Just spoke to British Auto Clinic in Santa Monica California and mention I wanted to have my timing chain system checked. So he tells me why should I do that? They don't need to be checked. They don't have any problems with the tensioners.

WTF. not letting them touch my car.

 

I am not positve but I think by 2001 they didn't have any secondary tensioner problems due to upgrades. Do a forum search for tensioner upgrades.

 

2001 was a transition year, but most 2001s still need to be upgraded.

 

My 2001 had the version 2 tensioners. They just had stiffening tabs on the plastic body. I still had them done.

 

I explained to him that I bought it used and there's a chance that the tensioners are plastic and they could be damaged or ready to fail. He was not dissuaded. Ate they making noise? I said no. But, I didn't want to take a chance. Still he insists it need not be checked. If they fail it could result in catastrophic failure. Still won't change his mind. It was like he never heard of tensioner failure. I said thanks and hung up. Anyway, it was weird.

 

Search this forum for another Jaguar specialist shop that you can have confidence in.

Perhaps you should consider removing the cam covers yourself and look at the secondary tensioners.

 

There are a couple of good shops I have used on the "other side of the hill". Just Jaguar in Sherman Oaks (ask for Walt) is good but a bit pricey (still less than a dealer) and European Auto Service in (ask for Rene) is also decent and exceptionally fair pricing (he shares a building with his son who owns Mina Gallery).

Doug

 

On a more important note:

WHO TURNS BUSINESS AWAY?

 

That's exactly what I was thinking... it's not a cheap job, either, to be sure. If the customer insists he/she wants the work performed even after you explain you don't think it's necessary, then you do the work!

Nothing unethical about that.

 

I had the same experience.. Mine's a 1999... I tried to talk them into doing it as part of the deal when I bought it from them (Jag/Rover dealership) last fall, and I insisted on talking with the go-to mechanic for those cars in the shop (who knows if it was) and everyone INSISTED that if there's no problem till now, there never will be...

I asked to at least look at them but they wouldn't because they had already done their "standard inspection" (which I have the papers for and is thorough, but... c'mon, you know?)

Yes, they're @$$holes.

O_o

It's got 68,000KM on it............ went into winter storage where it is now only 3 weeks after I got it.

Would you guys suggest I swap them for the metal tensioners, regardless of how they appear? (once I can get at it)

Thanks

 

They didn't want to to do the work prob so they played dumb. Back when I owned my 97 in 09 they didn't even want to see if they motor was trashed or not, it was straight to replace the motor or have a nice day. Only been back to a jag dealer for O-rings which they did not sell.

 

Cyber3d...I faced the same denial of this issue as well, from the PO, from the local Jag dealer and from online "experts". Then I got the wait till 100k argument...I researched the issue extensively getting the best 1st hand experience from this and other forums. My car only had 40k miles on it. I followed the experience...had the tensioners done by an indie and sure enough both tensioners and one guide were cracked. Not doing the service could be up to a $10k mistake.

 

What's the approx. cost to get them replaced (parts/labour) at an independent? as a preventative measure?

 

I got a quote from a different independent mechanic for $1,400 USD. Both uppers and lowers and chain.

I think I'll try Mitchell's British Automotive for a quote. It's closer to my house and there always seem to be a lot of older jags there being worked on.

 

I couldn't sleep at night due to the thought of secondary tensioner failure. I've got a new to me 2001 XKR. My car had 2nd generation plastic tensioners and they were just beginning to crack at 100000km/62000miles.

I ordered metal tensioners from SNG Barratt in the USA. Cost $US117 (with my jagforum discount) + shipping to Australia.

My indie installed them for $AUD400/$US300.

I'm Happy!!!

 

I hear you.. I'm in the same boat. Probably going to do the same..
So, $300USD right now should be roughly... $118,000,000 CAD.

hhahahaha. ****.

 

If you are just going to do the secondary (upper) tensioners, its quite a straightforward DIY job if you do it via the ziptie method as documented on this forum.

On my March 2001 XKR with 40,000 miles on it, the secondary tensioners looked almost like new. From what I could see of the chain guides, they also looked perfect, so I was quite happy just to change the secondary tensioners. Parts costs were in the region of £110 plus delivery to Spain, which seemed like cheap insurance to me.

Higher mileage cars, or ones that have been used for lots of short journeys may well have tensioners in worse condition than mine, as most of the strain on them seems to be when cold starting. Its easy enough to check the condition though by removing the right hand side cam cover and having a look.

 

The higher temperature of the cylinder heads causes the secondaries to age and fail. They then fail on a cold start because the oil pressure is higher at that time.

 

Well Cyber3d I've heard the same thing from a dealer in Maryland (where I bought my car) and a local indy shop here. The dealer's head mechanic said: "I've been working on Jags for 35 years and never had a cam chain tensioner fail. It's an internet myth"

I replaced mine, at 50k miles, one of them crumbled in my hand as I removed it. Myth? I think not.

and emaycheb, the dollars up today, won't be more than a million.

 

I the idiot has not seen it because at this stage we all are wise enough to take it to a NON JAG DEALER repair shop and in the early years of these cars just going through the low mile years of life the issue would have not reared its head yet.