Hi all,

I am looking at a 2003 S type Luxury with the V8 4.2 litre in. Car is in excellent condition, inside and out, but I am worried that the kms-170,000 is very high and I am buying into lots of problems-
What is the opinion on this forum- any advice gratefully recieved

 

I am NO expert with the S, but I own 2, oops.

What I do know:

The thermostat/water pumps fiasco is sorted on the 4.2
The timing chain tensioner nonsense is sorted.

The Climate Circuit Board has issues IF the Heater tap goes AWOL.

The 6 speed ZF trans (6HP26) is sealed, and ZF are now "suggesting" a fluid/filter change at about 80K kms. Sooooo, that car should have had 2 fluid change by now, and that is probably the weakest thing on the car, and the ZF trans is big$$. Same family of trans as in Commodore/Falcon/BMW/ Merc, etc.

The trans servicing would be at the very top of my questions to the seller, and actual proof its been done would be #1 for me to give the nod.

There is a plastic sleeve in the trans electrickery connector that needs upgrading to stop fluid leakage.

Have a read of teh Stickies at the top, and I am sure there are other things you will find interesting.

 

Thanks for the info Grant

 

These cars are pretty robust, so that is good, but they are complex and expensive to fix. There are lots of threads here about common problems (e.g., changing the transmission fluid, the weakness of the plastic thermostat housing and other parts nearby, the head lamps drooping). So look around and ask directed questions here.

Other than that you're just talking about a hi mileage (do you guys in Oz still say that?) 14+ year old car.

First thing I would try to find is an independent garage that is knowledgeable about Jaguars. Having a trusted, non-dealer, mechanic available would make all the difference when trying to live with that particular car.

Good luck and let us know if you move forward.

==================================================
Jaguar: Grace, Pace, and Space - Sir William Lyons
2015 JCNA National Slalom Champion Class M
Current: '08 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 whp / 259.67 torque)
Past: '05 X-Type 3.0/auto Jaguar Racing Green

 

Are you able to do your own repairs (within reason) then they are reasonable cars to own. If you go to jagrepair.com then you will find a lot of information.
http://www.jagrepair.com/images/AutoRepairPhotos/CarPDFFiles/SType/S-Type%202002.5-2008-FSM-Workshop.pdf

here is the workshop manual for you to have a look at as you will see it is very comprehensive.
you will also need an OBD II scanner such as an elm 327 to work on them.

check how old is the battery as a weak battery will give you false codes.

And if you buy it be careful when first driving it as the points on your licence can accumulate very quickly. When I got mine I found it so quite and smooth that I did not notice the speed I was doing over 100 in a 80 zone luckily the camera was not working that day.

 

Thanks Pab and Ducmon,

Pab- Ozzie's say high kms, but I am from the UK so I say high mileage. None of that metric stuff!

Ducmon- I am hopeless at the mechanical side of things-But I do have a very good mechanic- who does not rip me off.
I have taken the car for a drive and it goes very very well considering the kms on it.
keeping to the speed limit could be problematic in it though.

Thanks both of you for your info

 

Before you buy it ask your mechanic to have a look at it especially all the rubber bits. Jaguar was a very green company who seemed have used biodegradable rubber it seems to disintegrate after 10 years.

 

I have 2 high KM cars with the 4.2, a 2008 S-type at 174000 and a 2004 XK8 with 191,000 km. Both have been nothing more than what you would expect with cars in their teen years. I replaced the thermostat housing in the S-Type as the plastic inside had so deteriorated inside it would not hold the thermostat in place. I did the transmission service and had to change a rear axle seal which was easy and inexpensive. The one expensive odd repair was replacing the power brake booster. It had corroded on the extension that goes through the firewall and would not hold a vacuum. No rebuilds available so $800.00 Canadian, that has been my only Jaguar level parts surprise. Both cars are solid runners that I would drive cross country tomorrow. But as I tell everyone who asks, if you don't have basic mechanical skills and tools for preventative maintenance these may not be the cars for you.

 

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