The bonnet gas struts had failed on my car. They were STABILUS 9895KX. These were difficult to find so I ordered some Magneti Marelli (FA175)11/93-08/00 ones which were supposed to be for the Coupe. However they would not hold the bonnet open. It would hold it open okay at about 25% open but any more and it would drop back down to 25%. The clips for the ball connectors were also a pain to use. They consisted of a little wire pin that inserted after it was seated home then clipped around the strut. This was very fiddly as you sometimes had the holes for the pin on the back side of the connection.

I ordered a pair of STABILUS 9895KX from WOX Parts Group and fitted them today. They work but if anything they are a little too strong. It takes quite a lot of strength to lower the bonnet to 25% then it closes easily.

Interestingly the Magneti Marelli are rated at 250N of force and the STABILUS is only 220N. They are both 673mm length and 276mm stroke

In the picture the Magneti Marelli strut is the silver one on the left and middle and the STABILUS one is the black one on the right.

On our recent trip to the UK, we saw four Ferraris - one classic - but no coupes. Bit of a win for the coupe on the rarity stakes!

you are definitely talking about 0280156280.

Looks a good job done 👍

The tyres also expand with age: the old one was about 40mm greater in diameter than that of the new 125/70 R15 despite being the same nominal size.

It was so tight in the wheelwell that it needed a crowbar to get it out once I had managed to undo the retaining clamp with a pair of water pump pliers.

Hello,

I am Kenneth Lind, a senior officer at Charleston International Airport in South Carolina. I am reaching out to discuss an abandoned diplomatic consignment box that was identified during an x-ray scan. The contents of the box include US dollar bills estimated to be worth around 1.3 million dollars and the accompanying official documentation lists indicates your contact details. To confirm you as the authentic beneficiary, do send me your full name, your home address, your mobile telephone number and the nearest airport close to you.

Your contact information was found on the abandoned box left by the diplomat who was in transit to your city. The reason for abandonment was the inability to pay the ATL clearance fee of 3,800 dollars. I have personally reached out to you to discuss this abandoned box as a potential transaction opportunity to share the total amount. 70% for you and 30% for me. Upon receiving the necessary details from you for verification.

Therefore, I will promptly cover the clearance fee and coordinate the delivery of the box to your location. This process can be finalized within 4-6 hours upon verification and subject to your cooperation. It is crucial that all communication remains highly confidential to guarantee a smooth and successful delivery. Kindly send me your response on my private email address at (kennethlind@consultantofficedept.com) I am looking forward to receiving your information to initiate further proceedings.

Best Regards,
Kenneth Lind.

sorry, i didn't put that in for the public, it should work now.


https://youtube.com/shorts/Ya2C2d8a8Tc?si=QGmmcUIEgK6_-py1

One of the coupe's had come from Lincolnshire, while a gentleman with a 650 Zagato had driven from Worcestershire, albeit with the car travelling on a trailer.

Three puddles only!!! Ohhh, the joys of bringing old cars back to life…

Coolant appears to be from the hose of death. Oil is from the sump plug. I had it welded, and it might not have worked too well. The final puddle is from the “rear” main seal, which is about the only thing I didn’t replace during my rebuild. I guess the gear box needs to come out this winter.

It's not an 'in the UK' thing; it's recognising the number plate and magic number combination but for some reason it won't let me do anything with it, nor sorting out that it has an old address and correcting that. Neither could the bloke at the DVLA sitting in front of a terminal do it - he sounded quite annoyed about that.

I keep a UK address (though the car doesn't live there) and the insurance is quite happy about that.

Annoyingly, I handed Joe all the documentation - including the V5 - when I brought the car back, so now it's in the post back to me in Germany.

Neil

(I note that the DVLA computer system has been considered a joke in the IT trade for years... can't think why.)

Selling this due to landlord selling up and me needing to find a new place to live, can't justify keeping two cars unless I live in one! 😂

£3100 - it's also on eBay.

Would love this to go to someone here and personally think it's a great price and I would definitely be keeping it if my circumstances were different

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions - they are much appreciated. Apologies for the slow reply too - had to contend with some broadband issues over the last few days.

As suggested, I'll get busy and see what I can find on the Jag owners club and also see if there are many being sold on eBay, etc. It's not the most common car so not sure how many there'll be, but might give me a guide.

As for the question (G Man) on the garage, it is a trusted independent Jag specialist (fortunately or unfortunately, depending how you look at it). You're right that there are a few issues with some of the other XF engines, but the garage tell me that this one is unusual ("first they've seen") on the XF-R engine. The essentially same engine in the F-Type R (aside from state of tune) has had a few more issues but seems I just hit the jackpot.

If nothing else, it could be the catalyst to get my 20VT back on the road.... albeit that is going to need a chunk of work too to get it ready!