Hello Everyone,

I recently purchased my first car which happens to be the XF. Ever since I got the car, the engine seems to be lacking. The rpm doesn't go above 3 after the 1st or second gear. And when changing the first gears, there sometimes is a jerk while shifting gears. This is my first car and to be completely honest with all of you I really don't know much about cars in general. I really need all of your insight so I can see what I could do. The guy I purchased it from said that the minor service was done 2 months ago, they changed the air filter then. I have no ideas about the spark plugs or the fuel filter. I'm telling you everything I'm facing. The engine really seems to be lacking and the car is 138k km driven. Please help me out, I really don't wanna have to spend a bomb on this car when I just got it.

 

Hi - welcome to the Forum

Did you have an independent inspection done on the car before you bought? I wouldn't trust what the seller told you. Unfortunately sounds like something may be wrong - perhaps why they are selling it

You need to find a good mechanic that knows Jaguars well - ideally an independent rather than a main dealer if you are cost conscious. Have them pull all the codes, do a full inspection and give you an assessment of condition and what needs doing. Unless you're certain of recent service I'd have fluids changed. Well looked after these cars are great. But I would not skimp on preventative maintenance as repairs will then be very expensive...

 

Hi Britcars,

Thank you for your reply.

In the UAE, before buying a second hand car, the seller of the car is required to do mandatory tests before selling the car. The car had passed all tests, that's why I thought that it was okay to buy(little did I know). Unfortunately, I found these problems by driving the car within the first 2 days. It's a mistake I surely will not repeat in the future when buying a car - I'll make sure it goes through a very thorough inspection.

Fortunately, I found out pretty early that the car's Oil pipe had a leak and the mechanic used some Tape to wrap it up because it was minor. I have ordered a new one just to be on the safe side.

Unfortunately, it seems like there is a problem with the gear box because I have taken it to some Independent Jaguar Experts and they've said that that is the problem. The car's RPM doesn't go above 3000 after the second gear and it hesitates when downshifting on automatic from 3rd to 2nd to 1st gears. Feels as if I don't pull my foot off the throttle and it stalls for a few seconds before downshifting. Please let me know what you think about this.

I just got all the fluids changed and the car works fine apart from the RPM(Gearbox) issue, it feels like I'm not getting most of the power out of my car. All i can say is that it's manageable, I love the car regardless because it is my first car and I'm glad I bought an XF.

 

Thanks. What model do you have - they vary by county. There is a V6 3L petrol and also a diesel. I'd imagine the diesel to be a little less free revving than the petrol in my experience. I remember a thread a while back of someone with a diesel saying that it always felt like it was one gear too high.

If you have Jag experts who have identified the gearbox as the issue, do they have suggestions for solution? There is a control computer for gear shifts - maybe having that reset could help? Does it behave differently in sport mode?
The gearbox is standard across many makes - it's a 6 speed ZF box in your model. So I'd suggest finding someone who knows those well, have it serviced, oil changed, reset etc and see if that helps

Good luck. Great cars once you get them running!

 

My model is the v6 3L Petrol. Yes, they have suggested that I change the gearbox completely. It's a bit noisier in sports mode but rpm slightly goes higher - it sounds like the car is whining instead of being a beast. I'll ask the mechanic about the reset, i've just serviced it a few days ago so that isn't the problem.

Cheers! Will keep you posted about what happens!