Awesome, thankssssssss
No apology needed Bill, youāre benefiting by having a newer car.
Dave
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well, the brakes are easier since they are mounted next to the wheels. I donāt have any experience with an XJ40. Yet. Itās about the only series of the XJ I donāt have. 
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The Haynes is written for DIY, the Jaguar manual s are written for mechanics, Carl - horses for coursesā¦
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
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I have used Top Line and do not go there anymore.
Thereās another shop Master Auto Service, in Rockville, MD, just on the other side of DC, really not too much farther. If Top Line is at the 6 oāclock position, these guys are on the 10 oāclock. They are a Jaguar shop run by former Jaguar Dealer Garage techs. They are much better at successfully troubleshooting issues, and communicating. They also are better at suggesting what needs to be done, what could be done, and what you will soon need to do.
If youāre going to have someone do that work, I would suggest having them take a look at it. They have troubleshot issues no one else could. (including Top Line)
Thereās another shop in Merrifield, VA, called London Auto Services. I have had great success with them as well. Dedicated to spending the time to solve problems, but I donāt think thatās your problem here.
Matt ā¦
No one has mentioned it but your car is an XJ-6 series 3, not an XJ40. Many similarities but totally different car with a different engine. You may want to repost on the XJ forum.
I could have sworn that I posted this on the XJ forum. Iām not that much of an idiot am I? Wellā¦apparently so! 
Dratā¦
Moved it for you. I should have picked up on that point as wellšæ
Well, Matt - we read it on the xj forumā¦
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
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My take-
Definitely shop the exhaust; OEM dealer prices for replacement exhaust parts (that are most likely made by Walker anyway) is a waste.
Front brakes you can do yourself or get the muffler shop to do and save money.
The rear is a big job that most shops wonāt touch; if not doing it yourself, have your shop do that.
They are probably wrong on the wiper diagnosis (switch).
Thanks for all the advice. Iām frustrated because I know that with all the time in the world, and with the assistance of the manuals referenced here and especially the forum membersā expertise and assistance, I could do all of this. But I also know my realities right now. I donāt āneedā the car up and running, but I āwantā the car up and running. As a comparison, anyone who knows 1980s Ferraris will understand when I say that my window motors needed service AGAIN (third time in my ownership so far). Itās a straightforward job that I hate, and I need a second set of hands, so long story short I took the motor/regulator out two years ago, took it apart, cleaned it up, regreased the regulator, and just two weeks ago (two years later) I finally put it all back together. Now my passenger window goes up fairly quickly (for mid-1980s Ferrari standards) but the driver window takes about 45 seconds (if I help pull it up myself), but Iām not about to take that apart.
So I know what would happen when I got into the bigger multi-day jobs that require a second set of hands.
I didnāt budget over $5,000 on the outset to work on this car (on top of the $4,000 I just spent on it). I suppose I could, but I donāt want to go down that rabbit hole, and the advice here has helped me prioritize what to do. Yesterday I authorized Top Line to do the rear and front brakes, and also to address/adjust a sticky throttle body. Iām in now nearly $3,600. Oh, and it needs tires tooā¦they ālookā great with tread, but I know how to tell that the date code is from 2003. The exhaust I might just do myself, but likely will find a local exhaust shop. The wiper motor he insists was diagnosed as the culprit (not the switch), and he said that the cost of that repair was approximately $400 for the motor and $400+ for labor. Right now the wipers work (only in slow speed), so Iāll be liberal with Rain-X (or equivalent) and donāt really plan to drive it in the rain much anyhow, and Iāll really figure out whatās wrong with the wipers.
Iāll keep yāall posted if youāre interested.
-Mattā¦still trying to figure out why/how I posted this in the XJ40 forumā¦Iām a novice here, but Iām not THAT much of a novice (well, apparently I amā¦)
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In the future, Iād definitely use another shop. The shop youāre using prefers to simply throw parts at problems, but at this point youāre in. Theyāll do a good job, so rest assured that you are at least getting your moneyās worth.
I would think that you could swap that motor out yourself. Iāve done mine on the XJS, and it isnāt so bad at all. I removed it so I can reverse the park of the wipers, so that they rest on the passengers side.
The sticky throttle body requires a simple cleaning with some (ok, perhaps a lot) of carb cleaner.
I think the thread was inadvertently moved because it was on the XJ forum then it disappeared from the XJ forum yesterday (really the only forum I read). Now itās back.
Anyway, my ā87 XJ6 has its fair share of issues (A/C, small leaks) but luckily I bought the car after the brake work was done but unfortunately the shop didnāt replace the rear rotors (probably because itās too difficult) but the master cylinder, brake booster, calipers and pads are new. Iāve been thinking of going to London Auto for the A/C work but am afraid theyāre swamped during the summer months. Do keep us posted. I was curious about Top Line.
Unfortunately none of the specialized shops will turn your car around in a day or two. London does indeed get swamped, and Iād expect a two week trunaround from them. They are good guys, who donāt mind spending an hour talking to you about your carā¦which I appreciate when bringing in āmystery issuesā.
I have had excellent results with the other Jag shop, Master Auto Care in Rockville. If you call them, theyāll let you know how busy they are.
Based on all the comments, the next time I have work done (other than by my hands) Iāll likely strongly consider Master Auto Care. I appreciate the reference. When I want work done I donāt want it to take TOO long, but this is a spare car. That said, I do need it as a spare car. I drive a 04 Jetta TDI and I just rolled over 348,000 miles on it. Itās dead reliable, but my first backup right now is an 85 Ferrari. The XJ6 will be my āwhen I feel like itā car, but also will be my primary backup (in addition to backup to my wifeās car, the newest car in our stable, a 2006 Honda Odyssey).
I look forward to putting this car into regular service!
I thought I was doing well, with my '09 Hyundai having 255,000 on it!
My 'spare" car is a 1967 Rover!
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Just a brief update ā as a reminder, I agreed to have the shop do front/rear brakes (rotors, pads, etc). Itās snowballing. Iāve been told that both front calipers are seizing so those will be replaced (I asked to keep the old ones but theyāre cores, so Iām getting rebuilt calipers). Now that theyāre into the rear Iām told that the stub axle is leaking so more work (4 more hours plus a bit over $300 in parts). Now my brake job cost far exceeds what I paid for the car. I told them to go ahead and look at the age of the flexible brake lines today because if weāre in this far and everything is being replaced I donāt want to keep aged flexible lines in there.
This is inspiring me to do more of this DIY. As I said previously, Iām capable of doing all this (reliant on help from manuals and you all). My next jobs when I get the car back will be thermostat replacement (and perhaps coolant flush), and replacing cat-back exhaust.
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I can not envisage any of the local muffler shops taking on a brake job. Even their lifts are not conducive for that work .
A franchise clutch and brake , amobile mechanic or a small independent perhaps .
I once worked with a guy who, in a former life, had run a Midas muffler shop. He said for something like 14 years it was a solid business ā and then Midas forced him to start working on brakes. In one year he was out of business. He had some pretty colorful adjectives to describe Midas.
My job during some college years was at a Texaco
station. My boss had a running ābattleā with the Texaco representative. He pushed gallons of gas per day. Plus Batteries and tires. Texaco sourced. And insisted no mechanical work . That was the main source of income. No heavy. tune ups and brakes. Wanted 24 hours. The town rolled up the side walks at 11!!! But OK by me. id did that shift. Service a going through traveler at times. Swamp the rest rooms. but, fuss with my car or do my home work or study. The hose across the drive would ring a bell signifying a customer wandered in. . ,
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