1988 Jaguar XJ40 Sovereign review from Australia and New Zealand
"This is a car I will keep 'til I die, it's brilliant!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
One rear strut "top-hat" worn badly.
Instrument lights constantly change intensity.
ABS warning symbol turns on (sometimes!).
Moisture in the boot.
General comments?
I have replaced the "top-hat", and the improvement in ride and road noise is outstanding. Around the 'burbs it is a dream to drive, but get it out on the open highway, and it chews up the K's with the greatest comfort.
I did have an overheating problem getting over the Range, but have attributed that to an after-market radiator cap??? Or could it be a thermostat problem?
I seem to have had a win on the instrument lights by cleaning up the Earth stud on the firewall, but since then have introduced a fault with the brake pad wear monitor, and it's become hard to start when cold. (Neither were apparent before disconnecting the battery.) (Haven't seen the ABS warning since then though...)
After tracing the brake wear pad wiring, the front L cable wasn't connected to the loom, but the R one was. Can they be left disconnected or do they need to be shorted to disable the monitoring?
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| The 400ukp shire horse |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1988 |
| Year of manufacture | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 2007 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.6L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 233000 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 11th July, 2007 |