Hello All from Washington State - XJ 12 owner needs advice

XJ40
1

Hello All,

My name is Eric Schutte. I have a 1994 XJ12 (XJ81) sedan with a 6.0l V12. I bought the car with 113000 miles on it and it had sat for quite a few years before I bought it. I just took it to a Jag technician and to get the things fixed that I can see it was 5000.00. Thats parts and labor and I knew when I bought the car I had a lot of things to fix. The engine and transmission appear good, but ABS, SLS, Oil Cooler hoses and several other smaller items need replaced. So I ask you, cut my losses and try to sell it as is, part it out, or try to make this car awesome again?

Any feedback would be great!

Thanks,

Eric

2

Well its a unique carā€¦I drove the test xj40 v12 back in the dayā€¦
Its not worth much with that mileage and the bills will keep coming.
Drive it till it blows baby!
Donā€™t restore just maintainā€¦its worth a couple of grandā€¦
gtjoey1314

3

Sounds funny but if it were older it would be worth more. Unless you can do the work yourself, I would sell and look around some more. gtloey said it all.
Phillip

5

Hi Jerry,

I really appreciate everyones advice on this forum. I am NOT a mechanic, dont claim to be. Im a cop. So when it comes to turning wrenches, Im not very good at it. Not that I dont want to learn but here is kind of the dealā€¦we need a 2nd car that is running and driving reliably with room for at least 5. Iā€™ve always wanted a Jag, so when I saw this sedan come up for sale I bought it. I got ripped off on a car that needs a lot of work. I need a 2nd car sooner rather than later. So, its pay 5000 now to get it mostly right and have a car NOW or pay smaller amounts as I go but I wont have a decent car for several months. And when the experts on here say the bills will just keep coming in, well, I donā€™t want a money hole. So, it appears I got in way over my head and now its gonna cost me.

Im pretty discouraged and mad at myself.

Eric

6

Eric,
I see that you are new to Jag-Lovers. Welcome!

Your XJ81 is very different than the Series I, II, and III XJ6s and XJ12s discussed on this list. There are very few parts in common and most systems are completely different.

I recommend that you join the Jag-Lovers XJ40 list for your basic car issues and the V12 list for your engine related matters.

If you are handy and have the tools and a place to work on your car you can probably fix most of the issues yourself at a fraction of the $5,000 estimated cost. If I were you I would prioritize your issues and start working them off.

Paul

8

**
Honestly, Eric - having a Jaguar V12 as a ā€˜second carā€™ is a bit over the topā€¦:slight_smile:

Itā€™s not that it is unreliable, but if it needs attention you either pay a mechanic or spend time doing things yourself. Which, as Paul implies, requires OJT, which is perfectly possible, fairly cheap - but time consumingā€¦

And in any case, as he says - you must, for reasons stated; go to the xj40 list for best advise! That said; anyone tackling ā€˜ourā€™ V 12 would be delighted to tackle itā€¦

That said; a failed ABS, which ā€˜weā€™ donā€™t have, tends to be expensiveā€¦

Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
**

9

Just a little bump in the road. Knowledge comes from experience.
I canā€™t tell from your post if you spent the $5,000 on your car yet. If not, there are good running older Jags around for 5-10k I would suggest looking for an XJ8. These are fairly ā€œnewā€ cars and, in my opinion, are very nice looking and running automobiles. They look like a Jag.
Good luck and welcome to the club.
Phillip

1 Like
10

Snoopy, If you cant turn wrenches and need this for regular transportā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦

  1. Drive it till it blows once agin OR
  2. Dump it,
    For a non mechanic , it will be a complete money pit.
    Other might argue but I know that car well.
    113,000 miles?
    All the front end bushes should have been replaced.
    Shocks and Ball joints
    Tie rod ends.
    Motor mounts
    Tranny mount.
    All because of the massive weight of the v12.
    It will go on and on.
    You probably paid nothing for the carā€¦Have fun , its not worth much, sometimes its more fun running it into the ground.
    gtjoey1314
11

Well thank you for the honesty. I paid 1600 for the car, cost me 160.00 to get to the car and 550.00 to have it looked at by a jag tech. So Iā€™m 2300 in. I really cant drive it now cuz the things that Iā€™ve now been told about are safety issues. So I guess Iā€™m screwed.

12

Yeah it is 26 years oldā€¦ā€¦
Brake lines, electric booster in that model only
Calipers, tiresā€¦ā€¦ā€¦
Look 2,300 dollars in the scheme of life is ok.
But you could have leased a dodge 1500 pickup with A hemi v8 for 24 moths with the same money!
Once you said you needed to transport 5 people, that usually means family.
Safety first.
Some one will give you 2 grandā€¦ā€¦
Good luck.
gtjoey1314

13

Eric, before you make a decision, contact your local Jaguar Club. There are people there that can help, both with advice and parts.

14

Eric,

the point youā€™re at right now is a bit like half way between two airports in a 747 with no fuel left. As others have said: the XJ81 was the top of the line product of a top of the line producer. The entire front section of the ā€œregularā€ XJ40 was redesigned to house the revamped 12 cylinder engine. These cars cost a fortune to buy and maintain, even while new, and only the first part has changed 25 years after.

The car is a jewel if maintained well. The best part of it is neither witchcraft nor rocket science, but simply a lot, as after that many years and over 110000 mls practically all parts exposed to wear and tear (bushes, rubber tubes, belts, bearings, dampers, rotors, calipers, electrical periphery) will be on their last legs unless the PO for whatever reason has not allowed any maintenance backlog. You know more about the car and its history - any bills, work carried out?

Getting back to the airport question: even 8000 US$ appear fair for such a wonderful driving machine in good shape. While that seems to indicate to fly forward Iā€™m afraid that even after these 5500 US$ initial repairs new failures will pop up and youā€™d have to be ready to pump out at least 1000 US$ per year over the next years for the things to come ā€¦

The other thing is: paying someone 550 US$ only to be handed over a list of defects seems rather fraudulent to me. In this part of the world you drive in to any MOT station and get the same list for under 50. If the main mechanic components and the body are o.k. most jobs are straightforward, most parts are available and inexpensive (except 12 cylinder specific), so Iā€™d guess that you could remain way south of 5000 for the first round of work and under 500 for the years to come. Itā€™s only that it looks like itā€™s hard to find a mechanic able and willing to do that kind of jobs in your part of the world ā€¦ you might try to meet people who drive old Jags in your region and ask them about their favourite mechanics.

Good luck with your decision - whichever youā€™ll take

Jochen

75 XJ6L 4.2 auto (UK spec)

15

Dear Jochen,

Guten abend mein freund! Danke schone fur deiner brief. Tut mir leid fur mein sehr schlecht conjugieren. Ich vergesse viel from Hoch Schule wann Deutsch klasse habe ich. Es war 32 jahre vor! Anyway, to answer your questions,

I dont believe this car was kept up at all. Which I know makes it that much harder. The mechanical seems ok. The engine and transmission appear to be working just fine. Its as you said, all the periphery is falling apart.

Im starting to believe that the technician I took the car to believes they can ask 125.00 per hour for labor and charge 100% over thier price for markup on parts. I believe I may be able to save quite a bit of money by taking it to another mechanic that can fix the periphery items, even if its not with genuine Jaguar parts.

I was going to dump the car but I believe some more investigation is in order first. Like a second opinion.

Take care,

Eric

16

**
The list of faults presented by Limongelly is just not daunting at all, Eric. Itā€™s straight forward DIY maintenance which we all face ā€˜ourā€™ old cars - it has just been allowed to accumulate. Old Jaguars are simply not maintenance free.

The real costly things are V12 overhaul, gearbox and rust - the rest is peanuts. Possibly collected in large amounts over years - but to wilfully drive such a car to rack and ruin is close to vandalismā€¦

Your problem seems to be that you canā€™t/wonā€™t do the wrenching yourself - and that you just need a second car. Which can better and cheaper done with anything less exotic.

The safety issue is likely the ABS, which must work to pass inspection - even if the brakes themselves are good enough. ABS is unlikely to be a DIY jobā€¦

Normanā€™s advice is good; contact a local Jaguar club. But donā€™t drive it to the ground - sell it, or give it away to someone that may appreciate itā€¦:slight_smile:

Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
**

17

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LET THE BIDDING BEGIN!!!
Snoopy, I love hearing all this enthusiasm from
our forum members butā€¦ā€¦.
The truth is when its time to get things done, WELL , IMHO IN THE UNITED STATES THESE DAYSā€¦
Everyone vanishes into thin air.
If YOU cannot do the work, I can methodically show you going to at LEAST 10 to 15,000 in parts and labor just to getting the car running RIGHT.
I do it all the time, because thatā€™s what ā€œIā€ love doing and can afford it.
125 dollars an hour will put you in 10 grand on the suspension and brakes alone!
Thatā€™s including parts.
We havenā€™t even touched the surface of head gaskets and crank seal.
It has 113,000 miles on it!
I agree, with othersā€¦ā€¦.find a true xj40/xj12 enthusiast , but if your not going to fix it YOURSELF overall .
You can lease any new Mercedes.Land Rover or JAG for the same money.
Good luck either wayā€¦
DO I HEAR 10 THOUSAND , 20 THOUSANDā€¦LET THE BIDDING BEGIN!!!
Having funā€¦
GTJOEY1314
That was Gtjoey May of 1994
There was a new car coming and this last of the v12 saloons has a special motor which would eventually go into the car that saved Jaguar the x300
I look like a baby!

18

Well, after much deliberation and good advice from my fiance here is what Iā€™m gonna do.

Iā€™m going to get the car safe to drive with ABS repair and tires. Im paying a mechanic to do that. Then Iā€™m going to dive into this car and fix stuff as I go. I have friends with mechanical know how that are gonna help me.

Thanks to all of you for your safe advice.

Snoopy

2 Likes
19

Drive on baby!

Gtjoey1314

20

Good luck with her. I have a 1994 XJ12 also. I recommend buying the Jaguar cd-rom that has parts and service manuals. Jaguar JTP1008. Typically $70 or so.

https://www.welshent.com/Jaguar-XJ6XJ40-1988-1994-Dvd-Manual-P13134.aspx

21

If you decide to keep the car you should have the cooling system flushed and refilled with the correct coolant mixture after checking every water hose for cracks etc that you can see under the hood. The engine is THE most expensive item to have fixed on the car, the suspension brakes and steering should be straightforward for any decent mechanic and the parts are not expensive, but if that V12 overheats and blows a gasket then repairing it would probably not be economically viable.
In your position Iā€™d put the engine at the top of the list of things needing doing. A full service including all the drive belts along with a general ā€™ healthā€™ inspection. If you know the engine is healthy and likely to remain that way for a while, then spending money on the suspension bushes etc will not be money wasted. The V12 is a strong engine, easily capable of treble your current mileage, if it does have an achilleā€™s heel, it is the cooling system, but this is mostly caused by neglect from previous owners.
I hope it turns out well.

2 Likes
22

Hi Casso,

Thank you for your insight. I will definitely take your advice. It goes to the mechanic tomorrow to start to bring this machine back to what it should be.

Thank you again,

Eric Schutte