She's Gone...
 

I traded my X-Type today. I never thought this day would come, but with 107k on the clock and me tired of the daily grind with shifting gears, I let her go today, and bought a Mercury Milan Premier V6. It's more so for the wife, since we bought a new Explorer this past December for me. It's been great, and I'll contribute to the forums any way I can. Pix for those who want to see...

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...aff=national#8

I hope you will be satisfied w/ your new trade as well
You no longer an X Type Owner but I think you should still visit and post anytime as you can :)

It's a great car and it does everything I need it to do, and looks pretty good doing it. For the type of driving I do, I don't need an AWD Sports Sedan with harsh suspension and a manual tranny, so I made the change accordingly.

I'll stick around. An older colleague of mine has an 04 Sport, and he's not up to speed on internet forums to get information.

I'm regretting that day, but thats will be 10 years from now i hope

I've put thousands of $$$ into my Jag, and I'm happy to say that I won't be doing that any longer. After a clutch, transfer case, and other random crap over the past 2 years, I'm done. I'm done with AWD systems and used cars as my primary vehicle.

I won't rant too much because I enjoyed my X a lot, but it was more of a love/hate relationship. More hate than love unfortunately...

Attachment 182500


Hey Spartan....hope your trade works out for you mate and I'm sure you'll be happy with her.
Hopefully you drop in from time to time and keep us updated and have the craic with us too;)

All the best

I'm keeping my x-type forever. It was my first car. I never want to sell it. Obviously I'm being optimistic. There will come a day when it is full of problems and I will have to move on. It will be a very sad day. :(

But I will continue to enjoy it for as long as I can. I'm the only person on my entire college campus that drives a Jag! Everyone knows my car so it stands out. I go to a Rich small private college and lots of the kids have bimmers, benzes, audis, lexuses. But no other Jags!! A kid just got a R35 GT-R though. That car is sick.

I verily apprciate your approach to your 1st car Master :) I hope she serves as like you you as far as as she can

Yeah everyone was like wow you drive a Jag. Then when I didn't drive it for 2 weeks, because it needed a clutch and a transfer case, the novelty quickly wore off for me.

I'll revisit Jaguar sometime later in the future when they produce an X-Type successor that's actually reliable and competitive. It's a shame how many stories of failed auto transmissions and transfer cases I've heard on these forums for the past 2 years.

I hear ya! When I was in college, I drove an old 1977 Mercedes-Benz 300D that had been repainted and looked (from the outside) to be in pristine condition, but was a mechanic's chore to maintain. I was determined to drive it into the ground, and expected a car (which was already 21 years old at the time) to last another 10 easily. Big leap of faith! After replacing the transmission, engine (twice, due to a bad cylinder in engine #2), springs, rubber door seals, recharging the AC (I got my EPA 609 license specifically for that), and a dozens of other repairs, I gave up after the control arm gave out -- fortunately while I was at a stoplight and only 1 block from home. She got towed away as a Salvation army car auction donation and retired at 284,000 miles. I was hoping to make it to 312k (500k km) so I could get one of those Half-Million medallions for the grill that Mercedes once gave out to its customers. (Off topic, I certainly don't see those on any of their newer models.)

By comparison, having an X-Type with a bad transfer case, bad fuel gauge, driveline vibration, etc., is infinitely more reliable compared to my previous benchmark. I know both that first car emotional attachment and what it's like to drive something that broke down weekly. Moral of the story is if you drive a clunker rather than a Bimmer as your first car, moving to a Jag is a godsend.

--Geoff
03 X-Type 2.5 Sport
06 S-Type R

I had a Saab 900 SPG (turbo) in college - only 1 on campus. Nice to have something unique. Drive it all week, work on it all weekend....

I've been lucky so far. Ever since we bought the car it has been very reliable. The engine has been bulletproof and the car has started on the first try everytime even well into negative temperatures. And I have never been stuck anywhere in snow and ice. *Knock on Wood*

Now with that said, I've had to get a few minor things fixed.

Under Warranty:

1) Drivers side power seat adjustment stopped working
2) Dash Vents rattling

And that's it...

Maintenance:

1) 4 New Brake Pads at 30k miles ($600!!! wtf?)
2) Changed out tires to performance tires (HUGE difference over stock conti tourings) Car feels 300 lbs lighter.
3) Oil Changes every 5000 miles. Switched to Synthetic at 60k and noticed car ran smoother.

Out of Warranty:

1) Had Water Pump replaced due to minor leak found during a service ($500)
2) A/C Recharged ($300) :( Doing this myself next time.
3) Headlights seem to burn out all the time so those keep getting replaced every few months.

Current Issues I haven't fixed yet:

1) CD Player doesn't work. Keep skipping. Dealer wanted $400 to throw it out and put a new one in. I said wtf no, and bought a $30 FM transmitter for my ipod and that works fine for me. I still miss my cd quality sound though. :(

2) Dash Vents started rattling again.

3) Driver's Power Seat adjuster sounds like its about to die any day now...again.

3) All 4 windows make a high pitched screech while rolling up. Drivers side window is also vibrating in the door frame while going up. Dealer said I need 4 new window run channels for $900 total. :( I decided to just live with it since its not that big of a deal.

4) BOTH of my headlights have broken adjusters. So basically they told me the bulb may move a bit and is the cause of the premature failures. They wanted $1200 to install 2 new halogen headlamp assemblies. I said no i'll live with it. Bulbs don't seem to bounce around at all anyways.

5) Every 3 months a headlight will start to not turn on with the car. I'll have to bang on the outer lens and it will turn on. After doing this for a few weeks to month, the light will burn out, and i need a new one replaced. So I took my headlight control off the Auto setting and put them on off. I only use them sparingly as needed. lol

6) Even though I had the A/C recharged, it is still not cold enough when its 90+ outside. This coupled with black leather sucks a lot.

7) My Transfer Case Whines and Howls the past 2 winters when its below 35 degrees. It stopped now that its spring. Still on original TC and propshaft. *knock on wood*

8) I feel my Auto Transmission starting to slip while accelerating hard. This just started. And it jerks a lot more than before. Also when I'm cruising on the highway, and want to accelerate quickly to pass someone. I'll step on the accelerator, the car will basically rev up and hit the rev limiter, like it's going into neutral. It won't downshift like its supposed to. So when i'm trying to speed up i end up going the same speed or slow down a tad. Then I have to get off the gas and then re-apply it more slowly. Then it downshifts like its supposed to. I'm pretty sure my transmission is going to die eventually. Just not sure how much longer it will last. The highway problem has been going on for a couple years.

9) Sometimes while cruising in 4th gear, I'll get off the gas, and the car will shudder. Then i get back on the gas, get off again, teh car will shudder. It keeps this up for a few miles usually. No idea what it is. The car shudders like rocks back and forth kind've while cruising. It is weird. I freaked out the first time it happened. It has done it about 10x since then and I just keep driving now. Any ideas?


So I think that's all the problems with my car. But I still love it. I drive the car extremely hard everyday. The engine works like a champ. (I believe it was designed by Porsche? This could be why its bulletproof. =) ) I keep the exterior and interior impeccably clean. I spend days detailing it. It looks like it came off the showroom floor still today, and its 6 1/2 years old. I just hope it will last a while longer.

Sorry for the long post guys.

Sunny

This is most likely the whining prop-shaft issue, not the whining transfer case one. Because I'm stuck with a whining transfer case and it howls no matter what the outside temperature is.

Ditto on the prop shaft. My Jag also had this issue as well. I'd be driving at about 25 MPH or so, then out the middle of no where......

biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

My first transfer case howled for a while before it finally submitted to its internal injuries. It was a couple of months before it went boom.

^ x eleventybillion.....I've experienced all that transfer case and prop shaft fun, 3 props and 2 transfer cases.

Sounds to me that you will be needed a prop shaft and a transfer case or tranny in the no-so-distant future, based on your description of the symptoms.

Without a doubt. The prop shaft only made the noise in the winter, but I could feel the transfer case moan and groan as I came to a stop. So I knew it was time to get something else.

I love my Milan tho. I lost a few features (Power passenger seat and the sunroof). But I kept my digital climate control, which is much better than the one in the Jag, satellite radio built in, bluetooth, heated mirrors, and most importantly, reliability.

I'm gonna buy an 2005 Mustang GT with some miles on it after I get back from Kuwait and let that be my project car. I will never make the mistake of getting a manual for a daily driver ever again.

You're better off with the prop-shaft issue than the transfer box issue anyway. As I understand it, the prop-shaft whine is caused by a rubber that shrinks when it's cold. It is annoying but you could drive for car for years without trouble. The transfer case howl however is purely mechanical and although my dealer told me I could keep driving my car without any trouble, we have members here like SpartanX saying otherwise.

Both problems require changing the faulty parts, and again as far as I know the prop-shaft is cheaper than the transfer box (1,000$ vs 2,500$ USD?).

I would worry about your issues on the highway though. Sounds like you may have a problem with your transmission. Btw, if your "kickdown" doesn't work correctly, instead of slowing down and trying once again to accelerate, perhaps you could use your J-Gate to downshift to 4th and then move it back to D?

Agreed, you could probably live with the propshaft issue, try greasing the bearing if anything. The tranny/x-fer case however, I would not ignore. They can and will fail, and most likely in the worst possible area in the worst possible time.

I miss having a manual DD....until I am sitting in traffic for an hour and then I remember how much fun it was to push the clutch until your let goes numb.

Hey spartan did you tear out all the audio you had in it? You never did send me any pics of it all!

I left the MB Quart speakers I got from you, but I put the Solo Baric L7 10 in the Milan with a Kenwood 9104D. I may be hittin you up soon so I can get rid of the factory speakers. I'll have to keep the deck for now since I rather keep the Microsoft Sync option.

How's that Mountaineer treatin you? I looked into getting one, but I couldn't pass up the appearance pkg on the Explorer Ironman Edition.

I lived in Charlotte, NC for a few years, and now I live on the Virginia Peninsula (Williamsburg, Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, VA Beach) with tunnels connecting one side of the water to the other...

Shifting got old, QUICK.

Ya the highway downshifting problem happens when trying to accelerate quickly. Like pushing the pedal to the floor. I usually use J-Gate 90% of the time. I also rev match all my downshifts so the car doesn't jerk during downshifts.

And now my brakes are going. Last few days its been taking me farther to stop than normal. So those have to be checked out to see if I just need pads or rotors too.

It's alright. I'm kind of sick of the mpg! When I drive it to finish all the last testing I have for the PD I get around 18mpg or more. Without headwind the trip says around 22mpg but quickly falls. With the normal driving we do we get a little over 10mpg overall.

Did you get the v8 or the v6? I wanted the aviator but couldn't find one for cheap. Mine is a 2003 though so it doesn't have the nice interior like the newer one's. Although I think the exterior of mine looks better than the newer mountaineers. If you got the v8 look into the k&n FIPK, I promise you wont be disappointed! :cool: Here are some vids of how it sounds...

This one is the sound from engine bay and tail pipes. I didn't take a before vid which would show you how much different the sound is from the engine bay and tail pipe. (pretty boring video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0czsiC7zKuA

This one is accelerating
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3ewrg_RelM

This pic shows 20's vs. 17" and spoiler vs. no spoiler. Personally I like the spoiler, normally I hate stuff like that but it adds a little character.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_q4TbTM6lenw/Sf...0/IMG_0116.JPG

Shows most badges off vs. badges on. I personally like my exhaust tips too.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_q4TbTM6lenw/Sf...0/IMG_0117.JPG

I normally park in the middle of nowhere so nobody is next to me but I had to. I didn't even notice the black 05-newer mounty next to the pearl one! This shows the things I don't like about the newer mounty. I'd like to tint my lights a little but don't have the funds to buy new if I screw up so I haven't touched them.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_q4TbTM6lenw/Sf...0/IMG_0118.JPG

Unfortunately all I have is the stock 8" sub in the rear which is useless. My goal (before I even bought the thing) was to build a special panel in the rear pass. side where the stock sub sits. I haven't had the time nor money to do anything yet. Another thing I wanted to do was add a 50 series muffler which combined with the intake is supposed to be pretty nice.

The shuddering while in various gears has been happening a lot yesterday and today. Happens when you get on the gas while cruising (car should accelerate smoothly since i'm not downshifting. But it just jerks forward and back and then resumes accelerating), and while getting off the gas, it shudders again back and forth. everytime u touch or remove your foot from the gas the car shakes. It seems like a tranny or transfer case problem.

I bought the V8 and consistently get 17-18 MPG around town and 21 on the highway. 10 MPG seems pretty low for the pre 06 4.6L. If you're not doing this already, only use regular gas. Premium gas will absolutely kill your mileage. We were getting 12 MPG when we used 93 octane. Once we switched back to regular the very next tank, back to 17 MPG again.

The sub is indeed useless. My wife tends to leave earlier than me in the morning, and therefore she grabs the Explorer first. She won't let me put a sub in it at all. I managed to get the Solo Baric in the Milan before she got a chance to say no.

Haha! LOL

My wife hates bass too!

We live in Dallas so the car is only stop and go. If I lived in MI I'd surely get better gas mileage as the average trip is at least 15 miles to pretty much get anywhere. To my parents house from our previous house was approx. 30+ miles one way. Here in Dallas we have about 4-5 malls within 15miles. We are stuck in the crap of it down here. I've never put premium in it as it isn't necessary. We averaged around 17mpg for our trip to and from MI and back while the wife was on maternity leave. We had the car loaded floor to ceiling with a hitch cargo hauler. We also averaged around 75-80 mph the entire trip so it isn't too bad while driving straight. Without weight and keeping the speed down it would be easy to see 20mpg out of it but we don't do that hardly at all. I'd say 75% city (pure stop and go with lights every block) and 25% freeway (all of which usually has 10 mins of stoppages for every trip, the only difference betweem freeway and city is there aren't any lights to stop people!)