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Hello,
Somehow it is already late July, and our last Club newsletter went out back in May. The weeks have disappeared rather quickly, although I suspect that is something many of us experience once the better weather arrives and there are cars, gardens, holidays and all the other distractions of summer competing for our attention.
There has still been plenty going on around the Club, even if not all of it has made its way onto the website. We have our 10th Anniversary gathering rapidly approaching, the final few remanufactured XJ-SC roof seals looking for homes, members asking for help in the forum, and — in my own garage at least — another reminder that owning an elderly Jaguar rarely follows a completely straightforward path.
So, make yourself a drink and have a quick catch-up with what is happening around the XJS Soft Tops Club.
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The Very Last XJ-SC Targa Roof Seals
I am now down to the very last remaining remanufactured XJ-SC Targa Roof Seals.
These were produced because the original seals have become increasingly difficult to find, and because ageing, compressed or damaged seals can create the familiar XJ-SC problems of wind noise and water getting into places where it really ought not to be.
Once the remaining seals have gone, I will not be commissioning another production run. Having them remanufactured requires a considerable quantity to be ordered and paid for in advance, which ties up too much of my own personal money for too long while waiting for them to find owners.
Therefore, if you own an XJ-SC and have been thinking that you might need a replacement seal one day, this really is the time to secure one. There will not be another batch following behind these.
Alternatively, reply directly to this newsletter if you have any questions.
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Our 10th Anniversary Gathering Is Fast Approaching
Sunday 23rd August is now only a few weeks away, when the XJS Soft Tops Club will be attending the Northern Jaguar Show at the Avro Heritage Museum in Woodford, Cheshire.
This is intended to be our main Club gathering to mark the 10th Anniversary of the XJS Soft Tops Club, and the organisers kindly reserved an area containing 20 places specifically for our members and their cars.
Disappointingly, at the time of writing, only seven members have booked to attend.
I fully appreciate that Cheshire is not on everyone’s doorstep, and that diaries, holidays and the occasional uncooperative Jaguar can all get in the way. Even so, it would be wonderful to fill more of our reserved area and create a proper display of XJ-SC Cabriolets and XJS Convertibles for this important Club milestone.
It should be a very enjoyable day, with plenty of Jaguars to see, the Avro Heritage Museum to explore, and the opportunity to finally put faces to names that many of us have only previously encountered through the website, Facebook or email.
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Read the full event details on the Club website
If you have been thinking about joining us, please register as soon as you can. It would be a shame to reach our 10th Anniversary with most of the area reserved for our Club standing empty.
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Please Keep an Eye on the Discussion Forum
Members are increasingly using the Club’s Discussion Forum to ask technical questions, seek advice and share problems they are trying to solve.
Quite often, the person who can help is another member who has experienced exactly the same issue several years earlier. The smallest recollection — where a hidden fixing is located, which replacement part actually fitted, which specialist was helpful, or what finally cured a troublesome fault — can save someone else many hours of frustration.
Please take a regular look through the latest forum posts and, whenever you can, add a reply. You do not need to have the complete answer. Even a suggestion, an observation or a word of encouragement helps reassure the person asking that their question has been seen.
A useful owners’ forum cannot be created by one or two people answering everything. Its real value comes from the accumulated experience of the whole membership.
Visit the Club Discussion Forum
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Meanwhile, in My Garage…
My own recent challenge has been trying to persuade my 1986 XJ-SC Cabriolet V12, affectionately known as Pawla, to run properly again.
The original problem eventually led me into the distributor, where I discovered a broken wire connected to the ignition pickup. That seemed sufficiently promising, so the damaged pickup and wiring were replaced and everything carefully put back together.
There has been progress. Pawla now starts and runs, which is considerably better than not starting at all. Unfortunately, she misfires badly and is still extremely reluctant to rev with any enthusiasm.
That creates a slightly awkward situation. The car really needs someone with more diagnostic experience to look at it, but getting it to a specialist is difficult when it does not run well enough to drive and may not even cooperate sufficiently to place it neatly onto a trailer.
I am gradually working through the ignition system, checking the distributor setup, replacing suspect components and trying not to introduce two new faults while looking for the original one.
These are the trials of XJS ownership: one small broken wire can lead to weeks of investigation, a growing collection of spare parts and a much deeper understanding of a Lucas ignition system than you ever expected to acquire.
Still, every successful start feels like progress, and I remain determined that Pawla will return to the road.
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Making More of the Club’s Photographs
Although there has not been one large new website feature to announce this month, work has continued behind the scenes to improve the way photographs are presented throughout the site.
Photos are an important part of the Club. They show the different colours, interiors, roofs, wheels and modifications found across our cars, but they also preserve the events, journeys and ownership stories that might otherwise be forgotten.
I have therefore been working towards a more consistent photo experience, where images shown throughout the website can be clicked to open at a larger size. It is a fairly subtle improvement, but one which should make browsing Car Albums, Gallery Photos, Articles and event reports much more enjoyable.
It also gives us another good reason to keep adding clear, interesting photographs rather than allowing them to remain hidden away on our phones and computers.
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What Have You and Your XJS Been Doing?
Summer is usually the time when our cars are most likely to be out of their garages. Perhaps you have attended a show, taken a holiday, completed a long-delayed repair, fitted a new part, rediscovered an old photograph, or simply enjoyed an evening drive with the roof down.
Please send me your stories and photographs.
They do not need to be lengthy or professionally written. A few paragraphs and a selection of photos are more than enough. I am very happy to help shape the material and publish it as a Club Article for everyone to read and enjoy.
These articles are enjoyable now, but they also create something more lasting: a historic record of the cars, their owners, the places they visited and the work carried out to keep them on the road.
Every XJS has a story. Some are full restorations and major adventures; others are made up of small repairs, local journeys and everyday moments. All of them have a place within the Club.
So please don’t assume that your own experience is too ordinary to share. To another owner, it may be fascinating, useful or simply reassuring.
Cheers,
Laurence
To get in touch, send a story or share some photographs, simply reply to this Newsletter.
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XJS Soft Tops Club —
www.xjs-soft-tops.com
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