During the year and half that we have owned "the Cub" I have come to despise the prior owners poor care of this beautiful transport. I found evidence of the "green shower" while repairing the rear view mirror. After extensive research, I figured I was prepared to do the repair myself. That research also led me to a web site, Jaguar Convertible Top Leak, and Marvin Johnson.
There was an immediate connection with Marvin, so I decided that having him do the job would be faster, easier and more professional than my bumbling. Marvin came to me, 2 days early, nearly completed the job that day, except for interesting, intelligent conversation and my education into the mechanics of the roof system.
If you have suffered the "green shower", you should do yourself a favor by giving Marvin a call (844-255-3366). He comes to you, does and excellent job, keeps your ride clean. Just look at my wife happy face after 2 summers of not being able to drop the top.
– Sharay
Nashville, TN
Thumbs up!! Thanks to Marvin Just wanted to say thanks to the forum and Marvin. I was able to get my convertible top fixed from not opening and the Green shower. Most estimate were $4000-$6000 to get fixed. Marvin was able to fly out and fix it right in my garage and it works excellent and for 1/3 of the price.
When he got to my house he was working on it within 10 mins of being there and never looked up again for 10 hours. I'm thankful, this completes an almost full restoration call him for help. 844-255-3366"
ScottCharp
Denver, Co
If you've been the victim of the XK8/XKR Convertible Top "Green Shower," or the "Green Drip," or the "Green Rain," here's some information that I hope you will find incredibly helpful. I would have loved to have read something like this when I researched this COMMON PROBLEM.
I had the "Green Drip" experience with my 2005 Jaguar XK8 Convertible recently (November, 2014), and didn't know exactly where to turn. I read LOTS on the internet (THANKS TO THE FORUM), and spoke with about everyone I could about the problem, including my local Jaguar folks, who I like and respect A LOT. They just don't do many of these repairs, their price is expectedly high, and it is incredibly helpful to know where every clip, bolt, screw, washer, fastener, etc. is located so as not to break anything while accomplishing this MAJOR repair.
I know that it's hard to put one's trust in internet advertisements, and long-distance information, but I did serious homework and located Marvin Johnson, from Atlanta, GA, (844-255-3366) (JaguarTopRepair.com or JaguarConvertibleTopLeak.com) who manufactures the replacement lines (far superior to Jaguar's), and will travel to your location for this VERY TIME CONSUMING and intricate repair. I contacted references from Marvin's recently completed repairs, and was pleased with what I learned, as they had been.
I couldn't be more satisfied with Marvin's knowledge, carefulness, and capabilities, having watched EVERY MINUTE OF THE REPAIR. It is not an easy task, and you want a proven specialist to do this job. Marvin does these all the time.
The leaked Hydraulic fluid is very caustic, it deteriorated some of the rubber Header-Seal that runs down the A pillar, and it messed up the fabric, which can be easily replaced. There's a great YouTube from Sam on how to recover these A pillars.
I'm a retired attorney in Iowa. I would not be writing this review if I weren't convinced of Marvin's skills and knowledge. I highly recommend Marvin as a person you can trust to do the job right, to stand behind his work, and treat you fairly.
I am happy to discuss more about the "Green Shower" if you have questions, and I offer this recommendation because of my totally excellent experience. "
-Dlerner
Des Moines, Iowa
Marvin is the only person qualified to do this repair. His custom made hoses and fittings are well made and far superior to the dealers product.
He answers his phone and comes to you when he says he will. He also knows most other areas of concern with the XK8 since he owns one and is a pleasure to deal with.
Alex
Morgantown, WV
I can honestly recommend Marvin to work on any Jaguar XK8. I contacted Marvin to work on the hydraulic convertible roof system, beating the estimate of my local dealership (Who I don’t trust to work on my car).
He came prepared to work with all the tools and parts necessary to do the job. After dismantling the windshield section he found that the hydraulic line had been changed before with a prior owner but found that all was wrong was that the lockdown ram was leaking, he helped me locate a good used part, installed the part. Drastically reducing the bill.
While here, he helped me solve other problems I was having with the car. In all I was completely satisfied with all his work, Marvin is honest and trustworthy and highly knowledgeable on this Jaguar model. He also offered me, to call him on any other problems I have with the car and he would help me over the phone.
Sincerely
Barry
Moreno Valley, Ca.
During my visit to Seattle Washington, I also got a chance to meet this fine couple. Meet David and Jodeane. They had taken over a company car from David’s company that got the Jaguar “Green Shower” on their 2002 Jaguar XK8.
This beautiful car had just over 22,000 miles and was meticulously maintained but there is no formula to calculate when you might get the Green Shower. David and Jodeane allowed me to live in a guest area in their comfortable home while I worked on their car.
As usual, the repair took all of one day and half of a second day to complete. The rest of the time was spent laughing, going to the casino, sharing a few meals and having a few cocktails with David and Jodeane. This couple was truly evidence that there are still wonderful, loving people left in the world.
- Jaguar Top Repair
Seattle, Washington
Meet Don and Julie from the Los Angeles Ca area. Julie was on her way to a wedding when her car experienced the dreaded Green Shower. I flew out to Los Angeles to work on Don and Julie's 1999 Jaguar XK8 and ended up changing all 6 hoses on the car. If I remember correctly this car had just over 42,000 miles on it. This car was truly mint and the biggest concern Don had was NOT to damage his car. No problem there.
Like most Jaguar owners, most of my customers have been truly decent people who just love their Jaguars. Don and Julie were no exception. I even ended up meeting some of their friends too (25 or so) one guy of which had a Jaguar museum I visited that housed a Jaguar xj220. The first one I had ever seen. It was covered in plastic and I think had 400 miles or so on it.
Don and Julie are also somewhat of car collectors too. (See Attached Photos)
This guy even had 5 other specialty Jaguar motorcars too. Anyway if you are considering doing the Green Shower repair and need a good service you can trust, I'm sure Don and Julie would be happy to talk to you. I will surely be visiting the next time I head out west to do another repair.
- Jaguar Top Repair
Fullerton, Ca
I am that Berlin XK8 owner and have had mjohn2001 do the work he describes on his website. He went through hell and high water to get the job done. He knows what he's doing & I still talk to him to this day about the normal issues that jaguar owners face. He's good at what he does!!
I first heard about Jaguar Top Repair services when I was searching around EBay for items for my newly purchased ’99 Jaguar XK8 convertible, in August of 2012, I saw an ad for hydraulic hose service / replacement that had the nice touch of having ‘upgraded’ hoses, because I know that ‘factory’ hoses aren’t made to stand up to time and are designed to deteriorate over time.
I gave Marvin a call, when I knew that there was trouble with my hydraulic hoses, at the number on the ad 844-524-6261, and actually spoke to Marvin himself. I was shocked that he actually answered the phone. How many business owners still do that?!? I told him of my issues, I had a strange gooiness to my overhead console light buttons, and the lights were about half full of fluid. The interior convertible liner was also dirty toward the rear window as well. He was very helpful, and told me that it sounds as though it IS the hydraulic line leading up to the locking latch on the top of my windshield. At that time I wasn’t able or willing to get my top fixed, so I just left it closed until the spring, when I could enjoy the top being down. I also wanted to check out a few other places, close by, and get their estimates for the job.
I contacted Marvin in June of 2014 and let him know that I was ready, for him to make the trip from Atlanta to Connecticut, where I live. Marvin said that he wouldn’t be able to make the trip for a couple of weeks, but would be able to come up the week of the 4th of July. I was ok with this because that was the week that I had taken off of work, for vacation. We tentatively made arrangements to get together that week. Without getting too much into it, too late, he got a flight for July 3rd at 6am to Newark, where he has relatives, from there he was going to take the train to Berlin, CT. where I would pick him up at around 2pm.
Well, unfortunately, Arthur happened, for those of you that didn’t know, Arthur, was a hurricane that, at that time, was bombarding South Carolina. Marvin’s plane was postponed to3:45pm, and then 5pm, then to 8:10pm, then finally cancelled. He managed to make it out on the 4th of July, and I picked him up at the Berlin train station at about 1pm on July 4th. We got started on the job of removing the rear seats, sides, and overhead hardware at about1:30pm. At about 2 hours into it, the foam padding, under the rear seat, on the passenger side, was soaked with fluid. Marvin told me that he didn’t believe, at this time, that replacing the hoses that we were would cure the problem of the top not coming up, and that that fluid, he believed, was coming from the passenger side riser, the piston that brings the top up and forward. I was hoping that this wasn’t the case.
Now, I do have to say, that I had told him that the friends and family that I had told of this service, and where it comes from, were ‘Concerned’ that I was going to be ‘Cheated’, or that Marvin didn’t know what he was doing. Marvin told me that, if at any time, I felt he didn’t know what he was doing, to let him know. We had a good laugh about that, because he never gave me that impression, and I had complete faith in that he knew what he was doing.We continued to work up until about 5 hours into it with little trouble, there were some tight connections, but we were able to loosen them up and get the hoses connected and tightened. At about 6:30pm, we were ready to fill up the reservoir of the hydraulic pump, and try it out. We filled it up to in between the high and low lines, reconnected the pump valve, turned the ignition on, and pressed the button. The motor started, and the pump was pumping. Once it started whining, Marvin said to release the button. We had to ‘Slowly’ refill the hoses with fluid, then refill the reservoir ‘Quickly’, in order to keep out any air bubbles in the line, as well as not wanting to burn up the motor, by holding the button for too long.
We did this 2 or 3 times, until the top started moving, then we let it sit for a couple of minutes, then Marvin told me to press the button. The top came all the way up, closed and locked, and then the wing windows came up. We let it sit again, then I hit the button, and the top came back down. We checked, and there was ‘No Fluid Leaking’ anywhere. It Worked Perfectly!At this time, I should point out that Marvin has said, numerous times to me, that he wishes he had a picture of my face at this time, in a word:
Priceless!
So, after a small snack, and some friendly advice, we got back to finishing the job. We got the rest of the car buttoned back up and working at right about 8pm, 6.5 hours in, not bad. We completed the job quickly enough so that Marvin, who had made arrangements to leave on the 5th at 3:45pm, changed his reservations to 7am. I thanked him by, of course, paying him, and then I took him out for dinner. I figured we could use it, besides, it had been almost a year since id driven my Jag with the top down. In the morning, he checked to be sure the top continued to work, it did, and I drove him to the train station.
To this day, I text him if I have any troubles, or issues Jag related, and he continues to give me advice as to what could cure the problem. I believe I’ve not only gained a mechanic, but I’ve gained a friend. I you have any reservations about hiring someone online, do your homework, dig, find out what you can about the job, go with your gut.
You shouldn’t have any reservations about Marvin, should you be thinking about using his services, he’s professional, hardworking, and Knows What He’s Doing, when it comes to this repair.
THANKX Marvin
Glenn
Berlin, CT
This guy is amazing! I loved the customer service. Marvin totally fixed my car and did a great job! He got my top repaired and working in about 5 hours. I would HIGHLY recommend him for even the pickiest customer.
He works meticulously while he repairs your car and cleans all of that messy hydraulic oil as he goes. That oil gets all over everything during the repair.I sat and watched the entire process and it is definitely not a repair the casual mechanic should tackle alone.
TWO THUMBS! – Give him a call 844-524-6261PS. Don’t let this guy fool you, he knows a lot about this car both the XK8 and XKR and gave me a lot of free tips.
Jason
Kennesaw, GA
I flew 5 ½ hours into Seattle Washington and drove another 45 minutes to meet Ms Lucy L. and work on her 2000 Jaguar XKR that had gotten the Jaguar “Green Shower” shortly after purchasing the car.
Ms Lucy lived on a beautiful 10 acre farm and owned several nice vehicles. She and the former owner found me doing a “Google Search” for “Jaguar Convertible Top Leaking” and the repair was on.
Once I got to Lucy’s home and started working on her car, it turned out she needed to have all (6) hydraulic hoses replaced. Rarely is the case the all 6 hydraulic hoses need to be replaced but it does happen. In most cases replacing all 6 hoses is precautionary more so than the car needing it UNLESS the hoses have never been replaced and the car is over 10-12 years old.
I fixed her car and Ms Lucy never skipped a beat. She worked on her farm, shopped, spent time on the lake with her family while I worked on her car. One of the things I enjoy most about my service is, once I have access to your car, you are welcomed to go on about your day as normal. No special plans need to be drawn up while I’m at your home working on your car.
- Jaguar Top Repair
Seattle, WA
Marvin recently replaced the convertible top hydraulic lines on our 1999 Jaguar XK8. We were very satisfied with the results. The repair was preformed in our driveway. Mr. Johnson was very professional and extremely cautious with the interior during the repairs. We would highly recommend Jaguartoprepair.com and Marvin Johnson. He can be reached at: 844-255-3366
Mark
Dadeville, Alabama
Here's Mike,
Although I don’t mind hopping on a plane to visit I customer, its nice to just pack the car with my hoses and tools, drive 10 minutes and I’m there.
Mike owns a car repair shop here in Atlanta for the last 30 years but after checking what was involved in the repair, decided to invite me to his home and work on their car.
He (his wife) owns a low mileage mint condition 2003 Jaguar XKR with the Green Shower. Its really his wife’s car but we’ll let Mike think its his.
I drove to their home here in Lilburn Ga.and started working in their garage. Replaced all 6 hoses in a day and a half then returned the car back to Mike. Another satisfied customer.
- Jaguar Top Repair
Lilburn, GA
Here's Orlando,
Orlando is really local to me here in Atlanta. He drove his car to my home and I worked on his car right in my driveway. The repair took about 6 hours and was delivered on time as requested by the customer who was under a time constraint and needed the car back immediately for a trip.
This 2003 Jaguar XK8 had never had any of the hoses replaced but only needed to have the main 2 hydraulic hoses pump to latch replaced.
Orlando has one amazing personality and I’m happy I got a chance to meet him and work on his car. As always for me I enjoy working on this repair and at this point probably fix more Jaguars with the Green Shower, than most Jaguar dealers anywhere in the country AND I’m cheaper.
- Jaguar Top Repair
Atlanta, GA
Here's Randy,
Although I travel all over the country to service Jaguar Convertible Top Leaks also known as the Jaguar Green Shower, Randy is local to me here in Atlanta so I didn't have to travel far to service his awesome, very well maintained 1999 Jaguar XK8.
I did a full hose replacement on all 6 lines that control his convertible top.
I replaced Jaguar Parts HJB8252AA HJC8252AA HJB8253AA HJB8256AB all 6 lines. Randy found me either via the Jaguartoprepair.com or the JaguarConvertibleTopLeak.com websites.
Randy is another satisfied customer. I have references on hose replacements that would be happy to talk to anyone who is considering using my service.
Please feel free to visit my websites for my direct telephone line. I am here to help.
- Jaguar Top Repair
Duluth, GA
I recently bought a 2002 XK8 and knew the top hoses needed to be repaired.
I called the dealership & several repair shops before calling Marvin. In the first call, it was clear Marvin was so much more familiar with changing the hoses than even the authorized Jaguar dealership.
At first I thought the price was steep. But when he came to my house to do the work and I saw the extent of all that he replaced, the value was worth it!
I am confident that my top will work and not leak even after I pass the car to my son.
Rick
Newnan, GA
Had my new Jag for about 3 weeks when I had the famous green shower. Thought I bought a lemon until I did a search on the web and found out it was a common problem with the XKR convertible. Called the Jag dealer in my area, which is a one hour drive, and they quoted me over $3000 to just replace the two front hoses. They also wanted to keep my car for about 2 weeks.
After more web searching, I came across Marvin Johnson with Jaguar Top Repair 844-524-6261. Did not know him from Adam, but felt very comfortable after just one phone call. Marvin flew in within a week and repaired not only the two front hoses, but all six. Did not know they had six until I talked to Marvin.
The job was completed in less than 24 hours and all of the work was performed in my garage. You could not even tell that Marvin had taken the interior of the car almost completely apart and put it back together in that short period of time. Marvin quoted me $2500 to complete the job of replacing all six hoses and that included his transportation and lodging. He did not have to pay for lodging on his last night due to the fact that I felt so comfortable that I had him as a guest at my house.
Very professional guy and does exactly what he tells you. I would recommend Marvin to anyone who needs this service done on their Jag.
Scott
Broussard, LA
Here's Stan,
Stan is “local” to me about a 2 hour drive from my home in Atlanta so I packed my gear and hoses and proceeded to North Augusta SC to work on his 2003 Jaguar XKR.Stan is truly one of those customers that stays out of the way. Outside of stopping his repairs for him to take a few snapshots of the repair, I didn’t see much of him. Most of the time he was working in another part of his home while I worked on his car.
As always, this was just one more of those very well maintained low mileage cars that’s gotten the Green Shower. I did a full hose replacement on all 6 lines that control his convertible top. I replaced Jaguar Parts HJB8252AA HJC8252AA HJB8253AA HJB8256AB all 6 lines.
Stan found my www.jaguarconvertibletopleaksouthcarolina.com website and the repairs were done approximately 1 week later at his home.
Stan, is another satisfied customer. I have references on hose replacements that would be happy to talk to anyone who is considering using my service. I am here to help.
- Jaguar Top Repair
North Augusta, SC
Thank you Marvin Johnson, Jaguartoprepair.com!
I finally have a convertible Jag! I bought my 1999 XK8 with the intentions of getting a cool car relatively cheap, but drivable then every once in a while fix something mechanical then fix something cosmetic. The last couple of years have been hit and miss with mechanics who understand this exotic car. One recent experience was a certain fail.
It was time to get the emissions test but the ABS and check engine lights were periodically coming on (she was running fine) so I dropped the Jag off at a shop who had replaced the engine. Well the person who originally worked on my car was on a long visit to England so I took a chance and allowed his support staff to handle the what I thought was a routine fix. Well one thing led to the next several months and almost $2000 later they still could not figure out the error messages.When I got my car back I noticed that there were a couple of deep scratches on the paint and other small issues but what concerned me the most was hydraulic fluid was under the passenger seat and trunk... The top was not on the list of things to have repaired. Absolutely frustrating there is more but I will leave it at that before I blow a gasket.
My most recent repair experience was the complete opposite. I have been shopping convertible top solutions for about a year and finally on a forum was pointed to Marvin Johnson. I phoned him months earlier and he answered all my questions but I was not ready to pull the top trigger there were other items on my auto list that needed attention first. He claimed he had better hoses, better prices and was well acquainted with my car so I took a chance and allowed him to handle it. Done!
He delivered exactly as promised he is knowledgeable about the hydraulic system in Jags, his price and quality of parts are very good, he is professional and friendly. I am enjoying my car now more than I could ever imagine... I finally have a convertible Jag!
Thank you Marvin! (844) 524-6261
Stephen
Atlanta, Ga
Here’s Steven!
I drove to Chapel Hill, NC from West Virginia to work on this 2003 Jaguar XKR that just got the Jaguar “Green Shower”. Nice drive and I got a chance to do some thinking winding through mountains.Turned out that not only did Steven’s XKR have the Green Shower but it also had a leak in the Latch Cylinder, another common problem on these cars.
I fixed the leaky hose Jaguar Part HJB8256AB and ordered a used Latch Cylinder from a supplier. The whole process took 3 days from start to finish while waiting for parts to be delivered. That’s the thing with this repair, you NEVER know what you are going to get once you start working on a car.
Most times you think you are just changing he hoses but there are times where you get a leaky latch cylinder or a leaky RAM cylinder. That’s why I always say….leave this job to the PROS.
- Jaguar Top Repair
Chapel Hill, NC
Meet George and Scott
George recently purchased this beautiful car from a dealer located here in the Atlanta area. After doing research and becoming knowledgeable on his new purchase, George became familiar with the “Green Shower and decided to do so a little preventative maintenance on his car to avoid the shower.
So I got a call from George and scheduled an appointment to replace all 6 hoses on his car. One of the things I enjoy doing is to give my potential customers a few names and phone numbers of existing customers so the “new” guys, can ask questions about me, the repair and expectations.
After calling and speaking with my customers, George and I had a good laugh when he asked me if I had give him “real customers” or the names and numbers of my high school drinking buddies. George learned fast that, my customers “Love Me”.
- Jaguar Top Repair
Tucker, Ga
Here’s Jayne!
Jane and her husband Andrew (not available) owned their new low mileage 2000 Jaguar XK8 only 3 short weeks before it got the Green shower. Chances are the top was already having problems before the purchase but that’s another story.
I drove a little over 1 hour to get to Jayne and Andrew. All in all after diagnosing the problem, it turns out that the car not only needed to have all 6 convertible top hoses replaced but both RAMS too! This is a rare occurrence but it does happen.
After 1 ½ days of work, I returned the car back to Jayne and Andrew. Hoses and Rams installed. All work completed and I now have another satisfied customer.
- Jaguar Top Repair
Clarksville, GA
Here’s JB!
I drove from Philadelphia to Elkton MD to meet JB. After ordering hoses from me last year, JB called me to complete the install on his 2001 Jaguar XK8 with the Green Shower.
JB had one of those garages that any mechanic would love to have for repairs. JB had already started the repair but asked me to stop by to install his RAMS and the connecting hoses to the RAMS.
After 4 hours, some good conversation and lots of good laughs, JB and I completed his repairs, put his car back together and I was on my way home. Another satisfied customer.
- Jaguar Top Repair
Elkton, MD
Here’s Randy!
I drove from Philadelphia to Boston MA about 7 hours to meet Randy at his home to fix his 2002 Jaguar XK8.
Randy had just started doing some restoration projects on his car before he decided to sell the vehicle to another local party. So the main interest here was to get the top working again so that Randy could sell the car.
No worries there. I started working on the car and realized that the car needed some additional parts. I have contacts for great used parts with extended warranties. So after ordering a RAM and a solenoid on the pump, the top worked great!
- Jaguar Top Repair
Boston, MA
Here’s Roxanne!
I flew to Philadelphia to meet Roxanne and fix her 1999 Jaguar XK8.
Roxanne purchased this car a short time ago and got the first Green Shower drips shortly after. The car sat garaged, idle for a few weeks before I got a chance to fly up to work on the car.
On this repair I only needed to replace the 2 long hoses from pump to latch Jaguar Part # HJB8256AB. It was a 1 day job that started at about 10:00am and concluded at about 4:30pm.
- Jaguar Top Repair
Philadelphia, PA
My 2000 XK8 did not have the typical "green shower" failure. The top began to work more slowly both up and down, and then completely quit before I could get it to latch. The local, highly reputable British car repair shop diagnosed leaking hoses near the pump, and a broken solenoid on the pump. They could not get just the solenoid, and would have to obtain the entire pump assembly, only available from Jaguar at a cost of $5200. The hoses also were only available from Jaguar. Total damage? $8,200. This was a death sentence for a 2000 XK8, as the repair was not financially feasible for a car that could almost be replaced for the amount of the repair. I did an on-line search for Jaguar convertible top repairs and found Marvin's site.
When talking to Marvin on the phone, he assured me that the repair shop was correct, in that they had no recourse other than Jaguar for their parts, and the labor quoted ($2000+) was within reason for the job. However, he assured me that he could come to my home in Maryland and fix everything for less than 1/3 of the repair shop's quoted total amount. He said that he had the solenoid that I needed which was unavailable to the repair shop, and that his hoses were better than the Jaguar OEM hoses. I alternated between very encouraged, and highly, HIGHLY, skeptical. I didn't know Marvin from Adam, but I took a chance and scheduled the repair.
Marvin showed up at my home, nearly 50 miles from the Baltimore airport, at 3PM on a Thursday, after a delayed flight from Atlanta, and a couple of hours of the airline misplacing his tool bag. We introduced ourselves and he got right to work, totally dismantling the entire interior of the Jaguar, verifying the diagnosis of the repair shop, and doing additional troubleshooting. We quit for the day at 6PM. The next day Marvin was back around 8AM, and the day was spent replacing all six of the hydraulic hoses, one of which we had to improvise, as a prior owner had repaired the system with a non-matching top cylinder; and replacing the solenoid that the repair shop had most likely damaged when they removed the pump for examination. By 4PM on Friday, the top was working as it should, the interior of the car was completely reinstalled, and Marvin was on his way.
Here is the bottom line. Marvin Johnson turned out to be the real deal. He was a pleasure to work with, a very engaging guy, and a totally honest professional. I would invite him back any time, although hopefully I won't need to, and I would recommend him to others without any hesitation. And the total cost for replacing all of my hoses with his heavy duty ones, replacing the broken solenoid, and making sure that all of the system is working as it should? $2600. I'm back enjoying my daily driver, top up and top down. Thank you Marvin.
- Luke,
Union Bridge, MD
CALL 844-255-3366 TODAY FOR DETAILS.
