:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=171067&highlight=daimler

...and after a long and painful wait I finally picked up my new project last Monday.

And she had to go staright to the garage!!!! Doh!...

I noticed Mon night that there was a little brake judder and I thought best to see what was causing it? Better safe than sorry?

So I've been running around in a Corsa all week while the garage have been looking at her, turned out it was just as well I took her over to the garage as she had seazed caliper pistons on both of the front brakes and I've just had to shell out for new calipers, discs and pads!!! That was a very painful bill. The garage did show me the old ones though and the strange irregular pattern on the discs that had been caused by the seazed pistons did look rather scary!

So anyway thats not the end of the story... but without further delay here she is:










I have a few things to sort out, most noticably the alloys all need a refirb, here is the worst one:










Also there are two corrosion patches (the car is aluminium but it still corrodes unfortunately...)

On passenger door:










On top edge of bootlid:










And then there is also some horrible cracking to the paint on the rear bumper....










So it looks like I'll be visiting the body shop for some respraying in the spring!! But never mind I bartered with the price accordingly and I cannot afford a mint one...

The last and most annoying thing is that someone has polished the chrome off from the window surrounds, revealing the white platic or aluminium underneath, so most of those will need replacing too!

Then.... as if things could not get any worse... this morning I woke to find I have a nasty puncture!! When I pumped it back up the air came hissing back out so I have swapped for the spare. Damn those space savers!! Looks like I'll be scouring E-bay for a full size spare... every car I buy needs this I really hate space savers!! So here she is showing off her lovely illuminous orange space saver!










Well it is far to snowy for me to tackle cleaning/detailing her at the moment. There were a lot of fine scratches and marks that I am hoping will compount out or failing that wetsand out.. but these will have to wait for the better weather... Will post some more pics up when the weather improves.

Some interior pics as requested:



















Interior does not really need much work really, just a thorough clean when the weather gets better - though this is just as well considering all of the other work I have to do!!


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## giblet (Feb 26, 2008)

Thats a lovely upgrade to a 400bhp beastie! Just need to lose the bonnet leaper, upgrade the grill and give it a tart up. Any pics of the interior?


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

gib786 said:


> Thats a lovely upgrade to a 400bhp beastie! Just need to lose the bonnet leaper, upgrade the grill and give it a tart up. Any pics of the interior?


Ah you know your stuff!! 400bhp it is.... 0-60 in 5 seconds!

Not sure about the bonnet leaper... I do not usually fit them but this was fitted by the previous owner.

One thing I do not understand? What do you mean by 'upgrade the grill'?

(I'll get some interior pics)....


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## dean j (Mar 30, 2007)

Looks luxurious mate

I think he means the XJR grille looks better, but it actually dont look that bad to me.

+1 on losing the jeaping jaguar. It makes the car look too like an old mans car, if that makes sense


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## giblet (Feb 26, 2008)

0-60 in 5 must be fun! I've driven my brothers 4.2 sport and its great fun for such a big car, and insanely comfy.

By upgrade the grill I mean the later colour coded one like this - 









In my opinion it really smartens up the front end. I think my brother got his grill from a chap on ebay, it was supplied painted in the right colour, will confirm the price and seller details from him if your interested. The bonnet leaper makes it look too old man-ish


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Mmmmm I see what you mean now....

Yeah that Grill looks much much much better!!

Well I think I will get all the other stuff (like the 2 corrosion patches, chrome surrounds and of course my tyre!) out the way first, but that is definately something to consider when I have some more funds.

Still not sure on that leaper... I actually quite like them, though I think this one is a tad too small for the car. I'm going to have a think. Also depends on what would be the extra work at the bodyshop to get it removed? I'll perhaps have an ask when I get the other bits tidied up.

I can't wait for the better weather so I can give it a thorough clean inside and out...


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## declanswan (Feb 27, 2008)

Loving the gadgets in the back !!


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## dan123elvin (Jun 15, 2010)

looks very smart


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## squeakyclean32 (Mar 13, 2010)

Very Nice....Loads of Fun Gadgets too :thumb::thumb:


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## FrazzleTC (Jul 4, 2009)

Very nice car! I'd be tempted to keep the leaping cat myself, but it's a case of personal taste. The interior looks very smart indeed, and I'm sure once you're finished it'll be immaculate!


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Cheers for your comments guys! Yes there are quite a few gadget in the back... it has the seperate rear climate control option and electric heated memory seats in the back. There's also a rear entertaiment centre in the rear armrest.... but we'll get to those at a later date....

OK guys here is where the work starts... and unfortunately there is no happy ending or fabulous transformation. Just a few mundane tasks... I do have four normal wheels now though, the fifth is sat in my house and I shall have it refirbed and a new tyre put on next year, if funds allow I shall then go through all the wheels and have them refirbished.

First of all during the week my car decided it was time to test me, presumably to asses my suitability for ownership my throwing something bloody annoying at me. So late at night while driving along at 70mph my wipers stopped.

One wiper overlapped the other and they froze in ann upside down V on my windsheild. After a little investigation (in the dark at night!!) I found that a nut had come undone and to my surprise as an unusual turn of luck the nut was sitting right by the threaded rod to the motor where it had come off. The picture below shows the thread where it had come off, it i to the left of that pink think with a sort of star washer round it.










unfortunately it was buried deep underneath the windsheild, so here is a picture of my chin which also illustrates how I had to poke my arm into the hidden depths of the engine bay to get at the nut and put it back on.










Well I got the wipers working, but not quite correctly. They now park in an upright manner and I have found that I do not know how to correct it. If I move the wipers into the down position I want them to be and the go into the bonnet to tighten the nut I cannot get access because the linkage covers the nut and it's at a funny angle which does not allow access with a spanner. So they shall have to stay upright until I take it back to the garage...










So after that i thought I would tackle the mucky boot matt. It's covered in stains. Here it is after a good vaccum.










I used Meguiars carpet cleaner to attack the stains and got most of them out. Unforunately the bottle ran out so I did not get rid of all the stains but it is improved none the less:










Then last of all I decided to attack the swirly piano black finish on my gear selector.










Out came some microfibre cloths and the good old faithful ultimate compound and I polished away for 15 minutes. I am not completely happy with the results as there are still a couple of minor scrathes showing. But these do not really show when you get into the car, the camera flash is very good at highlighting the blemishes.










Well this shall do until I can be bothered to do some more. With the wipers at 90 degress upright I am struggling to have much enthusiasm!


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## herbiedacious (Sep 27, 2010)

A lot of my punters were pulled by the police for having bonnet leapers, they were considered dangerous bodywork! Think it may depend on your local constabulary, up in the North East there are now quite a few jags with ugly holes in their bonnets.


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## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

Looks nice and a proper tool and once the jobs are done it will be a cracker.

One word of warning, the cracked paint in the rear bumper looks like its from a rear shunt so you might want to make sure that all is well behind the bumper with regards fixings etc and the main connections to the chassis legs if that is how they are mounted, a friend had a bad experience on an A6 with something similar and it cost him a few more quid than he had planned so hopefully yours is good underneath.


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## "SkY" (Apr 21, 2009)

looks nice..


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## aod (Apr 7, 2009)

Lovely motor! My old man has on 07 Sovereign, and it's recently developed what looks like corrosion on the front near the headlights. Because it's only just over 3 years old, this sort of wear is totally unexpected; however Jaguar have told him although the bodywork warranty is 6 years, the paint is only 3 years. They are stating that it's the paint that is 'bubbling' and therefore won't honour any repairs under warranty!

I didn't think paint just bubbled, without the metal underneath corroding? Regardless, it seems odd for such a young (07) car to have this defect! Let me know how yours goes when you get it looked at later in the year


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Hi AOD, I think the dealers are taking the p!$$ not repairing that.

You should perhaps go online at the Jag forum (jaguarforum.co.uk) and post some pics there, ask their opinions. I know some of them have a lot of experience with getting the dealers to fork out and pay for this type of thing.

I personally think they should do it for you!!


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## lucky_paddy (Feb 14, 2010)

+1

That is not paint failure - it's bodywork and there is no way it should be present on a 3 year old car.

FWIW - My guess would be that the bonnet has been repaired, at some stage, and the repair is now failing.

Either way, the garage should honour the warranty.

GL with it.


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## Littler (Nov 8, 2010)

I had this issue on a repair on the rear passenger door and I knew it was out of the 6 year warranty. I had Jaguar repair at my own cost but he did mention that it would be covered under the warranty if it was a couple of years younger.

Adam.


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Well what makes it worse is this is a KNOWN issue.

When it was released the Jaguar X350 used a new aluminium bodyshell, which was assembled using resins and rivets. This made it even lighter than the Audi aluminium bodies which use a subframe to attached the panels.

However the combination of metals used in the assembly process resulted in some unexpected corrosion issues and this has affected all X350 Jaguars produced from 2003 all the way until the last models in 2009. Obviously it may also affect the X351 but it's too soon to say right now.

However Jaguar know about this issue and corrosion like that seen on my car and on aod's fathers is a common sight on these cars. Therefore if within the 6 year corrosion warrantee period Jaguar should be repairing the corrosion FOC.

I'd get back on to them - maybe even try a different dealer? From what I have read some dealers try to wriggle out of paying for this work where as others are much more reasonable.

But make no mistake, *ALL* dealers know about the issue - it has affected nearly every car that rolled out of the factory and has probably cost Jaguar millions in warrantee repairs.


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

ajlittler said:


> ....I had Jaguar repair at my own cost.....
> 
> Adam.


Out of interest Adam, was the repair expensive?


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Well the car returned from the Jagutek (have to say these guys are the best garage I have ever used) and I now have working wipers!! Hooray!

So this morning I though it was time for a quick clean - in celebration of finally having a fully working car again!

Here she is before:




























And after a quick going over....




























Oh and this is the awful wheel...










Never mind the other three are not too bad though. What I have noticed is the car is VERY swirly and scratched. Now I have an Xmas meal tonight so did not want to get too involved but I cracked out the DA for a quick blast and see what could be acheived.

Before:










And after a single pass:










Still scratched in places but I could not beleive how much just one attempt with ultimate compound improved things. It really is amazing stuff!

So anyway... me and my Jag, after all she's put me through during the first couple of weeks we're good friends again!










Long may it last.....


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## Dan Clark (Jun 25, 2007)

Looking good 

Thats great for only one pass!!


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## NovalutionGSi (Apr 19, 2010)

Good work Chris! just shows how good Meg UC is! What pad and speed did you run at? 

Bonnet Leaper defo should stay off but dont remove the bonnent clip for it so when your at your club meets it can go back on again and hopefully you'll get some prizes again!

I think you had the same thought as i did, its above freezing and sunny, time to get out there and clean the car! if its the same tomorrow i think i'll be attacking the MG!


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Yeah was a steady 7 degrees today, so just warm enough!

I ran at speed 5-6 and just kept buffing until all the product had broken down. Might have another go tomorrow if I get the time! Used a yellow Megs polishing pad.

Good luck with the MG!

Now I'm going to have to detail myself before I go out in a little while, not sure if I have time to get rid of all the surface contanimation and marking, thinking of using a soap bar with a water lubricant, will this work like a clay bar?

And there's some sort of growth on my face - thinking I should snowfoam then maybe a cutting pad, before finishing with a drying towel?

Then I've got to remember how to do a bow tie, youtube it is me thinks...


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## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

Luvvvvvvvvvly car there :argie:


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## Littler (Nov 8, 2010)

c16rkc said:


> Out of interest Adam, was the repair expensive?


It was £270 inc vat, this did include the wheel arch next to the door as well. Unfortunately rust had found itself in the wheel arch


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Lovely car, I'll be interested in reading about your progress.


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Carried out a quick clean on my Jags engine today, thought I'd post the results...

So here are the befores:




























Then after 2 hours cleaning.....





































Not immaculate... but improved... think I'd like to go over the rest when the weather is a bit warmer!


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## GSVHammer (Feb 7, 2009)

Just found this thread, lovely motor. I've subscribed for future updates.


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## PaulXJ8 (Jan 27, 2011)

Brilliant thread looking forward to the next update


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

herbiedacious said:


> A lot of my punters were pulled by the police for having bonnet leapers


Yeah this has made me wonder a bit...

I've been told that mine is ok because it's TUV approved (It's an Arden spring loaded model and originally cost £250) but I don't know if it's really legal. Sellers in the UK clain it is, but I am sceptical.

I guess time will tell... not been pulled over yet??



ALANSHR said:


> One word of warning, the cracked paint in the rear bumper looks like its from a rear shunt


Yes I think you may be right, it does look a bit like that. Can't see any other damage but I guess I'll find out when I get to the garage for a look see...



ajlittler said:


> It was £270 inc vat, this did include the wheel arch next to the door as well. Unfortunately rust had found itself in the wheel arch


Thanks Adam, that's quite reasonable really, think I'll have to include a main dealer when I get a couple of quotes.


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## tompinney (Jan 29, 2006)

c16rkc said:


> Well what makes it worse is this is a KNOWN issue.
> 
> When it was released the Jaguar X350 used a new aluminium bodyshell, which was assembled using resins and rivets. This made it even lighter than the Audi aluminium bodies which use a subframe to attached the panels.


Sounds like galvanic corrosion


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## natjag (Dec 14, 2008)

Interesting thread. I found this after seeing your separate engine clean. Shame about all those little niggles you can often get with Jags. Yet all owners/enthusiast seem to forgive the cars and enjoy them anyway.


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## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

Really interested in this thread (subscribed). You do get a few niggles with Jags, but these late V8s are very reliable cars. The paint problem is very common on the aluminium bodied X350,but once they have been sorted and you've worked your magic on this stunner, you will have the ultimate luxury saloon. Nothing come close to these bad boys!


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## twoscoops (Mar 26, 2010)

A mate of mine had one of these in the same colour and he managed to find a carbon fibre leaper, now i am not a fan of carbon fibre but it looked very smart and quite sutle.

Lovely new motor mate, hopefully the last one went to a good home?!

Tim


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Thanks for your comments, never seen a Carbon fibre leaper but I can imagine it would look quite menacing on an X350!

Not sure where the last one has gone.... the dealer said he found a buyer within a week of me trading it in.

I've had 3 people tell me they would have matched the dealers offer and it would have been nice to see it around locally... too late now though!


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

c16rkc said:


> I've had 3 people tell me they would have matched the dealers offer and it would have been nice to see it around locally... too late now though!


No it would not have!!!

I sold one of my old cars to someone local, and they abused her... I wanted to cry and take it back everytime I saw it...trust me, it hurts!



I made a promise never to sell a car to any of my mates, or anyone local after that!!

:lol:

:thumb:


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## Planet Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Nice looking motor. Look forward to reading the progress on this:thumb:

Suprised at the rust for a 53 plater. Is it a common problem for this cat?


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## mar (Aug 28, 2009)

Looks lovely. A bit of work to do, but then you can waft around in comfort.


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## mjd (Dec 18, 2006)

The Cueball said:


> No it would not have!!!
> 
> I sold one of my old cars to someone local, and they abused her... I wanted to cry and take it back everytime I saw it...trust me, it hurts!
> 
> ...


I can empathise with that particular joy. I part ex'd one of my cars some 50 miles away after being made redundant and not being able to afford to run it.
Two weeks later I walked out of the petrol station in our small welsh village and it was right outside the front door. Over the past two years I have enjoyed the pleasure of seeing it on a daily basis. Each day I see it, another bit of it appears to be missing, dented or scratched and as if that wasnt enough it is consistently filthy.


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

loving this thread mate,

my best mate has just picked up an XJR in black the same shape as yours, the power is just phenominal!


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

The Cueball said:


> I sold one of my old cars to someone local, and they abused her... I wanted to cry and take it back everytime I saw it...trust me, it hurts!


Never thought about it like that... would be amazing if it appeared back on here one day!!



Planet Man said:


> Suprised at the rust for a 53 plater. Is it a common problem for this cat?


Yes it is, well it's not rust it's aluminium corrosion, but same type of problem I guess. I've been told it affects the Aluminium Audi's aswell but I have not seen that first hand.

Gotta get it sorted this year it lets the car down....


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## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

It does affect Audis and Range Rover (P38) also. It seems to occur mostly where the aluminium comes to contact with steel, some kind of reaction. A common place on the Jaguars is where the roof and rear pillows meet, a problem with the weld process. If you look at the bonnet of a 2002 S type bonnet (aluminium) the badge is on the grille, not the bonnet like the earlier models,to stop any reaction.


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Pete, your jag must be really plush with pillows in the back!



XKR's suffer from this too I believe..

:thumb:


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## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

The Cueball said:


> Pete, your jag must be really plush with pillows in the back!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


:lol:
The Jags gone now,so i'm stuck with a T reg Escort till i find something else.


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## PootleFlump (Jan 1, 2006)

What happened to it?


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## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

PootleFlump said:


> What happened to it?


I did it up (didn't take much really, it was stunning), sorted some laquer peel etc and got an offer i couldn't refuse. But i wish i had refused it now!


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

pete5570 said:


> I did it up (didn't take much really, it was stunning), sorted some laquer peel etc and got an offer i couldn't refuse. But i wish i had refused it now!


I know that feeling all too well....

You spend every waking hour getting a car just how you want it, and then you sell it and take on your next project....

Why.... Why.... Why do we do this to ourselves!!!?


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## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

The good thing is (i suppose) is that it's gone to a good home. The guy who has bought it, loves it, hes just had a full correction done, new leather seat covers for the front seat, so they look new and it's wearing Gtechniq products. It really does look stunning and he's got the big garage that i haven't. Anyway i keep looking at XJRs, so who knows, i might have one this summer :thumb:


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Go on.... do it.....

You won't look back!

They are such a good deal now, especially the X300/X308 ones. Bargain of the minute I think!


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## rgDetail (Jul 16, 2009)

Very nice indeed  all the best with it!


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## sau98rpe (Apr 21, 2009)

pete5570 said:


> It does affect Audis and Range Rover (P38) also. It seems to occur mostly where the aluminium comes to contact with steel, some kind of reaction. A common place on the Jaguars is where the roof and rear pillows meet, a problem with the weld process. If you look at the bonnet of a 2002 S type bonnet (aluminium) the badge is on the grille, not the bonnet like the earlier models,to stop any reaction.


Bi metallic corrosion, it's where the stell and aluminium react and cause a sort of battery effect. the worst are the old range rover tailgates amde of steel and the rest is aluminium.


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## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

sau98rpe said:


> Bi metallic corrosion, it's where the stell and aluminium react and cause a sort of battery effect. the worst are the old range rover tailgates amde of steel and the rest is aluminium.


Used to have an old V8 rangie, so i get what you mean. An improve after market one was available, but was expensive. Great cars though.


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Well I decided it was time to do some more to the Jag and with the miserable weather something I could do indoors came to mind.

So on monday night I removed the centre engine bay cover with a cunning plan....

First I scrubbed it nice and clean, got to remove all the oil and grease, aswell as the trim detailer I applied a while back.










Then I got out a tin of paint I purchased on sunday for this very purpose. I wanted something hard wearing and thought Hamerite has gotta be good....?










Then I used a small artists brush I got from the Stationary box in town (only cost a couple of pounds) to apply the red paint to the lettering. This has been an ongoing process a couple of evenings this week. Here we are with just two letters done...










Then tonight I finished one of the sides:










The paint was still wet so it's a bit shiny at the mo, but gives you the general idea. Below is the other side, which is yet to be painted for comparison.










I think it looks better, I'm looking forward to finishing the other side and getting it into the engine bay!

Thanks for looking guys!


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## ant_s (Jan 29, 2009)

Looks much better now its painted, only a small change but a big difference.


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## NovalutionGSi (Apr 19, 2010)

Good work Chris, about time you did those letters! Looks like we're both going to be tweaking bits and bobs on our cars!


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## GSVHammer (Feb 7, 2009)

Very nice, looks good.


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Cheers for the +ve comments guys, I can't wait to get it finished both sides and fitted back inside the engine bay!



NovalutionGSi said:


> Good work Chris, about time you did those letters! Looks like we're both going to be tweaking bits and bobs on our cars!


Thanks, so what have you got planned?


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## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

Looking good there. Can't wait to see this project unfold, especially when the good weather comes along.


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

An update today, due to the improvement on the awful weather we had yesterday I was able to give the car a complete clean, but first I got that engine cover back in. So here it is fitted:



















I was actually surprised how dirty the engine has gotten over the last couple of weeks, But I guess thats mostly due to all this rain! I'm not bowled over by how it looks, but mildly pleased that it is at least an improvement, compared to how the engine first looked...










I'm going to have to do more though, I think it's such a dull engine bay for such an expensive car!

Then I though I would try my hand at improving one of the alloys. I'd actually like to have these refirbed later in the year, but I want new tyres when that happens and the ones on the car have too much tread to just throw away. So for the time being if I can just improve them...

Before:














































Then I cleaned the edge of the wheel with paint cleaner, wiped it with meths and then used a small brush to paint in Alloy wheel paint onto the kurbs and chips. I did the same thing to my last cars wheels (then wetsanded/compounded them) and it dulls down the appearance of the kirbs/scratches.














































So thats a bit of an improvement.

Then last of all I used Megs step 1 paint cleaner to the entire car, used step 2 polish and then lastly gave the car a coad to Harleys wax. Then, before I got the wax off the heavens opened.....

So after waiting for it to stop an hour later I dried the car with microfibres. Then I left it for another 15mins and tried to buff the wax off. It had cured like granite!! Took ages to get off. Though the car is beading beautifully now!!

So a few after shots of the car....





































One thing I have notices is I have a LOT of aluminium corosion that I had previously noticed. It's on both passenger doors, the boot and in the bottom right corner of the drivers door. Add to that the paint on the rear bumber that needs doing and the dent on the front passenger wing and there is a lot for me to get sorted... She still looks presentable for now though....

One thing is for sure though I cannot wait to get it all sorted, I see an expensive year!


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## GSVHammer (Feb 7, 2009)

The engine bay is looking good (so is the car). I need my wheels refurbished at some point. I think I may do a few touch up spots with a small paint brush first though.


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## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

An expensive year indeed! Why don't you have a go at the wheel refurb yourself? Just try one and see how it goes, if the chips aren't too bad,they will come out with a sander, you might have to add a little material, one of those new epoxy fillers, plenty of coats of paint and laquer and your done. After the work you did on your last Jag, i reckon you'd sort it.


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Cheers Guys,

It has occured to me to refirb myself, but I worry if there was any misshaping of the alloy I would not be able to notice. I have a very slight steering-wheel wobble at about 50mph and sometimes under breaking and have yet to diagnose what it is.

Was thinking it might be either the wheels out of balance or a mis-shaped wheel?


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## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

I have heard they are very sensitive to change in settings, like balancing, tyre pressure etc, even the X300 i had developed a slight wobble under breaking, i think one of my discs was slightly warped, but never did get it sorted.


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2011)

Seriously underrated car - despite the old worlde looks theres a lot of hi-tech in there


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

So saturday was completely miserable and I had no chance to touch the car, but surprise sunday morning looked dry and although rain was scheduled for 3pm I decided to give the car a good wash and then start on a couple of leather repairs that were needed.



















I had noticed a couple of scuffs on the armrest and purchased a 'Scuffmaster' kit for my interior colour. First a gave the armrest a good clean with the leather cleaner.










Then I wiped with a wet microfibre cloth and dried. These are the areas I was hoping to improve.

Quite a bad scuff on the top of the armrest, I was not really too confident about being able to improve this much.














































So then I applied the colour










After doing this, I wiped over with another microfibre cloth to remove the excess and leave the product in the cracks. I had to go over these areas several times. These are then the areas after treatment.



















Not really very pleased about the bad scuff on the top of the armrest, think I shall have another go at that another time. But I guess it's an improvement at least.



















So then in the late afternoon there was still not sign of rain! So I took the Jag out for a spin in the sunshine, throwing in a few backrides and putting the old girl through here paces. After a while I decided to pull over somewhere and take a few snaps:









































































and a few more....
(couldn't help myself)


















































































and that's it... hope we get more sunshine next weekend, I plan to do a bit of wetsanding and get rid of some of the scratches that are annoying me!

Thanks for reading/looking!


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## jonezy (Sep 30, 2008)

nice!!! i want one of these so bad, insurance will kill me though


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Something to maybe double check with the leather is just how much of your "leather" interior is the real stuff, and how much is fake...

A bit of a s**tstorm going on in the XKR owners club as we have tried and tested our, and only the middle of the seats and some interior bits are actually real leather, the rest is all fake...

I'm really quite annoyed about this, as I was planning to redo my seats, but obviously the leather repair kits don't work on fake stuff...

Just more bulls**t costs cutting con artist Jaguar at work. 

Anyway, car is looking good! 

:thumb:


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

jonezy said:


> nice!!! i want one of these so bad, insurance will kill me though


Thanks!

My insurance is not too bad, I'm 29 and I think it's 5 or 6 hundred quid.



The Cueball said:


> Something to maybe double check with the leather is just how much of your "leather" interior is the real stuff, and how much is fake...


Cheers Cueball!

Yes finding bits that are not leather is quite annoying! My armrest is leather but I think I have the same fake leather on the seatbacks, part of the centre console and part of the dash. Although in my experience it's the same for a BMW/Merc/Audi equivelent.

In the old Jags I've had it's usually been quite easy to tell the difference though. Usually quite a deep unnatural looking grain on the fake stuff.

Due to another flat tyre this morning, I have some refirbished alloys arriving this week...!

My thoughts were that a complete new set of tyres - super sticky Falkens as recommended by those on the Jag forum, would not go a miss - and they will need new rims!


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

c16rkc said:


> Yes finding bits that are not leather is quite annoying! My armrest is leather but I think I have the same fake leather on the seatbacks, part of the centre console and part of the dash. My thoughts were that a complete new set of tyres - super sticky Falkens as recommended by those on the Jag forum, would not go a miss - and they will need new rims!


I tell you, between this lie (I have the sales blurb which clearly states full leather interior), the plastic engine parts (chain tensioners), 1980's rover paint and "cheap" ford bits n bobs, I will never even entertain another Jag.

The whole thing has been one disappointment to another, I really can't wait to find something to replace it with... 

Anyway, have you looked at the Dunlop Sport tyres? I have them at the moment, and seem to be lasting very well...

:thumb:


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## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

It's the same with all make of high end cars at the moment, BMW, Merc, Audi, Aston. They all have to build to a price these days, i still think Jags have some of the better quality interiors though, i think they have upped their game once again on the new models. I've been looking at S types and XJs,with a view to buying one sometime soon, these cars are 6-8 years old and the interiors, paint and trim on the ones i've looked at have looked nearly new, so the quality can't be as bad as people make out.


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

The Cueball said:


> I tell you, between this lie (I have the sales blurb which clearly states full leather interior)


Actually thats an interesting point, someone in america posted a thread on Jaglovers (another forum for Jag owners) about this.

He said when he bought his X308 XJR (brand new) he too had the blurb stating full leather interior and was sorely disappointed when he found that there was loads of fake leather.

He contacted the main dealer then in turn Jaguar and after much badgering and threatening to take them to court they finally agreed to buy the car back from him but he refused and instead insisted on a full leather interior. He maintains that the main dealer took the car back from him and with his advice (they did not themselves actually know for sure what was/was not leather) they paid for re-upholstering in full leather.

I do not know for sure if this is a true story, but it is certainly an interesting one and I've found that he's one of the best experts on the X308 there is online. He still has the car to this day.

That said Jaguar are doing nothing worse than any of the other prestige brands. I'd drawn the same conclusion as you a couple of years ago and was set to buy a Merc or Audi, but visit the Mercedes/Audi/BMW forums and read then. Much the same problems with all the Germans I'm afraid. The only reliable luxury car appears to be a Lexus and they are not really to my taste.

I think the late 90's and early 00's were a period where technology leapt forward dramatically and the reliability of many flagship models of the prestige brands suffered in the race to have the most powerful/economical and technologically advanced engines, transmission and electrical/electronic systmes. Although of course the incredible cars we have today do have these to thank.


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## jonezy (Sep 30, 2008)

c16rkc said:


> Thanks!
> 
> My insurance is not too bad, I'm 29 and I think it's 5 or 6 hundred quid.


jesus, im 25 and my insurance on a 1.6 bora is £900 as a named driver, its extortionate as a main driver as im a plum with no no claims


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## twoscoops (Mar 26, 2010)

Hi mate,

Its looking well, what alloy paint did you use on the alloys and did you apply lacquer to them aswell? Did you rub them down before and after?

Cheers

Tim


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## dew1911 (Jun 9, 2009)

Just had a look on eBay, I cannot believe how cheap these are now!


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

twoscoops said:


> Its looking well, what alloy paint did you use on the alloys and did you apply lacquer to them aswell? Did you rub them down before and after?


No I just used off the shelf alloy wheel paint from Halfords - no lacquer. It's just a temporary fix to tidy them up.

I have 4 super-grippy Falkens at home waiting to go on and my re-firbed alloys should arrive any day now so should have no need this weekend!



dew1911 said:


> Just had a look on eBay, I cannot believe how cheap these are now!


Yes they have come down no end in the last couple of years. Just as well as I would never have been able to afford one otherwise...


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## Blockwax (Jan 23, 2011)

*Jag leather*










re the post on Jag leather ...depending on the model and year the leather was only the seat facings plus some around the aux trim / door bits.....i have the Daimler version 1999 model and the leather is Autolux..a very high end leather....but still only on the facings........cleaning is a more tech job. :thumb: :wave:


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Wow love your super V8!!

Looks like it might be the same colour as my old Daimler V8:










Would love to see more pics, any chance you might post a detail of her sometime?


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## martyp (Oct 24, 2006)

Subscribed to this one!

Excellent process so far on one beautiful executive beast!! Love the interior, its just so plush and luxurious. Can't wait to see it when your done, I'm sure it'll look absolutely stunning.


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

OK so shortly after my last post I ordered some replacement wheels from ebay. I've not posted since then, but thats because things have not gone to plan....

There is a company on Ebay that offers replacement refirbished wheels. You pay the the refirbishment cost and then a deposit and they post you the wheels, then you get them changed over and send your back as a swap. So I thought it seemed like a nice idea because it would be instant and there would be no 4-week turnaround as I rotated the wheels.

However, after waiting 9 days (instead of the 2-days it states on their ebay listing) these turned up....










Scabby and covered in blemishes (this was rough like sandpaper to the touch!), they had bits of fluff in the paint, sunken areas in the finish, paint bubbles and were a bitter dissapointment.

So I phoned and let them know, we all know people make mistakes, and they asked for photos (which did annoy me a bit, felt like they were calling me a liar). I tried to keep my cool and e-mailed them photos and arranged for them to be sent back.

I sent them a polite e-mail stating everything I had noticed and enclosed close up photos of everything I had found. Then I said that I expected the wheels to be 'Like new' as with the other wheels I had refirbished in the past. The day the wheels got back to them I phoned to ensure they had arrived safely. They confirmed that they had, but that they had not had the chance to inspect them and would get back to me. 3 days later still hadn't heard anything so I e-mailed them.

They had not even opened the photos (blaming their 'System' which did not let them look) but did confirm that the wheels they had sent had been way below standard and they would replace them within 2 weeks.

Oh dear so I waited patiently again... and then these turned up:










Still not up to scratch. Now at this point I e-mailed to say that I thought their prices were reasonable and I was perhaps expecting too much from them for the price (which I honestly think was the case). I said I would leave no feedback and would not mention it if they returned my money without issue, I suggested it was just an unfortunate misunderstanding and that many less fussy people would probably have been happy with the product. Also maybe they had just been unlucky twice? So I suggested I return their wheels, they refund my money and I would use the place I got my last wheels refirbed from instead.

But the manager had to have one last pop. Suggesting that my standards were too high, telling a sob story about being a small struggling business and suggesting I keep the wheels so everyone could be happy. He did make the mistake however of mentioning that it was quite regular for someone to reject their wheels, particularly when they went on pristige cars.

So the chap can stuff me being reasonable and keeping our disagreement to myself. If anyone uses PX wheels, this is what their SECOND attempt looked like. Use them at your own risk.























































Anyway, so then on Wednesday I saw a listing for some brand new wheels, identical to mine, old Jaguar stock. The seller wanted far too much for them, but an e-mail later and we had an agreement. I picked them up Saturday morning, rushed home and got them fitted at the local tyre fitters. They look spot on and are brand new, flawless and cost only £150 more than the cruddy refirbished ones that PX were trying to make me keep...!










Unfortunately the tyre fitters snapped one of my badges... so one wheel looks like this.










But it is hard to get them off without snapping the ears off and it only cost me £25 to have them changeover all 4 tyres, which I think is quite reasonable. I'll order a replacment centre cap in the week.

So I had a Jag 'Drive it day' event the next day, so I polished up the car nicely. Took a few pics:
































































Then the next day we had a nice meal in a pub and attended a car show at Sandringham with a few other car clubs. I took a few photos but it was half four by then and most of the cars had left.... but I still managed to get our Club Chairman's tasty Aston DB7 V12 Vantage.





































And look at this V12 Jaguar XJS engine... that would take a while to detail!!










Thanks for looking!


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## MadOnVaux! (Jun 2, 2008)

Hell on earth, those 'refurbished' wheels were terrible, i've seen better finishes with sand paper and spray cans!! I'm glad you got refunded too.

Car looks great matey, but isnt it abit naff that a chairman of a Jaguar club owns an Aston?....thats like the chairman of a Vauxhalll club driving a Ford! lol


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

MadOnVaux! said:


> Car looks great matey, but isnt it abit naff that a chairman of a Jaguar club owns and Aston?....thats like the chairman of a Vauxhalll club driving a Ford! lol


Well actually our chairman also has a Ford! It's some sort of early model and only does about 10mph, too old for me to know what it actually is...

But he does have 2 Jags, one a rather nice 60's Daimler V8, so we can let him off the hook. The show had a lot of various classic and sports cars so he blended in nicely...


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Just realised I missed out posting about my wetsanding a few weeks ago....

There were some scratches here and there...:
































































So I decided it was time to try out some wetsanding and further use of the DA. Using 3000 grit paper and a lots of water I sanded the areas carefully...



















Then stepped back and looked in horror at what I had done to my poor car....






















































































































Then it was time to use the Ultimate compound, tried by hand first...




























But that was not giving me the results I wanted, so I got out the DA:










Used a Megs yellow pad and the ultimate compound, working up to speed 5.

Then the results... scratches all gone... phew!














































Sorry if that picture scared anyone......

Then now a reminder of the finished result all polished last weekend!



















A word of caution for anyone thinking of trying this - I actually went through the laqcuer and into the paint in one spot (I guess the scratch was too deep of I was not careful enough), so that will have to be something I'll get sorted when I have the spray work done. But you do have to be very careful and know not to get upset if it happens!

But the car looks a lot better with all those scratches gone, makes it all worthwhile.... thanks for reading!


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## MadOnVaux! (Jun 2, 2008)

It is very daunting when you take sandpaper to your car, even when someone else does it.

I was sat at the garage i use for my servicing etc, and there was a smart repair guy there, and he commented on how good my car looked for its age, and i thanked him but then i just showed him the large scratch i had inflicted myself to the front wing (Use of a magnetic pic up tool which grabbed the wing by accident, and when i went to pull it off it pulled 'up' the wing!!)

..anyway, before i could say anymore he got a bucket and took wet n dry sandpaper to the wing! and my reaction was basically "What the effing hell are you doing??".....he told me not to worry and grabbed his compound and polish and the scratch was no more...hellish good to see in action


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## Blockwax (Jan 23, 2011)

c16rkc said:


> Yeah this has made me wonder a bit...
> 
> I've been told that mine is ok because it's TUV approved (It's an Arden spring loaded model and originally cost £250) but I don't know if it's really legal. Sellers in the UK clain it is, but I am sceptical.
> 
> ...


Chris leapers were diagnosed as ilegal unless fixed as original quipment on earlier cars....18" back on the bonnet used be the statuary measure ,,,but thats a long time ago.........most bonnet leapers eventually rust at the bolt holes anyway........joe (blockwax)


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Well it's been a long while since my last post. Partially because my digital camera gave up the ghost so I've been unable to snap some new pictures and partially because I've been so busy over the last few months. I promise you all I've been thoroughly enjoying her though!

The sad part is that after about a year of fantastic ownership of this car I've now decided to the time has come to part company with it and so I suppose this is really a farewell post for the Jag. I'd really like to finish saving for another house and I have to accept that there is no way I can do that while I still own this car, so she is going to have to go and something reliable, sensible and Japanese will be taking her place.

So last weekend I cleaned her up, took some photos for the sale. Unfortunately that was last weekend, when there was not quite as much sun but I thought the photos were quite nice so I thought I'd share them with you all.

I'd like to thank everyone for their advice and encouragement over the last few years, with both my cars, hopefully I shall have something else to detail in the near future and I shall certainly post some pictures.

In the mean time, here she is for the last time:


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## Sirmally2 (Feb 28, 2011)

What a sad ending to such a wonderful thread... I have only just found this thread and im nearly in tears that you are selling it! But as you say sometimes all good things must come to an end. You have done such wonderful work on her and the next owner i hope will keep it in tip top condition!

Good luck with your next venture! Stunning work bud!


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## maxtherotti (Mar 2, 2009)

such a shame i dont have the money to buy it!!!!


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## Paulo (Aug 11, 2007)

_Great work and finish on your car, Jaguar should use those pictures on their Website, hope you also post on www.jaguarforum.co.uk ...?

Good luck with the sale, I'm sure you will have no trouble at all....:thumb:

Still miss my S-Type...sometimes....:lol:_


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## ITHAQVA (Feb 20, 2011)

c16rkc said:


> Well it's been a long while since my last post. Partially because my digital camera gave up the ghost so I've been unable to snap some new pictures and partially because I've been so busy over the last few months. I promise you all I've been thoroughly enjoying her though!
> 
> The sad part is that after about a year of fantastic ownership of this car I've now decided to the time has come to part company with it and so I suppose this is really a farewell post for the Jag. I'd really like to finish saving for another house and I have to accept that there is no way I can do that while I still own this car, so she is going to have to go and something reliable, sensible and Japanese will be taking her place.
> 
> ...


Wonderful looking car IMHO epitomises what Jaguar stands for, right colours inside & out, I'm not a big fan of interior woodwork, but on a Jag its right, love the green & the wheels = cracking. Kudos to you mate. :thumb: :thumb:


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## c16rkc (Apr 15, 2010)

Sirmally2 said:


> What a sad ending to such a wonderful thread... I have only just found this thread and im nearly in tears that you are selling it! But as you say sometimes all good things must come to an end. You have done such wonderful work on her and the next owner i hope will keep it in tip top condition!
> 
> Good luck with your next venture! Stunning work bud!


Cheers!

It's been great bringing her to life and I'm very proud of the end result. I love my Jags and this will not be the last, I'm just gonna have a year away so I can save.

Looking to get something like a Honda next, so will detail that aswell!



maxtherotti said:


> such a shame i dont have the money to buy it!!!!


Will I had the cash to keep it! Ha ha



Paulo said:


> _Great work and finish on your car, Jaguar should use those pictures on their Website, hope you also post on www.jaguarforum.co.uk ...?
> 
> Good luck with the sale, I'm sure you will have no trouble at all....:thumb:
> 
> Still miss my S-Type...sometimes....:lol:_


Thanks Paulo,

Yes I go on the Jag forum a lot (obviously in the X350 section). It's a great forum for advice and the guys on there are fantastic.



ITHAQVA said:


> Wonderful looking car IMHO epitomises what Jaguar stands for, right colours inside & out, I'm not a big fan of interior woodwork, but on a Jag its right, love the green & the wheels = cracking. Kudos to you mate. :thumb: :thumb:


Thanks for the compliments.

I've always been pleased with the way the car looks, it was what I was originally after. Will be sad to see it go, but there will be others I know!


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