The year started out in the midst of what already felt like an endless winter. The snow was piling up and the temperatures were low, which provided less than ideal driving conditions. I experienced this when my parked Jaguar slid into a barrier when my parking space wasn't properly sanded. I had the door fixed right away though, and I did manage to have some nice winter drives.
One of my biggest frustrations this year was battling with a local repair shop who I paid to replace my thermostat and water pump. I had to return to the shop in the summer and once again in the fall because the water pump they replaced would leak a few months after I had the job done. Not only did I get hosed on labor costs, but I paid for a completely new thermostat housing that didn't need replacing. My frustration with the shop concluded with them covering the cost of parts and labor on my final repair, which finally fixed the issue I should have never had to begin with. Of course, I had to complain at great lengths to set things straight.
In the spring things were looking up as the weather finally allowed for some enjoyable driving. I took some new photos of my XJ8 to mark the occasion.
On June 10 I officially launched Jeeves and the Jaguar and explained my motivation and inspiration for wanting to create the site. It wasn't long after that I created an original promo video to help showcase it.
The summer was full of random projects. I restored my leather seats with a kit I bought online, I had to have the windshield of my car replaced after I caught a rock on the highway, and my throttle body started acting up.
By August my TPS sensor on my throttle body had officially stopped working. This became a defining moment in owning this vehicle, because the cost of a replacement throttle was several thousand dollars without even factoring in labor. I considered having the job done and selling the car immediately after. My story ended on a high note and I got creative to solve my problem, but you can read more on that here.
I also did some traveling this year and took lots of pictures driving to Calgary for business, to Regina to visit friends, through scenic Sandy Point on my way to a funeral, and out to Lethbridge to see Seinfeld live.
When the fall finally came around I was very familiar with my engine and cleaning connections when random codes would pop up. I even easily fixed my Jaguar from running rich with a few simple adjustments. However, my hood ornament was also stolen for a second time and I was forced to come up with a removable option to keep idiots from touching my car.
2011 has closed out on an otherwise uneventful note (thankfully), and I'm hoping the trend continues into 2012. Despite some of the anguish, my car is still awesome to drive, it still turns heads, and even Jaguar is now following my blog posts on twitter. Now I just need to convince them that giving me a tricked out Jaguar XK is an excellent promotional idea. Baby steps, my friends. Baby steps.
The adventure continues in 2012.
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