Hi! James Degenhart, proud owner of a ‘03 S-Type 3.0L 5-speed manual (Yeah!) with approx. 95K miles. The message center is out so I went off of the service records for the estimated mileage.

Got the cat two years ago for $3K and LOVE it. The 5-speed is a blast and for a 3.0L, I was shocked by both the performance and gas mileage. The car is champagne with tan interior and in great shape. Some ink stains on the seats, got most of it out with alcohol and dabbing with swabs. Still working on that. Carpet is dirty too.

I got it from the previous first owner, the husband passed on and the widow could not drive a stick. She could not sell it because we live in a major retirement area and the folks that came to look for a nice luxury car did not want a stick so I was able to talk her down on the price. Probably the same reason that Jag stopped offering the stick.

I understand that keeping these beauties up can be costly, but for me, I plan on keeping this car and will fix the things that are wrong and will keep it up for years to come. My 18 year old son is already thinking of me passing it down so with our combined passion, she will be with us for many years to come.

Problems with it or things I am in the process of fixing.
Key is gutted of the board and will need a new one. Priced at Jag for $360.

Message center is out. Backlighting is lit but no display. Will post on this.

Needs brakes and rotors. $600 at Jiffy Lube. I know a guy.

Squeakies up front. Probably lowers although I have not even taken a peek yet.
The only codes she ever threw was for wheel sensors, explaining why the speedo does not work.

When the AC is on, it blows both out the vents and the front window defroster ducts, actuator maybe? This is a pain because I live in very humid Florida and the front window is always fogging up.
Smoked two back tires while the front tries barely wore, wonder why this happened? (maybe I should not have said smoked
Drivers window dropped. Got a regulator installed for $240 w/ a 2-year warranty.

That’s about it.

My background:
Profession – Mechanical/Prototype/Design Engineer for 25 years. Started out as a boy with my first job being a machinist. Went on to aerospace then plastic/silicone injection molding. Also designed and built automation equipment. I retired but came back to start database design and development for lighting retrofitting and energy conservation projects.

Mechanical – Mainly old school. Built eight 4x4 mud trucks from stock to monster. Currently have a 79 Bronco with 44” tires and a converted 460 from a 69 Lincoln. Bought a 79 F350 and gutted the Bronco drive train and put the 1-ton drive train underneath. Retro’ed a 1-ton braking system and converted to all-wheel disc brakes, booster and master cylinder. Steering completely redesigned. Lots of cutting, welding, bracket-making, improvising, strength-enhancements, etc. Little knowledge of newer systems but "learning all the time" (my motto)!

I live in Clearwater FL, USA, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico (about 7 miles to the beach).

Well, I am looking forward not only for help with my car but to help others when I can. Thanks in advance for your welcome and I wish you all happy motoring!

 

Welcome to the forum James,

Good to have you here with us at Jaguar Forums. Thanks for the interesting Intro.

Follow this link S-Type / S type R Supercharged V8 - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the S-Type forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for info on regular issues.

You can also visit the US Lower Atlantic Region forum by following this link Lower Atlantic - NC SC FL GA - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to find other members in your region.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

Hey there and welcome aboard ....... good to have you here with us here at Jaguarforums

If you need any further help with the site, please just ask any moderator, veteran member and we'll be glad to assist.

In the meantime, any useful site information you may need such as how to post pictures, edit signatures, add videos, using the
search facility etc, can be found here within the following link Helpful_information

There are lots of members local to you with the same interests with info on local dealers and possible meets.
Regional - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

Need a Manual, a TSB, or looking for General info about your Jag? Check out our >> DOWNLOAD AREA <<

I've manually upgraded you to Full forum access so you can better view the site and all its features.

Please Jump on in and enjoy the site........

See you in the forums....

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums James,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help

 

welcome to the forum and the Jag family - definitely plenty of info and support here to keep the cat running properly. You will find this to be the best tool in the owner's tool box.