My wife is considering an X-type (our first Jag), and me being the grease-monkey I am, I want to make certain thatI know exactly what I might be getting myself into with regard to common repair/failure issues on these cars (2002 to 2003model years only). I've read a few horror stories about transmissions, and heard a bit about some electrical issues. I've searched theforum for a post listing such 'common things to look out for' when buying an X-type, but found none.

So any help I could get would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

I read horror stories too. I went ahead and purchased my '03 with 33K miles.

Had I known more before, I would've inspected the car more. But I got lucky, and my car seems to be in perfect condition... Ill list some things here where some are especially geared towards the X-type and some are general.

Leaks:

Check for leaks on the underside of the car. Having a small "smudge" type tint around the oil plug or another bolt is not the end of the world at all, but huge dried-up 'waterfalls' are a big no no. Check the engine and transmission. Both are EASILY accessible underneath the X-type. Get under there and look up and you can see everything you need with the engine, oil pan, and tranny. Feel around too.

Its good to check other areas for leaks too.

Don't be swayed by exhaust leaks where 'soot' appears around some exhaust connections. While this is not a good thing, it is not catastrophic and should be expected with many used cars. Perhaps excessive soot would be bad.

Shifting:

The X-type's auto tranny is problem-plagued, but that doesnt guarantee bad luck for you. I have not read much on the manual tranny.My 33K Jag shifts fine... But slow or 'confused' shifting can be a bad sign. Again, check for leaks.

You'll want to change the tranny fluid asap... It is NOT 'sealed for life' like Jag claims. I changed mine recently and it was pitch dark brown and sort of coarse to feel. My tranny probably would die by 60K had I not changed the fluid.

My car shifts faster, smoother, and kicks in much more solid after changing the fluid... That tells you enough right there. There is no such thing as 'sealed for life' and its exactly why high-end cars like Jags have so many tranny problems.

Youll want to change other fluids too. Perhaps try 3litermotorproject.blogspot.com on in-depth info to important parts like the transfer case, etc.

Driving:

Check for vibration... This happens a lot on X-types, not sure why. I've read some people did a brake change and fixed everything while others have been to the dealer a dozen times with no help. I can't say if this is the end of the world or not. Mine vibrates slightly when driving over 60mph, but I don't mind. I bet its brakes or something...

Dip-stick:

Pull it and look at it. Is the oil level right? And what is the condition of the oil on it? Obviously, its just oil and can be replaced, but examining the state of the oil on the dip-stick can tell you everything about how serious the previous owner was about maintenance... If its low or dark brown and cruddy then that car has probably been neglected.

Smoke:

DONT BUY A CAR THAT SMOKES. White smoke means coolant leaking and being steamed off, blue smoke means oil being burned off, etc etc.

People say 'a little smoke aint bad'. Not true. smoke means gasket leaks. gasket leaks mean a lot of $$$.

I noticed my x-type as well as others on the road let off much more white condensation in the morning than other cars, including at higher temps like 55 degrees when other cars are not... But it goes away. Not sure why. Maybe the X has some dip in the exhaust that puddles a lot more liquid in it? Who knows...

Also, check the coolant... Make sure its only coolant in the overflow resovoir. If there is oily residue then you have a head gasket leak... This could be fixed with gasket leak sealant that can be run through the coolant for 20 minutes... But it may not work, and no one likes putting that crud in their coolant system even if its only for 20 minutes...

And make sure the correct coolant is in there. Jags must use DEX-COOL. This is a pinkish color... Not green, yellow, or orange. (It could be pinkish-orange). If you have anything else, especially green, then whoever maintained it probably just took it to a big box shop that just put regular stuff in and now the engine is probably corroding away.

WHen you check coolant it might have its own residue, don't confuse it with oily residue.. Look carefully.

As for color, if its dark blue or neon green or something weird, then it most likely has a coolant additive, which may be good if the person was really caring for his car so he put in extra good stuff, or really bad if some idiot didnt know what he was doing...


There are other things to look out for, I'm not sure... But that is some of it.

EDIT: The guy above is right, it is harder to work on - but not by much... Do your research, and buy the JTIS. Its like $10 off Ebay or search google because it can be found downloadable for free tehehe.

And yes, things can be expensive, like the dealer wanting $34 a quart of tranny fluid. But do your research and you'll find valvoline mercon V meets the specs and is $3.50 a quart... Just do your research.

And prepare to do fun maintenance in good intervals. Flush the coolant every year, new brake-fluid and breed every 1-2 years. spark plugs every 1-2 years (get the good kind so you can last longer), tranny fluid every 20K (why go longer?), etc etc. These xtypes can run forever if cared for.

Overall its a great car to buy if you can perform some maitenance early and get it on the right track.

 

Ummm overall the car is reasonable when it works.. but from my experience it is always broken.
I have experienced failures on my X-type that have NEVER happpened on other cars.

just be prepared (time and budget) for more downtime than any other car.
The dealers have had 5 years to learn about this car and all they seem to have done it throw parts at each problem and I dont know of ANY problem that has had a permanent fix.
Newer cars have fewer problems it seems, but when they do have the typical problems the solution is still not permanent and no information available to the rest of us.

B

 

Thanks immensely people. Especially the list you provided, ohnoesaz. This is exactly what I was looking for.

We've been back and forth between Infiniti, Audi, Jag & BMW. She had her heart most set on a BMW, until I let her know that they are not the most reliable cars on the road. Second choice was the Jag (X-type, followed by S-type). She prefers not having me out in the garage underneath the car every couple months fixing 'this' and adjusting 'that', so I've gotta be careful how much I tell her about any cars reliability ratings and repair track record. Otherwise, she'll just decide not to get anything and keep driving what she's in now. And even though a Lexus will give her the least amount of worries, she won't drive one because that's what I drive.

Great feedback, thanks.

 

Man-oh-man... Trust me, I've tried.[sm=headbang.gif] But to no avail. She likes the IS, but another hair stylist at her salon drives it. She refuses to pull up in the same ride as someone else she works with (Can't really blame her on that one - I wouldn't want to come off looking like some bun-biter either). The GS, she's not terribly impressed with style-wise. The ES is just not sporty enough, and forget about the LS altogether - just to darn stuffy/non-sport for her taste. Oh, and she'd drive an SC if I weren't already gripping one. (By the way, we're talking pre-owned 2002 to 2005 on any car).

Oh well. We'll see what comes of it all. She's stillvery muchinterested in the BMW 5-series.

 

Well, since we're planning on starting a family within the next year, coupes are totally out of the equation (except for me, because she'll be the one doing most of the driving with the little bundle for the firstcouple ofyears). Before we decided it was time to plant some offspring, the Infiniti G35 coupe was THE car of choice for her - BAR NONE! And I was definately down with that choice. The car is simply soweeet!

I like the Acura TL, and I thought it would have been 'sporty' enough for her, but no dice! Too bad though, because I got 273k mi out of my '91 Integra before selling it off. The engines are bullet-proof.

 

Ha...[sm=exactly.gif]

I can't fault her though. I wouldn't settle for anything other than a 3rd generation Acura Legend Coupe or the SC400 I'm driving now - irregardless of what else was on the market.

 

personal opinions here and personal expericens will point out the individual's experiences.
It is a little unfair to blatantly proclaim that one car is more or less reliable than others.
I made my statement based on reading endless consumer reports on JAG and ALSO my personal experience.
I dont see how the conclusion here is that AUDI and BMW are the worst.... the people that track these things show statistics that are the opposite.
Jag has NEVER scored well on reliability, build quality or performance.
They have very high image, and brand awareness. they are typically good looking cars.
They have a history of rusting and breaking down. the x-type is trying to improve that.

The consumer reports dont tell us that it is fait accompli....