Some may recall my purchase of an '03 3.0SE Sport a short while ago.

Guess how many Km I've put on her?

Less than 1000km (622-miles).

First I battled with the licensing, so that's a big reason for the low mileage. Secondly I had the overheating issues which I managed to sort out, or at least I think so.

I collected the car on the 15 Jan but only received the licensing in my name this yesterday. Due to space constraints where I stay I wasn't able to park both the Mazda and the Jag at home and left the Jag at my mother-in-law's place. I wanted to just check that she would still start (the Jag, not the MIL) and wanted to take her out last weekend. Pulling her out I noticed a HUGE puddle of oil under the car - great. Add that to the issues.

Combine all the headache I've had with the car, this is the final straw for me, as much as I fear it's not the final headache. I still need to try and sell this thing. I'm in for a huge loss here - I'm guessing R20 000 (+/-$2500 or £1900).


I have zero faith in this car to transport me anywhere further than 5km.


List of issues


- Overheating
- Oil Leak
- ABS / Airbag warning
- Brake Fade
- Suspension knock
- Intermittent starter solenoid
- Broken headlight retainer clips
- Passenger door handle linkage


I'm over it...


And here I thought it would be a good car seeing as it's a Mondeo. Seems there's too much Jaguar influence.


[/Friday Rant]

 

Sorry for the bad luck.
Are you saying that in 1000 kilometers all this happened? Is it possible that it was there already and you missed it when buying it? like I'm sure I might have noticed that the passenger door didn't work and that the suspension knocked during the test drive, the brakes faded, the starter had issues.

I can't understand how you missed all these things unless maybe you boght it at night? Thought it was a pretty car and wrote the check.

 

sorry about you luck. I'm starting to get fed up with mine too.

Hope you sell her for a good buck

 

Wonder if all the problems wasn't the reason it was for sale...

 

Sorry to hear about your glitches , low mileage doesn't always indicate a car to be trouble free

 

Sorry to hear about your woes.

Where was the oil gushing from?

 

Are you saying that it has developed all these problems in the last 1000km and the car was perfect when you bought it? Because it kind of just sounds like you didn't do enough research/test driving/inspection before you bought it......... Sorry about the bad luck though man, these cars are fun when they run right.

 

The x type is a nice car, yes it has its issues, but its fairly easy to diagnose as long as its not sensors. I've run into a few little electrical gremlins on my girls X but always managed to sort them out for fairly cheap...the transmission was the biggie...but we complained about it before it blew and the dealer sid it was fine, so when it finally kisked the bucket the dealer picked up most the tab that the warrenty wouldn't cover..but not all.

 

Let it be said that these were mostly preexisting conditions that my scrutiny didn't notice. I was aware of the ABS / Airbag light but having had a similar issue on my Mazda I know it's one that didn't require immediate attention. The headlight were probably broken upon inspection but checking the throw of the lights during the day is nigh on impossible.

The oil leak has only recently manifested itself while it's been standing. The rest of the issues didn't present themselves on the short test drive.

I discovered another fault - wheel bearings are shot, in a somewhat epic manner too. I have about 1" range of movement on the wheel laterally.

I guess the main reason for my disposition wrt this car is because I'm kicking my own *** for not picking up these gremlins as much as I know cars. I'm guilty of buying a lemon.

A fool and his money are soon parted.

 

I too, hate getting a life lesson in that manner, but I (as others i'm sure) have had my fair share. Go find an 02-03 xj

 

I don't know if there are any lemon laws in S. Africa, but if there are I would hire an attorney and get him to lemon the car..

 

Here's a thought, you say you are prob. going to lose 2,500....
Why not take the money you think you will lose and fix the car right.

Then you have the car you orginally wanted and FIXED.

If you do most of the work yourself for well under 2,500 you can fix all the problems you listed.

Peace

 

I think you're missing his point. He bought an inexpensive pheudo luxery car because he was dazzled by the low price along with low KM. When the actual reason for low price walks up and slaps you in the face and you are forced to repair the car, bringing the purchase price back to the point where it should have been when purchasing a well maintained car it is nowhere near as much fun to show people how good a deal you got and how good you are at finding a bargain.

I learned a long time ago you get EXACTLY what you pay for, no more and no less. I look for lower milage vehicles that seem to be fairly priced. Then I look at a lot of them.

 

This definitely isn't a Jaguar-specific thing. My second car was a not-so-old-at-the-time BMW 320i and it made the OP list of to-dos seem pretty trivial. I too, was impressed that I as a 17 year-old could afford a BMW with a nice exterior. My dad luckily returned the car on my behalf.

 

You got that right... I bought mine last August with just under 30,000 miles. I have put about 5,000 miles on it, and now the transmission is slipping.

 

Change the fluid, do it NOW!!!!

 

sidewalkman - good advice, except that I did that last September.

At that time, I found that there were two more quarts than it should have had, and the fluid was dark. I changed it (yes, I did use the correct fluid) and the transmission started shifting better than it had - no more lag accelerating from a stop. When it started slipping, I re-checked the fluid level and color, and both were ok. The slipping begins on acceleration between 40-50 mph. I think it could be the 4th gear clutch. In any case, I plan to take it to AAMCO next weekend. I don't want to hijack this thread, so if you are interested in reading the rest of the story, look at my recent threads, "Transmission Rebuild" and "TCM Adaptation Procedure."

 

I guess I am different I bought a 2005 s type off ebay for 6,000....the car looks new, when it arrived via carrier I drove it for the first time to find out the rear wheel bearing was trashed, the DCCV was out, the climate control needed replaced, I replaced the steering wheel,o2 sensor, . I put maybe 1,000 in it. The car runs as good as it looks now I have 7,000 or so in it and have leant alot along the way.

I would not have changed a thing! I still brad about how good a deal I got.....lol