I have decided that I want to move back to a 2010+ XKR convertible from my 2014 F-Type Base Convertible (18,500 miles). It has the VAP crank pulley, ECU tune, and transmission tune.

I can take it back to stock fairly easily and I am interested in opinions/experiences selling or buying a tuned Jag. My question is when selling a low mileage example with a solid maintenance history, does having the tune enhance value and/or desirability, hinder it, or is it a wash/person specific.

If I de-tune it I obviously lose the cost of the tunes BUT, depending on the XKR I buy, I may be able to re-use the crank pulley.

Thoughts/experiences?

Thanks in advance!

 

Historically, 'stock' (rather than modified) vehicles will command a better resale price. The theory is, a stock vehicle is a known quality. I know this is true with other
marques.


That said, isn't there an OBD value that indicates an ECU has been modified? Even if you return it to stock, the indicator would still be there, pointing a finger.

 

Yes, to be clear if I put it back to stock I would not hide the fact that it had been tuned and would include the tuning files for the new owner. Thanks for the input!

 

It's one of those things that depend on who is buying the car and what type of car we are talking about.
When you say base do you mean the V-6 engine?

If it's a V-6 most of those buyers have already decided NOT to chase power or they would be looking at the "R" models. Now as a Jaguar buff I would be very interested in a car that was already tuned but would be worried about how it was driven as mods usually mean this owner DROVE the car! Nothing wrong with that as long as maintenance was also done.

Now if you have the V-8 definitely sell it tuned!

Yes I can tell in SDD and on one of my aftermarket scanners that the ECM has been flashed and how many times. We have had people claim they can remove this but that's all been hand waving as far as I can tell because I would be more than happy to play around in SDD to find that option. In my SDD it's just a number and no way to change it. Unless you are selling to someone who is extremely knowledgeable on even where to look for that I think I would not worry about it. I mean maybe that was done by the dealer as a software update/upgrade? Who is too say? It just tells you the number of time the ECM has been flashed that's it no other info at all. No way to tell if it was an after market tune or a factory tune.

Another idea? Maybe remove the pulley and uninstall the tune and make it an optional bit of kit as the UK guys say that goes with the car?
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I'm one of those who appreciates a well modified vehicle. The Porsche world loves it! Why not the Jaguar world?

 

There certainly are a lot of folks who would hesitate to buy a tuned car because they're worried that whoever pushed the envelop on power might have also punished the car. We all know that's a real risk, but also not necessarily true. Since you're not hiding that history (and shouldn't)*, that crowd is already out of the picture. So, it now becomes a question of whether the car's value is higher/lower WITH the mod's installed than with them removed (factoring in whatever salvage you can get out of the pulled parts). I have to believe the car's value is higher as you have it. While the HP boost on a "S" isn't all that much, on a base model, it's quite notable. People who like power will appreciate the difference, and they're also the ones less likely to panic against a tuned car. If anything, removing the upgrades might raise questions about why you did it, like, was there a problem with the mods. In the Porsche world, there a whole phenomenon about "chasing stock" where people are fighting to recover from a bad mod.

If a prospect raises a question, you can always offer to remove the mods at their request, but I'm certain your buyer won't be interested in going backwards.

*As a side note, the comments that you can always determine if a car was previously flashed is absolutely correct. If your buyer ends up having any kind of engine problem (whether caused by the tune or not), you wouldn't want to be in the position of trying to defend yourself on the liability if you had not undisclosed the work.

 

Thanks for the input! You raise a valid point about potential buyers wondering why I would have gone backwards on the tune.

 

Thanks for the comments!

 

I spent almost $8k to install a VF Supercharger on my 2008 BMW M Roadster. I drove the car like a baby - never tracked. I left it installed; thinking it would help some with resale price.. certainly wouldn't hurt it.. but I was way wrong. I sold for $22.5k.. I think, without supercharger, I would have received $25-26k.

I get it.. any mods from stock are big red flags for buyers. No way of knowing how car was driven or cared for. It adds "risk" for the buyer.

This is why most people remove things like superchargers and other add-ons before selling.

 

In the UK, a tuned car is a bit problematic for insurance reasons. You have to declare it or your insurance is voided in the event of a claim. If you declare it, insurers can choose what premium load to give you. Most UK buyers would therefore prefer stock. Not sure what the rules are in the US

 

Thanks for your comments; they were definitely helpful in making my decision.

I think I am going to take it back to stock and offer the pulley and tuning files as part of the sale.

 

It doesn't even have to be tuned - when I bought a used 2004 XKR many moons ago it had OEM 20" wheels (Montreals, IIRC) but TOPIx said it came out of the factory on 19" wheels. When I mentioned this to one insurer they wanted to load an extra grand on the premium! And they were factory options at the time! I managed to find an insurer who were a bit more sensible, fortunately.

 

This is one example but definitely not a universal truth. There are certain mods that are not seen as valuable or attractive and others that are common/reliable and may not command lots of xtra dollars, but won’t hurt. It also depends on the car and model - a modified or customized model that isn’t in demand will likely fetch less than a stock version.

 

Benfbrown,
I have a 2010 XKR on which I have had a tune, pulley, and X-pipe installed for the last 130,000 miles. My car has about 200,000 miles on it, and I've had no engine issues to speak of except for bad fuel injectors on two occasions. So, were I to be in the market for a car like yours or any other car, and the tune was included, I would see that as a benefit. But I've had a very good experience, so I don't have the nervousness that others might have. I would also want to know who's tune it is, how reputable the tuner is, and if they are a well recognized Jaguar tuner. I think you have the ability to make this a positive part of your sale if this information is provided.

 

Tuning doesn’t necessarily mean someone drove it like they stole it and or wished they had a V6 instead of the V8 ( sorry if that ruffles collective feathers). Given that Jaguar sold the 400 model based on the same V6 internals meant they were confident in their engineering so a VAP remap to the same degree shouldn’t lose too much sleep once warranty is gone anyway.

Personally the more dynamic response versus actual horsepower or torque was my reason. I don’t track it, never will and I don’t shred the tires doing launches or burnouts. I’d be looking at the seller and how they cared for the vehicle. But some buyers see all mods as ricers. I’d be more suspicious of third party SVR badges 😂

 

Minor nit, especially since it is not an issue with OP and a 2014, but some of us were limited to the V6S precisely because we wanted three pedals. Jaguar, in their infinite wisdom, decided that we had to choose between an eight-cylinder engine or three pedals, but we weren't getting both. So don't presume that those looking at a six are not interested in performance...