Just received mine back. 2 breakdowns on motorways, one a couple of days after my service where I pointed out the issue. Not a happy bunny at the moment. But at least I have it back now, for how long who knows. Apparently it was due to a dodgy fuel sensor. On the plus side, one replacement car was an XF-S, the second a 2011 XF. Have to say, I didnt want to return the S, OMG I loved it Now its made mine feel inferior, although I have to say, mine does look better even if its not as fast lol

 

Thanks, the wife can now open the glovebox.

 

After having our new XF S/C for a little over a month it looks like we'll need to take it in for a very small oil drip. I'm not sure but I suppose it could be a dripping drain plug?

 

Drain plug is not normally removed for oil changes. Vacuum unit removes oil through a small tube inside the oil filler tube. Oil filter is a canister with a removable filter cartridge just like the 60's but also now replaced from the top.

There is a drain plug but it is not normally removed unless the oil change has to be done from below.

An oil drip should be investigated and repaired.

 

Generally I do not favour the suction method. Drive it to warm up the oil and drain from below. That way any debris in the oil, sludge etc has a better chance of being removed. I only use suction as a stop gap solution, and never twice in a row. Even though full flow filters prevent debris from being pushed through to bearings etc under normal conditions there are cases where the bypass valve opens and potentially allow contamination to reach bearings or even build up to reduce flow. (Extreme cold start, lots of stop/start giving deposits are two bypass valve scenarios.)

 

When doing my own oil changes years ago, even on old engines with high mileages, I never saw any debris. With modern high detergent synthetic oils this is not a realistic risk. Blocked oil filters result from very high mileages between changes in which case the oil will have failed anyway.

 

In general yes, but I have opened a couple of filters in the past 5 years and the filters have certainly done their job. If there was nothing to be filtered I do not imagine the manufacturers would want to continue spending money on the system. If the car sits for any length of time any suspended particles may sink and stay.

 

Anyone see this article from Consumer Reports?:

1. Jaguar - Consumer Reports' least reliable brands

Doesn't paint a very rosy picture of our beloved cars...

Reliability: 154% worse than average

Talk about a drop-off. After covering so much ground in terms of quality and satisfaction of ownership, 2011's dependability study shows how much more work is needed for the British luxury car maker. It's more than 100 percentage points less reliable than the second-lowest ranked auto brand. In Jaguar's defence, only two of its models were surveyed by Consumer Reports, but those two models — the XJ and XF — nonetheless received dependability scores of 150 and 160 per cent less reliable than the average car, respectively.

 

I saw that...painful words to read.

 

It doesn't really matter what the reports say - it just matters what your experience is. Can't say my Jaguar experience is any worse than my VW/Audi/Mazda/Volvo experience - not yet anyway. I think overall JLR seem to have a perception of poor reliability, which may be deserved, I don't know. But compared to what? Many high-end marque owners have brand loyalty. Jaguar doesn't sell as many cars as BMW/Mercedes/Audi in North America at least. So they probably have more people "moving in" to ownership who are thus more likely to be critical. High-end customers are more demanding, hence why Hyundai/Skoda etc. always come out very well in these kind of tests.

I'm not worried - my car is alright (cue imminent dealership visit...)

 

I hear that. I'm not overly worried about my own ownership of the car as we have full warranty for the next five years, but what I am a bit concerned about is how this will impact resale when we look at selling down the road...

 

Well, riding to work today on the freeway at 60mph or so in my 2011 XFR with 5500 miles on it, one of the supercharger vents in the hood popped out and flew away. Now I have a big hole in my hood. I wonder what else is going to fall off the car.

Hopefully this will be covered under warranty as it has to be painted, etc.

 

Consumer Reports tabulate actual problems reported by actual owners and these results are published for those that want to make an informed purchase decision, and predict problems they might experience themselves. They publish results for brands and models where sufficient number of surveys have been submitted to be statistically accurate (no results for XK/XKR models due to insufficient responses).

Our members here discuss their experiences with problems, and it seems there are a number of problem areas, many have had the same problems, and some problems have plagued a number of model years. So it should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed some of these threads that there are problems, and the CR results simply reflect that reality for Jaguar and other manufacturers.

I think Jaguar owners would generally be a forgiving group of non-whiners because most who have purchased one over the last many years would have been aware of the brand's reliability issues, and have consciously made the decision to accept that as part of an otherwise appealing car purchase. New car buyers may over-look that because they'll trade before the warranty expires, while used buyers will have to pay for every repair. I think many high-end buyers expect a premium product, and manufacturers like Jaguar, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Audi who market cars to them at high prices should deliver quality. Consumer Reports results simply indicate how well they do that, and how they compare to other manufacturers.

Hyundai had an absolutely horrible reliability history in the past, which they have impressively and completely turned around, and hopefully Jaguar can do the same over time.

Bruce

 

Yes, but what are they reporting? For example is failure to open the glovebox properly reported as an electrical problem?

 

Quite possibly as I'm not sure what other catagory it would have fit into.

For those that don't have a paid subscription, "much worse than average" ratings for both '09 and '10 are for:
Electrical
Brakes
Squeaks and Rattles
Body hardware
Power Equipment ('10 better at just "worse than average")
Audio

The '09 model additionally rated "much worse than average" in:
Transmission Minor
Drive System

While the '10 model rated an additional "much worse than average" in:
Fuel System

Bruce

 

On the subject of resale value, personally it does not affect me. I used to own a BMW and Merc when I bought it I was told they have good resale value. When I came to selling it, they will always find an excuse to knock down the price. I got jack for them. It was a thought I always had in mind but if you think about it. Jaguar is supposed to be a luxury brand and the reason you buy it is mainly to do with design, style and branding. A car is not an investment. It is for pleasure. Think of it as a service. If you get pleasure from it that is what you are really paying for. Therefore I expect to lose money but it should be money well spent. I am sure most of us can here can afford it And we have already taken the decision to buy one with these factors in mind.

In terms of reliabilty I will give an update of my experience after 3 years But right now I am enjoying every experience of driving it and all the attention I am getting.
Yesterday, when I went back to the car I saw a few people standing over it and admiring it. And we got chatting and they mentioned how much they like the design and look and exactly why we would pay for enjoying the experience....

BTW this is what I found on reliability:

 

EXACTLY MY POINT. None of these issues represents a serious fault. The transmission selector is but it is not unusual to have problems with a radical new design. Jaguar fixed them all at no cost. How does this explain the J D Power rating which contradicts CR 's findings? Has anyone here ever reported to CR?

 

You need to pay for the consumer report but is it worth it?

2012 Jaguar XF New and Used Car Reliability


Subscribe to CRO see how reliable the Jaguar XF has been over the past 10 years

Has the XF been around for 10 years?

 

I have never trusted these reports because
a) The differentiating between something that is a niggle and something that leave you stranded is not good enough. It may be there if you drill down but the headlines are often misleading.
b) They do not bring into the equation how your dealer deals with the issues, quick/slow and free/costly.
c) Was the vehicle maintained according to schedule?
There is considerable difference between dealers. Some instill loyalty in their customers, others maltreat their customers.

And finally my personal + my family's experiences over a period of 40-odd years do not tally with the findings.
My father had a string of Volvos from 1961, basically no major trouble. He stayed with Volvos because of the service from the local dealer. Others we knew had different stories to tell, using different dealers.
We have had three Chrysler minivans, the last one still with us at 10 years old. Few minor issues, otherwise doing sterling service.
I have had (on and off) Jaguars for daily drivers since '77, all kinds of use including repeated jaunts along Europe (like 2000km in 24 hours) with two incidents only: One dud crank sensor, and one dud dealer installed alarm! (And a blowout on Autobahn courtecy of Msrs Dunlop.) But the cars have all been maintained properly.

Casting my net a bit farther there are many similar stories, including the gent with a Chrysler minivan and a Corolla (both from new until 12 years old) who spent about twice as much on fixing the Corolla as the Chrysler.

Statistics are not entirely wrong, but there are many factors that you need to consider when evaluating them.

Perceived quality is not necessary identical to statistical quality. Anybody remember the 80'ies Mercedes 4Matic? Or ca. '85 onward diesels?

And finally, I enjoy my cars. There may be more reliable cars out there needing less maintenance but that is what we put on top of the list when buying washing machines and the like.

 

Oh. and I forgot: Can you imagine a Corolla, i20 or even Merc E-series owner complaining about minor rattles and squeaks that would have a Jag owner haring it for the dealer?

I passengered a 6 months old Merc recently and the harshness and noise had me wondering.