Hello all, I am a brand spankin' new Jaguar owner. It isnt even at the house yet, we will pick it up tomorrow morning! We got a 1989 XJS V12 coupe, Red. It has 89k original miles and has an immaculate interior. There are just a couple little things to work on.

My husband, Kelly, is/was a master technician. He is now a deputy, but loves to build and work on cars. This is also his first experience with a Jag so we will be spending some time on these boards asking some questions.

If anyone has any advice on owning one of these beauties, please feel free to share!

Thanks much

Terri Clark
'89 XJS V12 Coupe

Submitted by NE52-32043 on Tue, 06/21/2005 - 10:08

I owned an '89 XJS. Great car. You'll enjoy it.

One of the best things you can do, in addition to getting both the factory service manual AND the factory PARTS manual (I often found the exploded views in the parts manual more helpful in understanding how things went together than the repair manual), go to www.jag-lovers.org and download "The Book" by Kirby Palm. It's about 600+ pages of the collected wisdom of XJS owners from all over the world. As they say, don't leave home without it! Virtually every problem you will ever experience with the car has been addressed there, and it has lots of suggestions how to make your car run better and be more reliable.

Along those lines, one of the first things you need to know is whether your car is a Lucas or a Marelli car. 1989 was a change year for Jaguar. Up to '89, the HE cars had a Lucas ignition system. Mid-'89, Jaguar changed over to a dual coil Marelli system that is known to cause problems including potential engine fires. Don't want to scare you, but The Book contains some useful suggestions to avoid problems with the Marelli system. One of the most basic is to be sure that the spark plugs are gapped to .025". Gapping at .035 as many mechanics like to do causes too much resistance in the systme and leads to problems. You should also check the fuel rail to be sure you don't have any leaks (Lucas or Marelli car).

If you have a Marelli car, read the sections of The Book that relate to those systems and take care to keep the car running well. Also, consider buying a Halon fire extinguisher and keeping it in the car. Halon avoids the mess of an ABC extinguisher, should you have a problem.

Didn't mean to scare anyone, but better you know what to look for and do some preventive maintenance than have a problem you could have avoided. Enjoy the car. Nothing like that big V-12 on the highway!

Steve Weinstein, JTC-NJ
'70 XKE FHC, '69 XKE OTS
Former '89 XJS Coupe owner

Submitted by mr442nt@wideop… on Mon, 06/20/2005 - 17:08

Congrats! I too have an 89 red coupe, and it's my first Jag. Had it about 2 1/2 years. Great car, and contrary to myth, a reliable daily driver! Not to bore everyone on site, but I have some good leads for advice. Feel free to contact me direct at mr442ntatwideopenwest.com. Enjoy the car.

Tom Kipp
89 XJ-S Coupe