londonxk8

HI Russ - thanks for the reply! i had a guy come over, he replaced the outer decorative piece - and banged the wheel back into shape. i was quite disheartened, and thought the wheel would be unusable, but have take the car on the motorway at speed and its smooth. got new back tires as well and had wheels balanced and all seems ok.. that outer piece is quite delicate but i think i got lucky in that the rim seems fine

hello joe - for the oxygen sensor error code - i did take a picture of the fault code from the reader. it says: P1646 - heated oxygen sensor control module, bank 1 open/shorted. do you know which one is bank 1? also, for the replacement part - i found these on europarts (is it the right part?). otherwise loads of other cheaper ones on ebay but just not sure which part to get http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Jaguar_XK+Series_4.0_2002/p/car-parts/exhausts/car-body-parts-and-car-exhaust/lambda-sensor/?710630145&1&2996ddefae27c8efde9c02c27dd270770aa48ce2&000210 finally- another member recommend the icarsoft scanner. would that be a decent one to buy? i would like to save myself paying £40 for code reads from my indie and the long drive! thanks

hello - so - my car came up with the engine light error, so went to a jaguar indie in north london and he hookedi tup to a autel reader. when i went to the garage - i had the ABS light on, and the engine light. for the engine light, it came up with the code P1646 - heated oxygen sensor control module, bank 1 open/shorted. any advice on where i can get the part? my neighbor is an ex mechanic so i think he could install it if i could give him some guidance on where to locate the sensor. so questions: 1. where can i buy the part or part number for this code? i have searcehd but there are downstream/upstream sensors - how do i know which one this? 2. any advice on a decent reader for the xk8. obII? my neighbor could then help with a lot of the faults! for the ABS light - strangely after clearing the ABS code, it came back on again. but a few days later the ABS went off and the light has not come back on again. so beginning to wonder if these are just electrical issues. any help appreciated!

so - found someone who replaced the outer piece of the rim. but i'm concerned about whether or not i should keep this rim on the car. had a good look at the alloy when it was off the car, and it looked a bit off. the person that came out to change the outer piece of the rim, gave it a whack with a rubber hammer, and the rim seems to look round now. however, this seems to me like could cause a lot of issues with the rim long term. perhaps the rim is weaker now (it was heated to remove the trim), and i'm not an expert on metalurgy - but have a bad feeling if hte rim was out of shape it will simply never be the same again. any suggestiosn on what to do, or how to have the alloy checked out? i could get the wheel balanced, but any expert opionion on whether this rim is savageabe would be appricated. i did have a look on ebay for a used back rim, but no luck. i'm also skeptical about buying a used detroit alloy online as many of these could have been previously damaged anyways any advice appreciated

hi Joe - this is great, thank you! as my car is a 2002 and only have 34k miles, may leave this on my "to do" for a while yet. but perhaps i shoud change over once i'm over 50k! thanks again

hello, so unfortuantely managed to curb my wheels (quite badly) and has damaged the outer rim on my 20' detroit alloys. it looks to me like the damage is only on the outer rim thankfully. so couple questiosn if anyone can help: 1. went to kwik fit, but they do not know how to change the outer rim. is it difficult to do? do i have to go to a specialist alloy shop? 2. to purchase the outer rim, is it just stainless steel? is there a specific colour i need to buy? 3. any chance i have damaged the inner rim/full alloy? was quite a bad knock thanks all. j

Hello - so changed the oil and checked all the fluids, but couldnt find a dipstick for the transmission fluid. quick search online reveals these are "sealed for life" by jaguar. however, this leaves me confused - how is one meant to check the level? my car only has 34k miles, but after 50k or 100k i would assume these fluids should be changed to prolong the life of the gearbox? very odd - anyone know what to do or do jaguar owners let their geabox die?

Hi Peter, unfortunatley my car is parked on the street, so cant run a trickle charger. i may look into installing a battery cut off switch though, or could simply unplug hte battery when travelling. after 10 days, my new battery was totally dead, which i dont think is good for these modern batteries. seems to be holding a charge now though thankfully

Hi Peter, unfortunatley my car is parked on the street, so cant run a trickle charger. i may look into installing a battery cut off switch though, or could simply unplug hte battery when travelling. after 10 days, my new battery was totally dead, which i dont think is good for these modern batteries. seems to be holding a charge now though thankfully

hello - so installed a new Bosch batter a couple months ago, and car been running well. However, went away for 10 days, and have come back - the batter is totally dead. I couldnt disable the alarm. So will take the battery out tonight and charge it. besides checking for any lights on in the boot or glove box etc, what else can i do? is this a common fault on the xk8? thanks

hi all. want to change over the oil in my 2002 xk8. when i put in the registration, getting different recommendations for oil (with big price differences).considering i will change it over every year (not doing more than 3k miles/year), i think cheapest option should be OK. question is, can i use any of the following oils (will go with castrol): - Castrol Magnatec 5w30 fully synthetic - Castrol Magnatec 10W-40 ACEA A3/B4 Semi Synthetic Car Engine Oil - Service Pack: 8 litres so confused as it if i can use 5w30 or 10w40?

A quick search revels the Michelins could be a good bet! one last question: is the wheel overlay on the detorit allow easy to remove and put back when you change the tire? could any tire company do this? the detroit allow is the split rim with the inlay.. thanks

Hello, so i have the detroit alloys on the XK8. one of the fronts is not looking very healthy, certainly not good for the motorway. so, need to get a new set of fronts. the measurement on the front tires is 255/35zr20 (97y), and currenty has dunlop sport maxx. could anyone confirm this is the right size of tire for this rim? also, the back tires are wider and have pirelli 285/30zr20. is there any advantage to this set up? the previous owner seems to have installed mud runners that flare out a touch and wondering if thats beacuase of the wider back tires. anyways - any tips appreciated. was thinking to get pirelli for the front so they are all the same brand, althoguh not sure how important this is! thanks jason

hi Russ - another member recommended the icarsoft, but i have asked for other recommendations (not sure if that is hte best one or not)

any other ideas on the code reader, or is the icarsoft a decent buy for a 2002 xk8?

interestingly - after 5/6 emails with BBS in Germany in respect to the rim - this is their final answer (below). i managed to find valves on eBay made in titanium, supposedly the ones manufactured by BBS were made in a difference material and prone to corrosion.. "Hello Jason We are very sorry, but in this case we are not able to recommend anything. The last production of this wheel was many many years ago. For this reason we do not have any in stock. Sorry not having any better news for you. Best regards, Jutta"

haha!! learning to love the quirks! going to get a reader for the next time it comes on. the window is working now as well ...lets see! thanks for all the help been great to learn a bit about the car

Hi Nige, Noted about the door - thank you! Strangely - i got the valve replaced in my RIM which was leaking, and the ABS light has now come off. Had an hour drive, and the light was off the entire time. not sure if somehow connected (or not), but time will tell! thank you for the advice on the code reader, may buy the icarsoft one! thanks, jason

after trying 4 dealership and 3 alloy shops (all seemed confused/unable to help!) i phoned J&D autos - he knew the BBS wheel and also has the part. cant believe the dealerships dont even know of this wheel (they said they only valve listed with the wheel is a normal valve - which will not fit the wheel). anyways hopefully all sorted!

hi all - so - getting a bit frustrated. have detroit alloys (manufactured for jaguar by BBS) on my 2002 XK8 - and the valve is leaking. problem is - its not a normal valve, but a split valve (you have a tool to remove the screw, then use an adapter to fit the air compressor). the issue is - no one seems to know how to get the replacement part. jaguar dealerships no longer have the part, and alloy wheel specialists do not have the part. so i'm stuck! any advice appeciated!

yes found it - its in the xk8 badge! never would have found it, but now that i know where it is - seems so obvious! got the new battery in - now just have to solbve the ABS light and the passenger window (still not working properly). going to take open the door with the help of my neighbor and see if we can figure it out somehow. for the abs light - going to see if we can clean the sensors - if that doesnt work will try to take out the module and see if cna get it repaired. thinking to buy a code sensor - if anyone knows a good one for the xk8 please let me know many thanks

hello - so - have a new battery in the car, but still have the ABS warning light coming on regularly. luckily - my neighbor/ex bmw mechanic seems pretty handy - so i was thinking to buy a code reader to try and diagnose if its the abs sensors, or a fault with the module. any particular code reader anyone can recommend? thanks jason

Hi NIge - i didnt realise thre was a key opening for the boot lock, but it was needed as i realised i coulndt get back into the car through the work around once the battery was out!! thank you, its in a clever little spot thats for sure jason

Hello, another (minor) issue with my 2002 xk8. the sport button has sunken deep into the center console. i can still turn sport mode on/off, but the button seems to be sinking deeper inside. is this something i could potentially fix on my own perhaps? any advice appreciated! sorry for all the posts, just had a series of minor issues with the car and trying to get it working smootly! jason

hi Nige - thanks for the detailed reply! i just ordered a Bosch S4 019 (the battery inside was branded "Mean" - and the seller of the vehicle told me he put a cheap battery in, so this is definitely a great first step as you mention. if i still have an issue, i'm going to try the steps you outline below. Jason