First couple of weeks of S-Type ownership

[Old Peter]

Work to do today, Jon.

 

Prepare about 5 lbs of salmon to be hot smoked, make sure there are no bones in it then vacuum pack it.

 

Then give  the s type a good wash, shampoo and rinse.

 

Regards,

 

Peter.

[The Voices]

Respect !

 

I wish I had the motivation or the energy !

 

Should have some more information by tomorrow evening on the cause of problem.

[The Voices]

The new rear discs and pads are on, no obvious cause for the incredible rate of wear on the NS outer pad which was down to the metal.

 

The piston and slider pins were moving freely ?

 

Only suggestion was that the rubber brake hoses may have 'perished' with age, possibly allowing the piston in the caliper to 'extend' but not 'retract'

 

I will monitor the situation, the only braided stainless brake hoses I can find are made by Stoptech, I would prefer to upgrade rather than replace with standard rubber hoses if I do have to replace them.

[The Voices]

I have been doing a few miles over Christmas and using the S-Type instead of my company car (at the moment I have a 163ps manual XE Prestige and the manual gearbox is not my weapon of choice in the XE)

 

All seems fine at the moment but could be famous last words ?

[The Voices]

I have been keeping an eye on the situation and the sometimes the NSR wheel is red hot compared to the OSR.

We had the car up on the ramp to take a look and the inside edges on the new discs are rusting by about 10mm as thought the new pads are not making full contact.

I also found out the the standard 'flexi' hoses appear to be the braided type rather than just rubber so less likely to be collapsing internally and not releasing pressure as someone mentioned.

No signs of wheel bearing issues, the park brake appears to be engaging and disengaging as it should.

I don't have a lot of time to mess about with my cars these days so putting things in the hands of my master tech friend.

Very happy with the car, it is worth about the price of a new set of alloy wheels so common sense says don't spend good money on it.

Just passed the MOT (at an independent garage) With no major issues.

 

My solution ?

If in doubt, throw money at it....................

Ordered a pair of reconditioned rear calipers and new sliders !

See where we go from there, new caliper carriers might be next in case they are distorted or twisted.

 

Wife loves the car so not getting earache for a change for spending on the car.

Mind you...................

I did spend the best part of £20k over the years on one of the Imprezas that would have 'maybe' been worth £5k at the end of it !

 

To be continued.....................

 

 

 

[fatcat1955]

Have the traction control checked out, a mechanic told me that the rear brakes wear out quickly as the traction control operates on the rear brakes.

[The Voices]

Thanks for the suggestion but I think it is only dynamic stability control that affects the brakes ?

The DSC can apply the brakes in oversteer or understeer situations, the traction control just lets the engine management back off the power going to the back wheels so don't think it will be related to the brake wear.

Besides, I only have the 2.5 V6 which 'couldn't pull a sailor off my mother !' as the saying goes.

The only way it could muster the effort to make the traction control cut in would be in sport mode, in the wet with slicks on the back wheels !

Apparently the calipers I have ordered are new rather than reconditioned which is a nice bonus if correct.

 

[The Voices]

New calipers arrived and fitted a couple of weeks ago and seems to have cured the problem.

I had the tracking done and put a pair of the 'Goodride' budget tyres on the front to match the new rears I already had fitted.

I cannot fault the performance of the tyres, wet or dry.

Have to see how long they last but with the current mileage we do in it it will probably take about ten years to wear them out !

 

[The Voices]

Thanks Jim !

Over the years I have gained so much helpful information and knowledge from 'enthusiast' forums.

I like to try and give a bit back in my own limited way.

My own theory is to forget how little you pay for the car, as you quickly spend more than it is worth in repairs / problem fixes.

As long as you end up with something usable that you enjoy driving, it's money well spent.

At least I know that it has a new radiator, tyres and brakes and had the gearbox service done and should provide a few years of enjoyment.

The only snag is that I will be sad to see it go if I do manage to get my way and buy the 'R' version instead !

[The Voices]

I haven't posted any pics, totally beyond my technical capabilities !

[The Voices]

Thanks for the assistance, I might give it a go over the Easter Weekend !

[Old Peter]

8 hours ago, The Voices said:

Thanks for the assistance, I might give it a go over the Easter Weekend !

You might see this near Kendal, Jon.  I think the mode of transport has altered a bit!

Peter. 

[The Voices]

Ahhh !

The Jaguar S-Type '2' horse power prototype ?

Or my new company car ?