Nice write up Rob, better late than never.

 

I joined this forum in January 2017 to help me research what I needed to know. There were, (and still are), plenty of wonderfully helpful people on here, plenty of useful advise, and generous knowledgeable people who would kindly offer to come a view any prospective purchase without the bank-busting Jag-tinted vision.

... and me - I was here too!

(... and my thread was six-and-three-quarter years late starting, so you are definitely better than me at this forum game!)

Great start, sirrah. Very interested to see the similarities in our XK histories (... even though my preference is X100 coupe, and yours is X150 convertible, I can find it in my heart to forgive)

 

(... even though my preference is X100 coupe, and yours is X150 convertible, I can find it in my heart to forgive)

On aesthetices, and in my opinion, the X150 Convertible beats the X100 Convertible. Allegedly, the drop-top X150 was the initial design and then the Coupe was penned next. If that's the case, then I can say that it paid dividends. Too many soft-tops look like afterthoughts, the X150 Convertible is very much an on purpose. And it also means that the chassis is properly sorted, hence the X150 rag-top handling being spot on.

As for Coupes, and if Rust vs Aluminium was not a prevalent factor, I would be torn. Thankfully, that one's not my fight, so I'll just buy a ticket and watch, (from the cheap seats, of course. All my money's gone on myJag...).

(... I can find it in my heart to forgive)

Thank you 😉

 

Well, I realise that, in theory, I have started this thread 6 years late, (it is exactly 6 late years today, at 11:36 hrs, to be precise), here is my ownership thread for my 2006 Jaguar XK Convertible, 4.2 NA, which Mrs Villanova and I were delighted to take ownership of on 22nd July 2017.

As well as trying to keep posting current milestones, event and such like, I will be posting 'on this day in my Jaguar ownership history' items over the next 12 months to get the thread up to speed.

But first, a bit of background. Back in 1994, Mrs V and me were in the Lake District, and I said that, one day, we would have to get a nice drop-top sports car as it would be the ideal way to enjoy such getaways. A slow germinating seed had thus been sown. Over the intervening years, there would be the occasional reference to this or that, or indeed the other, making the ideal touring sports car, but financial realities meant that it was not happening, and the pipe dream remained stuffed into said pipe.

At some point during the Noughties, (I think), Quentin Wilson did a documentary or feature, or suchlike, which focussed on the Jaguar XJS. Even though it was a car programme, Mrs V. watched too. Now, being a petrol-head, Jaguar V12s had always had a bit of a magical hold on me, (I'm not mechanical so I've never had to worry about working on one...), (and I couldn't afford one, so I didn't have to worry about paying someone else to work on it either 😁 ). The idea of a V12 XJS really started to appeal to me. I am sure that I probably kept mentioning that fact whilst we were watching. None of this was helped by Quentin signing off by dropping a ginormous C-bomb. He said that if you're getting a Jag, get a Convertible; "drop-top Jags always sell", he added. Well, that was me well and truly sold, and Mrs V. was quite happy to follow Quentin's expert advise. And the slowly germinating seed suddenly had a deluge of BabyBio and Miracle Gro. It was still germinating slowly, but it definitely was not going to die, and memories of watching the TWR touring cars at Silverstone helped to stoke the flames. Top-down touring round the Lakes looked like it would, one day, actually happen.

Fast forward to the 2nd half of 2016, and the seed is threatening to sprout. Looking at online classic cars adverts and day-dreaming of frittering the junior Villanovas' inheritances away, I came across a rather nice XK8 Convertible that really caught my eye, my imagination and my attention, (P plate, colour similar to Sea Frost over tan). And the price was noticeably affordable without me having to commit any level of fiscal suicide. It was very interesting... The only thing that stopped me was it was in Glasgow and an 8-hour round trip to look at a car I had no experience of didn't seem the cleverest idea, even to me. Besides which, other things were happening throughout the rest of 2016 that made Glaswegian car shopping trips a bit of a non-starter.

But I kept looking at the advert, I kept day-dreaming, and I kept talking about it. And Mrs V. was not saying, 'no'... I also started looking at newer XK8s, because the car was going to live outside and rust was always going to be a problem. Going into 2017, I had started looking at XKs too, because the all-Aluminium construction ticked a very big box. The price of a well-maintained XK8 was the same as an early XK. And in my personal opinion, the XK Convertible is just a stunning looking beast of a thing and better looking than it predecessor. An X150 XK it was going to be! The Autotrader app was downloaded and searches saved. Ideal specifications were formulated; dark blue ideally, 2nd choice light blue, 3rd choice gunmetal grey, (an outside chance of gold or metallic green); preferably ivory interior but would consider tan; 20" wheels a must, Sentas or similar, 19"s at a push; XK or XKR didn't matter as long as it was good mileage and in budget. I joined this forum in January 2017 to help me research what I needed to know. There were, (and still are), plenty of wonderfully helpful people on here, plenty of useful advise, and generous knowledgeable people who would kindly offer to come a view any prospective purchase without the bank-busting Jag-tinted vision.

And so, on this day in 2017, Mrs V. and I caught the train to Nottingham, to head over to Alan Tully Cars, to collect our car, the one I had checked out with my Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...

The Indigo Blue over Ivory one, with 20" Sentas and only 62K on the clock; as I say, Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...

Oh, and it was beyond budget by what I considered to be a manageable amount; as I say, Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...

Despite my trembling hands and my inability to think straight, the deal and the paperwork were concluded. The seed had germinated, sprouted, blossomed and born fruit! This was it, this was actually it! The roof went down, a single Matt Munro song was put in the CD player, and Mrs Villanova and I set off on our Jaguar adventure...

Nice intro to this thread Rob, and as others have said, better late than never.

Cool story and a few twists n turns, and from what I've seen, a beautiful car.

Only thing missing so far is pics, need to get a few choice shots of her loaded into the thread when you can

Looking forward to hearing more.........

Jim

 

Only thing missing so far is pics, need to get a few choice shots of her loaded into the thread when you can

Be careful what you wish for, Jim, 'a few pics' was one of the first things that I learnt on here, along with 'it'll be the battery'...

 

Well, I realise that, in theory, I have started this thread 6 years late, (it is exactly 6 late years today, at 11:36 hrs, to be precise), here is my ownership thread for my 2006 Jaguar XK Convertible, 4.2 NA, which Mrs Villanova and I were delighted to take ownership of on 22nd July 2017.

As well as trying to keep posting current milestones, event and such like, I will be posting 'on this day in my Jaguar ownership history' items over the next 12 months to get the thread up to speed.

But first, a bit of background. Back in 1994, Mrs V and me were in the Lake District, and I said that, one day, we would have to get a nice drop-top sports car as it would be the ideal way to enjoy such getaways. A slow germinating seed had thus been sown. Over the intervening years, there would be the occasional reference to this or that, or indeed the other, making the ideal touring sports car, but financial realities meant that it was not happening, and the pipe dream remained stuffed into said pipe.

At some point during the Noughties, (I think), Quentin Wilson did a documentary or feature, or suchlike, which focussed on the Jaguar XJS. Even though it was a car programme, Mrs V. watched too. Now, being a petrol-head, Jaguar V12s had always had a bit of a magical hold on me, (I'm not mechanical so I've never had to worry about working on one...), (and I couldn't afford one, so I didn't have to worry about paying someone else to work on it either 😁 ). The idea of a V12 XJS really started to appeal to me. I am sure that I probably kept mentioning that fact whilst we were watching. None of this was helped by Quentin signing off by dropping a ginormous C-bomb. He said that if you're getting a Jag, get a Convertible; "drop-top Jags always sell", he added. Well, that was me well and truly sold, and Mrs V. was quite happy to follow Quentin's expert advise. And the slowly germinating seed suddenly had a deluge of BabyBio and Miracle Gro. It was still germinating slowly, but it definitely was not going to die, and memories of watching the TWR touring cars at Silverstone helped to stoke the flames. Top-down touring round the Lakes looked like it would, one day, actually happen.

Fast forward to the 2nd half of 2016, and the seed is threatening to sprout. Looking at online classic cars adverts and day-dreaming of frittering the junior Villanovas' inheritances away, I came across a rather nice XK8 Convertible that really caught my eye, my imagination and my attention, (P plate, colour similar to Sea Frost over tan). And the price was noticeably affordable without me having to commit any level of fiscal suicide. It was very interesting... The only thing that stopped me was it was in Glasgow and an 8-hour round trip to look at a car I had no experience of didn't seem the cleverest idea, even to me. Besides which, other things were happening throughout the rest of 2016 that made Glaswegian car shopping trips a bit of a non-starter.

But I kept looking at the advert, I kept day-dreaming, and I kept talking about it. And Mrs V. was not saying, 'no'... I also started looking at newer XK8s, because the car was going to live outside and rust was always going to be a problem. Going into 2017, I had started looking at XKs too, because the all-Aluminium construction ticked a very big box. The price of a well-maintained XK8 was the same as an early XK. And in my personal opinion, the XK Convertible is just a stunning looking beast of a thing and better looking than it predecessor. An X150 XK it was going to be! The Autotrader app was downloaded and searches saved. Ideal specifications were formulated; dark blue ideally, 2nd choice light blue, 3rd choice gunmetal grey, (an outside chance of gold or metallic green); preferably ivory interior but would consider tan; 20" wheels a must, Sentas or similar, 19"s at a push; XK or XKR didn't matter as long as it was good mileage and in budget. I joined this forum in January 2017 to help me research what I needed to know. There were, (and still are), plenty of wonderfully helpful people on here, plenty of useful advise, and generous knowledgeable people who would kindly offer to come a view any prospective purchase without the bank-busting Jag-tinted vision.

And so, on this day in 2017, Mrs V. and I caught the train to Nottingham, to head over to Alan Tully Cars, to collect our car, the one I had checked out with my Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...

The Indigo Blue over Ivory one, with 20" Sentas and only 62K on the clock; as I say, Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...

Oh, and it was beyond budget by what I considered to be a manageable amount; as I say, Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...

Despite my trembling hands and my inability to think straight, the deal and the paperwork were concluded. The seed had germinated, sprouted, blossomed and born fruit! This was it, this was actually it! The roof went down, a single Matt Munro song was put in the CD player, and Mrs Villanova and I set off on our Jaguar adventure...

Cracking write up Rob

 

Brilliant Rob, looking forward to reading more 😁

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2017…

I bought a Jaguar. To be specific, this one.

We left the car dealer’s, noting the total lack of fuel, and stopped at the Costa at the end in the industrial estate so that I could calm down, get my bearings, look for the nearest petrol station and learn how to operate the heater, (more on that later). I instinctively did some Jag parking, as well as occupying pole position, in front of the Costa. And before switching off, I put the roof up.

We got out, locked the car, and head over to the Costa. A couple were sitting outside and had watched my roof action. As we walked past them, she said, “thank you, that was beautiful”. I have never had a car that had such an effect on other people, and I’d only had it a few minutes 😂. If Jag ownership had already got me all of a dither, this just added to it 😁.

The nearest fuel stop was Googled, (BP, nectar points, one way or another, this Jaguar is the gift that keeps giving), coffee drunked and off we went. The fuel tank was filled and I then parked up to sort out the heating; we could not get any cool air out of it. However, the weather was glorious, (22nd July 2017 weather was sooooo different to 22 July 2023 weather…), so the roof was down and the lack of cool air from the aircon was negated by maintaining a velocity-propelled air-flow on the way home.

And homewards we went. We telephoned our boys to tell them that their parents had just bought a Jaguar, induced involuntary accelerator action in a young gentleman’s Lambo Gallardo, and absolutely floored it when I joined the A50 at the M1 end. Mrs. V. asked what speed we were doing and was amazed at how smooth it was at that sort of speed. 😁. We stopped off for a bit of lunch, took a photo or two, and told social media what we had done.

We eventually got home. My neighbour, Charles, who will be with me at the JBC in September, came over to ask about the XK. “I’ve just bought it”, I told him. And we both stood there in silence as the enormity of this event settled on us both. I’ve got a Jaguar 😁.

 

Great photos of what she was when you picked her up.

 

Well, I realise that, in theory, I have started this thread 6 years late, (it is exactly 6 late years today, at 11:36 hrs, to be precise), here is my ownership thread for my 2006 Jaguar XK Convertible, 4.2 NA, which Mrs Villanova and I were delighted to take ownership of on 22nd July 2017.

As well as trying to keep posting current milestones, event and such like, I will be posting 'on this day in my Jaguar ownership history' items over the next 12 months to get the thread up to speed.

But first, a bit of background. Back in 1994, Mrs V and me were in the Lake District, and I said that, one day, we would have to get a nice drop-top sports car as it would be the ideal way to enjoy such getaways. A slow germinating seed had thus been sown. Over the intervening years, there would be the occasional reference to this or that, or indeed the other, making the ideal touring sports car, but financial realities meant that it was not happening, and the pipe dream remained stuffed into said pipe.

At some point during the Noughties, (I think), Quentin Wilson did a documentary or feature, or suchlike, which focussed on the Jaguar XJS. Even though it was a car programme, Mrs V. watched too. Now, being a petrol-head, Jaguar V12s had always had a bit of a magical hold on me, (I'm not mechanical so I've never had to worry about working on one...), (and I couldn't afford one, so I didn't have to worry about paying someone else to work on it either 😁 ). The idea of a V12 XJS really started to appeal to me. I am sure that I probably kept mentioning that fact whilst we were watching. None of this was helped by Quentin signing off by dropping a ginormous C-bomb. He said that if you're getting a Jag, get a Convertible; "drop-top Jags always sell", he added. Well, that was me well and truly sold, and Mrs V. was quite happy to follow Quentin's expert advise. And the slowly germinating seed suddenly had a deluge of BabyBio and Miracle Gro. It was still germinating slowly, but it definitely was not going to die, and memories of watching the TWR touring cars at Silverstone helped to stoke the flames. Top-down touring round the Lakes looked like it would, one day, actually happen.

Fast forward to the 2nd half of 2016, and the seed is threatening to sprout. Looking at online classic cars adverts and day-dreaming of frittering the junior Villanovas' inheritances away, I came across a rather nice XK8 Convertible that really caught my eye, my imagination and my attention, (P plate, colour similar to Sea Frost over tan). And the price was noticeably affordable without me having to commit any level of fiscal suicide. It was very interesting... The only thing that stopped me was it was in Glasgow and an 8-hour round trip to look at a car I had no experience of didn't seem the cleverest idea, even to me. Besides which, other things were happening throughout the rest of 2016 that made Glaswegian car shopping trips a bit of a non-starter.

But I kept looking at the advert, I kept day-dreaming, and I kept talking about it. And Mrs V. was not saying, 'no'... I also started looking at newer XK8s, because the car was going to live outside and rust was always going to be a problem. Going into 2017, I had started looking at XKs too, because the all-Aluminium construction ticked a very big box. The price of a well-maintained XK8 was the same as an early XK. And in my personal opinion, the XK Convertible is just a stunning looking beast of a thing and better looking than it predecessor. An X150 XK it was going to be! The Autotrader app was downloaded and searches saved. Ideal specifications were formulated; dark blue ideally, 2nd choice light blue, 3rd choice gunmetal grey, (an outside chance of gold or metallic green); preferably ivory interior but would consider tan; 20" wheels a must, Sentas or similar, 19"s at a push; XK or XKR didn't matter as long as it was good mileage and in budget. I joined this forum in January 2017 to help me research what I needed to know. There were, (and still are), plenty of wonderfully helpful people on here, plenty of useful advise, and generous knowledgeable people who would kindly offer to come a view any prospective purchase without the bank-busting Jag-tinted vision.

And so, on this day in 2017, Mrs V. and I caught the train to Nottingham, to head over to Alan Tully Cars, to collect our car, the one I had checked out with my Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...

The Indigo Blue over Ivory one, with 20" Sentas and only 62K on the clock; as I say, Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...

Oh, and it was beyond budget by what I considered to be a manageable amount; as I say, Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...

Despite my trembling hands and my inability to think straight, the deal and the paperwork were concluded. The seed had germinated, sprouted, blossomed and born fruit! This was it, this was actually it! The roof went down, a single Matt Munro song was put in the CD player, and Mrs Villanova and I set off on our Jaguar adventure...

Didn't know I'd been waiting 6 years for this thread, but wait I have.

Well and truly worth it.

Now all we need is the photos, not that I need them, it wer only a fortnight ago I wer in its company.

 

Now all we need is the photos, not that I need them, it wer only a fortnight ago I wer in its company.

We always need photos, Rich, so standby for incoming...

 

What took you so long?

I trust the Cotswolds banner is going to feature at some point.

 

I trust the Cotswolds banner is going to feature at some point.

I have a sneaking suspicion that mightbe mentioned, but we'll all have to wait until April 2024. Stay tuned, folks...

 

Stuff everything else: what were you doing looking to trade-in "Desire S", and who is she? (in hindsight it was good of you to hide her surname!)

 

Blinkin' 'eck, Chris, this one had me bemused. I've been copying, pasting and text-searching all over everything looking for "Desire S". Very well spotted, sir, very well played 👏👏👏. Thank everyone's gods that that's all there was 😂🤣😂

"Desire S" might have had her day, but she took our first photos of the XK...

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2017…

Lots of Jag-owning things to do on this day, and it was another lovely day. So, first things first, we had to head off to Halfords to order my personalised plates. V8 on, roof down, massive grins, this is brill!

As we drove along, we saw some of our neighbours, who were having a chat when they'd met as they were out on their respective walks. Well, they stopped talking, all turned to look at the road, and Charles even saluted as we glided past 😁. This Jaguar-owning lark really is good fun.

Plates on order, now for the important bit. This was the day that I would satisfy the beast, when I would festoon the forum feeding frenzy with photos. It had to be done, it has to be done, it will always have to be done; it's the rules, it's the law, a decree in some old charter or other, etc.

And I had a cunning plan, one that had been gestating over many years. We live in Trentham; the Duke of Sutherland also used to live here and his property and estate were what became Trentham Gardens. There isn't too much left of his old place now, and what there is is being left to continue its decline, (which is an absolute tradgey). Back in the late 80s & early 90s, a good friend of mine wanted some photos doing of his band. As I had an interest in photography... Correction, as I had a decent camera... Correction, as I had a Praktica MTL5 SLR that I bought from Argos, he asked me to do the photos, and we did the shoot in the ruins of the Duke's old place. Back then, the ruins were accessible from the Gardens because Health & Safety still hadn't been invented and, anyway, children playing on broken glass was character building 😂 .

Fast-forward to 2017, and the ruins are no longer accessible from the Gardens, but I knew that we could get to them via the side of the Estate, so we went around to the "Tradesman's entrance". Unbeknownst to me at that time, many of my Forum friends would pay tribute to this momentous milestone and re-enact it on the way into Blenheim Palace, only that Tradesman's was shut that day...

The old place was not quite how I remember it, and the safety fences and warning notices made some shots quite tricky; but here they are. The first one became my avatar on here for a while.

The rest of the weekend was spent visiting surprised parents and taking each them out on joy rides; our Jaguar XK bringing pleasure to the masses, one person at a time 😊

 

Hard to believe the car is nearly 20 years old. Still looks great and, more importantly, current.

 

Fantastic postings Rob, my reading coincided with a filter coffee and a couple of chocolate chip shortbreads being delivered by Mrs. PetA and the sun starting to shine..

Thanks for topping it off with a cracking read complete with cracking photographs of a beautiful car!.

 

Fantastic postings Rob, my reading coincided with a filter coffee and a couple of chocolate chip shortbreads being delivered by Mrs. PetA and the sun starting to shine..

Thanks for topping it off with a cracking read complete with cracking photographs of a beautiful car!.

Thank you Pete. And well played by Mrs. PetA there.

Oh, and before you ask, no, I'm not doing a Peugeot one 😂

 

Are you incapable of parking with the front wheels straight?

 

Only if it upsets you 🤣😂🤣

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2017…

Because of the amount of wind-buffeting we could suffer, as well as the mess it might make of Mrs. V.'s barnet, if we were to cruise along at 135mph with the roof down, (again), we had decided to get a wind deflector. One had been found on e-bay from a chap who had recently replaced his XK with a rather tidy XF. So, I thought I would pop down to Gloucestershire to pick it up. It would be a quick call that I could sneak in to the working day whilst on my way to see a customer in Hertfordshire... 🤔. It was great to meet a fellow Jaguar driver, (which I now was), and hearing his experiences.

Also on this day, as I was heading home from a busy day in Hertfordshire, and surrounding areas 😶, I received a rather wonderful phone call. When we got the XK at the weekend, I had written to the previous owner to see if he could tell me anything about his 10 years of ownership as well as the other 18 months of the XK's existence. And as soon as Mr Wormersley read my letter, he gave me a call. I explained that the car was going to be a keeper and I wanted to know all about it; he very kindly offered to send me all the paperwork, garage invoices, etc, that he had for the car. Hew also told me what he knew of its history.

The first owner of the car was the spouse of a director of Newcastle-on-Tyne Stratstone Jaguar, but the relationship didn't even last a year as the spouse had issues, allegedly, with a floor mat sliding under the pedals, causing the car to arrive rearwards at the scene of its accident. After this mishap, the spouse did not want the dented Jag anymore, so it was moved on to Kombined Motor Services of Redditch and the Hollingworth family that ran, (and still run), that business. The main reason why the car ended up with Kombined is that they were Jaguar's approved aluminium bodywork specialists for the UK, so they would have to be the ones to sort out the damage. Not only did they repair it and take the car on as their own, they also fitted the accessory body kit, (which some will identify as being the XK60 styling pack), the chrome gills and the 20" Sentas. I later found out that they fitted quite a few of the body kits on brand new cars for Jaguar. After 6 months, Kombined moved the car on and it ended up with Mr Wormersly up in North Yorkshire.

Mr Wormersley, or George as he is also known, was already missing the car. He had test driven an Aston Vantage, which he did not rate, and ended up with a high-spec V6 F-Type. But he thought that neither was a patch on the XK. If he could he would have the car back. Sorry George, it wasn't happening then and it isn't happening now, you'll have to make do with an F-Type 😊. But thank you for all the history and the offer of paperwork, it was more than I had hoped for.

And it all just added to the idea that we really had landed on something a little bit special when we bought this car.

 

How, may I ask, did you happen on George's name?

 

He is the previous registered keeper on the V5C log book, along with his address. So I was able to write to him, putting all of my contact details in the letter, hence him calling me.

 

There is a separate section on the v5 that traders will fill in if the vehicle is for retail purposes that doesn't affect the ownership count

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2017…

The ventilation system had persisted in only producing warm (hot) air, irrespective of settings. The wonderful people at Alan Tully Motors arranged for me to take the XK into my local garage, Fast Lane, for an aircon regas. The engineer at Fast Lane was very good with Jaguars and gave the car a thorough inspection whilst it was there. As well as the aircon gas needing replenishing, (or completely filling, really...), they found problems with the driver's side heater matrix and a weeping gearbox gasket. All of this was reported back at Joe Tully at Alan Tully Cars, who put the wheels in motion to get everything sorted under their warranty terms. Everyone was happy.

And then I got a bit happier. The postman stuck an interesting envelope through our door for me; it was the documentation that George had sorted out for me. I was very happy indeed 😁😁😁

George had already told me that he hadn't got every service document, and latterly started to have the car serviced every 18 months, rather than every year, as his annual mileage dropped...

Just looking at these records again, I can see who blob-welded the kerb-side exhaust tail in place. Thank you N&S Auto Services 😂. They also had to sort our the D/S heater matrix some 2 years earlier 🤔. I was happy to leave Alan Tully Cars to sort it out this time.

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2017…

The ventilation system had persisted in only producing warm (hot) air, irrespective of settings. The wonderful people at Alan Tully Motors arranged for me to take the XK into my local garage, Fast Lane, for an aircon regas. The engineer at Fast Lane was very good with Jaguars and gave the car a thorough inspection whilst it was there. As well as the aircon gas needing replenishing, (or completely filling, really...), they found problems with the driver's side heater matrix and a weeping gearbox gasket. All of this was reported back at Joe Tully at Alan Tully Cars, who put the wheels in motion to get everything sorted under their warranty terms. Everyone was happy.

And then I got a bit happier. The postman stuck an interesting envelope through our door for me; it was the documentation that George had sorted out for me. I was very happy indeed 😁😁😁

View attachment 69215

George had already told me that he hadn't got every service document, and latterly started to have the car serviced every 18 months, rather than every year, as his annual mileage dropped...

Just looking at these records again, I can see who blob-welded the off-side exhaust tail in place. Thank you N&S Auto Services 😂. They also had to sort our the D/S heater matrix some 2 years earlier 🤔. I was happy to leave Alan Tully Cars to sort it out this time.

Gathering up quite a bit of history Rob....always good to have.

Jim

 

Mine's in a drawer in my bedside table. With the V5 and the MoT certificates.

... and everytime I offload a car, I offer the pile (no fancy-dan ring binders here, dontcha know) to the new owner (but when it is a garage, it isn't usually accepted). I just binned most of the Portfolio paperwork, as the insurance company expressed no interest.

Reading the @Villanova27 story, though, I am convinced to keep hold of paperwork in future in case a new owner arrives on my doorstep!

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2017…

The car had a couple of blemishes when we viewed it at Alan Tully Cars. One of them was a leather-filler-repaired tear on the outside of the driver's driver's-side seat-back bolster. Originally, the good people at Tully's wanted to get it repaired before we collected the car but it didn't work out in time, so sent repair specialist Nick round to Chez Villanova on this day instead. Nick did a cracking job, blending his handiwork in seamlessly.

He did suggest that such a repair on a seat bolster is not ideal and would not last. And he was right. Within a month, even with carefully embarking and alighting, the the repair patch was back to being as cracked as a Gauloises-smoking octogenarian French fisherman's forehead. On This Day in 2023, it is still on the 'To Do...' list 🙄

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2019…

I disconnected my new CTEK having fully reconditioned my battery for the first time. All was good again.

Don't worry, avid thread followers, you haven't missed anything. I will be explaining how all of this came about in about 11 months time. You really have got time to put the kettle on and grab a cuppa before then.

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2017…

The postman delivered another little bundle of good news today, this time in the guise of the updated V5C, showing that the car was now officially registered as AM05 RBT. Most excellent! So, with screwdriver in hand, I fitted the new plates and the drive suddenly looked a little better 😁

And then, my friend Richard, whose band I had photographed at Trentham Gardens all those years ago, came round to pick me up. We were of to local pub & music venue, The Rigger, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, to see Japanese punk band, A Page Of Punk. I was advised that it would be a most bonkers night. And it was. The surreal sight of the four very polite, young Japanese men, not speaking a word of English, but going absolutely nuts on the stage! Brilliant 😁👍

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2017…

The postman delivered another little bundle of good news today, this time in the guise of the updated V5C, showing that the car was now officially registered as AM05 RBT. Most excellent! So, with screwdriver in hand, I fitted the new plates and the drive suddenly looked a little better 😁
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And then, my friend Richard, whose band I had photographed at Trentham Gardens all those years ago, came round to pick me up. We were of to local pub & music venue, The Rigger, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, to see Japanese punk band, A Page Of Punk. I was advised that it would be a most bonkers night. And it was. The surreal sight of the four very polite, young Japanese men, not speaking a word of English, but going absolutely nuts on the stage! Brilliant 😁👍
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Plate looks good on the car Rob, obviously has significance to you and those that know you totally get it, suits the car.

For those that don't 'get' personalised number plates, they will never understand how something so simple can bring so much pleasure, fun and joy in a light hearted way to so many, and let's forget about the money side of things here

One thing though Rob, what's with the yellow cap, run out of black felt pen???
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Gotta love a nice personalised plate, makes them stand out just a little more.

With Gina on the screws through the numbers though Rob, detract from the look, surely stick on plates would be better / cleaner?

Jim

 

Three Days Ago Today In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2018…

I had my front collision sensors replaced and took another £377 from the children's inheritances.

The Jaguar XK, the gift that keeps on giving, just sometimes it's to the local garages 😂

Sorry I didn't post this 3 days ago but I was working away, in Spain, with customers, and we were at a very nice Tapas restaurant I know and... well, you know how it is 😉

 

There's nothing like getting your own cherished plate placed onto your pride and joy - fantastic!

Then you suddenly take to passing the front window well, just to check it hasn't fallen off of course, or taking your cuppa and perusing the street scene as you have always done (not) all such new oddities can't fail to bring that little smile and warm glow inside again and again and again and agai ....

For those that don't 'get' personalised number plates, they will never understand how something so simple can bring so much pleasure, fun and joy in a light hearted way to so many, and let's forget about the money side of things here


One thing though Rob, what's with the yellow cap, run out of black felt pen???

 

That's a big 'yes' to everything there, Gina, especially the black felt pen 😂

Oh, and I'm happy to talk about the money side of things as buying the vehicle reg only cost £250.00. Which is cheaper than the pedestrian collision sensor thingies and far more fun; the latter has never made me smile, the former always does.

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2019…

Mrs. Villanova and I attended our second Jaguars Drivers Club event, this one being the annual gathering at Wroxhall Abbey. This was the one where, over lunch we were having a very interesting chat with a chap who owned an unbelievable number of Jaguars and other British cars, and had worked at Jaguar for decades. And then a pompous old couple sat down, only talked to him and totally blanked us. They were exactly the sort of people we hoped we would never meet at these Jaguar days out.

Thankfully, we have never met any more obnoxious sorts like that since 🙂

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2019…

Mrs. Villanova and I attended our second Jaguars Drivers Club event, this one being the annual gathering at Wroxhall Abbey. This was the one where, over lunch we were having a very interesting chat with a chap who owned an unbelievable number of Jaguars and other British cars, and had worked at Jaguar for decades. And then a pompous old couple sat down, only talked to him and totally blanked us. They were exactly the sort of people we hoped we would never meet at these Jaguar days out.

Thankfully, we have never met any more obnoxious sorts like that since 🙂

Ha-ha-ha, you do get 'em, and in all walks of life sadly, and I bet your bottom dollar they have everything on hock, in debt up to their eyeballs and are from the 'wanna be' brigade, as I doubt very much any one with an ounce of gumption about them would have acted in such a rude fashion.

Like my lovely old mum used to drum into us, good manners cost nothing and she was right you know

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2017…

The lavishing and pampering continued, and today started with a trip to my local auto-parts shop to spend invest more of the children's inheritances on cleaning products that I have never used or didn't know was a thing. £50 or so later, I headed home and put all this together with the Autoglym kit Mrs. Villanova was presented with with a previous car.

And so, today, I gave our beloved Jaguar its first ever, proper car washing and waxing; the first of many. Despite me doing car cleaning that I had never done before, like the roof getting treated with Autoglym's fabric roof cleaner and fabric roof protector, (and used religiously since then), I realised that further specialist cleaning products would be required, there was so much to do. Keep that fly away! Was that a fleck of dust in one of the rear speakers? Do they do a special seat belt cleaner just for ivory seat belts? The neighbour's house is too close to the car, they'll have to move their house... What the hell was happening to me?!?😂🤣😂

With the car clean, the next thing to do was to make sure it still worked. This is the important bit... So, it was roof down, a quick shout indoors to see which individual needs to help me make sure the car works, and off we go for an already-traditional quick blast down to the Monkey Farm and back 😎

 

Nice write up style Rob, more than a few laughs in there.

Like an Autoglyn product or two myself

Jim

 

On This Day In My Jaguar Ownership History… in 2022…

There had been a bit of a schoolboy error by me. I was late booking in the MoT & Service, so it had fallen into August rather than it's usual July. Unperturbed, the Gift That Keeps On Giving gave again, its generosity knowing no bounds. This time it was to the wonderful team at AWJ Automotive again, my local indy Jaguar specialists.

Both front track rod ends and front arm bushes, which I had changed to poly bushes, (and sowed the seed of getting all the bushes changed over to poly, one day, soonish), needed replacing, a 4-wheel alignment was performed, the off-side side light bulb had gone, (bit annoyed that I'd missed that... it was probably the only job that was within my own capabilities 😂 ), all the usual annual servicey bits done, and bye-bye £1,035. And bear in mind folks, this was 2022; inflation had only been invented a few months previously...

I got in the car, fired up the V8, put the roof down, reasoned that the front end should turn in better now, (as if I knew what that actually meant...), grinned like a loon, and gently roared away Until I got to the dual carriage way and its national speed limity bit, and just floored it 😁😁😁 I love this car

And I could always get some more petrol tomorrow...

 

I got in the car, fired up the V8, put the roof down, reasoned that the front end should turn in better now, (as if I knew what that actually meant...), grinned like a loon, and gently roared away

It’s the best part of owning a V8.