I need a new reverse parking sensor. Cheapest I could find was SNG Barrat for a little under $80 for one (non-Jaguar) inner rear sensor. The "Jaguar" branded one was twice that. I just bought all FOUR, two outer and two inner sensors directly from China on AliExpress for $41 total, with shipping. Only drawback is it will take 12-20 days to arrive. I figure if I have to remove the bumper and paint the one sensor, I may as well replace them all at the same time.

I'm all for US vendors making a living, but 1600% markup on some of this stuff is a bit greedy.

 

Its profit. There is also a SNG Jaguar Forums discount. AliExpress sells for third party and is just a site you can sell stuff while SNG is a site of their own. So they can mark their prices how ever they want. Their bills don't pay them selves...

 

With any "expensive" car like a Jaguar you need to do things a little differently:

1. Cross Reference stuff - More often than you think, the part is not a part the Mfr made specific for the car. Do this on any car, but the variance on relatively premium cars like an XKR, this is quite apparent. I saved my boss (I'm a senior software engineer for manufacturing execution and maintenance management systems; he's a Senior Lead PM) $30 on an oxygen sensor for his wifes car. $16 shipped with prime on Amazon; I'm going to throw it on at work during lunch for $20.

2. Not shotgun parts - A good mechanic isolates the problem, other throw parts. HOWEVER, sometimes it's good to do "while you're there" work; which is not the same. Replacing a component most of the way through it's life when the replacement is exponentially easier is just good sense.

3. Be willing to rebuild more - On a GM W Body 3800 V6 FWD floatboat crap box, you can just replace assemblies like control arms DIRT CHEAP. On a more expensive car? Press in new bushings and bearings. Strut top plate clunking on the GM? A pair of chinese quick struts are $120 shipped for the pair. On the XKR you replace the top plates, the CATS shocks are stupid expensive. On the GMs you almost bet it's the same children in the same factories in china making the OEM part as the ebay lowest-price+shipping ones. The XKR gets generally better than that, but still much cheaper than OEM priced. SKF bearings, Moog ball joints, etc.

4. Go Used More - Often you buy stuff on the eBay because the new OEM price is just so bad it's best to roll the dice. I owned a 2004 Audi A8L for 5 years; look up air struts. I can buy several used ones for the price of one new one; so you roll the dice.

I've worked on exotics and rare exotic pre-war classics (exotic like this is one of 8 ever of the entire model type rare, not Corvette is yellow with red interior and radio delete rare). Sometimes you spend a lot of time researching parts just to prototype them and get them made. Sometimes you get lucky and they used a more standard for the time part and it's relatively cheap. Them's the breaks, at least the Jaguars you can consistently get parts .

 

If it's the same part number as my S-type, it also fits many Fords and Lincolns, so I cross shopped all three dealerships for price.

Amazingly the most expensive was from Ford and the least expensive was from Jag.

 

With chinese electronics you sometimes get what you pay for. They may be good parts but you don't know until you use them. There have been posts about $15 fuel pumps failing after a short time.

 

I can see someone using a $15 fuel pump as a emergency. But buying a $15 pump just seems stupid.

 

I can't imagine buying a $15 fuel pump on these cars with how difficult it is to install them. A good part of my decision making on fixing original parts vs replacing with OEM is "how difficult is it to remove and reinstall if said part fails after me trying to jimmy it?" If it is difficult to install, chances are I'm replacing with new original equipment, or at least a quality name brand.

Not to flame on the OP, I hope your sensors work. They aren't hard to get at if they don't end up working. Obviously update us on the end result if you would, as this can save some members some serious dough.

As for me, I disconnected the speaker in mine. Those dang beeping sensors drive me nuts.

 

Chillyphilly,

No flame taken, I know I'm "rolling the dice" but I'll bet that original Jag part came down the same assembly line in China as the ones I'm buying. My brother-in-law worked for an American OEM engineering firm and provider of those little nozzles for windshield washer fluid. They would prototype them, then send the design to China. The parts would come back stamped "Ford", "GM", "Isuzu", etc., so who knows. From the pictures, even the markings on these sensors look identical, just doesn't have "Jaguar" on it. We will see.

 

Pick these up off ebay £12 full set 6years ago,easy fit and still working perfect
​​​​​​​

 

These days, for current Jag models, you're could be correct.
But 15-20 years ago, when Jaguar built your car? I seriously doubt that.
But, as others have said . . . yer pays yer money and gets what yer gets!

I have found some products out of China (especially electronics) are world class, vendors giving outstanding service, and reasonable pricing. Other products (notoriously, phone and camera batteries) can be atrocious. I have learned to be wary of replacement Jaguar parts, as I have seen water pumps cast in metal so porous, you could lose yer dog in some of the holes!

To my mind that variability puts them on a par with just about every other manufacturing market in the world. Some superb; some good; some bad; and some terrible. The biggest change in past 20 years is that consumers have learned that their www shop can be anywhere in the world . . . and forums like ours, help spread the good word.

Cheers,

Ken

 

15 or 20 years ago, when my OEM car was built with OEM parts, my "Jaguar" OEM fuel filter was stamped "Made in Poland".

I really wouldn't call, "Finding the same part for a MUCH cheaper price" rolling the dice in our case. I believe that the absurd pricing of our OEM parts is just Jaguar's way of saying, "we're not interested in keeping your 15 (or 20) year old car running; we want you to blow $100K+ on a new car, ..... or just go away."

When I munched a couple of main bearings a few years ago, the price of new crankshaft alone (only available from Jaguar)) exceeded what I paid for an "entire" low mileage used engine!

While I would certainly cast a hairy-eyeball at a $15 fuel pump, for the most part, my motto is: "Cheapest is Bestest".

 

Its a Jag not a Mustang!!! You don't get into these cars and not expect to see stupid prices for even the simple parts.

 

True..... but when the Jag is built WITH Mustang parts (lots of them by the way) why pay artificially inflated Jag prices, when the same part can be had for 50 to 80% less?


I will agree that some parts of our cars are unique to us and much more refined than those on "normal" cars. And for those parts, I accept that Kitty is a special car and that maintaining her will deservedly incur some extra cost. However, at her core she is "still" just a car; and one that shares many routine components with normal cars. We don't deserve to be gouged for those parts.

 

But what (as in my case) the Mustang parts are cheaper at a Jag dealer than a Ford dealer?

If anyone is surprised that there is a 1400% mark up on stuff between manufacturer and retailer they're very naive. It's like that in all industries and it's always been that way, we just had no access to the information. How much do you think it actually cost to make your $1000 flat screen?

Nothing new under the sun.

 

Yes; and your battery was "Varta" and your gearbox "ZF" both from Germany . . . same as many other European exoticars. That's a long stretch from so many "that'll do" owners who chuck any ole "bargain" battery (or water pump, thermostats, tyres, belts, hoses, etc) in their car and wonder why subsequent issues follow.

So? Maybe I'm just thick but how many brand new 4.2L V8 crankshafts from 15yo engines do you reckon Jaguar sell in any year . . . worldwide? Have you wondered why only Jaguar supply new cranks? Could it be that while Jaguar are obliged, other potential suppliers would face astronomical costs for little, if any, return? Then, I wonder how much it costs to stock such rarely ordered items? Whereas . . . having gone to check locally even in our relatively smaller market in Oz, I found one here (complete with 6HP26) for AU$800 (US$500). Took me 10minutes, but not sure of condition.

IF (and IMHO, only if) you attach the caveats of "provided replacement is of identical dimensional accuracy, quality, reliability etc" . . . then I agree. There are cases of identical parts being fitted to other cars and our forums play a valuable role of sharing such knowledge. Regrettably, these forums are awash also with examples of that not being so . . . upper strut bushes that fail within weeks or months; some "bargain basement" ZF filter kits made of pan plate material so thin that you can flex them with little more than a Uri Geller stare!

Of course it's smart to price check, often revealing prices that are no more expensive than other sources. I find electrical components generally expensive, so where identical across other suppliers . . . I often follow your tenet. However, to throw such a generality of "Cheapest is Bestest" into these forums, and among vendor sponsors whose services I respect is, IMHO, both "brave" and ill advised guidance to other members.

Cheers

Ken

 

Ahhh, ... but I do support our sponsors too. I just received an order from SNG last week. Some items are uniquely ours, and for those I like to shop "locally" if I can. But Rock Auto has also served me very well over the last four years, and many miles.

And of course, I eagerly await comment from the many, many other owners who've taken their cars beyond 200,000 miles.

(..... crickets)

:-)

 

+1 and Parts Geek too

 

Hey Jim . . . not sure if my opinions or advice somehow offended (if so, apologies). Regret that your (....crickets) didn't survive translation (LOL) . . . but, if 200,000 miles is a pre-qualification for advising others here, then the 380,000 miles done by my avatar Jag alone is just part of the 2+million miles I have run up on little else but Jaguars over the past 50+ years . . . and many years of workshop practice on almost the entire range of same.

I thought the critical question was not which parts vendors you support (or not) but the appropriateness or otherwise of using OEM or equivalent versus "Cheapest is Bestest".

Cheers,
Ken

 

No offense taken, Ken. The simple listing of your "stable occupants" alone qualifies your opinions as something to take seriously. I just chided you about the 200+K mile thing as a way to say I'm not just blowing smoke, and that I've pushed Kitty way beyond the normal life span of our cars with an economical eye when it comes to parts. I do seriously believe that the dealers do not want to see us though. And in fact, the one time I had the car into an actual dealer, they messed up. To a great extent I think we're on our own out here.


By the way: I do LOVE your "stable". Wow. What a collection! I first seriously shopped for a Jag back in 1986; it took me 26 years(!) to finally decide WHICH ONE. I like your approach better: Just buy them ALL!!! (LOL)


Just keep driving, Buddy.


;-)

 

Great, great reply, Jim. I'm sure you can still hear me rolling around laughing from 15,000 miles away. Respect all round . . .

Cheers and best wishes,

Ken