What is the mileage on your S-type? Who has over 100,000 miles? What problems have you had?

 

I have a 2003 S-type 3.0 with 82000 miles. I have the lurch I had the reflash and additive added.Ssome help but it's still there. The TSB for the steering wheel noise twice. Water pump and belts and tenchener. door/trunk lock's . Ac/heating issues that turned out to be the evap temp sensor after a week in the shop, and telling them to check that first. Shifter not going in gear TSB was out for it. Rear diff. bushings for thump in rear TSB for that. Still have rear end noise around 40 MPH. drive side rear wheel bearing. Cloonat tank had a crack in it. Power steering line leak. Trans output seal leak. I think also the valve body replace. Trans pan leak. A rattle coming form the front dash that has never been found. Adj. paddles stopped working 7 months ago, and not counting the issues I had when I got in my accident the wheels and front/rear subframe and control arms and shocks and some body parts. That are the problems I had so far with my car.

 

Haha oh man Bobby, you just dropped the resale value of our cars with that paragraph.. You probably just scared about 23 people into not buying an S-Type ever.. Well on the upside: I have a 03' S-Type R w/ 54k and have only had to replace 2 coil packs.. *knock on wood* All of the other repairs were things that I broke.. Eric

 

STR....you're doomed! Find a lot of wood and knock like heck on it! Our 2000 4.0 is similar to Bobby.

At this point I would have to pull records but the extended warranty was the best thing we have ever purchased. I believe we have had atleast 6 coils...maybe more. Coils have been an issue since 30k. Complete transmission at 60k. Battery, window regulator, replaced coolant reservoir, water pump, fuel pump, motor starter, thermostat, rubber boots on pedals fall off, visor clip broken, ashtray clip broken, headliner falling down in multiple places, headlamps turning yellow, trunk latch sticks. About 77k on the ODO.

Wife.com's car and she does less than 10k per year. It's dealer serviced and we have owned it since new...or maybe I should say it's owned us Somehow we love the car but quite frankly it has not been good to us. Looks great though...except the headlights.

 

Mine has just over 70k on it and is perfect Has had to have stuff done in the past but thats why i have a warranty! and Bobby you need a new torque converter for the lurch

 

2005 S-Type 3.0 with about 23,000 miles on it now. Had it since a week before Christmas and about 5,000 of those miles are ours. Under factory warranty until July 19th. No issues since we bought (stole) it, but during its original 3-year lease it had the entire gas tank/fuel pump assembly replaced as part of a recall, and the solenoid in the motor assembly that opens the fuel filler door had to be replaced because it failed (a common failure, I'm told). My biggest concern is that these cars go through brakes so quickly. I'm also wondering about the ZF 6-speed transmission and whether it truly fixed the old Ford transmission failures that plagued the early S-Types from 1999 to 2002 or so.

I've done more research on this car than both of our other two vehicles combined. I know the electronics are complex and that also concerns me. I've never had (or needed) an extended warranty on any of our previous vehicles before, but the jury is still out on this one. I'll have to make up my mind one way or the other on that subject by mid-June. You'll notice that a lot of members on this forum swear by their extended warranties, and even some of the Jaguar techs on here recommend them. So it may be a necessary expense for most S-Type owners who plan to keep the car a long time....

 

bmw745ion19s so you say i need a new torque converter for the lurch? how do you know if it going bad. i had this problem when i got the car with 32k on it used. it was some older lady that drove it. it has not gotten worst.

I realy have to say my car is a pain in my F*** a** but i still like the car. you dont see to many on the street. i like to be a bit different maybe i just got a bad one it happends but this is my second car that truned out to be a pain. but so fare for now it has been ok no real problems to say. thank god i had the jaguar select warranty 7yr 100k. for any one thinking for getting warranty get it from the dealer ya it is like $3000-$3500 some thing like that. but trust me its better to have then not. two or three time in to the shop pays for it self.

 

Bobby and I are in the same boat.....pia vehicles but somehow we still love ours. Just a beautiful car.

Jon....our extended warranty has to be one of the top 5 best purchasing decisions wife.com and I have ever made! I am not exaggerating when I say we are $8-$10k into our warranty and think we paid around $2500-$3000 from the dealer. I can honestly say the warranty company has been very good to us.

Read my other thread about the fuel pump as well. Jaguar stepped up big to help us out and our dealer has also. Although we have had so many problems for some reason I still love Jaguar cars. They seem to have a different look to them and haven't fallen into the massed produced look. I will be posting a wrapup to my fuel pump thread early next week when all the smoke clears. I'm not sure how many auto company's would deliver customer service the way Jaguar has for us.

 

Mine (2000 4.0) has 87,000 miles. Bought it used. Problems include: Shifter not going into gear (still a problem), front window regulator, rear window regulator, as yet unfound small oil leak causing a smell in the cabin, all 8 coils and spark plugs, coolant resevoir cracked, A pillar fabric came off on both sides, ball joints/bushings/etc need to be replaced, the memory for the seat position doesn't work anymore... all I can think of off the top of my head.

I hate the brakes. It's like they are made of butter.

 

I guess its all relative. I'm on my third Jag. Compared to the last two Chryslers I had, the Jags are very reliable. My last Chrysler, a 2005 model, ate three transmissions; had its front strut mounts come loose; suffered a batch of bad brake rotors; had coolant leak problems; got recalled and had most of the front suspension replaced; and stated pouring AC condensate all over the floor - requiring a TSB fix to re-engineer the drain. During the tranny seige, the car was in the shop about 2 months solid while the dealer tried to fix it. The day this turkey went out of warranty - she was traded off. The 2 X-Types I previously owned went in for a fair amount of warranty work, but, once they were fixed - they stayed fixed, they never stranded me, and most of the warranty work was for very minor problems.

Regards:
Oldengineer

 

I have a 2003 3.0 sport with a 5 speed manual. Problems have been fairly minimal. Replaced a loose shift knob and a door check mechanism. Otherwise the car has been very reliable.

 

bleachii,

I hear you loud and clear on the extended warranty bodyguarding your wallet many times over the years. There's no question that owners of the early S-Types had better get some sort of extended warranty or they will be pouring many thousands of dollars into their cars for a variety of problems that continually pop up.

But by the 2005 model year, the majority of these early problems were supposedly addressed and fixed. Jaguar's quality results proved that, even though the unreliable reputation continues to haunt Jaguar's perception in most folks' eyes even today. Starting with 2005, you just don't read about transmission failure, coils going bad, A/C systems refusing to work, or even some of the more minor problems that you've experienced over the years. Our S-Type will be 4 years old in July, I have all the service records on it, and the only problems it has experienced thus far are the gas tank recall and the solenoid failure on the fuel filler door motor. Granted, the car only has 23,000 miles on it so from a lifespan perspective, it is still early. And the complex electronic modules are always in the back of my mind. I'm no electrician and I certainly don't have the diagnostic equipment.

I've already researched extended warranty companies, talked to some of their officers, and I believe I can get a better, longer-coverage deal on the open market as opposed to the dealership. I've marked my calendar for mid-June in terms of making a decision one way or the other. Any transmission burps or electronic module snafus under warranty will immediately cause me to go ahead and pull the trigger on an extended warranty purchase. I hope this car is indeed "new & improved" enough compared to the early S-Type models that an extended warranty may not be needed. But as I said before, the jury is still out....

Thanks for your input, and if anyone else wants to chime in with their views on this subject, please do so. We're all here to help each other....

 

I have an 03 str with 114300 miles and the only problems so far have been one coil pack, adjustable pedals that don't adjust,the lyrch,which a filter and fluid change solved,and my real pet peeve, the stupid electric park brake. I have to admit I am a fanatic on maintenance and use synthetic fluids exclusively. I really don,t abuse the car but I have shown a few non believers my taillights. My fast kitty just keeps on puurrring!!!!!

 

Congratulations. It sounds like your S-type is providing you with reliable service. I don't abuse my 3.0L either, although it is fun to let her run on the highways. I think it is important to let a car like that breathe. It doesn't sound like you have had an excessive number of problems.

When did you change your transmission fluid? Your rear end oil?

 

And did you stay with the extremely expensive Shell ATF mineral oil or did you elect to try a different fluid in your transmission?

 

I changed the tranny fluid at about 90000 using original spec oil. The rearend was changed at 110000 using Amsoil fluid. It didn't have issues and still runs great. I highly recommend amsoil products, used them for years and never had a lubrication related problem in any of my vehicles. I was disappointed they did not have a proper spec tranny fluid.

 

ouch!

 

I've had my '06 3.0 since last June and I'm now a firm believer in extended warranties. Late last year I took it in to the dealer for a fluctuating gas guage (noted in the weird gas guage thread). It's still under factory warranty, so, no charge. Without warranty, it would have been approx. $900. Just a few more trips to the dealer (which I'm hoping won't happen) and the warranty should pay for itself.
My wife had an 03 X-Type under extended warrenty when the tranny blew. We were told it would have been around $4000 to fix/replace it.

 

Good point Jon....certainly my experience is only my experience...YMMV, as they say! I have heard the same regarding the newer S-Type's. Not sure which year is considered the first of the more reliable years(sounds like 2005).

I will say that you're mileage seems a bit low to know yet for sure(as you noted). After looking at our records it appears that most problems started around 33k. At that point we were replacing a coil approx every 5k-10k. I have heard that the new coil packs are better...can't remember where I read that information though. Also heard the tranny problems had been addressed.

Anyhow...I hope all the recurring issues were addressed. We were very concerned about buying a 1/2nd model year car from a notoriously quality challenged car company but my wife and I both really liked the looks. The dealer/salesman was also a great experience. We read about the good reviews at JD Power and said why not.

I don't put much stock in reports from JD Power any more. Will be interesting to see if the same things happens with the XF.

Hopefully all the information here will help others make the right decision for their situations. I know I have received tremendous help from this forum and others and really appreciate it.

 

I have a 2004 S-Type 3.0 with 107k miles and no big problems only the Cats, which was an easy fix. I have not replaced the coils, only spark plugs, oil, tranny fluid and antifreeze. I decided to change the intake manifold gaskets and valve cover gaskets, just because of age. I had the upper radiator hose break on me because I'm crazy and was working on it when it was freezing outside, I think it was even snowing. Thats it. I love my Jag. Have replace the brake pads about 5 times only. My dealer says I'm very lucky.