2005 Jaguar XJ8 Vanden Plas » Aftermarket Garage

Status: April 2023, currently still own, going on 9 years now. The car is still in great working order with 193,000 miles

Maintenance Items

Series – X350

AJ34 Engine – 4.2L V8 294 HP @ 6000 RPM; 303 lb-ft torque; 6800 RPM Redline

More Engine Details – dual overhead camshafts (DOHC), 4 valves/cylinder, naturally aspirated (NA), 11.0:1 Compression ratio

Oil – Castrol 5W-30 Synthetic 6.34 quarts (6 litres) – Manual is wrong, and converted 6 litres to 5.45 quarts, I actually put about 6.5 quarts in.
Oil Filter – Mann W 713/29 or Wix 51228

Oil Plug – Dorman 090-115 & replacement gaskets 13 mm – 25 ft lbs (34 nm)

Spark Plugs – NGK IFR5N10 – These were last changed around 78,000 miles

Stock Tires With 18″ Jaguar Rapier Wheels – Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season 235/50-18 30 lbs front / 32 lbs rear

Upgraded Tires with 19″ Jaguar Aleutian Wheels – Pirelli P Zero Nero 245/45-19 <Front 275/40-19 <Rear 32 lbs front / 34 lbs rear

HID Headlights – Sylvania HID D1S 5000K

Wiper Blades Trico 45-190 and 45-245

Rear blinker bulbs – Sylvania 7507LLBP

Side Marker, License Plate, Parking Light Bulbs x8 – Sylvania 2825 miniature bulb

Serpentine Belt – Gates K060910

Upgraded non-Squeeking Idler Pulley – Gates 36270

Aftermarket Coolant Expansion Tank, Meyle Brand Part #W0133-1850258

Cabin Filter – Mann CUK 2950

Upgraded Lug Nuts – Gorilla Automotive 73138T – 21 mm lug tool – these are a huge improvement over the OEM lug nuts

Likes/Misses

Things I like about this car:

The engine is a 300 HP V8 that is reliable and efficient but it also has a bit of an attitude and can rev to 6800 RPM before hitting the redline. It makes itself known if fitted with the proper exhaust.

It has a spacious interior and plenty of trunk space, it’s a large car with a comfortable ride and it is made of aluminum so that reduces the weight significantly allowing it to realistically get close to 30 mpg on the highway.

Where Jaguar missed the mark:

The trip computer readout leaves a bit to be desired. It seems like they could have used a larger screen in this area and made it where you could see multiple readings at once. Jaguar should have probably also integrated the exterior temperature readout into this area. With the current design the temperature readout isn’t available if you have the AC turned off.

This is a Vanden Plas model which is one of their higher end models, it wouldn’t have hurt my feelings if they’d have used Alcantera or something similar for the headliner. They used a material that would have worked out well near the rear seats and c-pillars so I’m not sure why they just didn’t use that everywhere. They also should have used a different method to adhere the headliner material to prevent sagging. I’ve owned much older cars from Mercedes and BMW that did not have this issue.

For some reason Jaguar doesn’t use the MOST (Media Oriented System Transport) digital system in these cars so upgrading the audio system to a more modern version is proving to be a hassle.