I was looking up some information for another make of car, and I came across this article:

Jaguar 4.0-Liter And 4.2-Liter V8 Engine Service

The key section is:
"On almost all Jaguar V8 cars, there were at least five different engine control unit (ECU) updates and calibration changes. Some of these new calibrations were for models that were five or six years old.

Most of the updates concern poor idle quality, engine pinging and catalyst efficiency codes. New parameters recalibrate the fuel trims, engine temperature and ignition curves in order to increase longevity and solve common problems.

Take the time to determine if the ECU has the latest calibrations and reflash the firmware or software if necessary. Doing this before heading deep into a driveability problem can save you time and money."

I've read a ton of posts in these forums, but I've never read anything about how to check to make sure that the ECU FW is up to date. Is this a thing

 

It requires factory software.

 

Here are some of the TSBs/Service Actions/Recalls we got when I worked at the dealer. I'm sure there are more but a quick look provided these.

bob

 

And hardware, only the VCM or WDS can flash the 4.0L PCM. Do not try it with anything else!

 

For many or possibly all of them you can read the calibration the car (PCM, which Jaguar call ECM) has using a cheap OBD tool. You could then find what the most recent is e.g. from the IDS/SDD software and only if you wish to update get it done using the right tool.

Even an elm327 can do this if the software used will ask it.

You can read the trans software calibration too via an elm327 but I suspect hardly any software bothers. I wouldn't bother as updates to trans software seem less frequent/needed.

 

So much has been written about the XK8/XKR, I get the feeling this writer was trying to find a different angle.

Keeping FW up-to-date was not a normal part of dealer servicing here in the UK. Other than essential safety issues carried out by recall, an update would only be applied as a reaction to a customer reported issue.

With a Jaguar, preventative maintenance is one thing but never go looking for trouble!

Graham