I have a 2005 Jaguar VDP with 69,941 original miles on it. It was my grandmothers car, purchased from the dealer. She passed away in 2017 and I got it in 2019. This car has been gently operated, maybe on one or two long trips but, mostly driven within a two mile radius. I have taken it on 2 trips and, drive it around town (5 mile radius), nothing more. About a month ago, I ran into the store, came right back and started the car. I could not get it out of park. After some research & realizing that the bottle of water I had was knocked over, spilling maybe 3-4 drops into the shifter, I figured out that it was probably the solenoid under the shifter that had gotten wet. Took everything apart, got it in reverse and drive and made it home. The next day it was as if nothing had happened. However, about 2 weeks later, the car started throwing random Transmission Fault codes. Not constant, just here and there. Then, it started shifting strange. So, I took it to my mechanic who checked the TCM and he said "yep, definitely something going on with the transmission but, I don't work on those." The closest dealer is 45 minutes away and I don't really want to go that route but, there is practically no one where I am that will touch the darn thing. I've read that it could be the gear box, the drum, the ABS sensor, etc. so, I'm clueless but, I do know that with only ~70K miles, it shouldn't need a new transmission. I just drove it to the store, transmission fault right off the bat, turned it off to get gas and it drove home fine. A little strange in the shifting but, if I wasn't looking for that, I wouldn't have noticed.
Any idea of what to check first, providing I find someone willing to work on it for me?

 

Please post codes

 

Stop driving it and find a local import specialist to check for transmission fluid leaks and obviously the fluid level. The ZF 6HP26 is found in many import cars of the 2000s including BMW. The most likely problem with that low mileage is leaks.

 

Thank you! I parked it after I got it back from the shop but, did drive it yesterday (less than a mile) to get gas before it went up again. We don't have any local import specialists where I live (sleeper town, very small) but, with this information, maybe I can find someone who can take a look at it.

 

Do you have JLR code reader? post the codes. Is there any transmission or check engine lights in the dash? How is the car battery?

 

A good code reader which is the one that I use is iCarsoft LR2
I would check and see if they made any upgrades or have a more modern solution ( I believe iCarsoft LR V3.0 is the newest version) before you buy.

 

Yes, I ordered one and used it. There are no codes. I even backed it out of the garage to make the Transmission Fault message appear and it’s not reading anything. There are no check engine lights or anything. The battery a year old, I’ve maybe put 2,000 miles on the car since it was installed.

 

Did you do the jaguar specfic diagnostics and not the OBII mode (that is mainly for emissions related codes). It should scan something like 27 or so modules for errors. I would focus on power train ecu

 

Could be any number of things, check the earths behind the headlights, and have a look at the gearbox. You are at the mileage where you are due a fluid and oil pan change also the mechatronic sleave will probably be leaking, hats a fancy way of saying the seal on the electronics connector is leaking

 

HB,

What Joe said. And others also. Fluid level and connector sleeve need to be checked.

Here's my two cents:

"DefaultQuote:
Originally Posted by pkoko View Post
Do you have JLR code reader? post the codes. Is there any transmission or check engine lights in the dash? How is the car battery?
Yes, I ordered one and used it. There are no codes.

Yes, there are codes. If your trans faulted, you have codes, and they have been logged. As noted, a JLR coded reader is needed to read them. Then, post them here.
(Don't believe I've ever scanned an X350 without retrieving codes of some type)

Also, your "can't get out of park" may have nothing to do with your water bottle. eg, Are the brake lights working properly?

A bad wheel sensor can easily produce trans faults (search for my thread on this). Ditto low battery, poor grounds, etc

First step in a fix is retrieving codes...

 

You didn't have the problem until you accidentally poured a smidgen of water down the shifter. If it were me, I would be concentrating on checking the electrical components inside that shifter for damage.