Common Jaguar Failures

 

I hope this will help you understand a little better how your car works and what you can expect in the future. Please understand that there is a difference between parts that are made to wear out , like brake pads, belts, hoses, etc... and something that just fails for one reason or another. In the following articles you will find information on the most common Jaguar failures and/or repairs.

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Timing Chain Tensioners

This article concerns all Jaguar cars with the 4.0 Liter V-8 engine from 1997 to 2002 model years. The original upper timing chain tensioners are made of a type of plastic, that splits apart allowing the upper timing chains to slip and/or break. This usually results in serious engine damage requiring at least several thousand dollars in engine repairs. This problem is avoidable by replacing the tensioners with an updated version made of aluminum. This is a very simple thing to do and has a typical cost of about $1400.00.   "IT'S NOT IF YOURS WILL BREAK, BUT WHEN"

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Coolent Leaks

The Jaguar V-8 4.0  &  4.2 Liter engines are very prone to coolant leaks, due to the use of many plastic components. The most troublesome parts are the thermostat housing and the water pump.. We replace the 4.0 Ltr plastic housing with an aluminum version that solves the problem. We also replace the factory water pump with a metal impeller version that solves the over pressurization problem in the cooling system which leads to many of the premature coolant leaks. The Jaguar V-8 4.2 Liter engine has the same plastic pump, but the thermostat housing is only available in plastic. The replacement of the pump is a repair that should be carried out asap in order to prevent over pressurization of the cooling system, which will cause leaks and swollen hoses.

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Headlight Restoration

We use a system designed and made by 3M to refinish your plastic headlights to like new clarity. Don't get caught in the dark with poor visability. Below is an actual headlight from a 2000 Jaguar S-Type that we did. The cost is between $100 and $120 dollars and takes about an hour and a half. We don't know how long they will last, but the first ones we did were about 2 years ago and they still look good. 

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Why does my 2004 and newer XJ8 say suspension fault on the dash and the front or rear may be low?

 

The 04 and newer XJ8 as many of you know has an air ride suspension. This air springs are prone to leaks causing the front or rear to drop down making the car very difficult to drive. The compressor which supplies the car with the air to raise and lower the car is over worked trying to maintain ride height when there is a leak. This results in compressor failure. We have found a great solution for this problem. We install a conversion kit on the car which replaces the air springs with a conventional shock absorber and spring kit made by Bilstein. The result is a car that will never have the problem again, The great things about the conversion is a fantastic ride, and the cost is about half of the original equipment repair. We have done many of these with nothing but pleased customers!

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