Hi Guys - first time poster, long-time reader! I have a 2003 X-Type with 163,000 miles on it as a daily driver and it's been rock solid! Best car I've ever owned in all respects.

I have a chance to buy a 2010 XK Convertible from a dealer with a CPO warranty --- currently 41,500 miles, but the engine was REPLACED (not sure if new or remanufactured) under warranty by the last owner. I checked with my local Jag dealership (not the one I am buying the car from - out of state) --- and they said the engine was replaced due to overheating from the water pump separating (also replaced).

I keep my cars for a long time - 10 years or more -- the CPO warranty will have 2 years and 58k left on it - but any concerns on this type of long-term purchase for a car with previous overheat (ie, any other damage to look for that may shorten life?)

 

And - the previous owner immediately dumped it after engine repair . . . hmmmm.

 

I have heard of the water pump issues with the 5.0 cars. So if it was done under warranty, I'm sure the engine replacement was done well.

However, I think it will hurt your resale if you ever have to sell! Tough decision...

 

Look at it positively. You are getting brand new engine for a 2010 car price. If the work was done by dealer warranty, I would not worry about it. Just to make sure, take it on a good, long test drive, keep the engine RPMs up for a good 5-10 minutes and see if it cools properly. I think you'd be fine. Also, the resale should be OK if you put on a good amount of mileage before you sell, indicating to the new buyer that there were no issues with this engine.

 

Hi - thank you; yes - done by dealer.

Good point re: resale -- I think if it works well for several years, the resale impact should be minimized!

 

I think if I were you and I was concerned about "cooking" other mechanical parts due to engine overheating, I would find an Indy tech and discuss it with him.

On the other hand I had the engine replaced via warranty on a 2000 xjr and Jaguar supplied a whole new engine with fuel injectors and all other "accessory" parts that the dealer just had to drop in. BMW which had the same problem with their 2000 V8s just replaced the short block. I think doing it the Jaguar way minimized any potential problems. Why not find out if they just replaced the block or the whole engine?

 

Dont know about that!

Ask the following: if it was a rebuilt engine : were the original heads warped and if so were they decked or new heads put on?

If rebuilt were new pistons and rings put in with new sleeves or were cylinders bored out with only bigger rings?

new oli pump or rebuilt?
new valves and springs?
crank balanced?
new flywheel?

I would want to see a video of the guy who put it in. No the dealer did not put the engine in.
it was outsourced. I want to know the name of the shop and what kind of mechanics they use
I want to know the name of the machine shop that did the work on the engine
I want a compression test read out on each cylinder.
No it isnt a new engine.
If you think it is then post the numbers on the engine block and heads along wiht the car vin so they car be cross referenced to the origin of each

I was at a high end dealer where a guy brought in a Maserati that had original engine blown, with less than 2000 miles on car, to trade it in

He was told a new engine was put in under warranty.

It was a rebuilt according to numbers on head and block
A lot of lying goes on with socalled rebuilt and new engines

 

Wow! Great insight -- I've got the VIN and carfax says that engine was removed and overhauled by Matheny Jaguar in Florida; my local Jaguar service dept in Cleveland looked up the VIN as a favor and said the engine was REPLACED, not overhauled/rebuilt.

Hmmmm - so the dealer would not have replaced the engine under warranty - they would have sent it to a local shop? I guess I could call the dealer in FL to get details, but the person who had the car traded it back in to the DC Jaguar dealership (Rosenthal) they bought it from --- so they don't have a lot of details (or are not willing to discuss).

I have a small deposit on the vehicle to hold until my inspection (I am flying out tomorrow) - so the vehicle is no longer viewable online. VIN is SAJWA4GB2ALB37421.

 

I would be surprised to hear that the dealer did that type of extensive work. Not cost effective for a dealer.

Also I am always skeptical of mecahnics taking their time to do proper torque setting on engine mounting bolts etc. Too much expenditure of time to do the job right.

And what about "left over parts". I just dont trust another mechanic unless I know him professionally or he is at a machine shop

 

Hmmmmm - I am now 50/50! I will put it through the paces tomorrow and ask questions - will update all of you.

Thanks, So Cal Babe, Ralphwg, and axr6!!!

 

"IF" it was replaced versus rebuilt AND they are offering a CPO warranty I'd have zero hesitation in moving forward. Even after only a couple years of proven mechanic soundness the market value should be no less than any other car however I'd use this issue to drive the price down initially. I'd seriously doubt that Jaguar would CPO warranty a car that had previously blown an engine the revuilt it but get it in writing that it was replaced and you bought it based upon that fact... make them stand behind that statement.

Also regarding Carfax, put VERY little faith into anything they have to say... it has been proven time and again that they are notorious for not being the least bit accurate. Get the paperwork (if the receipts show a replaced engine then I'd have no reason to believe otherwise as they could be in for a world of hurt misleading someone, far more costly than the savings of not replacing the engine).

Good luck

 

Thanks - the CPO was on the car before the engine replacement --- still CPO'd and I'll be 3rd owner . . .

 

sanjay_cool,
By this time tomorrow, I will have completed a deal on a high mileage 2010 XKR (68K) that had an engine replacement done by my mechanic of many years and covered by the soon to be previous owner's insurance policy (Bad rod bearings apparently due to oil starvation). The replacement was not a brand new engine but from a car with approx. 5000 miles on it. Since my mechanic did the work, and I have a dozen or so cars serviced by him and since he is also my tenant, I feel very secure in knowing that if I have a problem, he is going to be taking care of it for the rest of its (and his) life. I drove the car for the first time this afternoon since the engine replacement and the difference is shocking. I was highly unimpressed when I first drove it about a month ago, but, this afternoon its performance was eye opening, which is why I will complete the purchase. Now, I keep cars forever, I never sell them. They're either added to my small collection or I give them away after 10 years or so to employees etc. So resale is not an issue. However, there were several other factors besides price that made this transaction extremely persuasive, I'm just not at liberty to discuss those factors until after the car is in my possession.

If the price is right, and you have quite a bit of warranty left, especially from the factory, really, what have you got to lose? Test drive the car and put it through its paces, and you'll have a better idea. And use the replacement engine as a bargaining point.

Tomorrow or Monday when I pick up my 2010 XKR coupe, it goes right back to my mechanic's shop for all sorts of modifications made possible by the low purchase price (he also does body work). I can't wait. If everything goes as planned, before pictures on Monday, and after photos in a couple of weeks.

Some of the mods:
Mina RS side skirts and front valance
Mina exhaust
ETG pulley and tune
fxdesigncars rear bumper/diffuser
Lowering springs
Refinished Calimnos wheels
And who knows what else?

And by the way, I am getting this because I want to prolong the life of my 145,000 mile 2002 XKR convertible, which I enjoy driving so much as my daily driver. I wanted to have something else that I enjoyed as much, that I could split daily duties with, and that I could take to the track 2 or 3 times per year where my 'vert is not permitted and where my 1972 De Tomaso Pantera is just too difficult to drive (on very technical tracks).

 

[QUOTE=sanjay_cool;976257]Wow! Great insight -- I've got the VIN and carfax says that engine was removed and overhauled by Matheny Jaguar in Florida; my local Jaguar service dept in Cleveland looked up the VIN as a favor and said the engine was REPLACED, not overhauled/rebuilt.

Hmmmm - so the dealer would not have replaced the engine under warranty - they would have sent it to a local shop? I guess I could call the dealer in FL to get details, but the person who had the car traded it back in to the DC Jaguar dealership (Rosenthal) they bought it from --- so they don't have a lot of details (or are not willing to discuss).

I have a small deposit on the vehicle to hold until my inspection (I am flying out tomorrow) - so the vehicle is no longer viewable online. VIN is SAJWA4GB2ALB37421.[/QUOTE


The engine being overhauled is majorly different than being replaced.

If overhauled, (which the Carfax implies, call Matheny Jaguar in Florida) you need to consider carefully the comments made by SoCalBabe in her post above.

Overhauled means the engine was most likely torn apart and parts replaced. A replaced engine infers a new engine was put in. There is a big difference between the two.

Make sure you complete your due diligence before laying down any cash. You don't want to suffer "buyers remorse".

If overhauled, even with a CPO... I would NOT buy the car. Continue the search.

 

you are in an enviable position. You know the mechanic, you have dealt with him for years, and his reputation is backed up by his work

Your situation is completely the opposite of the guy on this thread buying a car that doesnt have the "pedigree" that yours possess

Congradulations on your due diligence

 

So Cal Babe,
You're right. The only reason I would purchase the car was if either a Jaguar dealership or my mechanic (where I have plenty of leverage) did the "transplant." If done at Jaguar, there would be a factory warranty for a period of time. If my mechanic, I'd "kill" him if something went wrong and he didn't fix it. In fact, had he told me not to buy the car, I wouldn't have gone through with it. But he thought it was great. This guy races all the time, builds and rebuilds engines for all sorts of cars, and although there are times that he drives me crazy, ultimately, I trust him. He'd also be stupid to make a poor recommendation as I have given him dozens of customers that over the years have probably with my contributions, spent in the many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Also, since he is now a tenant of mine for his new tire business, and I have been very patient with him, I have the ability to hold it over him.

Next week, when the car is in my possession, I will add one more very important tidbit that is just the "icing on the cake."

And yes, our situations are different, in that I know what was done, I have more control over future problems, but he has a warranty to 100,000 miles and/or a couple of more years. Don't you think he'll discover any potential maladies during that time?

And last, but not least, So Cal Babe, what part of Poland were you from, my parents and my uncle were from Radom, my aunt from Krakow.

 

Ok - i got the engine block number ... 09120405355508PN.

How would I match to VIN to see if it is new or original? Any help much appreciated!

 

I suggest you call Jaguar USA Customer Service (800-452-4827) I have contacted them, in the past, for questions regarding my XK prior to the purchase. They were very helpful and did some research for me regarding a reported accident on the Carfax report.

As for the install being performed by an independent, dealerships do install "out of the box" replacement engines. If in fact it was a "new" engine, I would be surprised if they farmed it out.

Good luck on your quest for information...

 

I am from : Nowy Targ

 

I agree with you that dealers do out of the box replacements. However, an out of the box replacement is a rarity.

They arent obligatd to give him a new engine. They are only obligated to fix the problem. and they will do it the cheapest way possible