jaguar xkr 2011

 

Welcome to the forum Ed Videira,

I've moved your question from General Tech Help to XK/XKR forum. Members here with the same model will be able to help.

Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some information about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.

Graham

 

Being a fairly new owner myself, I can say that I've only found one problem...And the only thing I check is to make sure that there aren't any cops around when I hit the gas...lol

Congrats on your new ride!

 

Welcome aboard and enjoy the drive.

 

Try to find a way to check the oil level at least once a month, preferably more often. The engine needs to be warmed up somewhat and then off for five minutes or so before it is possible, so figure out a routine to accomplish this.

 

Why? In 4 years and lots of miles on 2 xks i've never had a single leak or burned any excessive oil. I've only changed oil once a year on them and my MBs and never had any problems. In fact in my last 25years of all car ownerships I've never checked oil outside of my regular oil change, which since I've been driving late model cars during that time has generally been 7500miles or 12 mns with synthetic oils. I can certainly understand when cars start to get some miles on it but assuming his mileage is low every month seems unnecessary.

 

I would suggest you grab a cold beer and sit down and read the owners manual. Just get familiar with all of the features and how they work. It is pretty much a get in and drive car usable for every day or just plan cruising. I use the same routine with all of my cars so once a week I check the fluids and now with the TPMS I don't do that part any more. So just enjoy the drive.

 

Check the oil regardless of other's experiences. It's a pain in the **** and I've never been able to check it after 5 minutes, more like half an hour. Also, the water pumps are a point of weakenss, so every so often, check coolant level in the morning before starting the car, and occasionally listen for a rattling which could be the signs of a wobbling broken or about to break water pump. Other than that, these cars are extremely reliable.

 

The easy way to check the oil is to do it 1st thing before you start the car. Works all the time for me. I also do a once a week coolant check before our ride.

 

I suggest reading back over the past 40 or so pages of this forum for insight on thing you may or may not realize is happening.

Oh yeah, get used to attention and lots of 2nd looks.

 

jagtoes,
I check my oil in the morning before I start the car as you do. However, it will sometimes register low on oil if it's at the low end of the range even when it will register within the range later in the day.

 

You guys crack me up! It is all good advice but a bit on the basic side, I feel like you are talking to a first time high school car owner. Don't forget to tell him to wear clean underwear in case he goes to the hospital. You fella's know I jest.

To the OP, if you are not inclined to check this or that every other day, week, or month you will be fine. The car will notify you if the oil get's low, it has a warning indicator that comes up yellow telling you to add oil if needed and a red telling you it is REAL low. Same with the other fluids.

 

Welcome aboard and enjoy your ride. Why not post a couple of pics so we all can ooo and aaah over your good looking XKR.

These cars like a fully charged battery, otherwise the various electronics in the car will start acting up and give you weird readings. If your car is not a daily driver and you will be using it intermittently, spend $100 or less on a CTek battery maintainer. It takes about 15 minutes to install and then 15 - 20 seconds to hook it up or unhook it and it will save you a lot of grief. For more info, in the search box at the upper right of this page type in battery maintainer and read a few of the threads.

 

So Ed, talk to us, how many miles on the car? Some wear items that could require attention are miles dependent. For instance, if you have high mileage you might want to check the suspension, specifically control arm bushings. The XKR is a tight car and these items are subject to wear.

When you bought the car did you have an inspection? Did you buy it from a dealer who serviced the fluids (brake flush, coolant flush, etc.). If you bought from an individual or non-Jag dealer who couldn't give you fluid service history the first thing I always do is have everything changed, especially oil and brake fluid.

It is 6 years old and not many people buy into the lifetime fluids in the tranny and differential that manufacturers recommend. You have a 500hp car, the higher the performance the more the wear and tear. You could consider a tranny fluid flush also.

 

I know Tamp it does sound at times we are talking to inexperienced folks but then again we don't know skills level or car knowledge. As an example on another form yesterday a person asked what should they do. They were driving on the freeway and the red overheat light lite up on the dash. They didn't bother to see/watch their temp gauge. This person said he drove it for another 20 minutes before steam poured out and the engine stopped. The car got towed and the dealer said the motor was blown and wants $10K to fix it. He wanted to know what to do next? Some people can rebuild an engine and some can't change a fuse.

 

1st thing to do is buy this:





and keep the XKR on the CTEK when not being driven. You will not be disappointed in any way. It is a must have for a Jaguar XK/XKR owner.

 

Don't then, I don't give a crap.

 

On any car it's a damn good idea to get a "baseline" of oil consumption. Some cars like Subaru's, some Mercedes and most Porsche's are known for needing a quart of oil every 1000 miles. With a new-to-me car I'd want to know for myself if my car needed any (forutnately none of my cars ever needed any including my Jag) but I'd rather find out via checking in asa precaution than the hard way.

As a Precaution on all cars I buy used I always change out all fluids - oil and filter, coolant, brake fluid regardless of if/when a receipt may show it was done recently just so I know, for sure, what went in, when it went in, and that it was done right. All too often I've seen wrong oils, wrong oil levels,etc done by factory dealerships. I take the wheels off, clean them, inspect my brakes, re-torque the lugs down right (how many torque wrenches do you see get used by paid mechanics???).

Buy a battery maintainer (not charger but quality maintainer), check to see the date on your battery if it is older than 3 years I'd change it out as a precaution as you don't know if it had drained prior, change the little battery in your remote as a precaution. Check air pressures in your tires including your spare, make sure you have the factory tool kit, get a quality leather conditioner for the dash and seats (I'm a fan of Lexol over Leatherique). Lastly I like to go to a self wash and degrease the entire engine compartment and underside just so you then know if any leaks are new.

Lastly with the XKR, think about a high quality radar detector, they are a bit costly but cheaper than the ticket you will likely receive here shortly

Good luck, enjoy!

 

A cautionary tale for sure. You can't fix stupid. Someone blowing through a warning light and ruining their car, I am sure if you look at this persons life it is full of such instances, big and small.

I certainly am not trying to dissuade anyone from checking their fluids weekly, at every drive, or monthly, or whatever. But it really isn't necessary, it is a habitual ritual for most at this point.

Unfortunately these cars make you rely on electronic systems to tell you the oil level. The same electronic system will tell you if it gets low, not so low that your cars integrity is jeopardized. So if you can trust what the electronics tell you on "manual" check then you can trust they will inform when a top off is needed. If the monitoring system fails it gives you a notification also. If I don't have any oil on the floor or splattered around my engine bay I know that the only way for an oil level change is through consumption, the cars that suffer from high oil consumption are well known to do so and endemic of those models (the new BMW generation 8 cylinder is such a beast).

Nothing said is bad advice, I don't necessarily call it good advice either. It is subjective and just advice.

 

I just bought another 2007 used XK on March 3rd and have some personal experience lately on what to look for.

Look at the headliner to see if it's sagging. I had to replace the headliner in both my 2007's.

Brakes....had to replace all four rotors and pads on this latest XK plus had the brake fluid flushed.

Six CD player was locked up and had it replaced. I didn't check this when I bought it but probably would have bought the car anyway. It has a very good interior and body/paint.

Replaced the tires. Rears were mostly like new, fronts not good. I do whole sets and not just rears or fronts.

Upper A arm ball joints rubber was broken on both sides of the car. Replaced the A arms on both sides.

Make sure the aerial goes up and down. The last '07 XK I had to replace the aerial/mast part. This present car is fine.

On my present XK the speedometer reads somewhere b/t 3-4 mph higher than your really going. I verified this with a Garmin. This Garmin's readings work just perfect with my other cars but not this '07 XK I just bought used. Like XK reads 74 mph.....I'm only going 70-71 mph in reality. BUT the odd thing is that odomenter on the car reads perfectly with the Garmin. I verified this on two, 200 mile trips. So it's just the 'needle' that reads off, not the odometer reading.

One thing that bugs me about both '07 XK is that I have a big problem reading the speedometer because it's soooo dark down there. I tried a new eyeglass prescripiton with the same results......hard to read speedometer. So I put the Garmin near the glove box and read the speed off the Garmin. Not that it matters anymore. Everybody seems to be driving 80 plus mph on the interstates these days. Didn't seem that way just a couple years ago. Must be me.

EDIT: Meant to add.......I've never had to use a 'trickle' charger on the XK battery....ever. I did buy one for my last XK but it was never needed. I did have the batt go bad on my last XK though. It was a over five year old battery.

On my previous '07 XK I had the problem with the thermostat housing and had to replace it. Not that difficult.

I like the XK for the way the pedals are up from the floor so I can rest my feet below and fwd of them. Try that in a SL. SL sucks on foot room imho vs XK.

Oh, my bad, but this car does not have the cargo cover installed on the rear hatch. Gotta go buy one or get one from the wreck yard.

Best thing about the '07 XK vs other cars I've had...........every time I walk out from the Walmart/supermarket, I get a smile on my face when approaching the fine looking car. It's one of the best looking cars ever made.

The car looked just great when I bought it. But...when I ran my hand across the paint it felt 'gritty' even after two car washes. So I introduced myself and the car to claybar and now the paint is slick as can be when you run your hand over it.

The '07 has but ? 300 hp but frankly that's all I need. Great on the interstates on long trips over 500 miles. I've a F-Type R for more hp if needed but it's not as comfy on long trips nor as good looking.