I have been reading a lot about the XJ - both on here (thanks to everyone!) and the Internet in general.

There appears to be a, relatively short, list of "known issues" - and they are almost exclusively related to the before July 2012 (2013 model year?).

From what I have found:

Known issues:
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• Melting/sticky buttons on the center console, steering wheel, and sometimes on the door switches in cars which are used in hot climates.
• Various rattling noises from the various parts of the interior.
• Rust on the sunroof steel tracks.
• Electronic sunshades not closing all the way.
• Leaking water pump (change it with the 2015+ redesigned water pump #3909).
• All years - the low battery voltage is not helping the electronics at all, so it’s good to use a battery conditioner if you are not using the car regularly / or for only very short distances. Always lock the car when leaving it to minimize the battery draining.

Like I said, it appears that all of these issues (except the battery one) were addressed and fixed with the after July 2012 models.

Anyone have anything they care to add to the list?

 

I lost the water pump on my 2014 XJR at 32K miles. The water pump is still a problem but the bigger danger is people not shutting the engine down in time to prevent damage.
You missed the creaking pano roof on the early models. That was a huge issue. It has been reported well into the 2014-2015 models. But so far my 2014 is quiet.

Never heard much if any about squeaks and rattles? My car is silent at 42K miles. Absolutely nothing.
I have never used a battery charger on my XJR. It sat for 6 weeks at the airport last year and started up fine. As of today I still have both factory batteries.
My car entered service in September 2013 so they are both over 6 years old now and I expect to replace them probably within a year or so.

I would add that buying a used Jaguar will only work out if you can DIY the repairs or you have a warranty.
This forum has all the fixes and problems figured out. We are also very lucky to have multiple factory Jaguar mechanics that post regularly.
Look closely at any post from "Brutal".
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Don't know if it is a known "issue", but my transmission oil cooler failed, and my transmission got coolant in it. No error messages or anything, but shifting was rough in gears 1 through 4. The dealer of course wanted to replace the transmission for the equivalent of around 14,000 USD. I found a reliable mechanic that suggested we try flushing it first. He removed the transmission, and flushed it twice with transmission fluid. No change for the first week or so afterword. But over the next 2 or 3 weeks it improved to the point where it was driving like nothing was ever wrong with it. I replaced the faulty transmission olil cooler of course.

In regards to sticky buttons in hot climates? I am in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and I have not had any issues with sticky buttons on my 2012 XJL.

 

Wouldn't say these were fixed after 2012. I have a '14 the console buttons are melting and dust is getting stuck in them. Same with the plastic panels on each side of the screen. I do live in Texas and it gets really hot here though.

The battery voltage isn't a problem until you have battery problems. All kinds of weird things happen when a battery is low and always use the OEM or Jaguar battery. These are power hogs. I had my console just black out on the freeway due to a bad battery.

A design issue I don't like is ecostop. I turn it off. While theoretically it helps with fuel economy, the backup battery doesn't usually last through a stop at a light. After my starter failed and it might have blown out the auxiliary battery, I realized another problem with the system. Much more wear on the starter. If ecostop is on and I am driving down town it might stop 5 or 6 times a trip. That 6 or 7 starts for a drive. If it is off one starter. That is a lot of wear on the starter and a lot of die rolls for the random probability of a failure when used.

Another design issue that was fatal to an engine on my car (warranty replaced). The electronic gauges are beautiful but Navigation replaces the panel with the temperature gauge when a turn is coming up. It does this several miles away. My engine died due to a heat spike I had no warning about because the Nav replaced the temperature gauge. 99% of the time this isn't an issue but when you have poor welds that can leak or blow in the cooling system it can be fatal to not know your heat is going if one of these pipe welds go. You are kind of rolling the dice if you use the car navigation system on a long trip where you are traveling at higher speeds on a highway. If something happens with cooling you might be lucky enough to get a low coolant light but you will never see the temperature start to rise or spike if your nav is saying exit freeway in 5 miles.

'14 and later has a TSB on poor pipe welds on the cooling system. On mine the leak was under the supercharger. Cheap part to replace but 6 to 8 hours of labor taking the supercharger off to get to it and put it back on.

I love my car but it is a car you have to be willing to put money into. I guess you can say that about any luxury car. They aren't cheap to own but you won't find another car with the power and luxury a XJ offers. In some ways mine has been a love hate relationship.

 

Are the 2016+ any "better"...?

 

Well, they're under warranty.

 

Good point...

Still wondering how the 2016+ compare...

 

jjweatherby;

Can you post the TSB?
Thanks much!
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If you can afford the 2016 do it..
Still under factory warranty and if in US you get free maintenance
I went from a 2012 to a 2016 and issues with my 2012 are mentioned and a few not mentioned are
Blind spot monitor system
Rear sway bar links (boots will crack but links still good)
Rear tie rod ends (boots will crack unsure if still good)

2016 doesn't have the 2nd battery (it does have some type capacitor)

 

2016 also has a longer warranty - 5 years. 2015 model was 4 years.' So if you buy a 2016 sold in late 16, you have 2 years factory warranty left. On a 2015 it will have expired, or be about to expire.

 

Hummm I'm not sure if the 2016 Nav replaces the temperature gauge. I'll have to check one day.

 

After blowing a headgasket in a Nissan, I bought a bluetooth ODB reader from Scantool, and I monitor my car in real time from my cell phone mounted above my dash. I monitor all sorts of things using one of the many apps available for use with the bluetooth ODB readers. I am primarily concerned about engine temperature and battery voltage, but there are a ton of things that can be monitored in real time. The water/engine temperature gauge in most cars are only a little bit better than an idiot light. They will pretty much stay in the normal range in the exact same spot, up until it starts to get hot enough were it is going to be overheating very soon. I have had a few cooling issue with my Nissan, since I have changed the headgasket, and the habit of always monitoring using my ODB, had probably saved me having to get another headgasket job. On my Nissan, it will stay at the exact same spot in the normal range from between 180 degrees and around 220 degrees(fahrenheit). If there is actually a cooling problem, after 220, the guage starts to move rapidly toward the overheat mark. At 235, it is in the danger zone.

My Jaguar doesn't have any cooling problems. I have a normal operating range of between 195 and 205(Fahrenheit). Knowing what the normal range is a good thing. If you start seeing readings that are out of the norm, you can start checking on things BEFORE it is actually a problem. What is a little difficult is determing the condition of my charging system. Because of the BMS, the alternator output varies its output depending on the what the BMS reports. It appears normal charging voltage is between 12.7 to 13 volts. But on some days, it will charge at around 14.5. One time, it was after it had been sitting without starting for a week, but the other times it charged at 14.5, it hadn't been sitting.