Okay - locating this information has taken me 3 hours today, and I'm still batting .000 I can't believe it's been this difficult to find!!!!

So, for the record - and everyone else going forward, I ask this simple question:

WHERE can we find basic maintenance procedures (including capacities, recommended brands, any "gotchas", etc) for Jaguars? Really, just the basic items:

- Oil Change
- Spark Plug Change
- Fuel Filter Change
- Coolant/Transmission Fluid/Brake/Steering Fluid Change
- Disk Pads

For the record, I've got the 2-CD Service Manual (which was a TOTAL PITA getting to work - it uses an out-dated Microsoft database system to navigate), and while there are plenty of complicated procedures detailed (example: install an engine, remove an engine), the basic stuff like this was nowhere to be found. Geez, I coulda had a couple of these items done by now...



If someone knows of a common location that has this kind of reference - it would be a great "sticky" here.

Cheers and Regards,
- JerBear

 

Search the forum.

Owners Manual.

Basic know how.

 

Basically - what Jeff said.

Please bear in mind you may get help here or you may not, but it's probably free either way and it's definitely a volunteer effort.

There may be things on those CDs that you've missed.

google will find you things, too.

 

Welcome to the forum.

IIRC, you will find info on all these items on the forum, the fuel filter post even has pictures!

Maybe some of the fluid changes may not be documented. Have fun and let us know how you get on.

 

Okay - thanks for the updates, all.

So I wasn't losing my mind - this stuff really is nowhere to be found in a single document or location.

I will hereby take the lead on this - to provide a centralized index for documentation on each of these common procedures.

Wish me luck - this may take awhile...

(and if anyone has links/documents to share in this regard, please do...)

Cheers!

P.S.
Great idea by Ford, really - in an "evil beancounter" kind of way: Force the hands-on owners to go solo in how to correctly execute general maintenance on their machines; assume x% will really screw things up, forcing them to go to the dealer anyway (but with worse problems then they started with - bwaaahahahahaa!!!!).

And (surprise, surprise) this recipe for extracting maximum maintenance $$$$ from the customers backfired - loyalty has withered because (with the exception of highly experienced technicians) few car enthusiasts want to buy a vehicle that prevents them from performing common mechanical tasks on their own. In the words of the Bud radio commercial - Real Men of Genius: We salute you, Shortsighted Bean Counters!

(But I digress....)

 

And for the record - yes I searched Google, Bing, Yahoo, and this forum thoroughly before I posted the original question here. (hence the 3 hours of my life wasted, which I'll never get back)

The truth is out there....but its buried deep and in many scattered fragments. I suppose those with a "glass half-full" mentality could treat this as a money-making opportunity. $$$$$$

Happy 3-day weekend!

 

fpalmroos - it's not just Ford. Most owners just do not want to do their own maintenance. And many cannot, on todays highly complex cars (not Ford's fault - see CARB, EPA et al). And Jags are less likely to be home-maintained than Fords.

The data is where garages - including independents - expect to find it. Used to be on CD but now online. You can get access to it but inevitably it's not free.

But - make sure you have the (a bit outdated) jag CD. Enough said (on here).

Also, with any modern car you need access to an OBD scanner (I don't think a reader is good enough but it's a personal choice). And you need to understand how to use it!

 

Thanks - you make some good points.

While I do think many Jag owners (such as doctors, executives, lawyers) prefer to let the shop do everything, I would imagine there exists another large segment that appreciates the brand but also enjoys getting under the hood (some more in-depth than others, I grant you). This 2nd segment applies particularly to the vast majority of used Jags out there, which, as logic dictates, becomes increasingly larger every year.

Personally, I don't want to perform any complicated procedures - most things that the OBD scanner will report (O2, fuel mix, transmission control problems...) are simply not repairable in most home garages. These I want the professionals to do.

On the other hand, changing the oil, fuel filter, plugs, pads, fluids? I've done it all before on previous vehicles, and I want to do this again with my S-Type. Most importantly, I want to do it right.

Not sure what you guys are talking about regarding the 2-CD set. I can find many, many procedures for my exact model in there, as well as a ton of service bulletins, but not a single reference to regular maintenance procedures.

FYI, the full manuals are on there for all of the older Jag models from the pre-Ford days -which DO include how to change the oil, plugs, filters, pads, and fluids. So yes, it is definitely a Ford thing - milking the service angle. Nice job, Detroit spreadsheet jockeys!

It's really too bad - seeing Ford upgrade the quality and make Jag exciting again over the past 20 years; only to take a giant money chisel out and ruin the ownership experience.

(Maybe the guys at Tata are paying attention here - are you listening?)

And for the record - I'll be glad to pay money for the on-line version of this stuff. If it's out there, it must be deeply, deeply hidden.

Cheers!

 

Maybe this helps to complete your collection:

http://www.cannell.co.uk/Manuals.htm

 

I don't think that link will help as he says he has the CDs already.

The full manuals referred to are on JDHT because the time (in years) is up. See what they state re the S-Type. So far as I can see, it's nothing to do with Ford, it's Jaguar - and their past record isn't bad at all.

Just follow the link on the jag home page as i told you if you don't mind paying a bit. (Or spend more time searching; possibly both.)

I have to say I think you're vastly over-estimating the numbers who want to work on the cars, though I could easily be wrong. Plus, many will just buy the fluids etc from the jag parts dept and thus can change oil etc without further info. It's not exactly hard to find where the oil filter is

Plenty of info on the obvious jag forums, too.

There were printed workshop manuals which could be bought from jag, not sure when they stopped printing them but I think they had more info than the CDs from comments some have passed. Now I'd expect GTR to be where garages go, as I wrote.

I don't mean to be unhelpful, but I do think you may be expecting something that would have existed if you'd been asking this 10 years ago (clearly not about an S), but things have changed - a lot.

 

Thanks for that link...Nice contribution.

Sorry if my comments seemed a little short, but...What I've discovered is these cars might "look" complicated on the outside but are really "just cars". All the same basic maintenence procedures apply. I use the owners manual for the fluid requirements and capacities. Buy my parts at the local auto parts store (except when an online retailer offers a better product for less ie. my brakes). I have a OBD scan tool. That is about it. If anything more than regular service parts go wrong, well I'll run my own scan so I walk into the dealer with knowledge but ultimately the complicated things will be fixed by the dealer.

JagV8: Thanks for sharing your knowledge about OBD systems in the various threads out there..

 

Folks,

I have the JTIS disk that I bought from Ebay. Its pretty complete and covers the basic maintainance from oil, coolant, brakes pads-rotors-bleed, etc. Contains drawings, torque numbers, key spec (rotor min./max width, run out, etc) It even tells you where to jack up the car with a lift or with a manual jack. I think my covers up to 2004 or 2005 and doesn't run on a Vista machine.

The context is written for a factory service center. It does however require some common sense/experience like without connecting it to a factory computer to bleed the ABS, don't let the fluid drop too low when bleeding the brakes. Also may require some workarounds for factory tools for the more complex stuff. So in short, it contains a lot more infomation then an aftermarket manual (say Hayes or Chilton) but doesn't hold your hand as much either (assumes some basic experience/training) and assumes you have access to the factory tools and computer.

 

Good points all. I also have the JTIS CD bought off ebay for about $6 and I consider it money well spent. Yes, it's cumbersome to use sometimes and it is not always organized the way you think it should be, but it contains a ton of information and anyone who chooses to perform most of the S-Type maintenance yourself will benefit from having it. But you also need to take the time to learn how to use it. I spent an entire afternoon just surfing around on the CD the Saturday morning it arrived in the mail. That paid off handsomely the first time I needed to use it to help me learn about an upcoming procedure that I wanted to perform (replace the front brake pads)....

Since I joined this forum in January, a number of folks here have complained that the JTIS CD has been of little value to them. I think that's because they never took the time to learn to use it as just another tool in the toolbag....

 

I've never seen such a vague and worthless owner's manual before. No recommended maintenance schedules, no do-it-yourself info, everything is just, “see your dealer”. Most owner’s manuals now have a pretty decent "Basic Maintenance" section that at least tells you where to find the air & cabin filters, oil change procedures, where to jack the car up, tire rotation info, etc. I understand that the average Jag buyer might not do these things but those people probaby won't even open the manual anyway.

 

Sure search the forum. Try Spark Plug wire location...,NOTHING. This forum must go by the assumption that everyone has already rebuilt their engine, pull out the transmission and rebuilt it, and replaced all the wire harnesses throughout. We just use the forum state the obvious without any real meat on the bones.

 

You are assuming such things exist, but they don't - so it's not really the forum or jag to blame. There is no "spark plug wire location" on many a modern engine. They have no spark plug wires. My last 2 cars haven't had them. Instead they had COPs.

If you want to DIY and/or understand, you'd be best to pick up the maintenance sheet and/or JTIS (which includes it). Both are on here.

With 2 posts maybe you could read a bit instead of assuming you know best?

 

Welcome to the forum nzane,

Do we assume you have an S-Type?

Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST section and tell us something about yourself and your Jaguar.

A bit 'meat on the bones' there and you'll get some gravy in return.

Graham

 

When I got my '05 STR 8 months ago, I knew very little about maintenance details of the S-type. I have a covered garage but live in a townhouse strata where car repairs in the open are not allowed. So, DIY maintenance was always going to be limited, the local Jag dealer's rates are $145/hour, and a little voice kept repeating "don't buy that car!".

I found an independent Jag shop in my area, checked out their rep, and spent many, many hours reading every post for the STR on this wonderful forum. Carefully documented everything and, when the car arrived, immediately checked out a number of potential problems. I told the shop they could be sure of my business in return for advice on how to do the simple things. First effort - installing the qwiketz intake pipe, worked perfectly. Next will be front brakes, thanks to a video from Vance850 on this forum.

Even better, I got so much info from this forum that I can now intelligently discuss details of just about all maintenance and repair jobs with the repair shop. I did get JTIS but, for the things I do, hardly use it at all. The Jag is going just great, and I can't thank enough the members of this forum who have contributed their knowledge and experience.

 

OOoohh... What a great way to get off on a great foot as a new member...

Well, like JagV8, I'll state the obvious... Please photograph those elusive spark plug wires when you find them...

No need to rebuild transmissions and engines to effectively do DIY service, BUT, if you are looking for spark plug wires it may be wise to stay out of the under hood area of your car and seek the services of a professional...

 

I disagree- the new member has a good point and I think we have all failed in our duties to proactively provide an answer to all possible questions. I suggest that we refund any and all monies he's paid to join the site. Just my 2 cents.