My son is interested in a 2002 X Type.
2.5 liter 6 cylinder engine approaching 160k miles.
Are there any major issues, expensive tune ups that start creeping up about now?

It's a private sale; anything I should be looking for during the test drive?

Thank you!

 

If you are going to find issues, here is a list of what I would be looking for:

- check engine light on (most likely a vacuum leak which can be easily fixed if you are willing to spend the time and about $50). Might get you a way to knock a few hundred off of the price.
- during the test drive, the front of the car sounds like it has rocks in the transmission. This is a bad transfer case. RUN AWAY!!!!! Unless you are getting it for really cheap and you can install a new transfer case yourself, you are looking at a $3000 repair bill.
- look at the rear tires and see if they are leaning in at the top. This is a sign that the upper control arms for the rear suspension are worn out and will need replaced. Lots of info here on replacements and what to look for.
- take the car out for a drive and get into a long, sweeping turn (cloverleaf) and mid way through the turn, give the car a fair amount of gas (like you were going to pass someone on the curve). Does the rear end feel like it is going to come around on you (it won't, but it will make you get off of the gas)? IF so, then your rear/forward control arm is worn and needs replaced (probably notice some serious tire wear on the inside edge of the rear tires).
- Is the ABS light on along with the check engine light? If so, odds are you have a bad wheel speed sensor which can be an easy fix or be troublesome. It all depends on how much work you are willing to put into the vehicle.
- apply the e-brake and note if you can pull it all the way to the top or if it stops after pulling the end a few inches. If iti s really easy and gets pulled up really high, then odds are you have a bad caliper on the rear of the car and will require a brake job with atleast 1 rear caliper needing replaced. I would also pull the e-brake lever before going for the drive and then after the drive, place your hand near each rotor. They should be warm, but not extremely hot. If extremely hot, that caliper is bad and will need replaced.

I know this sounds like a laundry list of problems and more than any car should have. BUt, this is a list of all possible problems.

ONe thing that I will propose to you that may make the car not realistic to buy: if your son thinks he can zoom from light to light in this car, he may find that it will be an expensive car to own. In the first few years of the cars life, there were lots of transfer case issues that were directly tied to hard launching from a stop light. This resulted in a transfer case replacement ($3000 repair bill). If you drive the car sensibly, it will last forever. You are hard on the kitty, it will pull out its claws and take everything out of your wallet.

 

I would think if there would have been an issue with the transfer case it would have shown up long before 160K miles and 15 years on the road. If you do get the car I would highly recommend changing all the fluids (transmission, transfer case, differential) right away, just so you know where you stand with those.

One other thing to keep in mind no matter how good condition that car might be. It is 15 years old, so things just start wearing out just because of age and not because it is not a good car or it been neglected. There are probably very few 15 year old used cars out there that do not need something that needs freshening up on them.

Good luck with your search. You get the right car and search here for advise if something comes up and your son could have a great car that will serve him well.

 

I bought one several months ago with 170,000 miles and it runs fine. I did get the trans fluid replaced, it wasn't too bad but it is advertised as lifetime fluid and there is no trans dipstick to check it yourself, so I just did it so I would have to wonder.
The Jag spec fluid was over $45 a qt, there is a VW fluid with the same specs for half the cost.
P.

 

Castrol IMPORT multi vehicle transmission fluid meets Jag specs @ $5-6 per quart.

 

Right, I heard that, the Castrol people said it was the same fluid and they are probably right, but it took me several weeks to find a m transmission guy who would look at the car and it took him several weeks for find the VW stuff and to be willing to use it, so I went with that. There are a couple other brands that also claim to meet the specs.
It gets even more peculiar when you find out that you can't just drain and replace 8 liters of fluid. You drain three, add three, run the engine, shift through the gears, drain another three, add another three , run the motor and shift through the gears, and look at the resulting color to see if you want to do that again. You are draining cleaner fluid each time, it dilutes the old stuff with the new, so we went two rounds and it looked better, and it didn't look too bad at first with 170,000 miles on it, so "lifetime fluid " is just a matter of personal taste.
Anyhow, the car runs fine and changing the fluid cost about as much as the full detail, including the dog hair surcharge. And I got a nice car out of the deal.
P.

 

Many thanks to all of you for the suggestions!!
This is exactly what I was looking for.

 

Nice checklist. I looked at a 2005 Estate today. Nice in appearance inside and out except for a loose sideboard under the door. Unfortunately the first thing that was apparent after starting it up was the ABS and CEL as well as the battery/charge system light. Price was pretty low, but without really knowing these issues, I'd have to take a pass on it

Thanks
Todd
11 XF

 

There may be issues with this wagon (great cars, by the way - I have one) but given that the battery light is on, the battery or its connections or its cables may be the entire issue. Random fault lights can be caused by low battery voltage -as can other issues. If you like the car (and why wouldn't you?) then a verification of the battery and connector condition should be the first step. The cables sometimes become faulty - if the cables are hot to the touch you have probably found the culprit.

 

Gregory. I may have another look at it. These are looking like fairly minor items to solve. I've dealt with ABS Pump and wheel sensor issues before. As well, I've dealt with alternator issues. The battery light came on a few minutes after driving. So, the car may be worth another look. If I do take another look, I'll bring my OBD scanner along!

Thx
Todd
11 XF

 

Justlooking! Beside all the advise above; You should looking for the cars as later MY and as low mileage as he (or you) can pay for; 15 years old with 170K miles car even the previous owners take good care of it, the problems will come up eventually, if you or your son willing to work on it yourself, own an used Jaguar is very expensive if you depend on the garage

 

For point of reference, it would be helpful to have known if this was an auto or a manual X-Type...yes, they DO exist in a manual and I have actually had two of them (still have the '03).

The clutch was a costly repair (relatively speaking) at roughly 135K miles. I have no idea how it was driven for the first 100K miles but when it failed, it was pretty catastrophic. That flywheel was one of the pricier parts in the repair.

Beyond that, I am now at 155K miles on this one and recently put a battery in. The old one was showing as being about six years old, verified with a receipt in the vehicle that matched what was under the hood.

Lights are a pain to change bulbs on. And I have small hands.

Depending on where the car is located, the headliner may be in need of replacement at some point in time. They don't last much beyond a decade in Texas heat as installed by Jaguar. Time will tell how the replacement holds up.

Gears for the power seats may give way at some point in time. Mine have been bad for the up and down since I bought it but since I have my forward and back, I have just made do. It is not so much that it is a costly item but more the PITA factor. If I ever get around to getting a wear spot on the bolster closest to the door repaired, then I will likely have them replace the gears.

I have a mystery coolant leak somewhere. I thought it was the recovery tank, but replacing it and a couple of the hoses that I could easily get to has not cured the issue. There was previously a T-connection somewhere near the front that was taken care of shortly after I bought the car, but it puddled and was obvious. Labor on that was far more than the parts.

One of the NICE things about the X-Type is that people often see the leaper and presume you spent A LOT more on the car. Even being a four-door sedan, there is still a semblance of panache about these compared to so much of the genericrap that populates the roads nowadays.