Question for all the 03 str owners out there. Now that the car is officially ten years old, was first 'year' so to speak for the str,
How are they getting on today?

I've heard the ZF transmissions are 'bulletproof' but even the one I'm looking at now, has had a failure, and a subsequent $3000 rebuild, recently.
Coolant hose as well as hvac related failures, are the other two common problem areas.

I've searched a bit, but I was looking for 'current' feedback from 03 owners, who had the earliest of models, are having any new problems springing up, or do the car generall fair well with just the basic common sense and maintenance applied.

Thanks,

 

Just like every other 10 year old car, it has its problem areas as you mentioned. The early years do have the "lurch" issue, usually from the torque converter, not the transmission. I've only had mine since September and haven't had any issues; although I did some preventive maintenance such as changing the tranny fluid and filter and mine only has 52k miles. If you are looking to buy, just keep in mind that if you can't do the work and maintenance yourself, you are going to pay more to maintain it than say a Toyota. Just cause you are buying the car for $10k doesn't mean you are maintaining a $10k car, you are still going to have the bills of a $65k car.

 

I'm more than prepared to do even the most extensive maintenance and repairs on this one.

Did you do the oil and filter on the tranny yourself?

 

I have a 60k mile 03 STR that I bought in Oct. as soon as I got it I took it to a shop to perform the same functions as Mercedes does for it's 60k mile service (I come from a primarily Mercedes ownership history). They also replacd the motor mounts. Overall, no problems (even with changes done to air intake elbow and smaller pulley) other than a check engine light that comes on, stays for up to two weeks, then goes away for a week or two before repeating. Every time I have taken it to a shop to check and/or repair, it either comes back on again within a week OR it would have shut itself off before I took it to the shop. It's on right now, but I am waiting til some more performance parts arrive before I make an appointment to another performance shop that specializes in european cars. Once I have all the parts I want them to install, I hope they can diagnose my check engine light properly so it doesn't keep returning, but that's assuming it's even still on when I get there!

Just to clarify, I have had this on/off issue with the check engine light even before I installed a different intake elbow and slightly smaller pulley.

 

I have an 03 purchased new, had the lurch which was resolved by a code update on the transmission and engine module, have replaced, recently went to hell and back getting the ac up and running properly, had some broken flapper doors in the under-dash box so I removed the whole dash, console, and part of the engine to swap the entire unit out (NOT fun!!), replaced the evap and heater core /TXV valve at the same time, and due to an early model my compressor had some odd plunger valve on the back side of the compressor that had to be changed, end result it is now like the artic in there , overall though it has just one of those great cars to drive that just keeps going with relatively no problems throughout ownership. Likely be a cold day in before I get rid of it

 

2003 STR
53k miles and 4k of ownership.

Had to replace the coolant reservoir because the
previous owner leaned on the top nipple. The
suspension is kinda squeaky, but other than
that so far so good. My car does have the
lurch tho, it's not the end of the world. Will be
fixed with a reflash soon. Such a fabulous car
all around for the money. And spent $2 to fix
the droopy headlights. The torque convertor
surges when its cold, but that could be normal.

 

I do all of my own work except for the exhaust since I don't have experience welding. So far I've done the tranny fluid and filter (with the electrical connector), cabin filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, oil changes, H&R lowering springs, coolant expansion tank, low-temp thermostat and 3# pulley. None of it was very difficult except for the pulley install, which I would not do again myself. The car hasn't had any issues that have needed repairs so I haven't had to get any more involved than that, but doing all of my own work makes the car affordable for me to own.

 

2003 str , manufactured in sept 2002
bought at 48k miles last year feb . now at 54k miles

squeeky interior

sometimes in rain very few times it displays cruise not available for few milliseconds and goes away (never comes on pressing cruise button)

torque converter surges in winter , very tiny bit of lurch issue from 2-1 downshift if i drive badly and tcm learns and when i brake hard coming to stop
if i drive or slow down smoothly , i never notice it even if i look for it

1-2 upshift is hard as it can be , just bangs into 2

had all 4 zeus straightened and repaired
open up both headlights and fabricated those infamous broken plastic tabs
did transmission oil change (flush drain 2 times)
changed power steering fluid , brake fluid , engine oil ,
new front and rear brake rotors and pads
new coolant expansion tank
new rear sway bar bushing
new battery ( old one was same varta that came from facory)
installed rear lcd kit from nalley jaguar

slightly oil sump gasket leaked(all nuts torqued problemsolved)

spark plugs , new yg378 dccv , transmission filter pan and bolts and sleeve(in stock ,will change soon , )

right now driver side hid goes off after few seconds with a hint of flickering
some guy sold me fake philips d2s , waiting on original osram bulbs

forgetting few things but overall good kitty
cheers

 

There are plenty of issues common to all years of the STR.

If you spend some time digging on here you'll find them.

This sort of question has already been asked many times.

The coolant hose under the supercharger failure is a big job even if you do it yourself. At a dealership I don't know what that would cost. It's been discussed a lot on here.

I haven't had the joy of the HVAC valve and control board failures as yet. This forum will really help you a lot when dealing with this issue.

The transmission is used in a lot of cars and I guess it annoys people in all of those cars? I'm no fan of this automatic. I prefer predicable behavior to an adaptive system. This one can easily learn the wrong things. I don't think this restricted to it's use in Jaguars. Fluid changes require a very specific procedure involving the use of an **** thermometer as well ... Kidding but actually not on that one!

Search and the stickies are your best friends.

Oh and you'll probably be visiting this website ... eventually

How To Beat Speeding Tickets - Speed Violations Laws

 

Picked up my 03 STR with 85K on the clock, now has 129K and still running strong. Performed the maintenance issues listed by others. Haven't resolved the auto headlights staying on and too sensitive rain sensing wipers. Her lurch and poor shift quality is likey due to a worn torque converter (surges 200+ rpm when cold). Recently purchased a warranty, so will soon hammer out the crap and realize the day may come for a re-power. Otherwise a very nice looking, smooth riding performance sedan. Though I picked her up for $11,500, my 14 y.o. son periodically reminds me his friends think she's awesome looking and sounding, and we're rich, LOL.

 

Damn... I would not be willing to go to the extent of dash removal, i applaud your effort though... is broken flappers inside the hvac box a common problem?

Seems these cars can have their issues but the owners appear to love them!

 

Curious, I've heard this sentiment before. What is so bad about the pulley job, except for how difficult it can be to pull the actual pulley off?

 

03 STR - had it for about a year and a half. Currently has 37k miles on it. No issues really. The only thing done at the dealer was tranny gasket replacement due to a very small leak. Other than that, just normal wear and tear maintenance. Put Akebono pads all the way around as the OEM pads are dust creators like no other. Overall, for the age of the vehicle, it's been a peach.

 

What are the codes?

 

Wow, some low mileage examples you guys find! Seems all the 03-04's i seen around here have 90k+ miles on them!

 

GT42R - mine's an 04 built end 03 so only 9.5 yrs old. Had it over 3 years, done 25K miles - now on 90K. No problems, just normal wear & tear. Tyres (tires) don't last long and aren't cheap...

 

CATS suspension, is this completely automatically controlled, or is there an in-cabin button somewhere i didn't notice that goes from soft to sport or something to that effect?

Is there a 'manual' mode to the auto. I didnt see any buttons on the steering wheel, and im curious if there it a tap up-down to shift at the shifter itself? Not that important to me either way. Or is there only individual gears to select from on the other side of the J gate?

 

CATS is automatic (can be disabled but why would you).

The J-gate behaves as per the handbook (worth a read - see forum sticky and download for free). Not much use really IMO but you likely won't care. Mostly you won't know or care what gear it's in as it'll be in an appropriate one - and changes fast if you do something that makes it do so.

 

04 plate 24k miles bought @ 2k miles have owned for 7 years !! No big probs,out of warranty period thankfully.
3 sets of disc's - judder and new wishbones as per TSB to cure judder .
New diff assy - due to leak ... jaguar wanted to inspect diff assy.
EPB motor replaced due to failure.
Pads replaced all round with Akebono ceramic pads (excellent for no dust and lack of creaking when creeping along with light braking)
On my 3rd set of rear tyres but thats down to me LOL.
Still would'nt sell it, as to get anything significantly better would probably entail selling a kidney in the current climate

 

The flapper failure is very rare and is actually the first time I have heard anyone having it!!

Most common is cooling system issues.
DCCV, Top tank and hoses.

Watch for the under super charger hose as was mentioned. This has only started showing up as the cars age. The hose is only $20 but the labor and additional parts to get to it are a real bear!!

If possible I would go for a 2005 and up car. Jaguar got very good at bolting them together at the end!