I'm afraid something is very wrong.

Father-in-law was driving with the whole family, baby in back and a full load of groceries in the trunk.

I let him open it up for a minute, maybe popped 90 and then back to 60-70. All smooth as usual.

Approximately 3, mins later, we were nearing an intersection and just started to slow down when it started to really rough shake and misfire. Bad! I caught a good amount of smoke out the side mirror, white/grey - not black/blue. Had a really bad miss and losing power. Smelled fumes/gas. Steering, etc was fine.

Check engine light came on at the same time, quickly followed by Restricted Performance.

We were fortunate to be by a gas station and he immediately pulled/rolled in.

All other systems seemed fine. We turned the car off. Tried to start and started but still ran like crap. Definitely smelled gas but not sure about coolant after the fact.

Called a tow truck, but couldn't get it to start again, wouldn't turn over, nothing. All other electrical seemed to work. Tried jumping it and still nothing.

So I couldn't put it in neutral!

I popped the armrest console to release the red string and sent it to the dealer right before closing time. I haven't spoken to anyone there yet.

38k miles and no issues up to this point other than new tires, break pads and normal maintenance.

Any thoughts out there or similar experiences? I'm guessing a head gasket or worse. Maybe a fuel line/pump or something? Not like the guy with the massive plume of smoke, but smoke for sure and really all of sudden it went from treat to terrible.

Happy Halloween huh?

 

Read OBD codes. Might be something simple. (Why guess?)

 

Something simple? For him to have to experience something like this and his car has 38k miles is unacceptable. It doesn't matter what code it is. This shouldn't happen, unless he doesn't take care of his car. This is one of the many reasons Jaguar has a shaky reputation. I'm on the verge of purchasing a 2011 XJL with 37k miles. This makes me a little hesitant.

Now I know many of the members here make more than enough money to stomach how finicky these cars act. But at what point do we say enough is enough and demand better quality of our cars. Driving dynamics, exterior/interior beatuty, and prestige are great qualities Jaguar posses . But why can't we comfortably add reliability to the mix? I have a 2004 Lexus LS 430 with 298,000 miles and it has never stranded me at all. Aside from changing 3 batteries, a radiator, O2 sensor,Y pipe, and normal maintenance, it has been trouble free.

 

Other than perhaps hijacking someone else's thread to complain about the reliability of Jag's for which it doesn't even sound like you own one yet, what value did you add or how are your comments pertinent to the OP's problem? I hate to break it to you, but even Lexus has had a few big embarrassments over the years (such as failing trannies), as have probably every car maker who's been around for a while. And it is going to get worse given how complex cars are becoming while also trying to keep costs as cheap as possible. It's really easy to blow reliability out of proportion on the Internet when you primarily only see posts from people with problems. It would seem my 04 XJ which I've had since new and has never stranded me either has required far less repairs than your Lexus. The reliability of any make of used car you consider buying is likely to be governed more by how well it was looked after in its prior life.


Until the dealer weighs in with some facts, I'm not sure any of us can do much more than speculate at this point. Smoking is not normally a minor problem. I guess you won't use "break" pads again. ;-)

 

SMH. The OP stated that he was riding with his family when all of a sudden the check engine light comes on, he loses power, white smoke
comes out of his car, and gas fumes enter the car. His car has 37k miles. That's unacceptable. Whether or not I own the car is irrelevant. I have a family and I felt bad for what he experienced. I actually planned on purchasing a 2011 XJL this week. Before I make any purchase I do my research and read different forums of different makes in order to make the best decision on a car purchase. Ive spoken to other XJ owners and they love their car. But as consumers we have demand better from companies who are fighting for our dollar. If not, we will continue to be sold inferior products.

 

Every manufacturer has issues from time to time. In this case, it sounds like it could be something simple - perhaps a failed fuel injector or water pump, which is a known issue you should be aware of.

I've owned 2 different Lexus cars and they're well made, reliable and completely and utterly boring. There is really no comparison: Do you want true luxury, style and exclusivity or a beige Camry with lots of options? The former means limited production, which means some quirks, the latter is, well, a Lexus.

 

Not many details, other than some fuel injectors failed/shorted and they will be replaced. I had other little issues and some real (trunk lid fail) others cosmetic (tail light lens broke) so the good news is I can get everything taken care of all at once. Maybe back by Thurs/Friday.

Not soon enough because a Chevy Equinox (powder blue) is just not my style.

 

I forgot to add, the baby started crying when I put her in the "new car" rental this morning. Pretty funny spoiled princess!

 

Well that's good news.

 

First I've read about that; learn something new every day. Symptoms suggested far worse internal engine damage - I thought it would be a head gasket. Your big cat now has 8 lives left! Very fortunate, indeed.

 

Glad to hear it wasn't catastrophic. Let us know how it runs when you get her back and maybe hold off for a while on letting your brother in law drive it