Hey there,

I'm new to the forums. I'm currently in the process of buying a 16' XJL. Super excited as this is my dream car.

I would love to hear your tips about anything specific I should be on the lookout for when buying a used XJL and what I can expect as far as maintenance costs. I heard older models before 16' had issues with the sunroof and I also heard things about water pumps.

Also, can anyone tell me what this does? I was at the dealership last week and the guy couldn't tell me what it was and tapping it didn't do anything. Not sure if it's an additional light or a sensor. The previous owner scratched so I'll probably get it replaced

 

Artie, welcome to the Forums. Lots of good info here. When it comes to the water pumps, we need to know what motor your car has in it. The water pumps are only an issue (to the best of my knowledge) on the 5.0L engines. The 3.0L petrol and diesel engines they are not.

As for maintenance costs, this is a loaded question as I see things. If you can do your own maintenance, this car is not that much more expensive to work on than a lot of others. If you are planning on taking it to the dealership for all the work, it can start to add up quickly when you consider that in a lot of cases, something like a simple oil change can cost you up to $375 (depending on the dealership). The list price on the oil filter is $82 the last I checked. Now, that is not to say that you can't buy the same exact oil filter (jaguar label and all) elsewhere for around $15 a filter. Depending on how detailed you are with the oil, that can also get fairly expensive as the recommended oil runs about $15 a quart and when the car takes 7 quarts......... I do a lot of my own maintenance and I find that obtaining parts is not a problem and with a bit of general car knowledge, you can do most of what you will need to do in your driveway. Of note, if you do your own oil changes, you won't need to even drop to a knee. The oil filter is on top of the engine and inside the oil fill cap, there is a small tube that you can suck the oil out of the oil pan. An oil change takes all of about 20 minutes to do and requires nothing more than a suction pump, 5 gallon catch can, and a rag.

The big thing I would do is if you have the 5.0L engine, open the hood and look at the front/center of the engine. You will see the water piping on right side of the engine (as you are standing at the front bumper). Follow it up and see if you have a small tube coming off of the large tubing or if you have a small tube coming off of the front of the water pump itself. The upgraded water pumps (there are a few versions of it out there) have the small tubing coming off of the large tubing.

As for the piece in the overhead console, that may be for the rear entertainment center. My car does not have that option, but I have heard people talking about the rear entertainment has pieces in the roof.

 

Thanks for the info.

I'm buying a 3.0 so that's good to know.

I'm not great when it comes to working with cars, but I'll have to do a lot of research so I can learn how to do oil changes and possibly other types of maintenance. I'll need to double check with the dealership to see if the CPO warranty covers things like oil changes.

In regards to the overhead console piece. This car doesn't have a rear entertainment system which is strange if that's what that part is for. Hopefully someone at the dealership can shed some light on this.

 

Artie, the best advice that I can give you is get a bound book (not a spiral book) and make an entry into it every time you do maintenance or take it to a shop. This will also give you a spot to put your receipts if someone questions whether you did something or not. Do not forget to add a date and mileage. Most dealerships are not going to give you a lot of grief about oil changes unless they see that the oil is obviously the wrong stuff.

As for an oil change, this is what it takes:
1) open hood
2) remove oil fill cap
3) connect suction end of tubing to tube in fill opening on motor and the discharge end into a catch container (5 gallon gas can works great)
4) start pump
5) remove oil filter cap
6) remove o-ring on cap and filter
7) install new filter and o-ring, install cap
8) when the pump starts pumping air, turn off pump, then remove pump from oil fill
9) pour in 7.5 quarts of oil for a 5.0L engine (make sure it is the correct spec oil), may be slightly different for your 3.0L engine (but will be close)
10) leaving your foot off of the brake, press the ON/OFF button on the dash and then go into the maintenance area to check the oil level and make sure it is at the top of the range
11) close hood.

During this is also a good time to look at the fluid levels and do a general once over of the underhood area. The suctioning of the oil out of the motor takes about 10 minutes if you have the oil warm (ie, run engine, get it up to temp, then turn off the engine and let sit for about 20 minutes). If the oil is too hot, you can damage the suction pump. If it is too cold, it will take a lot longer to suck the oil out as it will be really thick.

 

Thanks Chris! Appreciate the detailed breakdown. This is very helpful.

 

Hey Chris,

I got some good news. I got my XJL this past weekend in LA and drove it back home to San Jose. I couldn't be happier. It's an amazing car and made the 7+ hour journey home go by quickly.

Also, the dealer said they're going to be covering the oil changes for the duration of the warranty (3 years).

I've been busy at work so I haven't had time to spend quality time to learn about all the features/settings in the car, but I'll be doing that this weekend. Super Excited!!!

 

Artie, you've bought probably the best large luxury car and should be very pleased with it. I'm assuming you have the 3 litre V6 Supercharged engine, as the diesel is not sold in the US as I understand it. Unlike the previous model that I had, the suspension is only air on the rear suspension, the fronts are coil springs, so less to go wrong !!

The only thing you need to be aware of is that certain suspension bushes can have a rather short life. These are: -

- bottom spring/shock unit bushes front and rear (total = 4). Bushes are cheap but labour to replace is high for the fronts.These start to wear after about 35k miles depending on how briskly you drive the car. This is because the whole weight of the car goes through these four bushes. Once detected, the wear can be quite stable for some time, but any Jaguar shop will be able to advise when they should be replaced, normally at the yearly service.
- bottom rear wishbone bushes. Normally replaced by replacing the whole wishbone, as it's cheaper in labour. Wishbone is a casting so not a good candidate for DIY replacement of bushes as there is the possibility of the casting cracking. You're looking at about 65k miles before they start to wear out.
- front "banana arm" trunnion bush component of the front lower wishbone. Easy swap-out if the shop has the mandrels and a press. Starts gradually and normally only noticed when the inner tread of the front tyres starts to wear out due to tow-out. About 75-80k miles before wear starts to wear out the tyres.
All the other suspension bushes seem to last reasonably well.

 

Hey Fraser,

Yea, I have the V6 XJL. Thanks for the details, I'll keep my eye on those things.

These forums have been very helpful already. The soft close doors weren't working on the driver's side and it was due to a wire being unplugged in the fuse box. I am going to take it in next week to get the seats looked as some of them don't have the cooling/heating working.

 

MyXJ is 2015 x351 Portfolio . Also heard about sunroof noises. Mine occasionally gives a slight knock. Mostly fixed after smearing high temperature grease in the workings/rail, when open. It hardly bothers me now. Otherwise no other faults at all after 2 years ownership.

 

Did you take it in yet? To Steven’s Creek Jaguar? How was the experience?

Asking as I just bought a 2015 XJL from them and eventually will need service. The reviews of the service dept aren’t very good on Yelp, but they have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

 

Hey Mark,

I literally dropped it off 15 min ago.

My experience was pretty good so far. They informed ahead of my appointment that they didn't have rentals available until a later date so they got me an Uber to get back to my office. He said they'll probably have the seat fixed today and will wash my car as well. They're also going to check my entertainment system for updates and do a check to make sure there are no other issues.

He did offer me an upgrade to Apple CarPlay/Android Car for $499. He said the 2016 XJ is the oldest model they offer this upgrade for. A little steep for a software upgrade. I was surprised to see they charge $29 for a Deluxe Car Wash. I pay about $45 for mine so I might give it a try and see how well they wash it.

I'll report back after I pick up my car and let you know how it went.

Update:

It's almost the end of the day and I hadn't heard back from them. I ended up calling them to get an update and they told me they will be replacing the heating/cooling on the driver side seat. He also recommended that I replace the front tires and get an alignment ($399).

 

Cool, thanks for the update. With any luck it’ll be a year until I need an oil service. As far as I can tell, everything seems to be working on mine, apart from stop/start, which I might just leave well alone.

What tired did they propose, brand / model?

 

They're not gonna have the seat module until next wednesday. They said they're going to have it back to me by Thursday. They're also going to upgrade some module for the entertainment system. I think he called it IMC or something. They tried updating my system to the latest version and it wouldn't accept it so he said this should give me the latest version. I hope it's new UI that my 2019 XJ rental has as.

We didn't discuss tires yet. I'll let you know what he says. I don't think my tires look bad. I plan to wear them out a bit more and then upgrade my wheels to 20s or 22s.

 

Hey Mark,

Got my car back today. They fixed the seat and the updated the ICM, but the experience wasn't great.

Over the weekend I stopped by the dealership to grab some keys from my keychain. When the guy walked me to my car, I noticed the back of the car was backed into some pretty rough bushes. I moved my car up and the Sales guys (I think) was not sure why they parked it like that. I didn't check for scratches since my car was very dirty. Today when I picked it up I saw a bunch of micro scratches on the rear. They had to go buff it out. I was considering bringing my car in for car washes, but their Deluxe Car wash was very bad, I can't imagine what their basic wash will be like.

We didn't discuss tires or the alignment as I was just handed my keys when I arrived. I had to ask for the assigned service guy to get details about what was done, but they did give me the paper work that had everything written down.

 

Were they able to get the Apple CarPlay to work? My local dealer told me the 2016 would not work with this system that has the smaller screen.

 

I've had a really bad experience with this dealership. If the next closest one was not in San Francisco, I would drive out of my way to go there. If I didn't have really long day I would explain everything that happened. I'm not in the mood to write an essay even though I feel like ranting. Long story short, they're going to keep my car longer, probably until next week. They don't have a loaner car. I have to call them twice a day and leave voicemails and send texts in order for them to update me on the status of the car. Today, they didn't respond to any of my calls and message so I called and asked for the manager. They didn't transfer me, but the guy called me back immediately. I was expecting much better service from Jaguar. I had better service at the Chrysler dealership.

I declined the Apple Car Play. I didn't really like it that much (you phone has to be connected), my coworker has it wireless and I believe she drives a Ford. And I wasn't going to pay them $500 for a software upgrade.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience. Might I encourage you to leave them a review on Yelp. It's the only way they're going to change things.

There's a Land Rover dealership in Redwood City, but I don't know if they service Jaguars.

 

Yea, I might just do that. The sent me a Net Promoter Score survey and I provided them a pretty detailed rundown of what has happened, but I don't have my hopes up about them doing anything about it. I saw their negative reviews online and it was very strange to see their manager primarily replying to positive reviews. Usually people will reply to the negative ones to address the issue.

I was thinking about taking my car to the Redwood City location, but I heard a horror story from my best friend. He took his newly bought Range Rover there (Discovery with roughly 5K miles on it). They had a car a for week, he checked the app on his phone and noticed that the car was at the Hillsdale Mall and later on at the In N' Out. At night , it was driven to a house in Hayward. He called them to see what the hell was going on with the car and they told him in order to do a Smog check, they needed to put some miles on the car. They put 800 miles on his car! without his permission. I'm so surprised that a luxury brand like Jaguar/Range Rover have such bad service. My brother drives and AUDI and he's been very impressed with the service they provide across multiple locations.

 

Artie can you describe what was changed when they fixed your AC seats?
We have not heard of any hardware failures and they have all turned out (so far) to be crushed or collapsed ducting inside the seat.
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Here's what the invoice says.

Tested seat cool/heat unit, inop at time, intermittent problem, pin tested ground, power feed and signal from climate module and found ground and power and signal to be OK. Problem is intermittent fault in motor, removed seat and disassemble seat cushion and replace cooling motor assy. Tested after and operation was constant.