Hello All,

Decided to join to ask you all if you could tell me what the reliability is like for the 2013 to 2015 XKR and XKR-S is like.

I'm wondering if anyone has owned one for quite a bit of time and could tell me if they've had issues with the major components (engine/trans etc) and/or regular maintenance issues.

I do drive a Lexus now and am use to a sense of comfort with its ultra reliable nature but I have been dying to get my hands on an XKR or XKR-S (price permitting).

Obviously, I know its not going to be as reliable as some of the cookie cutter cars, but overall, how does the V8 with a blower stack up? Are they tried and true components used in the past? Any data?

Any info you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

I am on my third XK/XKR. The only real problem with the 5L engine (2010-2015) is the questionable water pump which may or may not fail when you get up 30-35k miles. The TPMS will also play tricks on you once in a while.

The third item you should be aware of is it is a good idea to buy a battery maintainer and use it regularly, particularly if you will only be driving your Jaguar on an occasional basis. Note that there is a search box at the top right side of this page. You can find threads on the three subjects I've mentioned by utilizing it with the appropriate entry.

 

Depend on your definition of reliability and your comfort / confidence level. I bought a 'hunk of junk' and am bringing it back to life. There's no boogieman hiding in these chassis beyond the oddball electrical quirk. The best thing you can do for it is drive it. Let them sit and they turn to mud.

 

Not sure I agree that they aren't as reliable as the mass production cars. As Ralph points out, the 5.0 engine has a weak water pump prone to failure, but otherwise reliable. The 5.0 is also a direct inject engine. It's predecessor was the 4.2L SC which ended in 09 and was not direct injection. No judgement on the DI here, just FYI.

The engineers also ran a small coolant hose through the V8 valley and under the SC. This is an old and well known "design flaw" Heat will eventually cook it but you will likely see a decade or 100k miles before it becomes an issue. This problem is known to all SC models from 07 - 15.

There is also a known issue with dash leather pulling away. This is an expensive fix. IMO it's more prone to happen in hot weather climates. It usually starts with what appears to be a few "bubbles" under the dash.
This problem is known to all SC models from 07 - 15.

 

Modern Jags are known to be on a par with other competing brands (including Lexus) when it comes to reliability.

The days of Joe Lucas and British Leyland were a long time ago.

 

And that perception of unreliability from years past is what makes the Jaguar of today an exception bargain, particularly as a CPO. Let the first owner (often a business) take the big depreciation hit and take advantage of their loss, which is how I bought both of mine.

 

Timely thread.. My XKRS is going in next week for a final service before warranty expires.

no issues to speak of but I have not owned it for long ( under a year) and I have no knowledge of water pump replacement to date but I have a void in time in the car's service history.
Can I tell externally if its been done?. should I ask the dealer to review it?

41000 kms

 

Definitely ask the dealer to check it for wobble and leak. I think I read on this forum that there are at least 3 generations/ iterations of pumps and one hose reconfiguration that Jaguar's used in its attempt to resolve the issue. I would expect them all to have different part numbers stamped and your dealer can advise you.

Lots of gents on here with the 5.0 engine who could answer. I tend to read those simply to read as I own the lowly 4.2 N/A.

I believe White Bear may have been the member who received the new hose configuration. You might reach out to him on that.

 

Thank you for this.

Coolant hose:Where does it dump into if it breaks? What can be done to mitigate it?

As far as the water pump, is there an alternative to the stock one that will resolve the issue?

Thank you again!

 

You need to believe that the reliability is similar to most high end cars. on't get into a panic over this hose or the water pump. If you are this concerned over these issues I would consider another brand. Now in the real world these cars should have no serious issues up word of 100K miles. Also consider that usually you will find "issues" listed on forms like this but take into consideration the thousands of these cars being driven . So look at the car and drive the car and have it looked at professionally and then make a decision if it is for you.

 

Please go to the new members area and introduce yourself.

As I mentioned, there are at least 3 iterations of the water pump and what appears to be a new hose configuration. The last being the latest attempt to mitigate. If I had a 5.0 engine, I wouldn't do anything until it became a problem. Just know that it can be and have it checked when you take it in for service.

There is no mitigating the "valley hose" as it's referred to. Heat just cooks it over time. In the scheme of things, by the time it does, your SC probably is due for removal and some port cleaning anyway. If at any time you remove the SC, replace the hose. It costs $10 (the hose, not the SC removal) Likely won't need to do anything for 10 years.

Neither issue would deter me from purchase as Jagtoes alludes.

 

From what I could find there were 27,600 XK's made between 2009-2016 which were the 5.0L models. So out of all of these cars we don't know if there were 10 water pump failures or 1000 failures. On this form I have only heard of maybe 3-4 failures.

 

Don't be scared of the car, the water pump is a small percentage but enough that it is known to be a weak point. No guarantee it will fail, just be aware that it is not a part that has been 100% reliable for all. Plenty of 5.0 liter owners have not had the issue.

My compressor went out on a 2012 and was replaced under warranty, there were 2 other members of this forum that had the same issue. A problem, potentially, if you ask me the answer is yes. But a minor one, even if I had repaired it out of pocket it would have been $1200. Cars have stuff go bad, nothing is guaranteed, there are folks on here that had issues with a Lexus. Rare, probably as rare as a water pump on the Jag.

 

Put it into real context:
The direct competitor to this car is the Ferrari California. Identical specs, construction.
They had a total engine recall due to engine seizure.
They did the recall for safety. Not mechanical responsibility.
So ancillary accessory fatigues with age should be viewed as incidentals and petty cash expenses.

If you have ever owned exotic sports cars, you know what real problems are. My Maserati for instance shot a belt at 40k on a full interference engine- turbos lasted even less than that. This Jaguar has NONE of the expected headaches of an exotic.
The real problem is that many housewives own these cars and expect Camry like carefree driving. I.e. how dare I have to replace a battery or a water pump.

Fact is: If you have an XKRS or a Ferrari- you want to take it to the shop just for the attention. And you will be disappointed that there is nothing to change. Look at it from the perspective of a billion dollar industry- where people spend twice as much in modifications than they did the car. You are going to be denied that privilege. It has everything and a bulletproof engine also used in trucks- Land Rover and Range Rover.

Lastly, because this is a hidden gem and a bargain, you are already being paid upfront the cost of incidental upkeep. Compared to a Ferrari, Audi A8 or Porsche, they have the inverse equation and much higher costs due to uniqueness of engine (and frankly arrogance). The Audi v10 is plagued with design flaws like the California, there are NO significant design flaws in the engine you are looking at- now proven over course of time, across multiple models.

 

I've had my '15 XK-R 2 1/2 years @ 24K miles with no issues, it's been bullet-proof. My lease ends Oct. 4 of this year, so if you can wait, there will be a great car on the market in 5 months!

 

I've had my 2014 XKR convertible for a year. It's approaching 20k miles. It's been reliable except the active exhaust has failed twice. It was fixed under warranty both times. The dealer told me if it wasn't under warranty, it would be a $7,500 repair. Yikes! That alone makes me not want to own this car without a warranty. My warranty expires December 2017 and if I keep the car I'll buy an extended warranty. Other than that, I love the car. It's truly a fantastic machine.

Now my 15 year old XJR, that's been completely reliable, other than a few age-related issues, and I've had it more than three years. :-)

 

Do you know what 'failed' in the active exhaust? Was it the same component each time?
...
Holy crap! I just googled C2P25629 (the 5.0L version of the back box), and they are reaming you guys! $5200 was the cheapest I saw. When I was looking for the XKR back box for the 4.2L (C2P2176), a year and a half ago, you could get a new one for $1350. Now the cheapest I can find online is $1735. WTF? Inflation in XKR back box spare parts? Sounds like an investment opportunity.

 

It would be interesting on what the dealer said the PAE failure was. other then the electronics all you have is a vacuum solenoid , a vacuum valve and a butterfly in the outside exhaust pipe. If the vacuum valve breaks the butterfly will stay open all of the time. Same if the solenoid breaks or the tubing breaks. The only other problem would be if the vacuum line from the engine to the solenoid breaks which would take some effort to fix.

 

There's no vacuum line from the engine to the exhaust. There is a separate vacuum pump, kind of above and behind the left rear wheel, that provides the vacuum for the exhaust valves. That's why pulling the fuse that runs it allows the valves to remain open.

 

OK I'll have to check and see where it is located. As for the fuse 19 thing I don't have that concern as all I need to do is push the dynamic button and the PAE opens up.