This is great news. I am planning on keeping my car as a primary car and hope to get a bunch of miles out of it. My mileage is about 50% highway, 25% suburban loop and 25% city. My highway portion is likely to increase over the next year or so.

I think that every second oil change, I am going to drain and refill the tranny.

Been reading threads about other maintenance as well. Need to come up with a plan to deal with that.

In about 20k miles, I am going to do the trans and the rear end. From that point forward, every 20k on the rear end.

 

While I understand your aggressiveness towards changing your ZF Fluid frequently, I think that's big-time overkill and buckets of wasted cash. Back in March, a ZF vice president in Chicago told me that under "normal driving conditions" (50/50 highway/city driving, no towing, no dirt or gravel roads, no subzero temps), the Shell mineral oil-based ZF Fluid is designed to do 100,000 miles with very little risk. Since few of us fall completely into that "normal driving conditions" category, I would comfortably say that we should start thinking about changing our fluid at 75,000 to 80,000 miles. That's my plan, and I've seen no empirical evidence at this point to deviate from it....

 

I should have said every 20k miles until I feel like I have a full exchange of fluid. Maybe 30k. I don't know what I was thinking. If I start racking the miles on, once a year seems like a good idea to me. It's cheap insurance. Your plan sounds entirely reasonable to me as well. I just don't know the history of my car. I bought it at 52k. It now has 65k.

 

I love putting mileage on a car. The higher the better! My record is my old 1986 Audi 4000s. Put over 274,000 miles on that baby. Miss it.

 

You know, at over $1000 for a full fill... I'm still perplexed at ZF's use of this fluid.

Even if they were to use a good synthetic ATF such as royal purple or equivalent, at say $10 a quart, and spec 30-50k services, say at $200 each including dealer labor. (and provide a drain plug and dipstick). They would still be economically better off, and we wouldn't be dealing with "guessing" what the the "lifetime" fluid is doing or if we refilled it right.

Their cost would be say $300 for the initial fill and 1st service (if it was covered by a free maintenance program). The rest would be passed to a consumer, but I'm sure ALL of us would do a full trans service as our cars get up there in the mileage if it costs $200. As my car rapidly approaches the century mark, I'm starting to worry, but still skeptical about breaking open the trans.

George

 

Sourcing the fluid from Whatever It Takes Transmission Parts brings the cost down to about $38 per litre in my neck of the woods. If you can drain 6 litres out of the tranny, that's about $240 or so for new fluid with about 4 litres of original fluid remaining behind. Not bad if you can do it yourself. Certainly worth doing once or maybe twice during ownership of our S-Type (which I'm guessing will be 5 to 7 years if it doesn't turn into a money-sucking maintenance hog)....

I believe that the price of ZF Fluid will continue to come down. The longer you can wait, the better deal you may be able to get from the few alternative sources that are out there. You can also take a chance with other fluids. But who knows how well they will mix with what's left behind. I've thought about that, but I don't think I'll be willing to do it when the time comes....

 

Getting on for a year ago, I saw an S-type for sale with 220,000mile on it. It wasn't that cheap either. If my memory serves correctly, it was Exchange&Mart (UK).
Leedsman.

 

133K ON MY 200 S-TYPE runs great besides the gearbox fault light being on.

 

I am so glad I did not find this thread when i decided to get my S Type!!!

For the record, mine is a youngster with 54.000 miles.

The ECU was replaced on purchase because of warning lights.
More warning lights were sorted with a new battery.
A suspension trailing arm to get it through its MOT.
New locking nuts after a garage wrecked one with an airgun.
Two attempts to get the wheels to balance.
Two mudflaps to replace ones that fell off.
It has the lurch.
There is an annoying rattle from the passenger window.
It is sometimes sticks in park on start up for a few seconds.

So, now it seems pretty reliable as really the only problems have been the warning lights (cured) and the suspension arm.

 

I sold my beloved 2001 S-Type 3.0Ltr in the new year with 160,000 miles to a guy in town and it ran like a top.

Recently, I ran into the guy; it now has just a little over 170,000 miles and still running well. It looked grotty so I reminded him of Jaguar etiquette!

 

Bleachii, which company underwrites your warranty? These things can be tricky. You apparently have a good one. Thanks.

 

i have jaguar s type 30.l base i bought last year it has 250k on it after i drove for a year it has 280,000 km on i get some problems like misfire when cold need new cat con need to change belt etc. other than that it runs grate
any body have old catalytic converter for sale i would buy let see if it works or im thinking i sould sale it don't know what to do should fix and drive till it die or sale it

 

My 2000 S Type 4.0 currently has 205,779 miles on it. All is good. I change out my transmission fluid every 2 years/20K miles. I had a Jasper Ford 5R55N unit installed with an extended warranty - engine original, except for tensioners and chain rails of course.

Much time, effort and $$$ put into her to keep her road worthy and 100% functional - but I must say she looks better than many newer cars out there and when she gets going - leaves many of them in the dust....

 

Just bought my 03 str.. Right now it has 127,500. I've drove it prolly 50 miles so far.. As of right now i need to put a bulb in my tailight..

 

I have 2004 s type base 3.0l v6 over 280000 km on it runs grate.
Problems I have misfire when cold, need new belt & bearing, pully , need new catalytic converter.

 

Over 167000 miles. I dont want to jinx myself but minor repairs only.

 

'03 STR, bought with 60k miles just over 5 years ago. Currently, I have almost 130k I think. First problem I had with it started around 70k.

Repairs:
water pump
thermostat
valve cover gasket replaced
every ignition coil (due to failure, not because I felt it was time)
crappy dealership rotors that warped
Transmission rebuilt this past summer with new torque converter and TCM
aux. water pump
heater valve (I still have had no heat all winter)
Rear wheel bearings replaced
Jag ACM currently not working
gas door latch sucks
engine mount replaced

And there's probably more I can't even remember. Right now I'm taking the front hub assemblies off because I think one is failing.

 

I have 111,000 mile on a 2005 S-type R, the RCCM and the heater control valves, coolant leaks, at the plastic O ringed tank. The biggest problem is finding places to open it up.

 

If no heat and you replaced the DCCV and the AUX pump. Flush your heater core by itself. That finally got my heat back.
.
.
.

 

Geeze I need to drive more. I just hit 75k miles. I have replaced all coils and DCCV, and reservoir