2004 XK8 Jaguar died. Repair shop said needed to replace gears. When I got it back, it would not go past Drive into 4, 3 ,2. S light n drive light blinks. Repair shop said $2500.00 was for gears park to drive, and they needed another $2500.00 for 4, 3, 2. Paid $5000.00 and 4, 3, 2 do not work. They said they fixed transmission not gears. I do not understand as I was told they were the same. Now they want more money to fix what wasn't fixed. And now my roof will not go down. Can anyone please explain this to a widow in dire need of a working vehicle?

 

Welcome to the forum GoodWins62,

I've moved your question from General Tech Help to XK8/XKR forum. Members here with the same model will be able to help.

Graham

 

Hello Goodwings62
Welcome to the Forum. You will find very good help here from knowledgeable members.

You are dealing with two separate issues. The Transmission and the roof.
A lot has been written here about both subjects.

Start by doing a search for convertible top or roof by clicking the black tab on the top right side of the first post of the forum.

The shop you are working with does not seem to be trustworthy at all. I would not allow them to do any new work on your car.

On your transmission both D through 2 and 432 are the same on the inside, they are just accessed differently, the first via the transmission cable the second via electric controls.
It would seem the problem is with a switch located on your shifter console.
The shop has charged you twice for doing the same job, and has "fixed" what was not broken.
I would contact your attorney or the district attorneys office and the states regulatory agency for auto repair shops.

We have several members in hawaii who will be glad to give you a hand. Jandreau comes to mind, try sending him a private message and later exchange phone numbers.
The problem with the top could be any number of things.
a blown fuse in the fuse box located in the trunk. 40 amp.
It could also be that the shop turned the petcock on the pump located on top of the cd player on the right side of your trunk. Pull the cover and turn it right until closed.
also look at the level of fluid on the pump. Right side white plastic tank. There are two lines on it, fluid should be between them.

Try these and come back to us with what you found.

We will get you back on the road. Promise to post a smiling picture we we do.

 

Oh and please post the name of the shop you are dealing with, so other members can stay away.

 

GoodWins62, you already joined and posted last week under the name JagXK8Jewel2004 https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/n...rtible-153214/
Do you want to stick with GoodWins62 now?

 

Thank u very much! They were making me think I am insane! The father who used to fix it and said he put in a new starter sold his Company EAS to his son. I didn't know. It continued to not start promptly then died again. I had it towed to him to warranty his work I paid for. He wasn't there and they said "sorry EAS has a new owner and we have no records on the work the previous owner did so you have to pay again". I said how can you not have records? I paid $3000.00 for a new starter! They said "too bad". It was already towed to them so I said OK they could fix it.. I found out later the father sold it to his son( supposedly) now named Getzinger Motorworks, GMW. ( the father's name is Getzinger).I had to get loans to pay for what I'd already paid EAS. All else worked perfectly when it went in except for straining to start n then not starting. After paying again it still had difficulty starting in their lot. They said it was fine and they were closing so I had to leave. Drove out of their lot and the interior lights fell into my face .I quickly went back and in haste the young owner used contact cement (EGADS!) to quickly reattach. I drove away n now my headlights wouldn't work and the roof Claws grind metal on metal to detach for the roof to go down, ( painful to hear so I stopped the roof. Why were they messing with a roof I paid about $5000.00 to have all panels taken off and liquid refilled on the mainland a year before?). Then it died again dangerously in intense traffic on a narrow road with lava rock on both sides. I towed it back the next week (they always put me off due to their "busy schedule". They said they fixed the starting problem and it won't start as I "damaged the gears from not driving it right". I've been driving it fine since 2006. Whatever, I don't have a big ego and don't need to defend myself. Just need my car fixed. Paid another $2500.00. Drove away and discovered the 4,3,2 gears didn't work. Took it back again. Young owner said they fixed the right gears park thru drive but I had to pay again for the left gears, 4,3,2. I paid another $2500.00. 4,3,2 still don't work and now the S button is disabled and it is scary to drive. This has been going on since February of 2015. Every time I took it back it would come out with a different problem. Like I said, when I called recently they changed their story and said they replaced the transmission not the gears. However, the owner let it slip that due to my bad driving I wore out the gear lines that he patched together to help save me money. "Old parts with new so they'll probably break again", $2500.00 before you get your car back. I am scheduled to go in this coming Thursday Nov 19th 2015 for them to fix what I paid for and the new damage. I am scared as more things may get broken but I already paid $10,500.00 so far. The passenger seat no longer moves and door panels separated from the frame. They blame me. They have never shown me old parts by the way.To add insult to injury I had a large yellow scratch on the car that matched their yellow work carts. They denied it of course. I let that go. Please, I just want the gears to work, the S button and the roof to be back to normal. What can I say to call them out on this " we fixed transmission not gears" comment? If they don't correct roof I'll take it elsewhere and never go back. Frankly I am out of money, and exhausted my ability to borrow. Can anyone help me in what to say to them?

 

Yes Please. I realized I did not introduce myself as I am extremely distressed over my Baby, XK8. I apologize. Then I couldn't remember my login and password so I started over. I did not intend any disrespect. Just desperate for assistance with my car. Thank you for this site. I am extremely grateful as in Hawaii it is difficult to find mechanics who will work on Jags. I am on the Big Island not in Honolulu. Thank you again, GoodWins62

 

I wonder if the S and the TOP buttons got messed with when they pulled the trans? Did they have to take the console apart, maybe disconnected them or the like.

 

They obviously have no idea what they are talking about, the right side auto transmission and the left side "manual" 2,3,4, selection are exactly the same thing just a different method of gear selection.
I wouldn't pay them any more and find somewhere that knows what they are doing.
If you have documented evidence maybe you should take legal advice.

 

GoodWins62, sorry for your issues. I am on Maui so not much help. You have been taken for a ride, sorry but I know no other way to say it.

Unfortunately I do not know of a good mechanic on the Big Island to recommend and I do all my own work so do not know of anyone to recommend to talk to. While I am no friend of Jag dealers you might want to call the dealer on Oahu and ask who they use for warranty service on the Big Island.

If possible you should park the car, gather your documentation and talk to an attorney. For the money you've paid a small attorney fee would be worth the cost to determine what your recourse is.

Until then post as many questions as you like and you will get help from this forum. It sounds like you are not able to do any work yourself so this will be a painful and expensive process.

I recommend a separate thread for each problem so they can be systematically addressed without confusing information. There are many very experienced folks on here that are willing to help and way more qualified than myself to give advise.

I can only speak to actual issues I have encountered with my XK8 and fixed, unfortunately for you and very fortunate for me I have had no transmission issues to deal with so do not have much info to help with your transmission troubles.

As for your top we need to know exactly what happen before it stopped working so we can help you fix the problem. You state you heard a metal on metal sound coming from the roof "claws" so you stopped the top. Does it actually work but you have stopped using it because of the issue you described or does it not work at all?

The tops are not that difficult to work on and have only a few items that can malfunction.

Good luck and feel free to send me a PM if you like, I'll answer as best I can but the general knowledge of the forum is much, much greater than mine.

One other thing that will help the form members help you, use paragraphs in your threads. One large paragraph is difficult to comprehend.

 

Goodwins62, Sorry to hear about your plight.
Norri and Jandreu are giving you sound advice. Do not pay any more money to this shop. You need to have the car assessed by someone independent; as such his/her word will carry much more weight. From what you have said, then at best they don't know what they are doing and at worst, well.... $3000 for a replacement starter motor is astronomic even by dealer rates.

I would make you concerns clear (and in writing) about the work that has been done to date. Tell them that you are seeking an independent assessment, and that you may also seek legal advice.

I cannot comment on the legalities as I do not know American law.

A quick Google shows that this shop only started trading this year, and there are some testimonials on yelp; one person has had similar issues to you, another was (presumably) so incensed that his review was removed for breaking Yelp's terms and conditions.

I'm wondering why the business changed its name....


HTH,
Mike

 

I have an 04 and it's been a very reliable vehicle abiet some pretty minor tweaks. You have not stated the mileage on your car. If it's in the 100, 000 mile area get rid of it, it's not something that a woman being susceptible to being bamboozled by a dishonest or uneducated shop should be driving as daily transportation. The failures that usually manifest themselves seem to be pretty much electronically related to switches and sensors. The "Gears" in the transmission do not fail. That sounds like a 'BS" diagnosis is from the start. As someone stated it may be a switch contact in the shift lever area of the console, or a low transmission fluid problem due to leaks in the cooler located in the front of the car by the radiator.


The most common top failure is the hydraulic hoses that run from the hydraulic pump in the trunk to a latch located at the top center of the windshield. When those go bad a green hydraulic fluid will leak from the center of the windshield area and wind up in leaking into the Garage Door opener in the center of the upper windshield frame. They call that the green shower and it costs anywhere from $2,000 from an independent shop to upwards of $6,000 from a dealer to repair. Also as someone stated it could be a blown fuse or the dishonest shop simply shut off the hydraulic valve on the pump hoping to gouge you again.


What you need is a "car guy" to help sort through what the problems are. Absolutely stay away from the shop that you have dealt with ! You can buy an entire transmission for under $1000 here on the mainland.

 

Thank u all for your validation of what I suspected.I was on location on a shoot and injured myself severely. If I met someone disabled I would help more. I do not understand them doing this to me. I do not want to become a mean cynical woman. And I will not. You have all helped me believe their are good decent human beings in the world that care. Bless you all for taking your precious time to guide me. The roof goes down but the claws grind and snap apart. Didn't do that the day I took it to these people. If I take it in this Thursday and call them out on the gear/trans issue I am afraid they will not fix the gears ( 4 thru 2 that worked before they touched it ) or the roof and something else will be broken. I do not believe it began as malicious intent. The young owner has not paid his dues as a Jaguar mechanic and I sense his desperation. Should I write off the recent $5000.00 for gears on right, then gears on left and the roof they damaged and send it to Maui or Honolulu? Pay again? It is so sad because my Special Edition 2004 XK8 54,000 miles was in mint condition until they got their hands on it beginning with the starter issue. The inside is torn up, they scratched it, and won't shift down for steep hills. I believe they never filled all fluids as I have had to recently although they assured me they did all year. I am very sad as I am from the U.K originally and I have great respect for how special and full of character a E type Jag is. I am dismayed I let this happen. In my defense, Since I had a broken back and severe concussion I had my attorney review the maintenance records but they baffled him also as he is a BMW man. Should I write off the damage they did ( @$5000 or more ) n take it somewhere else? My common sense tells me to. I wanted to sell it until they damaged it. I told them I cannot in good faith sell a car that is not functioning properly so could they please fix these problems? Was that my mistake? My attorney said sell it damaged but that's not me. What to do?