I recently bought a CarCode ODBCII reader from CostCo. Trying it out, I was only able to read one code - P1000.

After leafing through JITS for some time I was sure that readout must be wrong. So I went to AutoZone and borrowed their reader. Sure enough, there was a P1000 and in addition a P1637. It seems that the CarCode reader stops reading codes when it sees one that it does not have a description for.

Just thought I would mention this in case someone else wastes time with this broken diagnostic tool.


Of course what Jaguar should be required to do is to provide a mechanism to display the codes directly without neading a reader. And they should be forced to open up access to the detailed code information as well. I am really rather tired of having no access to information in the car I paid $70,000 plus tax for.

Of course the other makes are just as bad. And unlike VW, Jaguar does not gouge for parts prices or invent unnecessary tools. Had to pay another $500 to have the clutch changed on the GTI because they had deliberately made it impossible to change without a special bolt turner. Only reason to use that pattern was to gouge. The GTI cost me more to run for four years from new than the Jag has cost in ten.

 

hallam, if you want a good reader, try the AutoEnginuity software, with the enhanced code features, you'll spend right around $500 for almost anything you could ever need.

Detailed code information is available anywhere, just google any code...true DIY mechanics will know where to find them; where the dealer shines is knowing which information to discern as credible or others that are simply a side-effect of the main cause.

I disagree with 'forcing' them to do anything. We're paying for the car, not the ability to diagnose, troublshoot, and repair its mechanical and electrical malfunctions. For those that can do it themselves, all the better. bonus

Thanks for the tip on the scanner though, maybe we can start a thread in the 'general tech' area, on all 'member approved' OBD scanners - ones that are known to work well with our jags...and of course, the bad eggs too.

 

Nothing is perfect however, the one I got from Costco called CodeKey and it has given me every code that my software obd reader did on my 95 xj6, 99xk8 and my 96 Toyota rav4. With your comment I will continue to double check the results. I did find it to be a handy tool to have.

 

Well that may be the case with Jaguar. But unless I missed something, we liked the US auto makers so much that we just bought the company - or something like that.

I am not an open source purist. But the reason that the Web has been as successful as it is (and the reason I could afford an XK8) is that we gave everything away for free. There are no patents on the core Web technologies and the CERN software I helped write was released into the public domain.

I think that there is a real opportunity here for a car company to distinguish itself from competitors by making a commitment to open standards and systems. Toyota has attempted to do that with the Prius 'geek port'. I think that this approach is much more compatible with the upper market sector.

The reason I started working on my XK8 in the first place was because the codes could only be displayed with a reader. I took it in to the Good News Garage down in Cambridge (yes, the Car Talk one) and they spent some time trying to track down an intermittent fault code but it wasn't giving enough info to diagnose the cause. So they suggested I drive it round for a while until it choked up a more specific code. If there had been an easy way to read them off I would have simply called them up and read them out over the phone.

The more information I get from a customer service center, the happier I am. So why would it be different with a computer? If the car is going to need a new timing chain in 5000 miles, tell me now and I can plan.

A lot of the things that go wrong with our cars are things that even the manufacturer could never have predicted. Imagine a situation where the car has a SD card socket in the dash, you plug in a chip and it just soaks up every event that goes over the CAM network. Upload it to Jaguar and they have the raw data that would allow them to make very detailed statistical models of why their engines go wrong and when preventive maintenance is useful.

If the resale value of an XJ8 could be made to depreciate 20% more slowly, Jaguar could either make more profits on lease sales or reduce prices.

 

I want to buy a code reader for my 1995 XJ6. Besides reading the codes I also want to CLEAR the codes -then I assume the check engine light will go off.

I would like to hear from someone who has a reader that can do the above -the cheaper the better too :-)

..on last item - most of us have- like me - a broken LCD clock display and/or a coffee cup holder (a poor excuse for one :-) ) that does not retract into place. I have searched the web but no luck - any recommended manuals that have this sort of detail I would gladly pay for -any ideas please?

Cheers, John

 

John,

Most OBD scanners will erase codes too. Sorry in advance if I've misunderstood you, but It is important to know the fault must be repaired first before you can erase a code. You cannot just erase codes and expect to extinguish the CEL.

Some basic information about OBD II codes - All P-codes beginning with a zero, P-0xxx are insustry standard codes and mean the same thing regardless of the manufacturer. You can look up any P-0xxx code simply by googling it. Any P-code beginning with a 1, P-1xxx are manufacturer specific codes. Each manufacturer can assign whatever function they wish to P-1xxx codes. You will find some definitions for these codes because some of them tend to have common definitions; however, Jaguar is very specific about its applications of P-1xxx codes. The Jaguar codes are on this site, I believe. You'll find them in the JTIS

The clock on an X300 is simply a non-starter. They ALL break. The replacements, if still available from Jaguar are ridiculous - $300 for a digital clock, yeah, right! The DIY repairs floating around the web only work occassionally or for limited time (I know because I've done enough of them). This sounds flippant, but wear a watch. There are repair kits for the cup holders. Here too, better off just closing the lid and never opening it again.

 

Link to member approved code readers

 

[QUOTE=h20boy;175592]
I disagree with 'forcing' them to do anything. We're paying for the car, not the ability to diagnose, troublshoot, and repair its mechanical and electrical malfunctions. For those that can do it themselves, all the better. bonus


All the new cars are going to software based systems, so if you change a component you have to do a software load (which only the manufacture can do). I work in the aviation industry and the modern Aircraft are all software based and you do target loads from the main computer or a laptop. When you buy your car the manufacture should have to give you a DVD with the software for that car so any shop or you can reinstall the software at a component change as nessasary. If the software is updated it should available to the owner for download. When you buy a new computer you get the software with it. If you had to bring your computer to a repair shop every time you had a problem because it came with no software you would go broke.

 

The best solution is built in on-board reader like on my 2000 Corvette - it reads all the universal and model specific codes, current and history.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Jaguar has one, too but I've never heard mention of it here.