iv
I live in the US. This book has been distributed worldwide, and upon rereading and editing I constantly notice
comments I have made that have a distinctly US bias, like how such-and-such part can be found at the local Wal-Mart.
I have made the decision that I will leave the book this way, rather than trying to qualify each of these instances for all
the people in various parts of the globe. Those in other countries will know better than I how the advice given will
apply in their area.
The XJ-S is sold in countries where they drive on the wrong side of the road, so there are left hand drive (LHD) and
right hand drive (RHD) models. To minimize confusion, in this book the location of an item will nearly always be
described as being on the left side or right side of the car -- meaning left or right as viewed sitting in the car facing
forward. The terms “driver’s side” or “passenger’s side” will only be used to describe the location of items that switch
sides between LHD and RHD models, such as steering column, pedals, glovebox, fuseboxes, etc.
Please note that I have made the decision not to cover the six-cylinder AJ6/AJ16 engines in this book in any detail
(there are a few minor exceptions). Since it is the same engine that is in the XJ40/X300, it shouldn’t be too much
trouble to find information on this engine elsewhere. The parts of this book covering non-engine items should still be
of some value to owners of AJ6/AJ16-powered XJ-S’s.
I also make no effort to cover features unique to the XJ12. Owners of such cars would probably be well advised to
acquire both this book and Jim Isbell’s book on the XJ6 (see
http://www.jag-lovers.org
) and use the parts of each that
apply. There will still be some shortcomings -- neither will properly cover the carburetor setup on the early XJ12, for
example -- but the owner is still likely to benefit greatly from both books.
One final note: I only charge a small fee for printed or diskette copies of this booklet to cover costs of copying and
postage; those who download it from the Internet get it for free, as do people who obtain copies from others or from
their clubs. However, all this doesn’t mean that I am adverse to donations! If you feel the book has been of some help,
you are more than welcome to send whatever you feel is appropriate. If you send a donation, please clarify that it is a
donation and not an order for a printed copy or a diskette or something.
DISCLAIMER
My own car is a 1983 XJ-S H.E.. Understandably, this book is likely to be more complete and accurate for similar
vintage cars than for the early (B-W tranny, non-H.E.) cars or the newer (ABS, revised bodywork, 6.0 liter) cars. It
also cannot be expected to accurately cover the differences of cars sold in countries other than the US.
While most of the information (both from my own experience and that sent in from others) has been verified on my car,
obviously I cannot be responsible for the applicability to other XJ-S’s. I am not associated with Jaguar, and have no
means for verifying configurations of other cars. Therefore, the XJ-S owner should take advice accordingly and
determine for himself if it applies to his car and will serve his purposes.
It should also be understood that an owner performing even minor work on his own car can affect his warranty. If there
is any doubt whether or not the item in question is covered under warranty, the owner is advised to take it to his dealer
prior to doing any work himself. If the owner is told by the dealer that the item is not covered, then the owner can
make his own informed decision how to proceed.
Finally, an owner making changes to his car is responsible for making sure he is not violating emissions laws or safety
or other regulations applicable where he lives and drives. There have been a few comments made in this book about
regulations in various areas, but they are to be taken as general info, not legal advice.