2016 Ftype R owner here. Started seeing black spots (black liquid mildew?) accumulating on my parking spot right in between rear wheels. Got check engine light (constant not blinking). OBDII shows one fault code P0430 catalyst system efficiency below threshold bank 2.

Seems from previous posts this may be either due to injectors, O2 sensor or cats.. but the car runs fine and no rough idle at start. The CEL light would disappear for awhile but it would come back and stay on for prolonged time (at the moment it is). What concerns me the most is the black wet stain that has been staining the parking spot.. not sure if that is separate differentials leak issue or related to cats/o2 sensor. Can someone advise on what the issue may be?

If it's dying cat, I'm thinking I might as well upgrade to VAP tune + cats! I attached the photo of the parking spot for reference.

 

Rear differential leak. Fairly common problem.

 

Agree. Get it looked at quickly to avoid damage.

 

That is not rear diff fluid, just condensation/carbon soot leaking from the joint between the mid-pipe and the rear muffler section.

 

The CEL is most likely an oxygen sensor that has gone bad. They are covered under a semi-secret JLR warranty. Have your dealership diagnose the CEL and if it is a faulty O2 sensor, they should replace it for free.
You need to sample the black spots. Stick your finger in them and see if it's sooty (carbon deposits and condensate from the exhaust) which is 100% expected or oily and super stinky (different fluid) which is 99% likely.
It looks like exhaust residue to me because the pattern is as wide as the two exhaust pipe joints. A diff fluid leak should be more centrally located. Either way you should have the diff pinion seal inspected.

 

Agree with mikelr. I had a couple spots which looked similar. Condensation drips out where the exhaust pipes couple together. There might even be a very small slot manufactured to allow for condensation to escape.

 

Also agree, this is from the muffler. The tailpipes are slanted, and there is a drain where it meets the muffler that allows these large carbon drops to form.

Now, the other drops that are several inches more to the center, Id wonder about those.

 

Yes, it looks like normal exhaust condensation staining (a long, fast highway run might be in order).

With regard to the 02 sensor, there is nothing “semi-secret” about it. If you are registered with Jaguar as the owner, you will have received a letter from them stating the sensor warranty extension (I received that letter about a year or so ago). In Canada they are warranted for 15 years, not sure about the length of warranty in the US.

But if the car has been purchased as a used vehicle and the new owner has not sent in the change-of-ownership card, well…in that case Jaguar has nowhere to send the warranty information except to the original owner. That situation notwithstanding, every Jaguar dealer in North America should know all about this warranty extension.

 

Update : Went to the dealer told them about the error code and possibility for O2 sensor. They came back after diagnostics and tells me bad catalytic converter. Good news is it's covered under warranty. O2 sensors are still good apparently.

 

Holy smokes, how many miles on the car?

 

It's got 65k miles on the odometer.

 

Update on after getting new cats from local jaguar dealer. The sound has changed in a very strange way.

There is a deep rumble and droning sound from low rpm. Pops an bangs still there but they aren't as pronounced. For example, when you decelerate hard on D, normally I would get downshift bang and burbled but those are at about 20% of what it was. On upshifts, that burp sound which I enjoyed so much is hardly noticeable. When toggling the exhaust switch (with dynamic on) theres a slight change but not as drastic as it used to be. When giving it a slight rpm (1000rpm) in garage I hear some fluttering sound.. it does not sound good. On cold start, it definitely does not have the typical OEM Ftype R sound that I used to have. There should be an angry cat like high pitched growl followed by modest bubbles and pops. I uploaded video for you to see. You can also hear that fluttering sound as well. Also notice the drone as I drive at low RPM. (link below)

Dealer Says they did not update any software, only changed the cats. The new cat parts they replaced with are T2R17112 & T2R17116.

I do plan to bring it in to the dealer next week but trust the forum more at this point after what happened from the dealer. I heard that there were new modifications made to cats fitted from 2017 onwards.. mine is a 2016. If they really didn't mess with the s/w, I am curious whether they fitted the wrong type of cat.. or could there be any other reason? Your expert opinions would be highly appreciated.

Video link :

 

Maybe you've become so used to it being "broken" that it seems strange now that it's fixed. Do you know anyone who has the same model Jag, and get a ride to compare sounds?

 

I also wanted to believe this be the case, but I drove around just now again, but it doesn't sound like Ftypes at all.it sounds like deep droning cheap muffler. I've probably watched all ftype videos on YouTube past 3 years to know what a stock ftype should sound like. Apologies if video doesn't capture the sound too well.

I know O2 sensors have extended warranty but do cats also fall under same extended warranty? I believe I'm out of warranty but interesting dealer said it was covered under warranty..

 

Many of us who bought our cars new have noted that the exhaust gradually got louder over the first 1000 miles - maybe it will get better.

 

Yes the cats are part of the emission system which by law has a separate time/mileage warranty. I have seen 8 years and 80K miles but don't know if that's correct or not?
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You may want to inspect the cat, possible a cheap aftermarket part was substituted.

 

Very unlikely. Jaguar dealers are obliged to use authorized JLR parts (although there might be some exceptions).