HMC- Mr Chowdhury’s Mercedes

[HMC]

Must be an LPT as no gauge- I was wondering how to tell!

I was coming down a steep hill fairly quickly in the jag and the pedal went to the floor, pumping it helped a bit temporarily. I was a bit frightened as it’s an auto with an electronic hand brake (which is not variable and like an on off switch) I was instinctively looking to down shift (sort of possible with the j gate) and grab the handbrake (was unsure what the end result would be with an electronic one/ off  hand brake so didn’t risk it) so felt very uneasy/ panicky 

[gadgetgricey]

Jesus. Wouldn't feel safe in that death trap anymore. Give me a call when you have the brakes fixed as happy to take it off your hands for only a small fee. :) 

Seriously though, glad you are ok, and in the nicest way, hope you were on your own when it happened,

[HMC]

Jag sorted- apparently a rusty metal brake pipe burst when I stomped on the brakes.

 

Meanwhile I’ve taken a liking to to Saab convertible I bought as a stop gap- Im already now contemplating putting it through another mot when it’s due next month rather than bridging it… 

[SiC]

On 1/31/2022 at 7:51 PM, HMC said:

was unsure what the end result would be with an electronic one/ off  hand brake so didn’t risk

Every electronic handbrake I've read the manual on will progressively apply it if you activate the switch while moving. I imagine it's probably a regulatory requirement for them to do it.

But being Jag, it probably just lock the rear wheels up 🤣

Might be worth pulling it when moving to see what happens. Or the lower risk option of RTM. 

[HMC]

I decided to wash the Saab; it arrived into my custody dirty and after brief go over it looks much tidier. The roof is also a bit less mouldy now too after a scrub 

The mot looms in 3 weeks. Is an EML on a 2000 car a fail?

[gadgetgricey]

Re the EML, check the vacuum hoses on the bulkhead.
Then can be reset by removing the fuse #17 for a bit, but would need to check.

 

[HMC]

5 minutes ago, gadgetgricey said:

Re the EML, check the vacuum hoses on the bulkhead.
Then can be reset by removing the fuse #17 for a bit, but would need to check.

Glad you are looking after the Jag, pm me when you want to sell on....

Cheers for the info, these are new to me so glad of the advice !

[Cento16v]

Don’t be scared to use the epb in an emergency, it will stop you safely.

We did a day on an airfield when they brought out the facelift in 2004/5 and it stopped safely from 100+ !

I felt odd though!

[Cookiesouwest]

49 minutes ago, HMC said:

I decided to wash the Saab; it arrived into my custody dirty and after brief go over it looks much tidier. The roof is also a bit less mouldy now too after a scrub 

The mot looms in 3 weeks. Is an EML on a 2000 car a fail?

I believe that EML is only an issue for post 1 July 2003 cars.

[Mally]

Saabs are ace, your  hood looks better than mine.

I got a straight pass unexpectedly, then the clutch went a few days later,

[Broadsword]

The Saab looks pretty tidy, hope it passes the MOT!

[Jim Bell]

Best of luck for the test man. 

[HMC]

I threw the  towel in with the P4. I forked out for a new clutch but it sat for some time waiting for the brakes to be looked at. Also closer assessment showed the bulkhead to be very rusty indeed; hence the cabin water leaks. I’d want to sort that before putting it to use. I could sense an easy £2k for all that work  and possibly more. Even then it would be a mediocre p4 with no history and its original Plate gone. Cheaper to buy a nicer one even at this stage. 

I decided it was time bail and moved it on to a local car enthusiast/ dealer that @Equihectay I think might have bought his xedos from.

I was shocked to see he was keen to drive it the 15 miles back despite the brakes being defective. Anyway he seemed happy enough, got home ok and I’ll put that one down to bitter experience. They say You buy the person and not the car- I’m usually good at sussing people out but my radar failed me the day I bought the p4. Good riddance. At least it’s gone to a decent home, and this time round the buyer, I made sure, knew exactly what a sorry specimen was on offer.

 

 

[gadgetgricey]

On to the next one

 

[Cookiesouwest]

Sad face for the ownership experience. Not for moving it on, which as you say was wise given the circumstances.

[Back_For_More]

Sad face for the obvious non-disclosure of the previous caretaker - never a good thing when we see shit that we feel should've been highlighted - especially wallet hammering issues like the crusty firewall....... you lose a little faith.

That S-Type R looks a peach though - swings n roundabouts. One of my wish list purchases. GF even likes them so may not see me losing appendages once I find one.

[HMC]

I should add I bought it unseen to it’s all down to the feedback from the vendor. Contrast this with my minor buying at the same time where I was there in person and I’ve rapidly gone off not being physically present with car buying decisions. Caveat emptor etc - my own fault.

[HMC]

Meanwhile the jag brakes have gone spongey again- so that’s been sidelined and the Saab is back in front line use.

[Mally]

Liked for the Saab, not the Jag brakes,

[gadgetgricey]

On 2/24/2022 at 3:51 PM, HMC said:

 and the Saab is back in front line use.

Congrats.... Hope it was not to costly to get it through the MOT   😁

Hopefully the Jag brakes will be as easier a fix.

[HMC]

1 hour ago, gadgetgricey said:

Congrats.... Hope it was not to costly to get it through the MOT   😁

Hopefully the Jag brakes will be as easier a fix.

Saab went straight though! I got the EML off with my code reader just before it went in. Something to do with the throttle body, but the car runs perfectly well anyway. The EML stays off for a few miles and stayed off for the test. I think an EML isn’t a fail on a 2000 car anyway but I thought it take that off the table just in case.  So it was a straight pass for the the 22yo bought as a distress purchase unseen Saab.

[HMC]

I lost a bit of faith in the blown S. Actually the brakes were ok, but it made me reassess the use of the car as a “daily” the supercharger belt has always a been a bit noisy when cold, and this probably needed looking over. Also with its limited history I was unsure if the “valley” coolant pipe had been done which is a bit of a fiddle. Was it the supercharger itself of the belt that was a bit noisy when cold?

I wasn’t set on selling, but I struck up a chat with the vendor of an x350 jag. 3.5 v8. It was in BRG with cream leather. So it was a bit more of a classic jag colour combo, and for my money a more accomplished styling job and nicer place to sit. Plus actual service history. 

On the minus side it lacks 140 horses, but 400bhp is quite a handful on Devon lanes, maybe I was a bit heavy footed in the s type but the decent Michelin tyres struggled to get the power down. Fun but not particularly relaxing. Donuts were fun though. It’s maybe a sign of getting old but I’d rather cruise about than have opposite lock on demand (and even when not demanded) anyway it’s still a v8/ 262bhp.

After a bit of to and fro and kicking of tyres etc we  agreed a deal. I waved goodbye to the s type and now have an xj8 instead.

[gadgetgricey]

Really loved my X350, was only the V6 though.

[Cookiesouwest]

51 minutes ago, HMC said:

I lost a bit of faith in the blown S. Actually the brakes were ok, but it made me reassess the use of the car as a “daily” the supercharger belt has always a been a bit noisy when cold, and this probably needed looking over. Also with its limited history I was unsure if the “valley” coolant pipe had been done which is a bit of a fiddle. Was it the supercharger itself of the belt that was a bit noisy when cold?

I wasn’t set on selling, but I struck up a chat with the vendor of an x350 jag. 3.5 v8. It was in BRG with cream leather. So it was a bit more of a classic jag colour combo, and for my money a more accomplished styling job and nicer place to sit. Plus actual service history. 

On the minus side it lacks 140 horses, but 400bhp is quite a handful on Devon lanes, maybe I was a bit heavy footed in the s type but the decent Michelin tyres struggled to get the power down. Fun but not particularly relaxing. Donuts were fun though. It’s maybe a sign of getting old but I’d rather cruise about than have opposite lock on demand (and even when not demanded) anyway it’s still a v8/ 262bhp.

After a bit of to and fro and kicking of tyres etc we  agreed a deal. I waved goodbye to the s type and now have an xj8 instead.

Good swap.

Well done

[wuvvum]

I've been eyeing up X350s recently.  What's it like?  How does it compare to an X308?

[Broadsword]

Congrats on the Saab MOT pass! All things considered I'd say you have done a good Jag swap there. I had a 3.6 X350 like that, L60 TUN in gunmetal grey. A cherished example which was used to go to France and back, then to Scotland and back, then sold for a grand profit. It was really excellent. At the time I found the X350 a little big, but I've had that many Jags since then I think I would feel far less intimidated by it on a revisit. I never really understood why the 3.6 V8 existed. It's a real oddball, but a lovely creamy unit and no real reliability issues to worry about.

40 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

I've been eyeing up X350s recently.  What's it like?  How does it compare to an X308?

Completely different in every way!

[HMC]

Here we go again.

Off to acquire another millstone, wish me luck!

[Matty]

Any clues?

[HMC]

31 minutes ago, Matty said:

Any clues?

It’s got more cylinders than doors.

[HMC]

Passing through @Marm Toastsmith’s stomping ground