My inner voice asked me to add an x351 to my x350. Unfortunately there are some topics to be clarifies in advance:


For the X350, I found the parts catalogue, workshop manuals and my SDD allows me to dig into the electronics.
- I didn't spot similar information for the x351 in this forum. Is this available for the x351 ?

Some of the cars offered in my area contain the V8, some the V6 and some the V6 AWD.
- What is the most reliable combination ? ( Although I'm a DIY, I'm in fear of head gaskets and chain problems.)


As the X351 will replace my "reasonable car", which has a draw bar for transporting bicycles:
- Is there a way to get a draw bar attached to an x351 ?

 

nebelfuerst, for your questions, if you have SDD, then you should be good to go. Granted, part of it may depend on the version of SDD that you have. The newer cars will obviously need a newer version to get the necessary software for the computers. The trick here is that Jaguar started going to an online version (after 1.31 as I recall). So, this makes getting a working copy more difficult without having to pay for a service. there are also the workshop manuals that are normally digital in nature. I am sure there are hardbound versions out there, but mots of what you will find is digital. There are also services like Alldata that you can subscribe to and they will give you the diagrams, instructions and even access to the TSBs.

As for reliability, I can only speak for the 2012 model as that is what I have. I have the naturally aspirated V8. I have owned it for over 60K miles and have done relatively little to the car. yes, I suffered from the infamous water pump issue. BUt, that wasn't all that hard except for getting the one junction piece to seal. But, once you figure out the trick to that, it isn't bad. Then had the normals (oil changes, tires, brakes, filters). No major failures. I will say that the car does suffer from some anomolies. Specfiically the car will give you grief over the blind spot monitoring if you are near a railing for too long or if you are in an area with lots of electronic interference. Some even complain about random firm suspensions that are associated with a suspension fault. But, you turn off the car, turn it back on and all is good. The earlier cars (ie, those from 2010 and 2011 suffer from a slower screen and this can be a little annoying. But, a little bit of work and a newer screen, you can resolve that issue. the early cars also suffered from a popping sunroof. But, by this point, this should have been fixed.

As for installing a drawbar (ie, trailer hitch), this car can have that done. You don't find a lot of options out there and you may want to look into getting it electrically isolated because having a steel draw bar in contact with the aluminum body can lead to rust issues in the future. Worst case, you can get the bike mounts that rest on the trunk/boot and get strapped to the lid.

 

Apparently older style timing chain tensioners / guide rails are on models through early 2013 models. Some members have quoted the repair to take 15-20h labor. If you get a 2014-current model year, the issue should be less likely to occur.

Head gaskets aren’t very common. But my independent repair place says it’s a 25h job if it does need to be done.

The water pump replacement is very common. One repair facility suggested changing it every 40k miles. Coolant lines also need to be replaced periodically. Just stop immediately and drive no further if the car starts over heating.

Other common issues include sticky buttons, supercharger isolator (until 2015), popping sunroof in 2010/2011 models (usually already fixed under warranty), wires rattling in car doors, and slow infotainment modules (in 2010-2011 models).

Rarer but still reported include the fuel injectors getting blocked (add BG44k every 6 months).

I don’t do my own work, so can’t help with DIY resources.