Just curious what sorts of X-Type-specific issues I should have a mechanic check for before I decide whether to buy. I believe I have read about the oil pan gasket but aside from that, I'd appreciate any suggestions.


http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory...EA51C44WD73123

 

Jmg, the big things that I would look for is to have them check the fan controller (start car, turn on the A/C to the fastest fan speed you can set and dial the temp down as low as it will go, this will force the fan to run at max speed). You should be getting a very strong breeze from the engine bay now. If you are getting a gentle breeze, then your fan controller is starting to go.

Next, take the car for a drive. if it sounds like you have rocks rolling around in the drive train, then odds are your transfer case is on its way out.

When you get in the car, turn the ignition switch to the RUN position (do not go to START), check to make sure that the check engine light comes on. After that, start the car and make sure that the check engine light goes out. If you can bring a code reader with you, do that. Plug it in and make sure that it reads "P1111". If it reads "P1000", then someone has reset the ECU and this would make me a little nervous. This is where a "long" test drive (say 10 miles total, with about 15 minutes of engine run time) would be advisable. This will get the ECU to the P1111 stage. if it isn't, then odds are you are going to have a hell of a time getting the car registered as it will not pass MD state inspection (I live in MD, I know what they look for).

The other things I would be looking for is whether the rear tires are leaning in at the tops. They should lean in very slightly (there is a slight negative camber to the tires, but that is around a -0.5 degrees at max). If they are leaning in more, odds are you are looking at some rear suspension work.

The other thing I would do on the test drive is to find a decently long curve you can take at about 25 mph. As you are taking the curve, step on the gas (in a controlled manner) like you were going to pass someone on the curve. Did the back end step out to the side a little bit? If so, you have rear suspension work that will be coming due soon. Another clue will be if you look at the rear tires (and this applies to the front tires) and look at the inside edge of the tires. Is this significantly worn in relation to the rest of the tire. If so, suspension work in in your future.

Open up the hood and take a look at the coolant overflow bottle. The coolant level should be up into the black part of the coolant bottle. Is it below the "Cold Low Level" mark? If so, you may be looking at a slow coolant leak and finding these can be a pain some times.

The final thing I would do is get the car up to 60 mph and look/listen for 2 things. The first being how steady the steering wheel is. Does it remain very still or is there a wobble in it. If there is a wobble, you either have an alignment that is going out (most likely in need of some sort of repair) or you are dealing with atleast 1 bent rim (might be cheap to fix, but odds are......). The other thing to listen for is a hum that is going to sound like it is coming from near the front of the passenger cabin if not from between the driver/passenger. This would be your carrier bearing for the rear drive shaft. Sometimes it just needs a little bit of a grease, other times you will end up replacing the bearing (this may require replacement of the rear drive shaft).

This should cover most of the common problems with the car that are not glaringly obvious.

 

Jmg, looking at the Carfax shows some good points like, one owner and no accidents. How much are they asking?

I would dig into the trunk and pull the carpeted cover and spare tire out and look for broken glass shards. Take a good flashlight with you to inspect the car. My X had a clean Carfax, but a year after buying it I got into the trunk and even removed the inside door panels and found broken glass crumbles. This was not a big deal for me but did make me curious as to why? I've had my X Type for over 3 years and it rocks! But, if you did find something like this it could serve as a bargaining chip.

Also, make sure all the windows and door locks work reliably via the key FOB. There is an all locking feature on the X that works one of two ways. With at least one window down and maybe the sunroof open stick the key in the drivers door and hold it to the lock position for a few seconds, the car should close the window and the sunroof and then lock up. If this doesn't work then the same function should be available by holding the Lock button on the key FOB for a few seconds. It's either programmed to the key FOB or the driver's door lock.

It's a fun feature and if it doesn't work it's not deal breaker in my opinion, but a concern that a new key FOB may be needed soon.

 

Man I saw on the Car-Fax that they replaced the oil pan gasket. I bet there are a lot of X-Type owners that wish they had that done as it is expensive to have replaced or a big pain if done yourself. So, this car has that going for it.

 

A leak at the oil pan gasket is quite common but the seriousness of this is HUGELY overblown. it is expensive to replace because of the dismantling needed to get at it. People today seem to be intolerant of a minor oil leak - while no leak is desirable, minor leaks and even quite major oil leaks used to be "normal" especially on Jaguars! If mine had a leak at the oil pan gasket I would leave it alone - a litre of oil is cheap compared to the cost of the repair. The car will not run any better after spending a minor noble's ransom to fix it.

 

>The car will not run any better after spending a minor noble's ransom to fix it.

Plus, you'll always have clean oil in it... ;-)
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You dreamed of a big star
he played a mean guitar
He loved to drive his Jaguar...

So welcome to the machine

 

The main thing... check that there is no rust on the A pillars and sills. These rust from the inside out. This is a fatal flaw for X Types as it makes the car structurally unsound and therefore unsafe in any frontal or side accident.

 

Well put! Thanks. (And a sportwagon! Cool!)