Well it was a short but bitter relationship. 2003 X-Type, 45K kms on it.
NEVER winter driven.

I was all excited at the thought of finally owning a nice Jaguar, firm body, great curves, looked great in black, overall nice ride, not to fast, but no slouch either. Sadly it wasn't meant to be.

See, she had a terminal illness that I wasn't aware of. A pillar and rocker rust. On very close inspection the signs were there. That meant I needed to dump it and run as fast as I could while I still could. The way the bubbles were starting to show, I'd give it a year before damage was really showing, no way can I afford $5-10K to fix it down the road. Anyhow I traded it today.

Damn damn shame, they messed up these 2002-03's that way. I live in a very humid area of the big blue room. Lots of road salt, plus salty air and lots of moisture equals death to the cars here. This forum is top notch, lots of good advice. I'd love to see a sticky at the top of the forum with this rust warning, I probably would have saved a lot of coin, might help others.

Anyhow, I had another car that's been payment free for a few years, traded that as well to cover the loss. What worked out good for one car, help lessen the pain on the bad one.

My new baby.

2006 Jetta TDI, 65,000Kms new, not a mark on the paint, flawless interiour.

 

WOW! That was quick. Oh well, those things happens. Best of luck to you.

 

Man, im sad to see ur disappointment, but jags are bad for that, unless u go for the 09 and up. I was like you too, got into without really checking her out. But its my first car and i'm fighting to the bone to keep her alive 10 years from now. I start my war against the rust tommorrow. See who wins.

 

Sorry to hear your X gone but you can still hang around here

 

I must say, I'm very disappointed, but lifes too short, deal with it and move on.

You guys have a great forum here.
Very good technical people, great DIY info, years of real world ownership experience.
Top notch IMO.

My only regret is not coming here and spending more time BEFORE I bought.

I lurked for a few hours looking up X-Type issues, nothing really shocked me. I make an above average salary in my job, so $91 hr dealership rates and $500 repairs aren't shocking (I did own a BMW 325i, I know all about high cost maintenance, but I do have a DIY attitude).

If I had of done just one more search entry (x-type rust) on this forum, I would not have bought this 2003, but rather the other 2005 3.0L I was looking at instead.
Here's a link to that one if anyone's interested.

http://halifax.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...AdIdZ132499033



Damn shame, wish the 02-03 X-Types issues (or a buyers guide) were at the top of this forum. This A pillar/rocker panel rust issue is a death sentence. My advice to anyone living inside the rust belt, if you feel any bubbles on the A pillar paint, sell while you still can. I suspect it'll only get harder to sell these cars as word spreads.

Anyhow, I may own another Jaguar someday, but I'll certainly drop in here and spend more time reading and asking questions before buying it (either that or buy new with a warranty).

All the best guys ..

 

How prevalent is the rust issue on model years after 2003?

 

I read 2002-2003 have the drainage issue. 2004+ no issues, however I would suspect that Texas and Nevada would be pretty safe due to the dry conditions.