Hello Folks, well..my deadline for choosing a car is approaching. I really do like the x-type and just have some basic questions to ask. As far as reliability i have heard dismal things. However, after doing some further research on this site that the tranny is often cast as "sealed for life" when it really just needs to be flushed.I read that a majority of x-types with tranny issues havehadburnt fluidor sludge in their tranny. My main concerns are that i drive in excess of 20k miles a year. Mostly hw driving and i need a car that will not leave me on the side of the road. Ilike luxury cars and thus the attraction to the jag.I am currently looking at a 2.5 02 x-type with 36k miles on it. I realize that the 02-03 were not the best years as far as production quality is concerned. I also could never understand why they put in climate control but nota cd player?? I just dont get that one. Anyway, my current selection concists of 02 audi 3.0 awd with 50k miles, a 2005 chrysler 300c with 60k miles and the above mentioned x-type.

 

Also i should mention that the above jaguar is a bare bones stripper version for 13.9 its a 5spd with tape deck (however, i was considering swapping out the tape deck with an aftermarket indash nav system. During the winter i will miss the heated seats that my caddy has.

 

Any chance you can trade it in for late X Types ?

 

My Seville is quoted on KBB as being around 8k for a trade in value. I was going to put that trade ammount towards a newer vehicle.That being said i really dont wish to take out more then 6-9k in auto loans.

 

to do a tranny flush on this car is expensive. i believe that tranny uses the expensive super turbo mega ultra fluid. it would be like $400 in fluid to do a flush. in fact there is one in the other jag techs bay getting a tranny in it right now.
im not sure why they didn't put cd players in with the portugese made climate control unit. maybe they couldn't find a hungarian supplier.

 

Just out of curiousity, from other forums I read that Jatco fluid is recommended for the tranny. Any information regarding this?

I'm used to good ole' Mercon/Dexron, so I have no understanding of this fluid!
Furthermore, has anyone installed an external trans cooler? Perhaps, this may extend the life of tranny if overheating/sludging is an issue???

Just FYI, I'm in the same situation as you OP, we're looking for ~04 X-type.

Edit: $400 for a friggin' trans flush? WTF are they putting in there, liquid gold?

 

it must be. i'll find out when we fill up the new tranny in the x-type we have in the shop now. don't use dextron mercon in an x-type trans. since i've been here we have had1 come in that jiffy lube did a flush on and it screwed everything up.they declined s new transmission and either sold or traded the car somewhere.

 

Yes, I have heard that the tranny flush is expensive. However, no tranny is truely sealed for life since the fluid will eventually break down or if the tranny is malfunctioning the fluid will appear burnt or discolored. The only way to really stay on top of it is to flush the tranny. On a side note how does the 5spd stand up reliability wise? How goodare the clutch, slave servos etc? That 02 jag with the 1985 tape deck has a 5spd.

Other then the occasional failed tranny (all i have read about are automatics) some drive shaft noise caused by a bad bearing, or a stuck open vent. I havent heard really anything else that has gone wrong with them.

On my 2000 Seville STS the trunk leaks like a civ, the leaking lamp assemblys and all the burnt out and corroded bulbs. the bose speakers on the dash a going, the rattling of my rear window etc. I was not impressed with the build quality at all. Hopefully the jag will fare somewhat better. To its credit however, the caddy never left me walking.

 

The Portugese A/C head unit freezes up at times. 20,000 mile oil pan gaskets and crankshaft seals. Sway bar bushings. Headlight bulbs that melt to the housing and requires the whole thing to be replaced. Windshield washer squirter hoses that break. Vacuum hose under the engine cover develops a massive vacuum leak..... Plenty more, but i need to help the other tech get this tranny out of the x-type he's working on.

 

Any consensus on Jatco fluid, NTI?

 

Here's a valuable link I found...try contacting bojangles for specific answers on tranny fluids...http://jagmotorproject.blogspot.com/...sfer-time.html

Or go here and read this...https://www.jaguarforums.com/m_11286/tm.htm

Here's another link to your fluid question...https://www.jaguarforums.com/m_5219/mpage_2/key_/tm.htm

"Fluid is hard to find, but I discovered Valvoline's Mercon V ATF is a substitute for BMW/ESSO LT71141, which is a fluid that Jag names in its specs as useable in the Jag auto tranny."

 

Not today. After 2 days and 10 hours spent on the car,tranny isout. That has got to be the stupidest bullshit i've ever seen to get a transmission out of a car. If I remember monday i'll look at the repair estimate and get a price for that fluid.

 

Probably sucked more because of the awd and fitting a decent sized motor in that small space while hooking up the awd! Good luck with it all...taking pics and stuff

 

Jesus, why dont they just build a car that is prone to failure? I figured i had a decent shot since the car has a 5spd and has low miles with no options. The oil pan I would assume is easy to replace since you can drop the pan during an oil change but the crank shaft is more troubling. I am guessing that is $$$ to fix. I plan on switching to HID's so I hope that will have a different outcome then the burnt bulbs. (Ironically my gfs 98 acura CL does the same thing)


I can live with the simple things such as the washer hoses, and the vacume line since those are exposed and do not require a great amount of automotive literacy to repair.Plus I am assuming its a cheap fix.Please keep the list coming.

 

also since the vehicle has 35k miles on it would it still be under factory jaguar warranty? I assume this warranty would cover the gasket leaks, headlight assembly etc? I would be purchasing the car from a herbchambers pre-owned lot. There for no real warranty is implied from the dealer. That said would i be able to purchase an extened coverage warranty from jaguar before my 50k mile warranty expires? I will be looking at this vehicle on thursday and will post my results.Thank you so much

 

im pretty sure u can buy the extended warranty thruogh jag if the car has less than 50k on it, and if it was purchased less than 4 years ago.

 

Yeah as long as the car wasn't a buy back from them (most of them have the extended warranty but I've found some that don't) or totalled or the years and mileage are good you should still have a warranty. The warranty shouldn't cost more than 2k from jag. BTW the problem with the headlight bulbs that I've found is that the replacement 80-100 watters the ignitor or coil inside the bulb itself are about half the thickness of the stock sylvania bulbs. I experiemented with 4 pairs of sylvania silverstars before settling with the stock bulbs until I get hids. I also got 2 other kinds of bulbs one were xenon brand and worked for a little while and there was a clear difference between those and stock but they still blew in less than 2 weeks. If you look at a regular sylvania h1 and the silverstars or supposed hid immitation halogens the coil inside the bulb is tiny!

 

Actually i would rather do crankshaft seals than oil pan gaskets.I believe customer pay is 7 hours for the oil pan. You cannot simply take it off. You must take theAWD unit out first. Or, if your handy with a torch and hammer and don't mind destroying an offset wrench (like me.) You can custom bend a wrench to fit the one oil pan bolt that makes the entire job a biotch. Which saves me from taking theAWD unit out.
Why Visteon couldn't engineer an access to that one boltI don't know. They never figured it out either. Even on the new x-types, you still can't access the bolt.
The washer hose and the crankcase vacuum line are easy labor wise, but the parts are expensive. The englishare proud oftheir parts.

 

How much you spend on tools in a year? Or you use jags?

 

All the tools I have, I bought just beforeI graduated tech school. I had a special deal offered through the school and Snap-on tools. I worked it out where my student loans could help me get a jump on tools.
The last time I checked I have $12,000 or so in tools.
Jaguar does have special service tools but i don't use them on a daily basis. Usually once or twice a week. Special pullers, seal installers, holding fixtures, etc.