Dear Mr XJS Designer ...

What year is your Jag? My '94 has a small bit of rust, but nothing I think needs welding.

My 1989 XJ-S suffered quite a lot of rust before I realised what was going on. Later models were galvanized, I understand, which might help. You'd think all models would have been galvanized for the price those cars were new.

Overall, I think the build quality leaves a lot to be desired. My Rover 214/414 runaround (1990 model) is/was a cheap budget car but knocks spots off the XJ-S for build quality. A team of sixth formers could have done a better job than the XJ-S designers on many aspects of the car's development. As for continuous improvement, I don't think there was much after 1975.

Regards George

The XJ-S was Sir William Lyons', the founder of Jaguar, last design. Ment to replace the E-type, it was a wonderful touring car. It was the first production car designed in a wind tunnel. And the V-12 is an amazing torque generator.

But British steel has lot's of impurities that promote rust. It doesn't matter how thick it is. Good steel can be thin (as evidenced by some of the steels today). But bad steel rusts from the inside (or, at least, it seems to!)

Oh, it gets better than that. The original XJS was 1" longer on one side than the other. That faux-pas was discovered in the mid-80s by the German firm Karmann when Jaguar decided to build an XJS convertible. Karmann interrogated the plans and sheepishly told Jaguar management. XJS bodies were built at Castle Brom on one of five turntables. When Ford manufacturing began putting their process controls in place they discovered that no two of the things were the same. Although they were designed to be routininely calibrated, Jaguar never bothered. The differences in build quality between the last year's XJS production ('95) and say ten years earlier are laughable.

Funny that this message should appear again as I spent yesterday back in the garage with some more welding to be done.

Now, you answer me this.

Ford Sierra Original sale price £8000 Has wheelarch liners to stop front end rust Vauxhall Astra Original sale price £6000 Has wheelarch liners to stop front end rust. Lada Riva Original sale price £25p Has wheelarch liners to stop front end rust.

Jaguar XJS Original sale price £LOADS DOES NOT HAVE WHEELARCH LINERS SO ITS RUSTS !!!

I love the XJS - I wouldn't spend so long under mine putting it back together, but its no wonder Jaguar went bust and had to sell out to Ford !!!

Incidentally, I've finished the engine, front suspension and N/S floor - Back axle rebuild is next.

Stu

Don't know where your wheelarch liners went then, my '86 XJS has them....

Phil.

Don't know where your wheelarch liners went then, my '86 XJS has them....

Phil.

XJS did indeed suffer from under-development, as it was the lower volume of the Comany's two products. The '92 facelift was a major change point, but in Ford terms was the worst launch in terms of quality they'd ever seen. By '94 much of it had been sorted and the final year of production, '95 was of quite good quilty compared to what had gone before. I drove these as Company cars for years and was always quite fond of them despite their quirks.

Thats interesting because mine doesn't, also 2 in my local scrapyard dont (1989 and 1991). A friend of mine has a J plate and his doesn't have them. I wonder if they were a special buy when the car was new ?

Stu

More likely they have been removed & not refitted....

Hi George,

Mines a 1989 on F plate. Although I mock the paper thin metal that Jags of that age were made of it should also be added that I'm in the middle of a rebuild after the car had been sat for 4 years.

Stu