OK so I'm relatively new to this forum and relatively new to Jaguar ownership...However, I purchased this car with 27k miles on it, no accidents, (it now has 36k) and so far I've replaced the front passenger side control arm, both the rear (dog bone) control arms, rear sway bar links, front wheel bearings, all four struts / shocks, and now a set of tires...and apparently that's just the beginning because I now that I have a brand new set of tires on it that do not growl like crazy I can hear the rest of the crap that is wrong with it...for instance there is a humming coming from the rear of the car that does change pitch when you move the car left to right (so wheel bearing right) well there also is a constant hum when its cold out at low speeds altogether that is just there. I have some insanely annoying clunk that despite having access to a lift I cannot seem to pinpoint...I too have water that comes into the car and lands all over the passengers feet while riding around, an oil pan leak, and a fuel gauge that works about 90% of the time. I guess my question is, is this stuff common for a Jag with this kind of mileage?, once I hammer this stuff out do you think that I'm just headed for more headache or does this cover most of the annoying Jag traits? Any advice would be great...Thanks!

 

That is far more than the usual complement of problems with this car. When I shopped for mine, I noted a difference in the frequency of repairs for the pre-04 models vs the 04-and-later ones. Let's hope you didn't find yourself a lemon.

Actually, in the middle of writing this, I just went back and re-read your post. I would strongly recommend that you think about cutting your losses and sell that car. There's just too many really odd-ball problems and I have no reason to believe that you're close to done with them. It almost sounds like there was accident damage that was just never found and fixed right.

 

I agree with Rothe, sounds like your X was not taken care of properly in it's life previous to your ownership. Regardless of mileage, it is an older vehicle and has had the wear factor for all of those years on gaskets, seals, bushings, etc..

All of the issues you have had to fix have been noted separately in this forum, but rarely is it the vehicle encounters them all at once in such a short timeframe.

 

It's hard to imagine that a 2003 with as little mileage as yours has would have so many problems. You either a) have the benchmark of all lemons b) you are paranoid or c) your mechanic is ripping you off. Only you can answer which one.

 

Thanks to you both for your valued opinions....As far as the car not being taken care of well....I purchased it from estate sale which happened to be the mayor of my local town...I know the family and the "Mayor" was a 70 some year old man who had taken care of it just fine....The car hasn't had any accidents so that's all in order...I probably should give up on it...but I hate that...maybe I'll make it a life journey to figure it out..who knows?

 

Love the breakdown....a) quite possibly have the benchmark of all lemons b) I would very much love that to be the case and c) I'm the mechanic so unless I'm schizophrenic I've got a lot of time and excess cash to kill for no good reason at all! Also I should mention as a side note...I called Jaguar of North America's customer service and they offered me no assistance whatsoever. I own two "other" luxury sedans and they have always tried to meet me in the middle at least if there was something that was obviously out of the ordinary for the vehicle.

 

Sorry to here about your problems, but I don't think it's a lost cause. I can't help you diagnosing the problems, but it sounds like they could all be fixed. Wheel bearings aren't that big of a deal if that is what is wrong. As for teh water, search on here. There is A TON of onfo on that subject. Could be something as simple as an improperly seated cabin air filter or the plastic cowling by the windshield isn't seated in it's slot. However, some members have had ECU problems from water getting in there after a windshield replacement. Better to not let that one linger.

The oil pan? Known issue and a pain to change the gasket, but won't hurt anything. Again, search on here on that topic and you'll learn all you need to know.

The whine when it's cold...if it is between 28-32mph then it is the propshaft. You might be able to lube the bearing, but to replace the propshaft is about $1000.

I know it must be frustarting right now, but if you get it sorted there is a good chance you will have a reliable car for years.

 

Sounds like you got a bad car...I bought my 03 a year ago with 34k miles and since then I've only replaced the rotors/brake pads and was low on transfer case fluid, so I flushed that. That's it, no noises, etc.

With the water getting into the car, sounds like you're about to have some TCM problems real soon.

 

zoolander, as for the water issue in the car, there is a problem with the air blend door in the dash that sometimes it will stick and any water that gets into the cowl, can leak into the ventilation system of the car and cause what you are seeing. If you look in the FAQ section for the X-Types, there is a fix for that. It is something that you should be able to do yourself.

As for the vibration that you are hearing, I would first get your car up on a lift and using a grease gun and needle attachment, grease the bearing in the center of the rear driveshaft (prop shaft bearing). Another thing that I would say to do is to check the transfer case level. Unfortunately, this involves draining all the fluid out of the transfer case. But, it could be something that silly. The transfer cases on these cars only hold 600ml of fluid and any sort of leak can drain that in no time. Surprisingly, the transfer cases will run for quite a long time with no lube in them. if you need help with this, let me know.

As for the clunking in the rear of your car, while it is up on the lift for the prop shaft bearing, take a quick look at the supports for the rear anti-sway bar. Sometimes these brackets will break, leading to what you are hearing. But, odds are, your problem is from the top mount of the rear shocks. One will work its way loose over time and give you the clunk you are hearing. This isn't something that you can normally see with the car up on a lift.

As for the oil pan gasket leak, unfortunately this is a common problem with the X-Types and while there are some easy fixes, they all take a little bit of time to perform. Unless the leak is really bad (more than say 1 quart every 1,000 miles), I would not worry about it.

When it comes to the gas level gauge, does the level drop all the way to zero or does it simply fall by a fair margin? The reason why I ask is that you have 2 level sensors in the X-Type. If you have a bad sensor (one side doesn't want to play), then you will see the level drop by a bit, but not go to zero (E). If it goes to E, then I would be looking at something from the ECM to the instrument cluster.

 

What did you expect Jaguar to do about an 8 year old car? My guess is that since the X Type might have been Ford's attempt to push Jaguar into the mass market the high-end focused Jaguar of today may have little care for our cars (and us). X Types are for vehicular bottom feeders; they're cheap but you are on your own. Fortunately the Internet allows sourcing parts and advice. Like here.

If you really have a bad car you should cut your losses.

 

I suppose I expected Jaguar to offer anything...whether or not this is a "bottom feeder" vehicle it still has a Jaguar stamp on it...being that the car is well within the mileage limitations I would expect them to show a little good will and offer something...anything!...Don't get me wrong I'm not surprised that they didn't but a little bit would have gone a long way...I had an issue with a Lexus that I owned and they stepped up to the plate...I've purchased several more since then....it's just good business. After taking some time to think I don't believe the vehicle is junk, I think it just sat for a while so hopefully I can hammer these issues out and it will be a good car...we'll see.

 

Thanks for the detailed reply! The gas gauge seems to do it when the tank is low to begin with and then it will completely drop to nothing and say something like "unable to read" or "can't communicate" or something...i don't remember verbatim, I'll wait until the next time it does it and I will let you know. When I get a chance I'll get it back on the lift and start tackling all of these other issues and let the forum know how it turns out. Many Thanks!

 

zoolander, it is very possible that you have a bad spot in the level gauge and the computer is looking for a value between 2 ranges (20 to 260 ohms as I recall). If the resistance falls outside of this (gauge opens due to hitting the dead spot, going to a very high resistance), the computer sees this as a failure inside of the car and just ignores the reading. In this case, it just drops the gas gauge to zero to make the owner fill the tank and ensure that the car has fuel in it.

 

You have an old car. It will constantly cost you more and more every day...


Supposedly the XF will be coming with AWD save your money and buy one of those when they come out.. If you are afraid of problems buy on after its introduction. Or lease one...

Old cars break the parts cost money it is a fact of life.

 

The price you pay to be incredibly, ridiculously good looking!

 

You couldn't be more correct!

 

A concept that I'm quite familiar with...However, I found this to be excessive for one vehicle at one time given the other factors but I'm all good with my decision for now. I will definitely be all over an AWD XF...I think those cars are beautiful.