Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 problems, reliability and years to avoid
If you are considering buying a used Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8, these are the common problems worth knowing about first. Our garage database tracks 2 known faults for this model, 1 of them rated high severity. Every one below is a repair bill a seller has good reason not to mention.
Free advert check
Found a Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 for sale?
Paste the advert and we read it against its known faults, its MOT history and the DVLA record, and tell you what the seller has not. Free, about a minute, no card.
Works with any listing: paste the text from AutoTrader, Gumtree, eBay, Facebook Marketplace or a dealer’s own site.
Is the Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 reliable?
The Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 has 2 known faults in our database, 1 of them rated high severity. The most serious are engine (a small number of early V8 engines suffered Nikasil bore coating failure after 50,000) and engine (the V8 engines have had problems with their timing chain tensioners). None of them makes the car a bad buy on its own; the risk is a seller who knows and says nothing.
That is a count of the faults we hold, not a reliability score. Popular cars get written about more, and a newer generation has had less time to show its faults.
Which Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 years should you avoid?
No year is a write-off on its own. What matters is which serious faults a given year and engine can have, and whether the car in front of you has had them fixed.
Years and engines with a serious known fault
1997 to 2000, V8 built before September 2000: 4.0 (S-Type, XJ8, supercharged XJR) and 3.2 (XJ8): a small number of early V8 engines suffered Nikasil bore coating failure after
Each one is set out in full below, with the symptoms, the typical mileage and a rough repair cost.
Generation 1 of 12 known faults · 5 good notes
Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 X308 (1997 to 2003) problems
Engine/EmissionsHigh severity📝 Editorial
A small number of early V8 engines suffered Nikasil bore coating failure after 50,000 to 60,000 miles, losing compression. Jaguar replaced affected engines if the car was under five years old, had covered less than 100,000 miles and had a full Jaguar service history, cover that has long since run out. Engines built from September 2000 are not affected.
Typical symptoms
lumpy, uneven running
hard starting
loss of power from falling compression
Affected vehicles
Engines:
V8 built before September 2000: 4.0 (S-Type, XJ8, supercharged XJR) and 3.2 (XJ8)
Typical mileage:
50000-60000 miles
🔍 We have a specific pre-purchase check for this faultCheck an advert →
Engine/EmissionsMedium severity📝 Editorial
The V8 engines have had problems with their timing chain tensioners, which shows up as a noisy timing chain. On the 1997 to 2003 XJ8 and XJR the original plastic tensioners could crack and let the chain jump, which can wreck the engine; later tensioners were revised with metal parts.
Typical symptoms
clatter from the timing chain end, worst straight after a cold start
chain noise that quietens once oil pressure builds
Affected vehicles
Engines:
4.0 and 4.2 V8 (S-Type); 3.2 and 4.0 V8 (XJ8 and supercharged XJR, X308)
Typical mileage:
unknown miles
🔍 We have a specific pre-purchase check for this faultCheck an advert →
What owners like about the X308
5 notes
The Jaguar XJ achieved a strong seventh place in a 2001 customer satisfaction study for cars registered in 1998 and 1999.
This model ranked third out of 144 vehicles in a 2002 customer satisfaction assessment for cars registered in 1999 and 2000.
The car secured fourth position overall in the 2003 What Car? J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Survey.
The Jaguar XJ model demonstrated an extremely low death rate of 1 out of 9 points from accidents.
This vehicle was rated the top car among 137 models in the 2003 Top Gear survey.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
We track 5 specific phrases sellers use in adverts to soft-pedal these exact issues. Paste any Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 advert and we check it in seconds.
Repair costs are typical UK ranges, not quotes. Actual cost depends on condition and garage.Data last verified: October 2026
Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 buying questions
Which Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 years should I avoid?
No Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 year is a write-off, but the X308 (1997 to 2003) carries the most serious faults: engine. Year matters less than whether the specific car has had the known fixes, so check the history for them.
What should I check when viewing a used Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8?
Ask the seller about the engine faults on this page and whether they have been fixed, with invoices. On the test drive watch for lumpy, uneven running and clatter from the timing chain end, worst straight after a cold start. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories, then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against its known faults before you travel. Check a Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 advert →
Where this Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 fault data comes from
If you used to check the Honest John “Good & Bad” section before the site closed in 2026, this page is where that information now lives. We rebuilt the Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 owner-report history from the archived Honest John dataset, added our own research, specialist and owner-club sources and DVSA recall data, and we keep it free. Each fault above is badged with its source. The same data feeds our free advert check, which reads a listing against every known fault for the exact engine and year.
Knowing what a Jaguar XJ8 and XJR8 goes wrong with is half of it. The rest is reading the advert and checking the car's history before you hand any money over.