The special warranty on my 99 XK8 is due to expire. Iam thinking about buying another one. I know repairs are very expensive. I also know that the pricing is design for a profit, so its designed to cost me more unless I am unlucky and have more than average repairs. Also I can have a Jaguar warranty or a private one. Who can give me some insight into this decision.
LSC

Submitted by cohenlaw@cypre… on Thu, 10/14/2004 - 17:19

Thanks Pascal and Steve. My present warranty is the Special Edition version that comes with a used Jag from a dealer. They will sell a two year extension; I presume (but will check) that it is the same coverage. The price at Rusnak in Pasadena is $2850 for two years (curiously it is $2400 for one year)plus the cost of an inspection and oil change- I expect those to price out at about $2-300. Another variable is that if I have warrantee the dealer will do all the covered work plus they will pay for a rental car. But, if I don't have the warrantee I will use an independant; they charge from 1/3 to 1/2 less. So in balancing cost, I consider the lower cost repairs vs. the warrantee cost. More comments are welcome. How can I find out if I have the bad liners. I drive mostly locally, but not aggressively.

Submitted by NE52-32043 on Mon, 09/27/2004 - 09:42

I remember reading an article in Consumer Reports a few years back that said that under many circumstances, the extended warranties are not worth it. However, your '99 XK8 probably has the dreaded Nikasil cylinder liners in the engine. While failure rates in the US seem to be low because of the relative low sulphur content in the gas and the tendancy to drive our cars longer distances, engine failure is a very real possibility. If you can extend with Jaguar, and if they will cover engine failure due to the Nikasil liners, I'd definitely consider it. A private warranty company may not be as willing to cover that failure as Jaguar will.

That said, I'd check to find out if you do or do not have the Nikasil liners (I think all the XK8's before 2000 did). If you do a lot of highway driving, it shouldn't be a big problem, but if you do a lot of "in and around" stop and go, it can lead to premature wear and loss of compression in the cylinders. If you're still under warranty now, it's probably worth having the dealer do the tests to be sure you don't have a problem. From what I've heard, as long as you are not "beating" the car, that's the biggest problem with these. Otherwise they are pretty reliable.

Steve Weinstein, JTC-NJ
'70 XKE FHC
'69 XKE OTS

Submitted by pascal@jcna.com on Fri, 09/24/2004 - 22:07

i looked into it when the warrany ended on the XKR and decided not to. cost was about $2000 for 4 years and around 50k extra miles which isn't too bad. it's easy to spend $500 a year on these cars.

the big problem were all the exclusions, what's not covered, etc... things like sensors, ECUs, may or my not be covered. What is considered a wear item? etc...

Of course, a blown tranny or engine can cost far more but if you do buy an after market warranty, read the fine print VERY carefully.

Pascal Gademer
South Florida Jaguar Club
72 E-type 2+2
00 XKR Coupe
99 XJR