Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of buying a 2005 X-Type. The car's going in for a pre-purchase inspection tomorrow. I wanted toleverage your expertise and askfor a list of common problem areas to look out for with the X-Types.I looked through the FAQ, but didn't see a "common issues/compliants FAQ". From the research I've done, themain things I have on my list so far are:

1.Check for propshaft whine at 40 to 70mph (less frequent occurence on later cars, but still possible)
2. Check interior door latch operation to check for broken plastic couplings (a common failure point for the door mechanism)
3. Verify all fluid levels are correct, especially in the transfer case/differentials
4. Check of bad alignment (telltale sign is significant wear on the inside edgeof the tire treads)

What are other common mechanicalissues are you aware of on the 2004 to 2007 cars? Please let me know, as I'd like to make sure they're examined before buying the car.

Thank you!

 

These are not as serious as the list you have above - good research by the way...

But I have heard the vanity mirrors doors on the inside tend to break.

Also check the windshield washer connections to the hood. The plastic is brittle and can break easily.

Check that there is a scoop on the transfer case. It is made of plastic and should be covering the oil pan drain valve.

 

Christo, thanks very much for weighing in with your thoughts. I really appreciate your insights. I didn't realize until today what the scoop under the transfer case does. I'll definitely have them check for it. Also hadn't heard about the other two problems you mention. Good to know.

Initially, Ifelt some trepidation about buying an X-Type. Love the car, but the widespread perceptions of poor reliability had me concerned initially. After doing a lot of research, it seems like the 2004+ cars are well sorted, and that most of the problems that remain on the later cars are niggling inconveniences (e.g., trim coming loose, plastic pieces breaking, etc.) I can easily deal with that kind of stuff, as long as the rest of the car is mechanically solid. The low resale values of usedlow mileage X-Types makes it hard to resist buying one.

I'm looking forward to getting the car, and hope the PPI goes smoothly tomorrow!

 

Another obvious point is require a CarFax report. See if the vehicle has been in any accidents or has experienced odometer rollback. Check to see if it has been serviced regularly.

I've always heard people say X-Types have low reliability but just about every service that measures the reliability of cars that I have found ranks the X-Type, even early models, as pretty-to-very reliable. As long as your car is solid, I doubt you'll experience any problems with it. I've had mine for about a month now (not long, but still) and I haven't had a single problem with it. It works and performs exceptionally well every single time.

 

Chiming in as well..the 2005 MY is pretty sound and free of most the earlier MY problems...The mileage will also tell you if it is due for any major preventative maintenance..Look into that as well....But like whatwas mentioned above..the service records will tell you a lot.

BTW, Nice Homework

 

Hey matt welcome to the forum
+1 on the homework you did........pretty much covered most things I guess.
Getting the 05 is a good plan, as you know many issues on the earlier models were sorted by the 03's and certainly by the 04's.
You didnt' say whether you had any warranty with the car matt? A good idea if only to cover the t/c
What sort of mileage and manual or auto? 2.5 or 3.0?

Sounds like you done some research and I'm sure by the sounds of it it'll be a clean car with little / no issues......lookin forward to hearin more from ya and maybe some pics too?

All the best
Jim

 

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!I'm looking forward to becoming a regular contributor here once I get my car. This seems like a great community andI'm glad I found it. I appreciate all of your input.I'm actually relieved that my initial questiondidn't spark a long list of things to check. It reinforces that the the poor quality reputation of the X-Typeisn't merited.I've admired the X-Type for years, and nearly bought one in 2002/2003 (long story, but I ended up deferring the purchase until now).

Unfortunately, the dealershipwasn't able to get my car in today for the PPI. They were backed up with other vehicles, and closed early for Christmas.It's ok -they'll get to it on Friday morning, and it gives me the opportunity to ask for your opinions on one issue that I'm mildly concerned about. Before we get into that,let's talk about the positives:

The Good -This seemsto bea beautiful condition2005 X-Type 3.0, in Jaguar Racing Green Metallic with Champagne leather. Cosmetically, it seems to be nearly immaculate.It's a one owner California car (no rust), clean Carfax, 21600 miles (approx 7000 miles per year), originally sold in August 2005, warranty good to August 2009.It's had 4 service appointments to date (all seem to be for routine scheduled service).Options include automatic transmission, premium package (wood steering wheel, memory seats, auto headlights, etc), heated seats, and the 320watt Alpine stereo system. All in all, just a gorgeous car, with nearly all of the options I would have wanted. The only additional things I wish it had are DSC and a 5 speed manual, but to find a carspec'dlike that would be next to impossible, soI'm being realistic in settling for an auto tranny and no DSC.

The Mildly Concerning- The only thing that jumped outat me in mypreliminary inspection is that the right side of the J-gate trim is sitting high. It can be pushed back in with my hand, so it makes me think the trim just worked its way loose.I'm not concerned about the trim being looseper se(that can be easily fixed). The thing I am concerned about is whether the gate sitting highwould have caused stress on the automatic transmission by not letting the gears engage fully. A transmission failure would cost $8k to $10K to fix, so ifthere's a risk of transmission damage, I might re-think purchasing the car despite all of the positives.

I'm attaching a photo so you can see what I mean about the J-gate. I have no idea how longit's been like that (it might have just been the past few weeks or the past several months). The dealer had just gotten the car, andhadn't noticed the issue until I pointed it out. I also don't know if an idiot lightnormally comes on if the transmissionis being stressed, or if any damage from a misaligned j-gate can occur unnoticed.

My question for all of you: Is this somethingyou'd be overly concerned about? Do you have any opinions on what the probability of transmission damage arisingfrom something like this would be? I spoke to the Jaguar service manager today, and he told me thatthey'd check the car first thing on Friday to try to determine if the trim is just loose (theydidn't seem to think it would be a big deal ifthat's the only issue), or if the J-gate itself is misaligned (which would be more concerning because it could theoretically stress the transmission and/or link cables).I'd appreciate any thoughts members of this forum might have on this -I'm not really sure how concerned to be aboutit at this juncture. I just know Idon't want to buy the car have the transmission fail in a year or two, when the car is out of warranty andI'm facing a $10,000 repair bill. But I also don't want to pass up the car if the trimbeing loosecouldn't damage the transmission. Well optioned Jaguar Racing Green cars are hard to come by as it is, so I'd hate to have to start my search all over again.

Merry Christmas all, and please let me know your thoughts on the J-gate!






[IMG]local://upfiles/5932/4776D1D0F4AA4FD69CE6A81ECF439709.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/5932/41D2179AE72749EEB3C0EEA992C15DFD.jpg[/IMG]

 

Hi again..Mine is a 2003 exactly like yours, except I have a NAV system and Trip puter..

Put your mind at ease..that is just cosmetic trim around the shifter, the whole thing pops out or in very easy..more than likely a tab is not properly seated, either way an easy fix...In no way can that effect the J-gate shifter or transmission engagement, unless it's jammed up against it and that would only mean the shifter isn't set in it's detents..there would be a beep, beep, beep, while the shifter was in park engine offifthe shifter was out of place..The tranny is fine...So IMO, sounds like a sweet ride and one I would take..Good luck and have fun.

 

Dennis, thank you for your reply! You've definitely put my mind more at ease. I'm glad to hear that there's a built in audible warning if the transmission isn't in gear properly, and that the J-gate trim coming loose isn't an unheard of issue. The car goes in for inspection tomorrow - I'm hoping the Jaguar tech reinforces the view that there's no risk of transmissiondamage and thatthis isn't something I should be concerned about.

I thought your car was Jaguar Racing Green, but noticed your sig says "B(ritish)RG". Beautiful color, but then I'm a bit partial! I've spent several months looking for a JRG car - it really suits the design and brand well. I'll post pics of my car once I get it.

Merry Christmas all!

 

To be honest, It is correctly calledJaguar Racing Green..But old schoolers will still call it out of respect for the breed, British Racing Green..either one is correct.

 

It's a beautiful color. And relatively rare too if my multi-month search is any indication. I've only seen one other JRG car in person, and was instantly smitten.

 

I couldn't agree more..That color was made for this Breed..very ICONIC for Jaguar..There are several members here with that color in all the varieties of Jagmodels..they all look sharp too.

 

Dennis, FYI, Jaguar has two different colors that have been available on the X-type (not all years). British Racing Green, and Jaguar Racing Green. They aren't the same. The BRG is slightly bluer in color, and is a metallic paint, whereas the JRG (when I've seen it) is a flat paint (not metallic.)

I actually prefer the BRG (though my X is a 3.0 Sport is Black).

 

Not trying to argue or prove a point, because I really don't know the difference..But my car is definitely green and loaded with metallic.....Maybe BRG you mean is NON Metallic.

This ismy window sticker:

 

Kim, it's actually the opposite. Jaguar Racing Green is a metallic color. British Racing Green isa flat (non-metallic) hue. 2003 was the first model year that Jaguar Racing Green metallic was offered. To complicate matters, there was another metallic green shade available in 2001 and 2002 called Emerald Green metallic. That's the one that has the hint of blue you're referring to. I only know this because I'd originally planned to get an X-Type in the 2002/2003 timeframe and these were the paint colors I was considering.

Dennis, thanks for posting a pic of your car. What a gorgeous color.I love the mesh grille that you installed - it's my first planned mod (I've already ordered the part, and it'll probably get here before the car does). I'm also going to be installing clear sidemarkers, and a new gearshift knob with the growler emblemembedded in it. Oh, and I managed to pick up some18" Melbourne wheels recently that I'll be using during the summers. The last mod I'll likely consider is a Borla stainless steel exhaust when the OEM mufflers need replacing. Beyond that, I think the car is just about perfect.

 

I am by no means a mechanic or mechanically inclined but I wouldn't think the trim coming up on the J-gate would cause damage to the transmission. Another little quirk with the X-Type is the vents along the dashboard. They tend to pop up a little and can easily be pushed back down. It doesn't cause any problems, but it seems just to be a small fit issue.

I hope the car is everything you want and more - the X-Types really are great cars and the one you described sounds absolutely beautiful - and it has the one thing I want (champagne leather)!

 

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!I'm looking forward to becoming a regular contributor here once I get my car. This seems like a great community andI'm glad I found it. I appreciate all of your input.I'm actually relieved that my initial questiondidn't spark a long list of things to check. It reinforces that the the poor quality reputation of the X-Typeisn't merited.I've admired the X-Type for years, and nearly bought one in 2002/2003 (long story, but I ended up deferring the purchase until now).


The critics of the X-Type are invariably talking out of their backsides... Yes you can find examples that have been thrashed ... and we all know that the car is not perfect... what car is? But!!! It has come out scoring quite highly in the past (earlyish models) on reliability and other tests done in Germany... over and above some Germanic products... most importantly owner drivers tend to rate their cars quite high in the fun, reliability and equipment level stakes.

Mike

 

Hey Mike..uumm, are you in theright thread by any chance?..LOL, your post just don't fit here for some reason..LOL

 

Dennis, I forgot your X got some cool and great looking chrome accessories lol

 

Thank you my friend..