Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ray White]

I expect some of you will have seen this but it is always good to remind ourselves just how great the original concept was. This was my Dad's favourite car ..but I never could work out why he never had one.

https://club.shannons.com.au/club/forum/general/video-1968-launch-of-the-jaguar-xj6/#gallery

[bjacko]

They had a bad reputation here for reliability and poor workmanship. I had a friend who was a mechanic who worked on all sorts of vehicles and the boss had a XJ6 but was always breaking down and he had to fix it. Told me never buy a Jaguar until they improve.
_________________
1938 Morris 8 Ser II Coupe Utility (Pickup)
1985 Rover SD1 VDP

[Ray White]

[Rusty]

[Ray White]

Rusty, I think you are correct. The Series 1 XJ6 was something of a revelation when it was released - although at the time I lamented the deletion of polished walnut that had been a hallmark of previous models.

When I trained as a mechanic I never had the chance to work on an XJ6 but did most of my work on Mk2 and Mk10/420G models which I loved. I still think the XK engine is a work of art; it is just a shame that so many later owners neglected oil changes.

[Vintage Fly Guy]

As I remember it, it was the front and rear valances that let the XJ6 and its variants down, with rust taking hold in pretty short order, which gave the appearance of an otherwise fine executive car all the charm of being a dodgy old 'scrapper'!

Putting this in periodic context, the front valance/spoiler of the Ford Cortina and Granada of similar period fared no better; after two years of entirely predictable commercial mileage figures, they too usually began to exhibit the completion of a well-done peperoni pizza!

We 'classic car enthusiasts' can say what we want about modern cars being too mechanically complicated and reliant upon electronics, but at least the manufacturers seem to have sorted the rust issue out.

[Ray White]

Rust has always been the enemy! I think manufacturers purposely left their products vulnerable to the effects of our environment to encourage a quicker turn around of new car sales. They would not like to know that their cars lasted for many years; rather, that the scrap yards were full and the showrooms doing a roaring trade.

As I have said before: "even having a Rolls Royce badge on the front won't stop it rom rusting at the back.!"

[Rusty]

Rust was sometimes an issue, around the rear axle assembly and the rear quarters mostly, but we are lucky out here, warm dry climate and "no" salt on the road so they lasted quite well. If maintenance on the engine and drivetrain was done properly, they pretty much lasted the life of the car. Timing chains could be an issue, and I remember some having a bad cylinder which had been bored oversize by a small amount at the factory, and the Forman and leading hands recond it was probably sabotage by an employee, but that "may" have been a bit later after the problems with workers started. I know British Leyland wouldn't bore out the whole engine to fix it under warranty, so they only bored the offending cylinder .010 and fitted one new piston. There were some that had a few electrical "gremlins" that took a bit of sorting out. I couldn't have been too worried about their issues because I always wanted one and nearly bought one once, but then talked myself out of it because "what do I need a 4.2 litre jag for?, too big !" so I bought a Volvo 244 instead because 4 cylinders and good reputation! BULLDUST !!! worst car I have ever owned, wish I had bought the jag, or the other one on the possibility's list at the time a Peugeot 505.
Anyway, I worked on Jags (and other BL cars) for 8 years and still hold them in high regard now.

[Norseman]

[V8 Nutter]

I had an American friend who worked for many years in the UK and he became quite Anglicised. When he returned home he bought a new XJ6, it was good mechanically but it was plagued with electrical problems, the dealer never managed to sort out. After about 2 years he sold it at a great loss.
Concerning Rusty's comments about Volvos, when I worked at an engine reconditioners we had a spate of Volvo 4 cylinders come in with about 40,000 miles on the clock and completely worn out camshafts

[Ray White]

I can't empathise enough that it was the series 2 which dragged down the XJ6 reputation. The Series one was a game changer for Jaguar. They put everything into it... but there are always some people who just can't leave well alone.

[Vintage Fly Guy]

[Vintage Fly Guy]

Duplicate.

[Ray White]

[Norseman]

I'm in total harmony with both you guys as my LR days go back to the 'eighties when I green-laned & competed in club trials,. though I had my first 'series' back in the 'sixties.

My current RR classic will be 38 years old come June this year when it will have been owned for 17 years & still only 64k miles.

Frankly I wouldn't touch a JLR product with a barge pole, or in fact any new car as they are literally disposable items, just like household white goods.

Our 'daily' is coming up for 27 years old, a nice BMW 523i se auto.
_________________
1987 classic Range Rover Vogue auto
1998 E39 523i SE auto sedan

A great many models have served me well since the 'sixties, all of them old & some even older than me.