Adventures with bikes & "regular" cars - I found rust on the XJR :(

[HMC]

Well done, some nice bits to lift the car (and the sounds)

[Imhotep]

Ah I drove past earlier and saw the bonnet up on the Jag/Laguna. I was going to stop in and have a look at the Jag but I was in a rush! Will have to stop in next week. 

[Heidel_Kakao]

Just got back from doing some food shopping and I still can't get over how good looking this thing is. It's so classy and has such timeless styling, I am definitely in the group of people that think it's the best looking four door saloon ever produced and it's one of those cars that you can't resist having one last look at after waking away.

The boot was criticised as being small in period but it seems fine to me.

My mother turned an old duvet and cover into an extra long dog bed so I can protect the leather when taking Rose out in it. I obviously love estates but after having the TT I have learnt that pretty much any car can transport one Greyhound, if I had multiple dogs it would be different though.

About the only things negative from a practicality standpoint are the length (probably the longest car I have owned) and fuel economy but I don't do a huge mileage and will be motorbiking again when the weather improves which will help offset it 

[scdan4]

I was going to ask if this was as well or instead of. Sounds like as well 😁.

 

[Heidel_Kakao]

I now have a power fold mirror 😁 And no that is not a typo as I only purchased the drivers side mirror. I guess it is probably because passenger side mirrors get broken more often and thus cost more but I made an offer on eBay for a driver's side mirror and got one for £50 delivered and will now keep an eye out for a cheap passenger side one.

I didn't care what colour it was as I also got a can of spray paint.

I gave both the original cover and the new one a light sanding before painting them as the original had not great paint and now I have a spare.

And here it is on the car, I think the paint match is okay to be honest and will hopefully be good enough for a few tiny areas that need a touch up but for a 26 year old car the paint is pretty good overall.

As far as installing the power fold it was just a case of one bolt and a single plug. I also had to put a couple of relays in the sockets for them behind the passenger side heel board. All cars are wired for them and it is controlled by holding back on the mirror adjust control. @Lord Sterling Had warned me that they are not exactly refined but I must have got a good one as it folds with no noise and extends to the correct position fine. 

It's definitely a worthwhile upgrade and they all should have come with them in my opinion and I would have thought if you could afford the XJR you could also afford to spring for them but on the other hand the original owner didn't opt for a sunroof which I am happy about.

[Heidel_Kakao]

The XJR had it's first issue today and went into fail-safe engine mode and wouldn't go above about 15 mph. Luckily I was only popping to Aldi and when I got there I scanned for codes and got P0121 which relates to a Throttle Position Sensor problem and is a somewhat common issue which can be solved with a new throttle body.

I disconnected the battery while I was doing my shopping and it didn't do it again on the drive home but I should probably get a replacement used throttle body ordered as brand new ones are NLA unfortunately.

[Heidel_Kakao]

In case anyone was wondering yes you can fit five 18" wheels into a C30.

I put the best condition tyre (it still has bobbles on so probably the original spare) in the car in place of the space saver as I do prefer a full size spare where possible. I will get the other four wheels refurbed and fitted with new tyres ready to use as summer wheels.

[Heidel_Kakao]

I removed the scuttle cover today and was greeted by this rather depressing sight 😪

After a bit of poking and wire brushing the hole predictably got worse. I can't say I was shocked to find rust in this spot as even though there was not any indication of an issue before I removed the cover I had watched a buyer's guide video by @Broadsword which showed they can corrode here. I am not sure if the seller would have let me dismantle it to check though and I don't believe they knew it was there.

The other side appears solid but there is a bit of rust in the middle. I like the car and I think rust is just something you have to factor in to ownership of a steel bodied Jaguar, it's either already rusted or it's going to rust

So plan of action is to get it repaired properly, I have messaged the guys that are due to be welding up @Lord Sterling's Jag to see what they think of it. I was planning on getting the windscreen replaced at some point as it has a few chips in it and now I can also see it's started to delaminate and it will presumably need to come out to do the welding, Also the headlining has been pinned up and while I have seen a video of it being replaced without removing the screen by folding the new one in half I imagine it would be much simpler to fit a new one with the screen removed.

Basically then remove windscreen, get welding done, fit new headlining, fit new windscreen.

Oh and the reason I removed the scuttle cover in the first place was because I thought it had badly faded but it is actually painted and it has started to flake off in places.  Submerging it in boiling water and using a plastic scraper gets the paint off so I just have to do the whole thing now.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Welders have replied and are confident it can be repaired but understandably want to see it in person before giving a quote so I will have to pop over and get them to look at it.

[robt100]

At least with where it is you can probably fit a new panel quite easily if scuttles are still available? Or if not a clean one from a breaker. Plus side is you can also give the panel under the scuttle a good bit of clearing out and rust prevention whilst you are there.

[Heidel_Kakao]

1 hour ago, robt100 said:

At least with where it is you can probably fit a new panel quite easily if scuttles are still available? Or if not a clean one from a breaker. Plus side is you can also give the panel under the scuttle a good bit of clearing out and rust prevention whilst you are there.

The panel would have been available at some point with part number FNA1114BC but appears to have been NLA for a while now so like you say it may require a panel cut from a breaker. I shall be getting a gallon of cavity wax lol and pumping it in every crevice for sure.

[Lord Sterling]

Although I've put a 'sad' emoji reaction, I'm also not surprised.

Thankfully I'd also removed my scuttle covers last year when the wiper failed. Mine was absolutely solid and like new underneath.

Did you get a reply from the lads at the welders?

[cort16]

That's shame given how clean the rest of it looks, Mine rusted at the bottom of the rear window so you really just can't win.

As said if you could cut that section from a scrap car the repair will be neater and you're welder will be happier. 

[horriblemercedes]

This is a reminder to have a look at mine. Fingers crossed for you!

 

It's probably hard to find one from a breaker now. They're probably mostly the same....

[Schaefft]

One of the first things I checked when I got the manual XJ6. Odd that some are pristine while others rot like crazy underneath there.

[Heidel_Kakao]

@Lord Sterling Just got back from the welders and they are going to come back to me with a quote range depending on whether a replacement panel can be sourced or if they fabricate it.

@Schaefft Yeah it is odd that some go but others stay perfect, the welders did suggest that if it has had a windscreen previously they may have damaged the paint when removing the old one allowing rust to start.

[lesapandre]

Is the panel structural?  I'm guessing it is? 

If not or maybe anyway you could get it fabricated in aluminium and glued in*.

* I mean the proper automotive stuff not Uhu.

[bezzabsa]

do love a decent XJ...But i've seen factory Mule XJ's rust like a 70's Fiat...were supposed to have been exported somewhere Hot and had NO anti corrosion at all....so at least its no terminal, and should give you peace of mind when done

[horriblemercedes]

12 hours ago, Schaefft said:

One of the first things I checked when I got the manual XJ6. Odd that some are pristine while others rot like crazy underneath there.

To be fair, that XJ6 is remarkable. It seems it has rarely been outside in its 31 year life! 

[Volksy]

20 hours ago, Schaefft said:

One of the first things I checked when I got the manual XJ6. Odd that some are pristine while others rot like crazy underneath there.

It is strange, maybe poor quality control. My old X308 was really solid around the screens, but the floorpan/inner sill joints were toast all the way along both sides of the car.

[Dobloseven]

Any way you could do the repairs to the screen surround yourself?Thinking,get mobile screen guy,or person to remove screen.Remove headlining.If car is outdoors,use cheapo car cover.Do repairs to metalwork.Repair or replace headlining.Get new screen fitted. The whole process is under your control and timescale, without any sucking of teeth and head shaking.Any repairs will probably never be seen again anyway.

 

[colino]

I've seen peoples attempts at fixing the headlining without taking out one of the screens and while they convince themselves it has worked, it really doesn't.  It would be great to take out that windscreen while the welders do their magic and it gives you the space to fix/replace the biscuit with no obvious marks or delayed droop.

[Heidel_Kakao]

On 29/01/2026 at 12:53, lesapandre said:

Is the panel structural?  I'm guessing it is? 

If not or maybe anyway you could get it fabricated in aluminium and glued in*.

* I mean the proper automotive stuff not Uhu.

Yeah I would say it is structural as in a roll over crash the windscreen provides strength. While the idea of more corrosion resistant aluminium is tempting it is probably easier to use steel to have it repaired.

On 01/02/2026 at 21:30, Dobloseven said:

Any way you could do the repairs to the screen surround yourself?

I do have a welder but I would say this level of repair is beyond my abilities unfortunately as it's critical that the aperture is dimensionally accurate once repaired so the new windscreen fits properly. In terms of logistics I can remove the old headlining myself, the welders can remove the screen and repair the rust, I will then fit the new headlining while it is down there and then just get Autoglas to fit a new screen.

19 hours ago, colino said:

I've seen peoples attempts at fixing the headlining without taking out one of the screens and while they convince themselves it has worked, it really doesn't.

That's the video I watched where he did it without removing the screen using one of those flexible fibreglass headliners, it seemed to go okay but I do agree it would be easier while the screen is out.

[lesapandre]

If you are getting one custom made in steel - might make a former and run off a few for sale? Galvanising would help too.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Not heard back from the welders yet so will have to chase them up for a quote next week. In the meantime I finished up the last few interior improvements I wanted to make.

I got some really nice Michelin branded rubber floor mats, I should have taken a photo when they were clean but you can see they are doing a good job.

I wasn't a fan of the wooden steering wheel from a tactile standpoint and also because the wood didn't match the colour of the veneer.

So I got a replacement leather wheel from eBay, I had to switch over the wheel buttons as the new wheel didn't have cruise control.

Much better!

And finally the most important improvement the Minidisc head unit. I went with a Kenwood KMD-673R as I think it suits the car well and I didn't want a garish Sony unit in this particular car. Fitment was pretty straightforward using a harness adaptor from @philibusmoand a fascia from AliExpress. Oh and I also put in the heated seat buttons while I was in there.

That's pretty much everything I want to change about the car for now, I am aiming to get the new wheels refurbed and fitted with new tyres for summer.