Jaguar Owners Club

Novelist Clive Cussler with his Jaguar in Paradise Valley, Arizona Clive Cussler, 82-year-old car collector and author of 55 adventure novels, on his 1954 Jaguar XK120, as told to A.J. Baime. When I was in the military, I socked away $100 every month. When I was discharged in 1954, I got home at 5 a.m. By 10 a.m., I was pulling out of a foreign car dealership in Pasadena in a new Jaguar XK120. It was the hot car. All the celebrities owned one. I courted my wife in mine. After I proposed and she said yes, I traded it in for a Nash Rambler. She never forgave me but I used the money I saved to buy all the furniture for our first apartment. Novel Ride for Adventure Novelist Best-selling novelist Clive Cussler's 1954 Jaguar XK120 Years later, I started collecting cars. I just love old cars and when I find what I like, I try to buy it. In 2004, I was at an auction when I saw a 1954 XK120. I bought it for about $40,000. As soon as I drove it, I could picture myself 50 years earlier. The engine's been played with; it has three carburetors and the original had two. It has later-model seats for more comfort, and it has been painted. But otherwise it's original, and it's quite a mover for its age. My wife laughs about the old days in the Jaguar, those times in the 1950s in L.A. when I couldn't hit a stop sign without someone wanting to drag race me. It brings back all those memories. Mark Peterman for The Wall Street Journal

I’m suing the council for £600 Jag repair Damage – Angela Nicholson with Chris Stanley A DRIVER is suing Essex County Council after a pothole left her with a £600 repair bill. Angela Nicholson, 45, had to fork out for new alloy wheels and repairs to the chassis on her Jaguar after it was damaged in Wickford Avenue, Pitsea. She put in a claim for compensation following the incident in March, but after a frustrating six-month wait the council refused to pay up. Highways bosses said the road was inspected just days after her complaint and was found to be in a “reasonable condition.” Mrs Nicholson, of Mill Green, Pitsea, is so certain she has a valid case for compensation, she is risking losing a lot more money by taking the council to court. She said: “The road is absolutely awful. “People driving down there have to slowdown to about three miles per hour because it’s so bad, but this council reckons that is reasonable. “I had to wait quite a while and even had to chase the council up for a response, only to find out it won’t pay me back. “It’s quick enough to demand money when they wants it from us. “I have considered starting a petition to urge the council to sort the problem out, but I’m not sure it will make any difference. "It’s an issue all over Basildon”. Mrs Nicholson, who is off work due to health reasons, is now selling her beloved Jaguar and planning to buy a cheaper car. She is struggling to afford running costs, and is scared of causing even more damage, due to the rough roads across the borough. Highways bosses would not comment on the impending court case. A council spokesman said: “Essex County Council will not comment on the specific details of individual cases. “All compensation claims received by Essex County Council are investigated fully and damages paid if the council is liable as the Highways Authority. “All claims are given the same legal consideration, whether the claim is for minor damage to a vehicle or for personal injury. 6:00am Wednesday 4th December 2013 in NewsBy Chloe Chapman

Hi Tom...and welcome to the club ! Injector coding can be problematic on these engines. I would suggest that the coding may not have taken...e.g. one digit out when inputting the code? Regards Trevor

Hi Eugene the only door mirror covers I could find are chrome finish. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2010-2011-Jaguar-XF-XK-XFR-XKR-Chrome-Door-Mirror-Covers-/221308350844?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item338701717c The only other thing to do is to cover them with Carbon Wrap which is readily available and should be relatively easy to apply http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carbon-Fibre-Vinyl-Wrap-4D-Black-Gloss-Car-Sticker-Sheet-Air-Free-1500mm-x-300mm-/390513702126?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item5aec6e34ee

Hi Mick This is a link to a buyers guide for the X-Type that we produced. http://www.jaguarownersclub.com/forums/topic/9154-jaguar-x-type-buyers-guide/ I hope other X-Type owners can give some first hand advice and guidance and good luck with your search...hope you find a good one! Regards Trevor

Chancellor George Osborne has announced the tax disc will be abolished as part of his Autumn Statement. It doesn't mean vehicle excise duty will scrapped though (the very thought!), simply that it will be replaced by an electronic system. Tax discs have been rendered obsolete with the digital database available to the police and DVLA. But not, seemingly, that jobsworth at the Post Office counter. As well as removing the visual tax indicator, the new system will allow a monthly direct debit payment system. For the privilege, expect to pay another five per cent over the normal price of 12 months VED. But the cost of taxing your car in two lots of six months is likely to drop by five per cent too. This is government policy on motoring moving 'into the modern age' apparently. The changes to vehicle tax are expected to be implemented from October next year. The announcement comes 93 years after the first tax disc appeared, following the Roads Act of 1920. Vehicle Tax has actually been around since 1888 (no Government ever would ever miss a taxation opportunity) in that year's Budget.

Hi Jonathan...and welcome to the club ! I can only think of Janspeed in Salisbury who make custom exhaust systems but hopefully some members may have other ideas and recommendations. Look forward to hearing the outcome of your search Regards Trevor

Every little boy's dream? Perhaps. But these scrupulously photographed explosions are not at all what they seem. Fabian Oefner, the Swiss photographer acclaimed for capturing unseen micro-seconds in time, has swerved in another direction for these most recent snapshots, on show until May 2014 at Mechanical Art Devices (MAD) in Geneva. Breaking down his subjects to their individual components, Oefner has manufactured moments of trompe l'oeil by capturing each individual piece separately, then assembling them in 'spontaneous' form. It takes him weeks to achieve each instant on film. Says the artist: 'These are possibly the slowest high-speed images ever captured.' For his 'Disintegrating' series, Oefner deconstructed model roadsters like a mechanic. The process was 'like peeling an onion,' he says. Then he dangled each screw and panel with needles and wire - more than a thousand in all - for a portrait. In postproduction he superimposed each shot to form the final explosive scene. The 'victims', a 1954 Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, a 1961 Jaguar E-Type and a 1967 Ferrari 330 P4, retain a remarkable grace under fire. Meanwhile, with 'Hatch', Oefner's follow-up sequence, the artist has machinated the 'birth' of a model 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO from a gypsum shell, like a chick in the nest. This time he smashed the shell and used a microphone to send a signal to his Hasselblad H4D, which captured each reverberating shard. He repeated the action with dozens of models until the hatching appeared as lifelike as possible. What was in fact painstaking ultimately appears as an impulsive detonation, a mere push of a button by a mischievous child. Read more at http://www.wallpaper.com/art/photographer-fabian-oefner-tricks-the-eye-at-mad-gallery-in-geneva/7010#Fx5ASL5LLXMJAh7p.99

Look forward to seeing the pictures....maybe this could be a potential business in the making...Wedding Car services - Jaguar Style ?

Excellent ! Please let us know how you get on with it. It is easy to use....just plug it in and follow the prompts...it even translates what the codes mean in real terms and has live data read out also.

Hi Billyboy, have to start by saying sorry!...there were posts on here in response to your question but they were wiped out last week when we had a software problem. However, look forward to hearing how you get on with the replacement wheels...I personally think it will make quite a difference to the ride but maybe compromise the handling slightly. Any other members experience something similar with ride quality on the XF ?

That's shows that she has great taste and has chosen a Jaguar to go to her wedding :)

Hi Stan...and welcome to the club ! and also, welcome back to the wonderful world of Jags. Look forward to seeing some piccys of your new pride and joy. Regards Trevor

Courtesy of the RAC....maybe useful as a reminder to get specific information following a crash rac-accident-care-certificate(6).pdf

It took less than an hour for the vehicles from Scotlands Ecurie Ecosse racing team to sell. Picture: HEMEDIA. Text by GEORGE MAIR. Updated on 02 Dec 13 THE world’s most comprehensive collection of racing cars from Scotland’s flagship team that won two consecutive Le Mans 24-Hour races in the 1950s was sold for almost £8 million at auction yesterday. The vehicles, from Scotland’s Ecurie Ecosse team, raced from 1951 and won dozens of events, with drivers including Sir Jackie Stewart and his older brother Jimmy racing under its banner. The seven cars and their blue transporter were sold at Bonhams in London. The collection, put together by racing fan Dick Skipworth, was sold in less than one hour for £7,909,000 plus buyers’ premiums which alone amounted to hundreds of thousands of pounds. The highest price was for a 1952 Jaguar C-Type two-seat roadster that went under the hammer at £2.6m plus buyer’s premium to an overseas bidder. One of just 54 built, it was raced by Jimmy Stewart who “Flying Scot” Sir Jackie credits with nurturing his interest in the sport during his “dark” days at school where he suffered from dyslexia. A 1956 Jaguar D-Type “shortnose” two-seater, raced to victory by legend Ron Flockhart, fetched £2.3 million. The highlight of the sale was the team’s iconic transporter – capable of carrying one car inside and two on top. The “unique” vehicle got a loud cheer in the auction room as bids soared past the £1m mark before reaching a winning bid of £1.6m. “Other vehicles sold included a 1951 Jaguar XK120 roadster, hailed as the “most important 120 that has ever come to auction”, which went for £630,000 to a bidder in the auction room and a 1959 Tojeiro-Jaguar Sports-Racing Prototype that fetched £340,000. The 1960 Cooper Monaco rear engine racing car in which Sir Jackie Stewart “won race after race” sold for £195,000. A 1962-63 Tojeiro endurance racing coupe made £190,000, while a 1961 Austin-Healey sprite two-seat grand touring coupe was bought for £54,000 by another bidder in the auction room. James Knight, Bonhams’ Group motoring director, said Ecurie Ecosse was “perhaps Britain’s best-loved motor racing team”. Campaigners had tried to keep at least one of the vehicles in Scotland as part of the country’s racing heritage, but the Scottish Government was unable to provide funding from its culture budget. Shonah Gibbon, who started the petition and Save Ecurie Ecosse Facebook page, said: “These were the days of Scottish motor sport when we weren’t just good, we were the best.”

Launched in 2009, the XJ is Jaguar’s flagship luxury saloon, taking on rivals such as the 2014 Mercedes S Class, the BMW 7 Series and the 2014 Audi A8. Days prior to the Frankfurt Motor Show this September, Jaguar announced the 2014 model year XJ, which sports a few interior revisions, while keeping exteriors intact. However, spies have caught camouflaged mules of an XJ facelift on UK roads, and if reports are to be believed, Jaguar will introduce it later next year as a 2015 model. The image below is a rendering from our artist Shoeb, who projects a subtly refreshed XJ. The Jaguar XJ facelift would be a gentle transformation, like the Swift and the Duster facelifts. The most noticeable change comes to the airdams, which are wider and larger than the existing model. Jaguar may not radically redo the XJ, given that its design is still fresh (and special!). As a result, those cat-like headlights and the wide grille of the luxo-barge will continue unchanged. Current Jaguar XJ added for comparison. Don’t expect Jaguar to make drastic changes to engines, and at most, they could be enhanced for better efficiency and lower emissions. The XJ’s engine lineup starts with a 3.0-liter diesel engine producing 275 PS, while petrol engines that are offered include a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 (340 PS) and a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 (550 PS). Read more: http://indianautosblog.com/2013/12/2015-jaguar-xj-facelift-107408#ixzz2mPtQ9hvr

Hi Dena....and welcome to the club ! Unfortunately, one of the members recently posted up a retro-fit stereo tutorial with pictures....but the site crashed and we lost the tutorial. :( Hopefully someone has carried out this procedure before and can offer some advice. Regards Trevor

could be a defective rear sensor? Can any members help ?

lol, sorry about that....It is an external sticker but is also good for bottom of boot lid, rear window, etc.

Thanks, I have posted them up to the gallery. http://www.jaguarownersclub.com/forums/gallery/album/89-members-cars/