Hi everyone,

I'm in the US and have had the F-Type R on my bucket list for many years now. I've scratched the itch by renting one for a weekend every couple of years, but now that F-Types are no longer in production and Jaguar seemingly has limited interest in continuing to produce soulful vehicles, I believe I'm approaching "now or never" time.

After extensive research, I'm under the impression that MY 17 or 18 of the F-Type R (or SVR) are the best options. Though I can get a MY 15 for relatively cheap, from reading the forums it seems the 15s have more issues than MYs 16-18. I'm trying to avoid MY 19+ as the original exhaust note is what made me fall in love with this car, so I'd rather not have to pay to try to modify a "neutered" version back to original.

So, a few questions for my fellow F-Type lovers:

- For those of you that have experienced both pre- and post-GPF F-Types, is the difference actually that considerable? Or is this an overreaction? Looking for US-specific experience here as I assume the emissions requirements are somewhat lighter still than the UK/EU. However do correct me if they are equal.
- What are your thoughts on purchasing a nearly 10 year old supercharged F-Type? Of course I realize the maintenance realities that come with owning a Jag, but is going for an older MY silly just to avoid the GPF/software neutering? For those of you with a pre-MY19 F-Type R, how has your experience been, particularly in recent years?
- Is there a certain mileage you wouldn't go above when purchasing today? I've been searching for < 40k miles. Is that too high still?
- What specific maintenance/service items would you look out for when inspecting an F-Type before purchase? Anything besides rusty steel underneath and the diff?
- Should I make this arguably poor financial decision for the emotional highs I'm sure to get each time I start her up? (say yes, please!)

Thanks in advance and I hope to be able to speak in the forums as a fellow owner soon!

Cheers,
Scott

 

My '16 is 9 years old now and I drive her like I stole it, everywhere. Well worth the smiles.

No opinion on new vs 'old: in terms of noise.

Get ready for a whole wack of potential preventative maintenance depending on age and mileage. You'll want some detailed maintenance records and a pre inspection before stopping money, imo. Things to look for is if the current or previous owner addressed the coolant lines situation.

 

Most of what you read is hyperbole. The later pre-facelift cars have updated coolant pipes but they are still plastic and they still break. Only the very late post facelift cars have the aluminum pipes (a good upgrade for any of the years). Mostly the cars are exactly the same - my 2015R has been rock solid and a real hoot. It's all about how the car has been driven and maintained - look for cars with service records and get to know as much as you can about the car's history.

 

I have a 2017 SVR. Outstanding drive, v reliable. Also been in a 2019 and mine is much louder...

40k miles is nothing. I ran my 2010 XF SC (same supercharged engine) to 100k without issues. We also had a V8 Land Rover to over 100k miles without issues aside from the cooling pipes mentioned above

I would focus much more on whether a caring owner has maintained the car - nothing too intensive but annual maintenance, oil changes, addressed issues as they arise

Lots you can do if you have diy skills yourself - else a good Indy mechanic is worth having.

PS - R is great. But SVR is amazing!

 

My two bobs' worth, if I was going for one that isnt under warranty, I would pick the 16 - 17 model year mainly because :

1. the infotainment changed (IMHO for the better) during the 16 model year (although I dont think they have done map updates for the unit that came out in '16, at least in Australia);
2. you could still get the RWD versions in those years if your preference is to hit a wall **** first rather than face first;
3. I prefer the vertical grill blades to the horizontal which I think came in with the AWD in 2018;
4. the recent thread on LED issues for the '18 and plus models was concerning (particularly given I was waiting on delivery of my F Pace that has them, lol).

That said, any of them are going to be fantastic.

 

lol - I have read a lot of descriptions on RWD vs. AWD, this is my favorite

 

I purchased a 2016 base model convertible in December last year and below is a list of potential faults that I found on a website during my research. So far my experience has been extremely positive I love driving the car and now that we have summer coming upon Us in the Pacific Northwest I can take the top down and really enjoy driving this beast!
https://www.kmotors.co.uk/common-faults/jaguar-f-type/

The 2016 Jaguar F-Type R has several common issues that potential owners should be aware of:

1. Battery problems: The car's electronics can drain the battery quickly, especially when parked for extended periods.
2. Cooling system issues: There's a plastic Y-pipe in the cooling system that can become brittle and break, potentially requiring a complete replacement of the cooling system5.
3. Supercharger failures: The supercharger may start leaking oil, necessitating a costly replacement as it cannot be rebuilt
4. Differential problems: The rear differential can suffer from oil leaks, which if left untreated, can cause wear to the diff pinion. Additionally, spirited driving for extended periods may overheat the differential.
5. Center air vent malfunctions: The mechanism for the dashboard air vents can fail, causing them to get stuck either up or down
6. Convertible top switch failures: The switch controlling the convertible top may malfunction, requiring replacement
7. Body panel fitment and creaking: Some F-Types experience issues with body panel alignment and creaking noises
8. Button degradation: Earlier models (2014-2016) had issues with buttons becoming sticky due to a soft-touch coating degrading over time.
9. Water ingress: Earlier models with differently positioned bonnet vents could experience water entering the engine bay.
10. Supercharger coupling wear: At higher mileages, the supercharger coupling can wear, creating a rattling noise often mistaken for engine knoc.

While these issues are reported, it's important to note that not all F-Type Rs will experience these problems, and many owners report satisfaction with their vehicles

 

Good list! If I may, I'd like to add some context based on what I understand:

1. Battery problems: The car's electronics can drain the battery quickly, especially when parked for extended periods - from what I've seen, this is usually A) batteries getting old B) cars not getting driven enough or C) someone connected to OBD2 with a connector that doesn't properly disconnect from the car's computers (i.e. ebay OBD2 adapter + torque, or maybe a shop running diagnostics with aftermarket equipment).
2. Cooling system issues: There's a plastic Y-pipe in the cooling system that can become brittle and break, potentially requiring a complete replacement of the cooling system5. - Yep the cooling system, Y-pipe gets a lot of the press because it can fail pretty catastrophically and drain your coolant pretty quickly. Should be addressed as preventive maintenance - as well as a few other things, like the rear cross pipe, the inlet to the water pump (or the pump itself can sometimes leak), and the thermostat & housing. Not terribly uncommon across many makes - BMW, Merc, Porsche all use plastic parts for cooling systems, and they crack and leak. The Y-pipe is particularly a pain as it's under the supercharger, but otherwise par for the course for any makes. Important though as these motors do NOT suffer overheating well at all.
3. Supercharger failures: The supercharger may start leaking oil, necessitating a costly replacement as it cannot be rebuilt - haven't heard too many of these, but folks tend to inspect and change the oil in them when they pull the supercharger for the cooling system maintenance.
4. Differential problems: The rear differential can suffer from oil leaks, which if left untreated, can cause wear to the diff pinion. Additionally, spirited driving for extended periods may overheat the differential. - yep, depending on how the car is driven, these can take a lot of abuse. Should probably check and refresh the diff oil every 30k miles. A big one to check when buying because a new diff on these cars can be $$$
5. Center air vent malfunctions: The mechanism for the dashboard air vents can fail, causing them to get stuck either up or down - yep, and I think this happens for most of the model years, but maybe they improved it in later models? Not sure - also just an age/heat thing.
6. Convertible top switch failures: The switch controlling the convertible top may malfunction, requiring replacement - I have a coupe so don't know about this one.
7. Body panel fitment and creaking: Some F-Types experience issues with body panel alignment and creaking noises - hood alignment can be off, especially if it's been removed or if there's been body work. It's a huge aluminum clamshell and needs some TLC to get positioned right. There's a bunch of adjustments for the hood as well as the panels that mate with the hood. Nothing terrible, just can be tedious and should be ok if the hood and body panels haven't been removed.
8. Button degradation: Earlier models (2014-2016) had issues with buttons becoming sticky due to a soft-touch coating degrading over time. - yep, there are some fixes, my buttons have held up pretty well except for my starter button. I just purchased an aluminum starter button cover off ebay for $10 and it looks/feels great! No pulsing button anymore but I always thought that was cheesy
9. Water ingress: Earlier models with differently positioned bonnet vents could experience water entering the engine bay. - yep, more of an issue on early cars without the black-pack front hood vents, but still an issue even then. Can address a few things again once you have the SC off to do the cooling system work, and then you can craft some additional 'covers' to add additional protection against water coming it. My car is in a garage when it rains so I don't worry about it too much.
10. Supercharger coupling wear: At higher mileages, the supercharger coupling can wear, creating a rattling noise often mistaken for engine knoc. - yep, these do fail, another thing to address when you have the SC off - lots of folks go with solid couplers, just have to make sure you get the quality ones and not cheap knock offs. I think all years eventually have this problem.

Excellent list for someone inspecting a car to buy. Other big things that happen with these cars - folks who don't know better abide by the Jaguar specified oil change intervals (10k miles). Way way too long, especially for these motors. Should be no more than half that. Unfortunately it's hard to get a sense of what actually has happened to a car, so it's always important to have service records and get to know the previous owners if possible.

 

Well, now that this list of possible failures has discouraged anyone from buying an F-Type, is it too late to say that some or many or most of these beautiful cars experience very few or close to none of these potential problems?

The one thing mentioned which is a sooner-or-later issue is the plastic coolant pipe problem. This is NOT a “Jaguar thing” in that most modern cars use plastic pipes which eventually can fail. The solution here is proactive replacement and a “while we are in here” approach, replacing the water pump and possibly the supercharger damper if it exhibits any noise.

 

[QUOTE=bfrank1972;2842481]Good list! If I may, I'd like to add some context based on what I understand:

1. Battery problems: The car's electronics can drain the battery quickly, especially when parked for extended periods - I also own a 2016, my original battery was replaced by Jag the 5th service year (2020). I now occasionally get the low battery warning, I simply hook up my trickle charger and it's good for a few weeks (if not driven much).
2. Cooling system issues: There's a plastic Y-pipe in the cooling system that can become brittle and break, potentially requiring a complete replacement of the cooling system5. - Assume you need to change them - I did mine preventively. Oh, what a shame, the SC had to be removed to enable that so, darn, the pulley was swapped for a smaller one at that time to complement my crank pulley and tune!
3. Supercharger failures: The supercharger may start leaking oil, necessitating a costly replacement as it cannot be rebuilt - no issues. I'm at 29K miles.
4. Differential problems: The rear differential can suffer from oil leaks, which if left untreated, can cause wear to the diff pinion. Additionally, spirited driving for extended periods may overheat the differential. -no issues. I'm at 29K miles.
5. Center air vent malfunctions: The mechanism for the dashboard air vents can fail, causing them to get stuck either up or down -no issues. I'm at 29K miles.
6. Convertible top switch failures: The switch controlling the convertible top may malfunction, requiring replacement - I have a coupe so don't know about this one.
7. Body panel fitment and creaking: Some F-Types experience issues with body panel alignment and creaking noises - no issues. I'm at 29K miles.
8. Water ingress: Earlier models with differently positioned bonnet vents could experience water entering the engine bay. - My car is in a garage when it rains, but no issues. I'm at 29K miles.
9. Supercharger coupling wear: At higher mileages, the supercharger coupling can wear, creating a rattling noise often mistaken for engine knoc. - no issues. I'm at 29K miles.
10. ASSUME you may need to change your suspension strut bushings. Mine were crumbling at 26K miles.
11. ASSUME you may have a headliner issue - Mine was replaced under warranty then failed again - my local shop reglued it with quality glue (unlike the factory).

In lieu of an SVR, you can swap pulleys, put in a tune, and change the plastic pipes while you're there. Velocity AP is outstanding on this. Purportedly the 550/500 (HP/Torque) becomes closer to 650/600. I conservatively tell people 630/600. I've not dyno'd mine since the mod, but it is a beast. At our local race track my end of strait mph when from 142 to 147. That's huge. I haven't gone extended miles for oil changes on this car. I took the opportunity to change the oil when the plastic pipes were done (it had been ~7000 miles in 3 1/2 years since the last warranty service).., but I have alot of experience on other cars going extended drains with oil analysis, etc. The oil I chose has 950 ppm Zinc and 880 Phosphorous, I'm good going 10K on this oil, likely won't go longer since I don't drive alot of miles each year. I may add some additional ZDDP additive at 5K just to bump it up to 1300 or so.

 

Doesn’t look like you are interested in the newest gen car but…I will say that even the 2024s with the filter sound pretty darn good, especially with fuse pulled that will keep the exhaust open all the time at all revs…

You still get a few random pops and burbles too, but nothing like the craziness of the older cars. Depending on what you are looking, that might be a good thing. For me, I prefer less of that…Bit too obnoxious for me. I think those SVRs are pretty awesome but I could not imagine riding around and having to listen to that all the time…lol

All this said, it’s all relative. I have never directly driven one of the older cars…Perhaps they are way louder and that is what you want…I’d rather have newest car possible with all the gremlins worked out myself and still have it sounding quite good, but to each their own.

Any F-type is a good thing to have in one’s life ;-0

 

Are you saying that some new F-types actually shipped with metal pipes from the factory? I hadn’t heard that.

 

I believe so yes - someone a while back posted about a 2025 model with the factory alloy pipes. And they're also in the newer LRs.

 

So I guess no F-types then given there was no model year 2025,

 

Lol touche, I went back to dig up what I was remembering - it was a 2025 F-Pace, not F-Type, sorry.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...2025-a-280979/

 

Ah, okay, that makes sense.

 

Appreciate all of the replies everyone - still getting used to this forum and didn't have my notification settings done correctly. From my research and in reading everyone's kind replies here, I've concluded:

1. Reliable cars can be unreliable, and unreliable cars can be reliable. Seems for a Jag, the F-Type is pretty reliable for a lot of people. I'll focus on doing my best to suss out whether or not prior owners took care of the car and make sure to get a pre-purchase inspection.
2. MYs 15-19 R or the SVR are best for what I'm looking for. TBD on vert vs. coupe - I'm torn. I think the coupe looks sexier but the vert has the obvious advantage of allowing you to get much more intimate with the exhaust note.
3. If I buy a full on oil extractor setup now, my wife will have to accept that it only makes sense to purchase an F-Type in order to use the equipment. Might as well try that angle, no?

 

i can assure you, you probably don't want to get more intimate with a 15-19R. It's already obnoxiously (in a great way) loud as a coupe.

 

Best man logic I have seen in some time!

 

I did not find it particularly difficult to overcome the deficiencies of exhaust sound between model years and body styles for just a few $.
Step 1: Remove active exhaust fuse
Step 2: Check the simulate active warzone exhaust option on the VAP tune checklist.