Jaguar XJ-S. Manual — part 173

687

WHERE TO FIND HELP, PARTS, ETC.

This section of this book provides a listing of some mail-order outfits and the like, along with choice comments. Note
that this is not intended to be anything approaching a comprehensive list; it merely provides contact info for some of the
more commonly referred-to sources and a few sources that provide difficult-to-find stuff. Inclusion in this book does
not imply endorsement of the firm by this author, nor does exclusion imply that a supplier is somehow unacceptable or
substandard. In general, outfits that concentrate on local business -- as opposed to nationwide or worldwide shipping
and support -- are not included here, but such outfits may very well provide the best support for your particular needs.

Many mail-order joints advertise in the Hemmings Motor News, so pick up a recent issue to get the latest info.

DEALERS: Any Jag dealer can provide a pamphlet listing all the Jaguar dealers in the U. S. and Canada. If you think
about it, this is a useful pamphlet to have -- a dealer isn’t always easy to find when you need one. Dealers will usually
ship parts, so they are another mail-order resource. Remember, if the dealer is shipping from another state, you save on
state sales tax -- which will help pay the shipping charges.

Some dealers have an 800 number, good only in their home state or local area. At least one dealer’s parts department
has such a number and does not publish it. If your nearest dealer is a long distance call, be sure to tell them it’s long
distance; perhaps they will invite you to call back on an 800 number. Be sure to have a notepad ready!

TELEPHONE NUMBER CONVENTIONS: Throughout this listing, I have endeavored to use a notation for phone
numbers that is apparently common in Europe. The first character is a + which indicates that you must begin by
entering an “international access code”, which are digits you must dial in order to begin an international call, and which
vary considerably depending on where you are calling from; here in the US, you generally must dial 011, while in the
UK you must dial 00. In Australia, the international access code is reportedly 0011.

The next one or two digits are the “country code”, followed by a space. The country code for the US and Canada is 1,
for the UK it’s 44, for Australia it’s 61 and for New Zealand it’s 64. A more complete listing of country codes is
generally found near the front of any telephone directory.

What follows on a US phone number will be the 3-digit area code, in parentheses, and then the 7-digit phone number
itself. For UK numbers, the area code and number are listed, but no parentheses.

Now, the idea behind listing numbers this way is to provide all the information necessary to call these numbers from
anywhere in the world. However, it becomes the responsibility of the reader to interpret this information somewhat in
order to make a call within his own country or local area. For example, a person in the US calling a US number should
know that he can forget about the international access code and country code and merely dial a 1 (or any of an entire
smorgasbord of long-distance access codes in this day of deregulation) followed by the area code and number. A
person in the UK dialing a UK number should know that he can drop the international access code and country code
but must add a 0 before the number. Obviously, those who actually live within a stone’s throw of the place being called
may be able to drop even more digits and make a local call.

The 800, 877, and 888 numbers are another matter. These are toll-free long distance numbers, but they reportedly only
work from within the US. Hence, they are listed as 1-800-xxx-xxxx, the way they must be dialed in the US to work
properly.

Some notes regarding phone calls to the UK: On August 5, 1994, exchanges in the UK changed. For the most part, the
change was simply to add a 1 at the beginning of the exchange, although a few exchanges changed entirely.

Paul Garside sends this explanation of the phone number conventions in the UK (prior to the addition of the 1): “Major
city (e.g. London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow) phone numbers used to be of the format:

<2-OR 3-DIGIT CITY CODE> <3-DIGIT AREA CODE> <4-DIGIT NUMBER>

All other towns and villages in Great Britain used the format

<4-DIGIT AREA CODE> <5- OR 6-DIGIT NUMBER>

688

These are all generally 6-digit numbers now. The spaces are also shown as dashes. There is no significance to either,
they are merely for ease of reading.”

In the UK, a company’s literature often lists the phone number including the beginning 0. Remember that when calling
from other countries, this 0 should be omitted.

INTERNATIONAL CREDIT CARD USE: If you have a credit card, you will find this is one of the neatest features of
owning it. Charging a foreign purchase to a credit card gets the seller paid in his native currency, and gets you the best
exchange rate available automatically -- the charge shows up on your statement in your currency. The credit card
companies can offer the optimum exchange rates because they don’t have to keep a pile of foreign currency on hand to
do so.

TAXES: Those who purchase parts within the European Union must pay a Value Added Tax (VAT) of 17.5%.
However, orders shipped outside the EU are exempt from this tax. If you are ordering from elsewhere and someone
tries to charge you VAT, they are trying to rip you off. According to Stefan Schulz, this is a common scam.

Before getting into the listings of retailers, some numbers of general interest to Jaguar owners:

JAGUAR CARS LTD.

Browns Lane, Coventry CV5 9DR (UK)

+44 24 7640 2121

The source!

JAGUAR UK

http://www.jaguarcars.com/uk/

Mainly info on current models, but genuine Jaguar parts and accessories can be ordered.

JAGUAR DAIMLER HERITAGE TRUST

Jaguar Daimler Heritage Centre

Browns Lane, Coventry CV5 9DR (UK)

+44 24 7620 3322

FAX:

+44 24 7620 2777

http://www.jdht.com

or

C/o Jaguar Cars Limited

Browns Lane, Allesley, Coventry CV5 9DR

+44 24 7640 2125

FAX:

+44 24 7640 5581

“The Trust is a subsidiary of Jaguar Cars Limited.” Outwardly, this appears to be just a car museum adjacent to
Jaguar’s original facility, but in fact it’s much more than that. It appears that JDHT is determined to do whatever needs
doing for the owners of older Jaguars. Among other services, they offer “Genuine Jaguar Engineering approved parts
for classic Jaguars...” In other words, they may be the only place to get the part you need. They have even posted
notices in Jaguar World magazine asking for ideas on parts that need to be improved.

JAGUAR OF NORTH AMERICA
Leonia,

NJ

+1 (201) 592-5200

+1 (201) 818-8500

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JAGUAR CARS, INC. -- PUBLIC RELATIONS
Mahwah,

NJ

+1 (201) 818-9770

AUTOSEARCH LIMITED

PO Box 2032

Westfield, MA 01086

e-mail: SCOTTMCCON@aol.com

“We have a database of all dealers and manufacturers that sell car parts at retail, wholesale, and discount. We know of
every supplier of aftermarket, performance, restoration, new, used, replacement, nos, car care, audio, etc. in the country
and can supply a list for any make, year or model. If interested please send $6.00 to the address above. We will send
your list within one week of receipt. Please provide make, model, year and the general description of parts wanted.”

NEW PARTS

BRITISH AUTO/USA

92 Londonderry Turnpike

Manchester, NH 03104

+1 (603) 622-1050

FAX:

+1 (603) 622-0849

1-800-4-JAG-PTS
Apparently formerly known as British Auto Interiors, but has branched out to the rest of the car. Per Chip Weems:
“They do their own direct importing, and in addition to interiors they are into fabricating a bunch of their own repro
items. They are also a fairly large restoration shop, and when I’ve had trouble with installing some part, Tom will call
in one of the mechanics to give me free advice over the phone.”

BRITISH PARTS INTERNATIONAL

8101 Hempstead Road

Houston, TX 77008

1-800-231-6563

http://www.motorcarsltd.com

Franck Guilloteau says: “They apparently have an extensive stock pile of both new and used parts for models from
early XK-E onwards with a comprehensive (250 page) catalog to boot. However, for prices you have to call, they are
quite competitive.”

BRITISH VINTAGES

645-D Tank Farm Rd

San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

1-800-350-JAGS

or

+1

(805)

541-5986

CATHOUSE SPARES

176 Liverpool Rd.

Enfield

2136

Sydney, NSW, Australia

+61 2-9747 2144

Fax:

+61 2-9747 3212

Mark Jackson says this outfit sells locally-made stainless steel coolant cross pipes and header tanks to fit the XJ-S --
and for reasonable prices to boot. “Darn things are painted black - should have left them brushed SS!!”

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CLASSIC COMPONENTS

Tower House, Teesside

International Airport, Darlington DL2 1PD (UK)

+44 1325 332505

FAX:

+44 1325 332405

CLASSIC SPARES LTD/CLASSIC ENGINEERING

Unit 4 Brook Road, Britannia Road

Waltham Cross, Herts EN8 7NP (UK)

+44 1992 716236

FAX:

+44 1992 788424

http://www.jagweb.com/classicspares

New and used parts, aftermarket parts, Jaguar-based kit and replicar support.

COVENTRY WEST, INC.

2101 Randall Road

Lithonia, GA USA 30058

+1 (770) 484-6500

FAX:

+1 (770) 484-1419

1-800-331-2193
e-mail:

sales@coventrywest.com

http://www.coventrywest.com

New, rebuilt, and used parts.

EAST COAST JAGUAR

802 Naamans Road

Wilmington, DE 19810

Tel: 1-800-475-9257

or

+1 (302) 475-7200

Fax:

+1 (302) 475-9258

Shameless bragging from the proprietor himself, John DiGiacoma: “New, used and remanufactured parts for all Jaguar
models from 1940s to present. Many hard-to-find parts. Supplying restoration and repair shops and enthusiasts
nationwide and abroad for more than 15 years. Water pumps, wiper motors and steering racks rebuilt. Brake parts re-
sleeved. We are also a service shop with a very knowledgeable staff having over 20 years experience servicing,
rebuilding and driving Jaguars.”

ENGEL IMPORTS

5850 Stadium Drive

Kalamazoo, MI 49009

1-800-253-4080 or

+1 (616) 375-1000

This is a Jaguar dealership. They will ship parts, and their 800 number is good country-wide. If they don’t have the
part you seek, they have access to a computerized system that theoretically will find it at any dealer in the US that has it.

EUROPEAN AUTOPARTS SPECIALISTS, INC / AUTO DOCTOR

23151 Telegraph Road

Southfield, Michigan 48034

+1 (248) 353-1592

or

+1 (248) 355-2730

They have no catalog, but they can still get most parts to you as cheap as anybody. They have a $50 minimum order,
however.