im looking to buy this 2014 xf 3.0 with 74412 miles.
the engine is usually dirty (IMO)
what do you think?

 

Have a qualified mechanic inspect the car, overall. If it fails, do not buy. Also, check maintenance history through Carfax report. Go for a test drive.If everything works OK, then decide. Dirty engine, does not discourage me from buying a car. There's a lot of used vehicle retailers around the USA like CarMax, Vroom, Carvana, CarGurus, AutoTrader, CarsDirect etc, that buys vehicles like this, then have it cleaned through their Auto detail shops and sell it for a hefty price. Good luck

 

That looks about right for the mileage, most owners never bother cleaning the engine compartment. It's only when a car gets to a dealer that the car is valeted and the engine bay cleaned up. As 2018XF25T says, a bit of dirt shouldn't put you off, but lack of maintenance is a no-no.

 

I'm not so sure - if the engine is covered with dirt this may indicate a previous owner who just didn't bother with any maintenance - or even check oil and coolant levels routinely.

 

Not really; most people have their cars serviced by workshops, and they certainly do not clean the engine bay unless the owner requests it. If you look under the bonnet/hood of most cars with this sort of mileage they'll look quite dirty, in fact my wife's New Beetle, (our workhorse), is a bit like that !

 

I presume you meant unusually dirty?

You see the dirt - my first thought is the coolant is low (a negative) but my second thought is there's no sign of coolant or oil leaks (a positive).

On a dirty engine, I'd expect to see evidence of the main engine cover having been removed for oil and filter changes and on the air filter housings from when the filters were changed. The dirt looks rather uniform to me so I'd question the maintenance regime. It's an 8 year old vehicle with under 75K miles so it should have been serviced on a TIME basis - every 12 months. This means 7 or 8 services depending on actual date of sale. Dirt isn't too much of a concern but neglect most certainly is.

There is a widespread belief that water should come nowhere near a modern engine and this has translated into a belief that an engine compartment should not be cleaned. My 4 year old one-owner F-PACE came from the main Jaguar Dealer who supplied and serviced it. The body and interior were immaculate but the engine compartment had very obviously never been cleaned.

Graham

 

thanks all
yes, i did mean to type "unusually"....im old with fat fingers, and crap eyes, typing on a tiny phone
the car has been serviced at a jaguar dealer every year which is good.
it had a coolant leak at the thermostat housing, so they replaced that today.
i did buy the car and hope to pick it up today.
the dealership only just got this car so it had not been through the detailer yet, hopefully they will clean the engine too
see y'all at the first breakdown