Hello Jaguar Community!
Does anyone know where I can find a breakdown for shop times on different repairs? I bought a 2001 XKR Silverstone knowing it might need the Timing Chain Tensioners done (I took a chance and got an appropriate discount on the purchase price of the vehicle). The car has driven wonderfully with the exception of an intermittent misfire. As the paranoia set in (regarding the tensioners), I recognized a slight oil leak in one of the spark plug wells (indication that the car needs a new set of valve cover gaskets). I figured having the valve cover gaskets would be a good time to have the tensioners inspected.
Sure enough, the mechanic removed the covers and ... Old tensioners which are starting to crack. The mechanic is charging me 5 hours of labor for the valve covers/ gaskets. Now with the covers off and knowing the tensioners need to be replaced they are saying it will be an additional 6 hours of labor. What is the

 

I use software from Jaguar called RTS. (repair time searcher)
It was issued on a CD to dealers in the early 2000s.

The Jaguar warranty time for cam cover gaskets, ENGINE SET is 2 hours.
Warranty time for secondary timing chain tensioners ENGINE SET SUPERCHARGED is 4 hours.(that includes cam cover gaskets)
Warranty time is STINGY so real world time we used for customer pay is warranty time, times time and a half.
4x1.5=6
I would charge 6 hours at my shop and maybe a little more because the car is decades old and stuff happens.(not 11 hours)
Engine set timing chains, tensioners, guides, blades (including primaries) etc. is a lot more involved but will ensure the engine stays together longer.

 

Even at the speed I move, 5 hours is too rich:- and, if the mechanic already has the covers off, then I guess he's not encountered any issues with the cam cover bolts.

 

I move a lot slower at 70 years old but I can beat 5 hours for cam cover gaskets no matter what breaks!(plus I have a dozen good/used cam covers to finish the job)

 

6 hours is insane.

You can do this using the cable tie method yourself with only basic tools in under 2 hours if you are literally changing just the tensioners.

http://jagrepair.com/images/AutoRepa...ke%20Ranch.pdf

If you are changing the secondary chains as well then you will need a timing set, and probably another hour or so.

6 hours seems more like a complete timing set replacement!

*****HEADS UP IF YOU ARE USING THE CABLE TIE METHOD*****

the bolts for the cam holders are very similar to the tensioner bolts but a few mm shorter. DO NOT get them mixed up. the new tensioners should come with new bolts, so throw the old tensioner bolts in the bin. The old tensioner bolts will bottom out JUST before they clamp down the cam, are NOT high tensile steel, and do not need as much torque as you might imagine! A very easy and VERY EXPENSIVE mistake to make!

 

Thank you all for your replies. This is what I suspected.

 

So, to finish off the original reason for this post, "Job Time Estimator"...

I hope this will help you get ahead of the curve if you have to deal with a repair shop:

1) Forums and communities are a great resource. Use them!

2) Shops (for any type of repair service) have estimation books and software. For whatever reason, these are held with a certain amount of secrecy. They are accessible but you have to work to get in. Before agreeing to any work, check their estimate against opinions in forums like this and #3.

3) The only free estimation program I found was: The Open Labor Project ( Free Labor Times, Torque Specs, Fluid Specs & DTC Codes | Open Labor Project ). The estimate this program came up with was in-line with opinions and information I found, both on Jaguar Forums and other resources.

I picked up my car from the shop Thursday. I am happy to say, so far so good. Regardless of the administrative stuff, I can say the mechanic/ technician does do a good job.

It is a two hour (+/-) drive between my house and this shop so, I test drove the car before beginning the drive home, so far so good. I drove the two hours home, still good. Next day, I checked for any signs of leaking or other maladies... Still good. Car is running smoothly (knock on wood), no more misfire or stuttering and now I can breathe easier knowing for a fact I have the new style tensioners.

Good luck to all and thanks again.