Hi Forum, if it wasn't for bad luck, I would have no luck at all. On my way from Phoenix to the Silicon valley area, my XKR displayed "low coolant," then the warning went away. Before I could stop and check, it stated "engine overheating" and "battery not charging." I pulled over immediately, in the middle of nowhere and waited ( 4hours) for roadside assistance. The Jaguar service dept. in Bakersfield, CA originally stated the water pump seized up and snapped the belt to the alternator, but should be easily fixed. Now they're saying once they put the new water pump in the car that it is still leaking coolant and it may be a blown head gasket. Luckily its a select edition. I was planning on getting a tune and the pulley done in the next 2 weeks. Has anyone ever experienced this and, if so, was the car repairable to its original state? Also, should I forget about getting the tune/pulley done? I am really frustrated right now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks forum.

 

Sheesh. Sorry to hear that. Were there any warning signs of the water pump failure?

 

Terrible luck! Very sorry to hear that. I've heard about the water pump issues for our cars.

I would NOT advise the tune at this point. If anything goes wrong after the repairs the dealer might blame it on the tune. Would not run that chance.

 

I would say the head gasket isnt blown, but the heads are warped due to overheating, that is why you are getting leakage. Aluminum heads warp easy

Heads needs to be disassembled. then decked.

Forget the tune until you make sure someone does a good job on the heads. JAg mechanic is the last one I would trust to do this job.

I would demand that the heads be decked and resurfaced. I would also want the name of the machine shop that is doing the work

The last thing you need is a toothless hood rat from a no nothing shop in Bakersfield doing the machine work.

This situation is a prime example of having an app that hooks up to the OBD-II port that is displayed on the windshield.

I would bet the car was way overheated before the "idiot" lite came on. This wouldnt have happened with the app on a smart phone

Find something else to drive for a while

 

Since you have the 2010 MY, is it still under a warranty or did it just run out?

I have read about another jag XKR owner losing his water pump, overheating, then the engine went.

I believe that SoCalBabe probably has the correct answer on the heads.

 

Did they say where it was leaking? Ditto for what SO Cal Babe mentioned.

 

I would say that the gasket is probably blown BECAUSE of the warped heads. I had the exact issue with my old '82 XJ6. It overheated, I had coolant leak and found the head warped so badly that it would not come off the block due to being warped into the stud bolts.

Good thing he has the warranty as this would be expensive!

 

SoCalBabe made the exact point that I was contemplating while thinking about this case. The idiot light is simply insufficient to warn of an impending serious overheating condition.

Does anyone have specific equipment/app recommendation for OBD port devices that would indicate water/oil temps. Particularly, something like SCBabe suggested that would work with an HUD display.

 

I can't understand how there are no early signs for the 2010 XK+ series when it comes to water pump failure. We know they all fail, but wouldn't they initially seep onto the ground and if garaged it would be noticed? Should we be checking the coolant level somewhat regularly to see if there is any coolant loss? Even the distinct coolant smell could give us a heads up. My service manager says it can go at anytime, even with low mileage but it usually seeps first.

 

I've had my 2010 XKR for a couple of days now, but haven't really driven more than a couple of dozen miles including a short trip to and from Century City, this morning. I have mixed feelings about the car as compared to my 2002 XKR, some good, some not so good. BUT, one thing that drives me nuts is that at least the 2002 has an idiot temperature gauge and even though it gives you very little warning, it does give you some precious seconds. I know from experience when a hose blew, that as a habitual temperature gauge watcher (I have a Pantera, there is never a second that you're not looking at the temp. gauge unless you're on the track where it will run "cool" all day long) I saw the gauge instantaneously start to rise and I shut the car down immediately and had no other repair other than a hose replacement. The fact that a high performance car putting out over 500 hp has no gauges and that you have to fool around with a computer screen to get any information is just inexcusable. The fact that there is no oil dipstick or trans dipstick and that you have to check these after the car has been turned off and cooled down for a period of time is crazy. It makes me not want to drive the car.

Thank goodness you have a warranty, and the same can be said of the car I bought which paid for a "new" engine a day before I bought it (and there were no warning lights on the dash either).

Hope you're back on the road soon.

 

BklynChris. How many miles on your XKR? Let us know how you make out.

 

I am not knocking your car, but what did you expect.

On my 2013xkr ragtop I found the following from the factory:

Loose engine cover pins
wiring harnesses with wires exposed to the elements
unbelievable camber on the nonadjustable rears that I had to shim
loose x frame under the radiator
really cheap hose clips

mistakes in the manual
incompetent dealer mechanics

blotches in the paint that I am negotiating with Jag at the present time

My car had 485 miles on it when I bought it and I went thru the car for 3 hours before the initial sale went thru. I bought it from my dad.

If I didnt know how to work on cars I would never have bought it. It gets a lot of stares and I can drive like my hair is on fire.
and yes the car has a ballzy engine.

 

So Cal Babe,

As I said, I've barely driven the car but the dislikes include:
No gauges that you can see at a glance
Lots of rattles (unlike my 2002 convertible)
dash shrinkage
20" wheels provide a twitchy ride
unintuitive nav screen

Likes includes:
beautiful looks
terrific engine
paddle shifter
very good turn in
decent but a little spongy brakes

A few weeks from now after I've spent some more intimate times with it, I'll add more opinions. I'd still love to have, at least, a real temperature gauge along with an oil pressure one.

 

I don't suppose there's an aftermarket water pump upgrade available?

I'm with you on the gauges. Very strange omission, even for a GT. And the 20s on a lowered car like mine can make the ride "twitchy". Or you can call it very responsive. Personally, with my set-up the turn-in never ceases to give me grins in dynamic mode (which is the mode I drive in 90% of the time).

With 31,000 miles, though, I have no rattles to speak of, and no dash shrinkage either. Switched out my pads to ceramics and braking is excellent, consistent and low dust. But I don't track this car. That might expose things canyon carving doesn't.

 

I tend to agree with most of your likes and dislikes. I am very disappointed that the ECU did not display an alarm in time to prevent the overheating. Navigation is very poor in Jaguars, including in my newer 2012s. I never had rattles in my my 5 late Jaguars for which I am most happy. Also, never had the dash shrinkages that were quite common with the earlier ('07, '08) XKs. Maybe because I tend to keep my cars out of the sun at all times?

Indeed, Jags have some negatives but, altogether I have been very happy with their reliability and, of course, the looks and exclusivity.

 

Twitchy?? Why be so complimentary? I lowered my car 35 mm and spaced it out 15mm

I was flying at 130 and hit a slight imperfection in the road that wasnt even a bump

I got unbelievable rear end hop. The car is great to look at and drive at reasonable speeds. However it aint designed to run like a scalded dog.

I dont have rattles either, but a loose rear end is worse than saggy *****!!

 

No. It just said "low coolant" off and on for about 40 to 50 miles...I was in the middle of nowhere, then boom, "engine overheating" and "battery not charging." That's all.

 

The Jaguar service shop said something about taking the heads off and sending them out. I have no experience with this so do I call the Jag shop, tell them I want the name of the machine shop and then demand that the heads be decked and resurfaced? What does that mean anyway? Just in case they ask me, I can explain it. I get the feeling I'm screwed....Is my car done for?

 

The actual warranty runs out next month. it's a select edition, so I'm good after that also....I hope.

 

I believe they said it was leaking into the heads....or something like that. I was kinda pissed at that point, so I was listening effectively. Stupid me.