PrinceRupert

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1463591 Tidy super low miles 306 cabriolet with a cool red leather interior

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1465158 One owner 90k miles Omega estate. Fab colour with cream leather and walnut dash trim.

So the XJ6 is leaving my life, and going to @NorthernMonkey. Can't say I'll miss it. It probably has cost me more than £10 a mile to own ... The Rover is getting fixed. I've found someone who can weld it for £180-195, and going to get the garage to do the suspension arm (should be in the 200-250 range I suspect) as frankly can't be bothered wrestling with it. I've then ordered a thermostat kit for 70 quid and will attempt that myself.

Mystery continues. After two days on the battery conditioner, the rear of the car is level! Though it seems rather low. Can a weak battery cause the compressor to not work hard enough on one corner only ... ? The ride quality is still poor, but not as awful - as if it is no longer losing composure when the hard o/s/r hits bumps. Therefore, I'm wondering whether maybe the poor ride is at least partly down to wheels, tyres and/or alignment ... There is a new problem: an almighty rattle coming from the n/s/f when hitting certain bumps, which is odd. From prodding about, it seems it may be something as mundane as a damaged and rattling section of undertray ...

So, the Rover did fail - welding and front ball joint and an advisory on the rear ARB. Let's see how much the welding would be, if I can even find someone to do it - if it was a few hundred quid, I am sure I could replace the stat and suspension arm myself for a few hundred quid. Repair immediately (major defects): Nearside Front Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i)) Offside Front Outer Integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced sill (6.1.1 (c) (i)) Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories): Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))

Rover is definitely leaking from the thermostat, plus what looks like a bit of weeping from other pipes. Tomorrow may be the end of the road for the Rover ... though if it only fails on welding and I can get it done cheaply, I could replace the stat myself and get maybe another year on it. Let's see. On the Jag, the front earth point was pretty crusty so I've cleaned that up and put the battery on the CTEK to see if maybe just its poor earthing / battery problem, though it seems unlikely ...

Plot thickens. No longer sure it is the strut. Rather may be some form of calibration issue. I disconnected one of the air lines and turned out it was for front right, which dropped. Reconnected it and took for a drive. Now front right is 10mm lower than front left and ride is worse. Could be caused by a weak battery? Also, Rover MOT tomorrow. Doing some checks and seems it is also losing coolant...bit of pink staining in the v, thermostat? May contribute to whether or not it lives on. May need to go car shopping...

So, soapy water round the compressor fittings didn't detect any leaks either. Harumph. My only assumption is that the strut needs changed, but really don't want to chuck the money at a new strut on the assumption it will fix it if it will not.

If you simply want cheap motoring, in my view you are probably best with something not that old, reasonable mileage, well looked after for cheap - a 10 year old Fiesta for a few grand or something. If you get into old and interesting, unless you are a competent home mechanic then it might not be that cheap - but suppose it depends what you compare it against. For example, an old 7 Series is probably more expensive to run than a newer Fiesta, but much cheaper to run than a new 7 Series ...

From the smell, pretty sure the oil leak is at least partly gearbox oil. I didn't get properly underneath to have a look but seems wettest quite far back.

Oily

So got access to the top of the o/s/r strut and did the soapy water test. No apparent sign of an air leak. Also no sign of an air leak at compressor fittings at front. Anywhere else to test? I did pull the connector and spray some contact cleaner, and had battery disconnected over night. Pulling the connector did get a failure message on the dash, so the warning does work. No electrical warning, no obvious air leak...could it be some sort of ride height calibration issue?

They also have an annoying tendency to get stuck in the socket when you get them off. Got one stuck in the socket now and don't want to force it out in case I damage the chrome. Some better pictures of the bushes now the wheels off. All look fine to me. Going to dismantle boot lining to get to top of strut to see if leaking from there. Seems odd that I would not have an air suspension light? Any way to check if the ride height sensor is working properly? I also have a nice patch of fresh oil on my drive so it is leaking both oil and coolant, yay. Going to remove the undertray for good to try and help me locate it.

Little victory today. Wheel is off. Turns out the bolt is not cross threaded. Rather it seemed the chrome cap had come loose from underlying nut. Drilled the cap off (fairly easy though made a bit of a mess of the wheel) and the nut came off no problem.

It is still on the old tyres but given it clearly has an o/s/r suspension fault no point spending loads putting new tyres on till that is fixed.

Tbh I'm mostly annoyed that I paid the garage to do the discs and pads because it was with them and they told me it would fix the ride issues, I could have changed them myself. The track rod ends I am not sure I could have done on my back given how rusted on they were, but still v expensive at three hours labour. I could also change a strut and water pump I am sure, but still needs the wheel nut / heater matrix / air con / door locking sorted, and four tyres at 150 quid a corner, and it is quickly becoming a money pit, and would be really annoying if I chucked another few hundred quid at it and the ride still wasn't fixed... blergh

Whereabouts are you again? SE London

Just one side that is solid, o/s rear

Yes, cannot get rear wheel off to take a look as there is a cross threaded wheel nut (not the garages fault but not sure if the garage did all its work with the wheels on...).

Hmm the rear height seems to correct itself when running (at least equal both sides at rear) but the side that drops when engine is off is absolutely rock solid.

Okay, this car is beginning to piss me off and it may be approaching the time it gets chucked. It's due me approximately 900 quid if anyone wants it ... First, the ride quality continues to be absolutely terrible. It however isn't as the garage said because of alignment being out (though it is, steering wheel is about 20 degrees out), but rather because it is about two inches lower on the back rear corner. Presumably an air suspension fault? Yet no air suspension light. Second, the low coolant warning came on today. Lovely sweet smell hit me when I opened the bonnet. Much pinkness around the waterpump. Presumably the waterpump is leaking. Levels do not appear to have dropped much, so presumably leaking slowly, though I've hardly done any miles in it. Third, several litres of water came out of the passenger door. Never seen that one before. Oh and neither passenger nor driver heaters do anything now. Glad I just wasted 600 quid on front brakes and track rod ends.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284825342856

Great stuff, it has clearly been looked after at some point, it has four matching P Zeros on it! (Albeit rather old ...).

This is from o/s rear - look okay to me? Though pictures dont show much of the bush itself...