Following up on the rear end whine, I took my Jag to the dealer this weekend to fix a leaking coolant reservoir and while it was in there, I had them look at the rear end. They confirmed that it needed to be replaced along with the coolant tank. They also did a recall re-flash. Since I had the Certified Jaguar Warranty, all was fixed at no cost to me. Overall, the dealership was very professional and helpful. I will admit that I bribed the service department with two boxes of donuts which they seemed to appreciate on a Saturday morning.

I got a loaner to get me around in the interim. I begged and pleaded for an XF, but no such luck. I got a Ford Focus which is a marked difference from my S-Type. It is functional, but it is like driving inside a 55 gallon drum.

Mike

 

Mike,

What components within your car's "rear end" will be replaced?

Did your service manager explain what happens within the rear end to cause this whine? Is it due to gelling of the gear oil, premature wear-and-tear on components, or what? Does it typically become more noticeable at a certain mileage, perhaps over 50,000?

Thanks for whatever details you can provide. I need to spend some significant time behind the wheel of our S-Type over the next week since our factory warranty's last day is rapidly approaching come July 18th. If our car indeed is developing this issue, I want to add it to my final warranty punch list with time to spare....

 

Hey, wait a min. I read in another thread that the S Type was just a Focus! How could they be so different?

Ha Ha!

Anyway.. Hope they fix it soon!

 

Well, the entire differential will need to be replaced. The bad news is that the part is back-ordered until late July. I'll pick up my car Wed and should be OK until then. According to the service manager, they've seen only two differential replacements in four years. Anyway, no more Ford Focus for awhile. Contrary to one poster, you can tell the difference between the two.

Mike

 

Would you please answer Jon89's questions?

 

Hi Jon,

As I mentioned earlier, the entire differential will have to be replaced. Parts cost at around $3,000.

The service manager gave me as reasons for failure: most likely either a bearing failure or a manufacturing defect. Since this was only the second one in four years he has seen, he couldn't really give a definitive answer as to when to expect a failure. Also didn't seem to think it was something inherent in the design. He did seem to think the replacement differential would last at least another 100,000 miles or so.

Since your Jaguar is soon to be off the factory warranty I would recommend having it checked out by an independent service tech even though it may cost you a few bucks. You could then have a more complete punch list to give to your Jaguar dealer to correct before the warranty expired.

Good luck,

Mike

 

Following up again:

The original order for the differential was dropped by Jaguar because they re-designed the differential. This past week they released the updated differential with a new part number. Since I am in the software business, this sounds like releasing a new version of a software application. However, perhaps a Jaguar technician or representative could explain the process better than I can. I should get it within two weeks. Apparently it is a design issue. Also, according to the Jaguar service rep, this also affects the new model XKs.

Mike

 

Mike,

Thanks for the update.

Our 2005 S-Type 3.0 has yet to develop this rear-end whine at just over 32,000 miles, thank goodness. But during one of our car's warranty fixes back in early July, I had a dealership 2006 S-Type 3.0 loaner car for a full day with just over 33,000 miles on the odometer. That loaner car had the rear-end whine, exactly as you and others have described it here. So now I know precisely what to listen for once our S-Type returns to us after repairs are finished.

Please keep us posted on the outcome of your dealer's attempts to resolve your issue. Since your dealer has indicated to you that it is a design flaw, I wonder if Jaguar will address the issue at no charge to the owners of cars which develop the whine after their warranty expires. I'm in that boat now....

 

Hey guys I just read a TSB on alldata that states "Install new axle housing bushing OR new axle assembly as required" It seems that the "old" bushing is colored silver (C2C1780) and the "new" bushing is black (C2C16377). Looks like about 2.5 hours to replace. Also states break in period of 5oo miles or so.

 

joycesjag,

I did mention that TSB to the dealer when I brought it in. Since I'm covered by the Select Edition Warranty, they authorized the differential replacement. For those cars that are off warranty, this may a more viable option. Not sure the labor price but 2.5 hours would probably run around $200-300 or so assuming that's what the flat rate is. A Jaguar technician would have a more accurate estimate on this though.

Mike

 

Please post the TSB number (and NHTSA ref if you can) - thanks.

 

Hi jagv8:

Here are the numbers and summary. I don't have an Alldata account to get the full description.

TSB Number:205003NHTSA Number:10021035TSB Date:September 11, 2006Date Added to File:February 26, 2007Failing Component:
Suspension:Rear:Axle:Non-Powered Axle AssemblySummary:
Whine from the rear of the vehicle at 60 mph. Install a new axle assembly and axle housing bushing.

Mike

 

thanks

 

I finally got the new differential installed so the car seems to drive a lot better. The whine is gone, but the b!tch and nag functions are still operational. For a rental, they gave me a Chevy Silverado extended cab 4x4. Man is that thing huuuge! It must be 2 ft taller and 4 ft longer than my S-Type. The dealer handled it pretty well overall. By the way, the service tech confirmed that the 07-09 XKs have the same differential as the S-Types and may have the same issues. There was an 07 XK having a new differential installed at about the same time as my car.

If your S-Type is still under warranty I would press the issue if there is anything out of the ordinary because it certainly appears to be a design issue.

Mike

 

Mike,

Thanks for the update.

Please keep us posted on this issue as time goes by. It will be very interesting to see if the new differential is indeed a new design, or just simply a new part. Time and mileage should tell....

 

Just a heads up for all members. If your car develops this problem, expect to pay some serious cash to get it fixed. I called three local Jag dealerships and they all told me the same thing. The current TSB says to replace the entire rear axle, differential, and driveshaft. Total cost is around $4,000.

 

Are you saying that your 2005 STR recently developed this problem? What's your current mileage?

The potential failures of the transmission / torque converter / differential in these S-Types continue to concern me. Lately I find myself wondering if I should attempt to sell ours before the odometer turns 50,000 miles. Having already dealt with replacing the fuel filler lid assembly (three different times all under warranty), the rear stabilizer link components including tie-rods and boots (under warranty), the Bluetooth microphone (under warranty), the throttle body and all associated sensors (under warranty), the left front foglamp assembly (under warranty), the trunk seals due to water leaks (under warranty), the wooden gearshift knob (under warranty), the mass airflow sensor (under warranty), the coolant reservoir tank (as a result of last year's accident), the IMT O-rings (DIY), the lug nuts (DIY), and most recently the A/C compressor, sometimes I can't help thinking "what's next on the gotcha list with this car?" Don't make a sound, DCCV....

Given their own issues with their S-Types this year, several forum members have questioned the overall build quality of these cars recently. I must admit that I've come to believe that the build quality is probably not as high as I previously thought it was even after Ford improved it significantly by the 2005 model year. I've done a number of modifications and improvements to various fasteners, screws, and clips all over our car that I haven't discussed here on the forum. Improving and replacing shoddy designs that had me shaking my head and wondering why Jaguar would do it on the cheap as they did. The S-Type is indeed gorgeous to look at and a pleasure to drive, but in my mind it just may not be worth the time and expense required to keep them maintained....

 

Jon,

That may be a value judgement you'll have to make. I sometimes feel that a lot of car companies, not just Jaguar feel customers are unpaid development testers. On my S-Type I've been lucky in that all problems I've had have been covered by warranty. For myself, I plan on keeping it until it dissolves or the state thinks I can no longer drive. If I do replace it my eye is on a current model design XK, used of course. I will have to wait a few years for them to be in my price range though.

Since I also do some work on my 2002 Ford Taurus station wagon (Great White Whale) I've noticed that the Ford is harder to work on and the parts are even shoddier. I'm on a list for maintenance issues for both cars and the Ford's list is a lot longer. Most of the complaints center around the springs and suspension collapsing without notice. That's cheering news. The upside somewhat is the car is disposable at this point if something goes really south.

 

Jon, my car only has 36,000 miles on it and this "whine" showed up about 3 weeks ago. This car is by far the worst car I’ve ever owned. It has had every common problem that the S Type is known for. The worst part is that my car has been pampered since day one, has never seen rain, and hasn’t been modified in any way. These cars are absolutely gorgeous and offer fantastic performance and features; but I’d never recommend them to anyone because of the constant upkeep and potential problems.

 

I took my car ('05 6 cylinder) in for it's $100 oil change and had them listen to the differential. They told me they were going to replace the whole assembly under my select edition warranty. I left the car there and told them no hurry...well this was almost a month ago. Are these still backordered?