Hi All,


Ive owned the XF for nearly 2 years now and usually I get bored and get a new car. I was toying with the idea of getting a Alfa Spider, Brera, TT, SLK, RCZ but I think im swinging to the idea of keeping the XF.


Now, if I decide to keep the XF, I will need to have a wheel refurb and some new tyres. Do you think its cheaper doing that or buying a new aftermarket set that come with tyres? What type of wheels do you recommend?


Also, im getting a small smell of Petrol/Fuel from outside which I didn't have before, could this be a filter that needs changing?


My XF only has 32k on the clock, and I have OCD when it comes to mileage, always look for low mileage cars with FSH.


What filters do you recommend to improve performance/power etc?


Ive had a few teething problems but have now been sorted......boot not unlocking or opening and the drivers seat cover coming unclipped, but touch wood nothing else.


Im not mechanically minded, but happy to read up on how to do things. Advice on where to buy parts would help too.


Sorry for the long post.


Many Thanks


Tom

 

Perhaps not a great person to answer since I tend to keep cars I like for decades and only rarely have "just one". That said, what do you like/don't like about the XF ? Does it fit your life ? What do you want in a car that it does not have ?

Personally had to make some extreme modifications to the interior of the XF involving a sawzall and a grinder to get enough legroom & took some knives to the seat foam for hip room. Beyond that the engine is from the last century and the ratios in the manual gearbox are abby-surd. However when the time comes I can fix all of those, it makes a very nice runabout in a Florida summer, & is recent enough to work well as an electronics testbed.

So the question comes down to what do you want in a car & what image do you want to project ? It sounds like you are in the UK so have many choices that do not exist here. OTOH if you like a car that is a bit out of the norm but has more creature comforts than a Morgan & is easier to park than a Facel Vega then you might want to keep the XF.


ps since the fuel tank is in the bulkhead between the seats you might want to check for a bad hose causing the smell. I would address quickly.

 

Hiya,


Thank you for your reply.


In answer to your points, I love how it looks, I actually like the way it drives, I fit in it comfortably. The car is just for me as we also have a family car, so don't need anything bigger.


I just get to a stage where I think maybe I should move onto something else sometimes. But with the XF, its the 1st time ive actually had doubts in selling and getting something else...........Im actually swaying towards keeping it.


Some advice on wheels, tyres, filters etc would be great.


Thanks again


Tom

 

HI TOM....regarding the smell of fuel one of the guys on the uk crossfire owners facebook page reported one of the fuel lines coming of the fuel pump had been rubbing something and was nearly worn through, it was about 6" from the pump, as for wheels i think a refurb is about £50-60 per wheel then the cost of tyres, depending what aftermarket wheels you want as to price, i went with mandrus which are specificly designed for MB cars so didnt need spacers, offsets for our cars are front +35, rear +22 you need to get as close to these as possible, make sure you do your research to avoid costly mistakes...read through this it might help as to what will fit...https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...hat-works.html

 

I'm not sure refurb prices across the pond but here in the colonies, $100 a wheel seems to be the going rate.. but I would actually say that getting an entirely new set of wheels and tires might freshen the entire car up for you... I know when I start to get bored I start looking for new modifications, not necessarily a new car... have some fun customizing it and you may just end up keeping it longer

 

Howdy.

Refurbing a wheel over here runs between $50 and $100 USD. I need to do a few on mine as well but haven't set up the appoiintment yet. Personally, I love the XF wheels so I have no desire to change them out. But as others have said, different wheels may give you a new perspective on your car. Lots of choices, just make sure they fit properly.

WRT to tires, lots of info and opinions on the forum about them. I had Michelin PS2 summer tires as origninal. Loved the performance but when they got old, they were very noisey (most tires are). I fit new Michelin Super Sports last year. Love them so far. Performance not quite as good as the PS2's but they ride nice and so far comfortable and quite (I only have about 3,500 miles on them though).

Good Luck

 

As for keep or sell. Well, that's up to you. I sold mine a year ago. Had three Merc's since.
Had that spell of petrol in my Xfire. It was the over flow pipe had come off in the filler. Need to pull the RH rear boot trim off and push it back on.
You could have your wheel painted or powered coated. Last set I had done was powered coated. £360 including remove, refit, balancing and a set of loan wheels whilst they were off. Looked good. Hope this helps a bit.

 

I would keep it change the cabin filter and install a new air intake filter. If you take a look at mine i did different mods to mine with the mercedes detail,it's all on your imagination that makes the car worth investing in.

 

Hi Guys,

Thank you for you replies.

I think im going to have a look at refurbing the wheels and new tyres. I do like the wheels on some of our US friends but would probably cost a fortune to ship them.

With regards to filters etc. What do you guys advise, looking to help with performance, sound etc.

Would also consider the merc engine cover (or whatever its called)..........is this an easy job?

Also need to sort out the misting of the headlights, which is straight forward enough.

Maybe look to fit the SRT-6 lower front lip.

 

You fancy a change but still like the XF - you're wondering about wheels and thinking of an SRT6 front lip...
Here's a thought - you can achieve all that by 'upgrading' to an SRT6!
Same car, yet different - different wheels - and the lip is included!
Plus the significant performance gain - and insurance is virtually the same - in my experience.
Obviously much rarer but they do come up - and most UK SRTs I've seen for sale are usually well cared-for enthusiast cars with comparatively low mileage - which should satisfy your OCD side!

Regarding the fuel smell - I read somewhere on here a while ago that the primary fuel line (from the pump) can split with age - might be worth checking...?