Hello and thanks for taking the time to read! I've been trolling this forum for a while, and I'd like to ask for some advice on how to proceed.

Here's the stage:
I (Very) recently got my paws on a 2017 F-Type SVR Coupe 🥰 . I got this (1 Owner, clean carfax and 14k miles, from a Porsche dealership. Previous owner seems to have taken good care of it - who allegedly traded it in for a 911 - which is why I purchased it. It's still under the '60 day dealership warranty') [whatever the fine-print on that means ... 🍻].
This is my first Jaguar. I'm used to BMW, WV & Other German manufacturers that well, drip all kinds of stuff 🤣, but usually after 80-100k miles...

A 'checkup service' with my local Jag dealership is scheduled for next week. I am by no means a 'car guy' - I just like to drive. It's my full intention to take good care of this car. Unfortunately for =reasons= I didn't have the chance to do a PPI like I'd have normally done - I decided to trust my gut feeling and the promises of the Porsche dealership that the car is in good condition. *the purchase experience there was also a story for another time... But I really wanted this car.

This car spent most of its life in California, but the last couple of years up in Minneapolis. I only had a brief chance to look under the car and I only saw tiny bits of rust on the steel support strut, much less than expected, the rest of the car looked clean. (I used to live in Europe, so I learned the hard way what northern winter will do to car manufacturers that don't respect the weather... or chemistry for that matter &#129315.

After a great (intentionally long) drive back home from the dealership ( about 900 miles ). I did a quick undercarriage wash to get rid of the salt before putting it in the garage. I wasn't planning on moving it much before taking it to the dealership for an inspection and fluid change, etc. And I was planning on replacing those struts before they have a chance to rust.
I had to move the car yesterday to move some stuff around the garage (don't judge!) - when I noticed 2x spots where some sort of fluid had dripped (see pics). I had parked the car (arrow facing) - and by the positioning, and slight red sheen on it, my uneducated *** would have said that that looked like transmission fluid.

The questions:
( After having done some mildly obsessive homework about all sorts of mechanic stuffs about this car that I still don't understand and probably never will...). This is supposedly a 'forever sealed' transmission, yet many places heavily recommend flushing the transmission after ~40-50k miles or 10y depending on use).
- How concerned should I be? 🤔
- Should I have someone flush the transmission? (I was planning/calculated with ~1-2k cost to the Jag dealership (and/rmy regular trusty mechanic) for pricing on flushing the transmission and probably all the other fluids?)

Thank you!

 

The black spots are almost certainly exhaust condensation drips, very normal and well known, there are small holes in the exhaust pipes to allow built up condensation to drip out leaving black sooty spots. Nothing at all to worry about.
Not sure what the reddish spot is but my WAG is that it is not transmission fluid but coolant, the OEM/normal/usual F-Type coolant is pink/red/orange in colour.
Maybe a touch/feel test would help, i.e. does it feel oily or just watery?
I don't think I have ever read or heard of a transmission fluid leak on an F-Type but coolant leaks are quite common.
If it is coolant it could be coming from a number of places and you would need a thorough examination and some tests to figure out the culprit.
First step would be to remove the undertrays and do a visual inspection, second step would be a close inspection of the engine compartment, next step would be a coolant system pressure test.

 

I can't speak to the leak under the middle of the car but the red fluid toward the rear of the car is the rear differential leaking (probably the front seal). It's a common issue.

 

I agree with all of the above. Car needs to be lifted and inspected by a good JLR independent or JLR dealership. I’d be very surprised if it’s a tranny issue but no telling what the PO and/or the Porsche tech’s have done. For sure the tranny should not need anything based on miles and “someone” may have decided to do a tranny service and not done it well. I have been told the OE fluid is special mineral oil and VERY expensive, if the JLR dealership does the service.

The red spot could well be coolant. Check the coolant level in the reservoir. JLR used Orange and then Pink Dex Cool. DO NOT add any left over BMW blue you may have left over! Several likely leak suspects that are not based on miles. I’d be willing to bet the WP and/or the little plastic elbow going into the WP from the thermostat bypass hose. A JLR guy will figure it out. If the coolant is low, add some Pink. DO NOT allow the coolant to run low. An overheat is catastrophic with this motor. The dash will not warn you. This little leak IS your warning.

If the car was pointed the other way, it could be differential oil but I don’t think that fluid is red. You absolutely should have the pinion seal inspected. A well known problem.

 

The tranny is made by ZF and ZF itself say that oilchange should be done around 60t miles, no matter what car manufacturer say. (no need of flush)
Youtube is full is instruction videos for ZF 8HP DIY oilchange. Oil (Lifeguard 8) or ZF 8HP service kits including all needed is well available almost anywhere with surprisingly low price.
If you don´t want to do it yourself, almost any garage can or know the process, since its one of most used transmission used by wide range of manufacturers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_8HP_transmission

 

Good morning and thank you for your feedback!

The exhaust drippings makes so much sense, didn't even think about it! Both spots had VERY similar consistencies, both definitely more on the watery side, the 'red tinted' spot felt mildly more oily but not by much. I've 'felt' transmission fluids before (like from some CVTs) that felt close to this, but on the other hand I've also 'felt' transmission fluids that were more akin to steam-age grease XD. So I didn't know what to expect coming out of a Jag

 

Thank you! This was very helpful, do you happen to know a 'range' of $ what this should run me? and after reading this taking into consideration that the car is almost 9y old, do you think should I do this preemptively before hitting the 60k miles?

 

Thank you for all the good info, I'll make sure to instruct the JLR Mechanic to this posts (assuming he'd be willing to take a look.)

 

First, good luck with the purchase and enjoy! The dealer should be more than willing to inspect everything, as anything they find can generate work. Ask the dealer how much they'd charge to do the same inspection they'd do before they can sell a vehicle as CPO ("Certified Pre-Owned"). I had my own dealer do that after some bodywork and I think it was 1.5 hours of labor.

Assuming the SVR uses the same eDiff as the R, the differential oil is going to most likely be black from friction material of the LSD clutch plates. I have the mechanical LSD, but did have the pinion seal come up leaky when the car was just a few years old. I'm pretty sure my coolant was more yellow that that spot, but perhaps there's variation between suppliers. Transmission fluid? I dunno. I've got a caveman-style gearbox.

 

Just to chime in here, this tranny is arguably the best and most solid auto tranny in the world and a leak is extremely unlikely.

Considering the age I would start thinking about a tranny oil change but on the other hand the mileage is very low so there shouldn't be any hurry. There are obviously pros and cons of flushing transmissions vs just changing the oil without flushing, but ZF clearly say that these boxes should not be flushed unless there's some very good reason for it. I have no idea about the US rates but over here in continental Europe a ZF8 oil change costs around 650€ at a JLR dealer or authorized ZF shop.

 

As a side note.. If you are trying to determine if it is Diff fluid, smell it. Diff fluid smells bad when it is first put in the car, however it smells even worse when it has been in the car any amount of time. It smells more like a fishy oil... The other give away for it is that Diff fluid is not usually red in color. I hope y'all don't think I am crazy but this is what I have found over the years.

Good luck and I hope you answer your questions, because these cars are alot of fun to drive..

 

Take heart! While it is certainly possible to get a bad F Type, it is far less likely than rolling the dice on a 911. We all think you made a good choice.

I have 96,000 miles on my F Type R. It’s needed the pinion seal and a couple O2 sensors. That’s it.

 

Nice! Good to hear about a car with that kind of mileage and still running with the original old Y pipe, other coolant lines, water pump and thermostat.

 

Well, OK, it didn't NEED them (as in stuff failed) but it got all of those things anyway at 95,000 miles including the new OE JLR metal Y pipe assembly, symposer delete, brake boost vacuum pump, belts, tensioners, etc. All service stuff as far as I'm concerned. Good thing, the business end of the OE split version of the Y pipe was very unhappy. Pad slapped it at 55,000 miles. Porterfield's still have plenty of life on them. And yeah, rear tires every 10,000 miles. But still.

 

Congratulation on the best year F-Type! 2017 is the most produced and, in my opinion, the most raw. I personally prefer the '17's headlights and interior to the other years. Yours also looks loke it has all options, not that there were many. in 2017, the SVR came standard with pretty much the whole parts catalogue. The Carbon Ceramic Brakes that you have were a $14,000 option which includes the different forged wheels to clear the brakes. Yours has the Maelstroms. I can't tell if you have the carbon fiber exterior package, too.

I'm not surprized there is so little rust. The people who owned it in Minnesota probably never drove it in the winter. The drops in the back are most likely form the exhaust, as others have said.

The one thing I'd look for is the plastic water lines, which are prone to give out. The smart money is to replace them with aluminum, but it is a pricy switch as to get to all of them, the supercharger has to come off. If it still has the factory P-Zeros, I'd recommend getting literally any other tire. My car was scary with the P-Zeros and changing the tires transformed the car completely. I switched mine out at 2400 miles and wish I had sooner.

Mine has needed very little. I added an Android Auto unit and that's about it, aside from the anual oil change. I'm at 29k miles now.

 

Hello again! And sorry for the delay in responding - turns out, the other day mid-flurry of responses, I somehow managed to get myself temporarily banned - quick posts? 🤷🏽‍♂️

Thank you all for your suggestions. I scheduled a full service and inspection with my local JLR dealer and they'll take a look and replace all fluids (if necessary), just waiting for all the snow and salt to go away before I drive it there

In the meantime... Updates! ...
- I left the car in the garage for 2 days. No new spots.
- I took a (gentle) ride, parked it back in the garage, next day: no new spots.
- I decided to let it idle in the garage ... after 10 minutes... SPOTS!

However... this time it was just clear water. Both puddles in the exact same places as the original ones, this time however, water.
It made total sense what some of you pointed out about the exhaust pipes! - I was still confused about the one in the middle of the car. I took a look underneath, and I couldn't find anything weird. In fact, it looks suprisingly clean and rust free below. I saw a couple of struts that are starting to collect some rust, so I was thinking about having those powder coated, or I saw a set of reinforcement struts that these guys make > Wraptor Designs > Struts I was wondering if anyone had experience with them.

It's been about a week now, and I haven't found any new 'dirty/oily' spots. So maybe this was really just a false alarm 🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽. I'll post back once the inspection is complete.
In the meantime, thank you all for your comments and support!

 

Hey thanks for your post! - It's got some of the carbon fiber parts, but it's missing the hood louvers and the mirrors (I've been looking for places to try to get those parts!).

I personally do not like the P-Zeros, not one bit... besides, it looked like this car still had the original set of tires mounted!. So I had the dealer get rid of those and put a set of Michelin PS 4S 👍🏽. And I couldn't agree with you more.... Tires can make such a tremendous difference, to the point that they can make or 'break' a vehicle. I learned that lesson on motorcycles - On a street bike the difference in tires/compounds become is much more noticeable. Ever since I've defaulted to spending a bit extra to get good rubbers. Conti tires are a close 2nd.

As far as those water lines you mentioned... Do you have some more details - as far as when that should be done? And potentially a $ estimate? I may want to have that done all at once.

Thank you!

 

Hey thanks for your post! - It's got some of the carbon fiber parts, but it's missing the hood louvers and the mirrors (I've been looking for places to try to get those parts!).

I personally do not like the P-Zeros, not one bit... besides, it looked like this car still had the original set of tires mounted!. So I had the dealer get rid of those and put a set of Michelin PS 4S 👍🏽. And I couldn't agree with you more.... Tires can make such a tremendous difference, to the point that they can make or 'break' a vehicle. I learned that lesson on motorcycles - On a street bike the difference in tires/compounds become is much more noticeable. Ever since I've defaulted to spending a bit extra to get good rubbers. Conti tires are a close 2nd.

- As far as those water lines you mentioned... Do you have some more details - as far as when that should be done? And potentially a $ estimate? I may want to have that done all at once.
- On the android auto thing... I believe this supposedly has some sort of (Wired) Android auto? I tried once, didn't work, haven't messed with it any more. Are you talking about a 3rd party thing?

Thank you!

 

Hey thanks for your post! - It's got some of the carbon fiber parts, but it's missing the hood louvers and the mirrors (I've been looking for places to try to get those parts!).

I personally do not like the P-Zeros, not one bit... besides, it looked like this car still had the original set of tires mounted!. So I had the dealer get rid of those and put a set of Michelin PS 4S 👍🏽. And I couldn't agree with you more.... Tires can make such a tremendous difference, to the point that they can make or 'break' a vehicle. I learned that lesson on motorcycles - On a street bike the difference in tires/compounds become is much more noticeable. Ever since I've defaulted to spending a bit extra to get good rubbers. Conti tires are a close 2nd.

- As far as those water lines you mentioned... Do you have some more details - as far as when that should be done? And potentially a $ estimate? I may want to have that done all at once.
- On the android auto thing... I believe this supposedly has some sort of (Wired) Android auto? I tried once, didn't work, haven't messed with it any more. Are you talking about a 3rd party thing?

Thank you!

 

Hey thanks for your post! - It's got some of the carbon fiber parts, but it's missing the hood louvers and the mirrors (I've been looking for places to try to get those parts!).

I personally do not like the P-Zeros, not one bit... besides, it looked like this car still had the original set of tires mounted!. So I had the dealer get rid of those and put a set of Michelin PS 4S 👍🏽. And I couldn't agree with you more.... Tires can make such a tremendous difference, to the point that they can make or 'break' a vehicle. I learned that lesson on motorcycles - On a street bike the difference in tires/compounds become is much more noticeable. Ever since I've defaulted to spending a bit extra to get good rubbers. Conti tires are a close 2nd.

- As far as those water lines you mentioned... Do you have some more details - as far as when that should be done? And potentially a $ estimate? I may want to have that done all at once.
- On the android auto thing... I believe this supposedly has some sort of (Wired) Android auto? I tried once, didn't work, haven't messed with it any more. Are you talking about a 3rd party thing?

Thank you!