Hi Ngarara

Yes, I hadn't thought about writing to Jaguar Australia. On reflection it does sound rather poor that the local dealer cannot even be bothered to take my money to have the car repaired!

 

Some comments on all the above, by a Canadian who has owned 28 Jaguars, 4 at present:
1) Consumer Reports will NEVER endorse a Jaguar. Disregard their fantasy assessments entirely.
2)the XK leather dashboard issue: leather is skin; skin, exposed to sun and heat will dry out and shrink, pull at the seams, etc. Leather needs regular conditioning treatment to remain supple. Leather on the dashboard is subject to the most extreme conditions. Common sense dictates that it be regularly conditioned with a NON-silicone conditioner; if you have a problem with the leather on the dash, it is because it has not been properly maintained. I speak as a 2007 XK owner whose car has the leather dash cover in perfect condition (the dash leather is regularly conditioned and not subjected to excessive amounts of sun; when the XK is left in the sun, the dash is protected by sun screens).
3) the Lexus is a fine appliance - one of the most trouble free and character-free vehicles on the road. It has all the character of an LG refrigerator, and it is just as reliable. Modern Jaguars, in contrast, ooze character and breeding: they are beautiful, fast, luxurious and well built. EVERY make of car has some defects (have you ever looked at the Mercedes reliability record?).
4) I am now into year 10, yes, year 10, with an X-Type 3.0 litre. This week I made the FIRST repair needed on this car: replacement of an 02 sensor (which caused no running issues at all - but the "check engine" light came on). It has been 100% reliable over the 10 year period, It is outside 24 hours a day and receives no special treatment. It still looks new and it runs as new. How many Lexus owners can claim as much for their cars?
5) Jaguar is consistently high in the quality ratings of sources other than Consumer Reports, and for good reason.

 

By the way, has anyone noticed a vibrating steering wheel when making quick steering maneuvers at low speed (like when parking) in warm weather? Both my XKR and my X350 XJ8 have the exact same behavior, so I doubt it could be just me!

 

I get a bit of a judder if I turn the wheel when the car is stationary - big sticky feet and the Dynamic Pack rigid steering was my guess, but maybe it's a more generic issue. Perhaps there's some play in the rack or the mounts. I try to turn it only when the car is moving at least a little, which reduces the effect. If it's rolling properly, there's no judder.

 

Yup, that's exactly what I experience and that's also what I do to avoid the judder. So it's normal then!

 

It's interesting - some elements of the suspension are different on the 75 from the standard XKR, and mine is a MY11 car 4 years younger than yours, so I assumed there would be some difference. However, according to the workshop manuals, they have the same steering rack, a ZF Servotronic 2.

With a sample size of 2, I think it's a bit premature to say it's 'normal'. Perhaps you could start a new thread and solicit more opinions. Or we could be hung for piracy...

 

I started a thread in the X350 forum a long time ago. Many other X350 owners had the same thing going on. I spent a hell of a lot of time flushing the fluid and adding steering additives before I realized that it was most likely a design problem and/or worn bushings.

But I was very surprised when this summer my XKR started exhibiting the same behaviors!