Carole Simpson-Hadley

Looks a cracker, Ron.........my partner and I shall crack open a pack of garlic bread to toast (?!) your new arrival. Particularly like the ivory upholstery; neither my partner nor I are keen on dark upholstery, particularly black. A friend has a black XF with a very dark headlining, and it's like riding in a coffin. As we are both involved with the funeral business, not quite appropriate for our leisure time/high days and holidays! Herman's Hermits (fronted by Peter Noone) sang "No milk today", so lateral thinking from "Hermits", we think that if we became hermits by being castaway on that well-known BBC island where discs seem to be the thing, we should say "stuff the discs" and we'll just take the S-type. There is no doubt that the S is attracting a new legion of fans, and the motoring pundits who, in the earlier days, described the S as "disappointing" have, in many cases, been proven wrong. Don't think it will be long before some of the specialists begin to produce repro parts, much as they do for the likes of XK, E-type, Mk2 etc. As always, happy growling

First thing to check on the tyres would be the DOT code which tells you which month/year the tyres were made. If, when driving, you feel a slight rumble or vibration, flat-spots it could be. Depends on whether the car has been moved slightly or just been standing still. Also check for any cracking in the tread pattern or between tread and sidewall. We wouldn't stress over it, and X-type tyres are not desperately expensive. Our XK rears come in at almost £200 a pop for the rears, £140 or so for the fronts, but hey-ho if you are going to enjoy a Jaguar, do it properly! As always, happy growling

We know the feeling about the mileage, as indicated by David; when we first saw our '07 XK advertised (in April 2016) at a Jaguar dealer in South Wales as "2007 and just 6664 miles covered" we thought (after much double-taking) that it HAD to be a misprint (now more commonly known as an input error!). However, all correct and, needless to say, a hefty (returnable) deposit was placed whilst we readied ourselves to visit South Wales and inspect. As with your X, Colin, all JSH and MOTs were present, some years showing little more than 100 miles between MOTs. There's always a flipside, and in our case it was that the (original) tyres had flat spots through standing. To be expected really so new shoes were the order of the day. We've covered about 2000 miles in the past 15 months, so it is definitely high days and holidays! Like the idea of the Jag Specialist......we have our own indie specialist to look after our XK and S and have great faith in them. Have a great time with the X, and, as always, happy growling

Did try and tell you both!!!!!! The Jaguar grin is not reversible so peeks out of the kitche window will continue; and why are there 45 pints of milk in the fridge?! We are both the same; sometimes we are out in the S, sometimes the XK but, spoilt for choice, we are hoping to attend the September Jaguar Breakfast Meet at Gaydon in both; double grin. Enjoy, and, as always, happy growling

A quick peek at the belt to establish if there are any cracks might not go amiss. The mechanical cover you mention could be a good idea; does it cover the permanent grin that you will have once ownership begins?! We'd call up several Jaguar places (dealer and Indie) to see what mileage they quote for the XF R belt change (not forgetting that the pulley should be changed at the same time); just to establish belt and braces (no pun intended). Know what you mean about affordability v mileage. Our '07 XK had only covered 6600 miles when we found it in April last year; there was a similar one available with 95K on the clock for £7K less.....you pays your money and takes your choice! Enjoy and happy future growling

Wonderful, glad you are happy and "way under budget" is a decided bonus as well! With regard to the MX5, an ex-colleague of my partner had one, and my partner says that when, on two occasions, he drove it, he couldn't see what all the fuss was about......as you say, definitely didn't have "IT". My partner was originally looking at acquiring a Series 1 or 2 RR Silver Shadow, but when it came down to it, something wasn't quite right. We then found ourselves looking at a Bentley Arnage as the high days and holidays motor, with a S-type as more regular use (we also have a Citroen Picassa as the "lorry/dog taxi"etc etc). My partner then exclaimed "there's only two of us and we travel light" so, for high days etc, why do we need more than 2 seats?! Enter our '07 XK and the S-type for more regular use.....and, yep, they both most definitely have "IT". Never looked back. Strange folk, aren't we! With regard to add-ons, we are definitely in the "as it left the factory" corner. Our S had a mesh grille at production, and we do, actually, think the mesh grille looks better. With regard to a bonnet-mounted leaper, it's not for us unless we can afford a nice Mk2 which had it from new. That's just us, and we suppose that we haven't got the courage to drill holes in a perfectly serviceable bonnet! We, as you seem to be, fall firmly in the "as good as she can be" category, and that is the satisfying part of ownership. No crawling around underneath anymore, but plenty of carnauba wax, tyre gel, cotton buds and what have you. Looks like you have definitely been bitten by the Growler bug, first symptom of which is a permanent facial grin when behind the wheel.

Hello Daniel My partner says that the timing belt comes in at 110K miles, some quote 105K, or 10 years. In the case of the car you are looking at, the change is imminent (unless there is billing or a record on the Jaguar Service Database that it has been done). Jaguar fixed price comes in at £375, an Independent might do it for less but we wouldn't go near a generic workshop. This is one important job and if the belt fails, it's chipshop time for the power unit. Everybody's purchase has to be what they feel comfortable with, but we would baulk at a motor that has covered that many miles, because there are going to be other items reaching their life expiry/getting sloppy in the not too distant future. Hope this is helpful, and no doubt there will be others on the forum who can comment; whatever, beware of the dreaded "buyer's fever" which all too often can result in "repent at leisure!". Good luck anyway and happy growling

Looks good in the pics, Jim, and my partner and I agree with Ron....it is what it is and if you're happy then . When we were looking for a S, we looked at quite a few of the early ones and would have been quite content, but the one we bought ('07 thus the facelift, and a SE to boot) probably swung it because it was a local car which we discovered on Pistonheads. Also, it had not been "played with" in any way; no add-ons and mods, stickers in the windows etc, but exactly as it had left the factory, as was the case with our '07 XK. With regard to the early models being "disappointing", let's remember that at the time you could still get a Rover 800 (fine in their way) or a Ford Scorpio or a Vauxhall Omega; and both my partner and I know which one we should prefer! Most importantly, the S can still turn heads if it is well presented; not sure about the other models mentioned, and there aren't too many of those mentioned about anyway. Enjoy the S, and my partner says do make sure the ferry is in when you drive down the slipway.......S-types don't go well under water. As always, happy growling

In addition, seems that visits/tours of the Jaguar Classic installation are commencing in September (ref an earlier thread concerning the cars used in the Jaguar Classic Experience). That's Christmas sorted then!!

Well there's a quandry! Our personal choice would be to go with the Indie based on the fact that the two indies that we have used give a very concise and thorough whats-what of the car, over and above doing the service, whereas main dealer can be a bit "tick boxy". The free collection/delivery wouldn't sway us as we like to know whose been behind the wheel, so we deliver and collect. Likewise the free valet, just in case somebody decides to use a sponge/leather/cloth which isn't quite up to scratch (no pun intended!). The price difference is negligible. We agree with Joe/Lazlo etc ref doing your own work, but it is often the case, certainly for us, that our days of crawling around underneath are past. My partner once removed the 4.2 XK lump from his XJ6 (some 20+ years ago now), stripped it completely and successfully rebuilt, whilst I indulged in a complete rebuild of one of my Gilberns back in the day. Whatever, happy growling will be the order of the day

Forgot to say, we met and took breakfast with the one-time Project Director of Jaguar Classic who was involved in setting it all up in the first place; this at the Jaguar Breakfast Club Meet at Gaydon in June. A very nice chap, and justifiably proud of the JC Programme. Still way too expensive for us though!

Just a "heads-up" to all like-minded Jaguar folk......some will, no doubt, be aware, but TV channel "All4" are currently showing the programmes about Jaguar Classic. There's a one-off (one hour) about the creation of the 6 new E-type Lightweights (definitely for the rich!) and, starting last Thursday but still available on "All4", there's an 8 part about the creation of the XK SS which goes into great detail. (Even more definitely for the uber-rich!). Surely a must for all Jaguar enthusiasts/fans. Jaguar have come a long way since the BL era, although it was interesting (in the Lightweight E-type programme) to see that Goodwood are somewhat sniffy about the newly created Lightweight E-types, dismissing them as replicas. Oh well! Whatever, enjoy and, as always, happy growling

Sounds like you are a happy bunny. My partner and I agree that the S seems to be teetering on the verge of modern classic; in fact, several appear in each of the Modern Classic Auctions which are held here and there. With regard to the initial "niggles" , there's usually going to be something and, unless it's a major issue, is all part of the ownership experience. After all, no S is going to be any younger than 10 years now. Although our '07 S was lowish mileage when we bought it a year ago (53K covered), we still had a few teething problems within the first 3 months.......brake servo called time, as did one of the EGR valves, but our local Indie came up trumps. Even our '07 XK which we bought in April last year with only 6600 on the clock had a little issue when we discovered that, because it had sat for such extended periods without being moved, the tyres had developed flat spots. Hey ho and get on with it!! With regard to your headlining, perhaps you could pretend to be Mr Shaw from Car SOS and blag a freebie! Then again! Enjoy the experience, no doubt the obligatory Jaguar smiley face is already resident in your home? As always, happy growling

You're welcome, Mark. My partner knows somebody who has used Nene and he was entirely happy with them. For ourselves, we use Elite & Performance Jaguar in Derby (40 odd miles away but well worth the trip). Joe is correct reference parts sourcing; both the "indies" that we have used (the aforementioned Elite, and Northfield Jaguar in B'ham) use OE parts, and you can always state your preference. As always, happy growling

Hello Mark My partner and I delved quite deeply into this topic, assisted by a thread here on the JOC Forum entitled "Recommended Independent Garages". We have a '07 S and a '07 XK; Fixed price servicing was available at Jaguar main Dealer but, frankly, we found some issues difficult to pin down and found it annoying having to get past the "pretty people" in front of house. Consequently, we delved into Independent Jaguar Garages and were pleasantly surprised, at least with our choices here in the Midlands. Our view is that if you locate a Jaguar Specialist, you are going to have folk working on your Jaguar who are familiar with the model/s and, consequently, not be spending large amounts of time head scratching and making do. We have found that our "Indies" are cheaper (sometimes considerably so) than main dealer, and can give a thorough rundown on what needs doing, what has been done etc. In other words, they are specialists. We would not entertain taking either of our Jaguars to a "generic" outfit, such as you have mentioned (manufacturer service schedule) and most certainly wouldn't sit comfortably with the other option which you mention. £107 for a full service wouldn't, in our view, be far off the cost of the parts let alone the labour. And what is the source of the parts, whose been flying around the countryside in your car etc etc. We are quite sure that such generic places have their place, but for a 6 year old Jag.....maybe not! (Just as an example, one generic outfit that we know off told an ex-colleague that the timing belt change on his diesel S-type was an engine out job, purely because that is the procedure with the LR Discovery that uses the same engine; in fact, although the timing belt change isn't a job for the faint-hearted, it ISN'T an engine out job!). All this, of course, is just our opinion but we do bring to mind the old adage "don't spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar'. Whatever, happy growling and we hope you reach a conclusion with which you sit comfortably

That sounds like a good swap, Samuel! How about some pictures? Although our XK is for high days and holidays, our S is more regularly used and we find it a great ride, with plenty of oomph when needed. We reckon the S is a classic in the making, particularly in top condition and the right spec. Enjoy! As always, happy growling

I'm just about to rifle through my handbags for that Lunar Grey lipstick and the Seafrost eye-liner. Although we haven't got any chips on either car, who knows. My partner says he will do the same. Has he got something to tell me?! As always, happy growling (because you're worth it)

Thankyou one and all. Joe, yes our Pirelli set on the S (including the one that failed) are XL rating for reasons that you state. (As, indeed, are the Dunlop Sport Max on our XK). Laz (Ralph), yes, taken on they are. We smell something fishy in Smithfield with regard to the 11 week delay then sudden response. My partner and I are firm believers in the old addages "Non Illegitimo Carborundum" and (being Welsh) "We didn't come up the Severn in a coracle". Big M. Like your style, with regard to Michelin taking a look! The white rubbery man is all excited. We shall update as and when there's any news. What fun the Forum can be!! As always, happy growling Pirelli

Thankyou all. Guess what, John....we are not a Pirelli fan now either! Joe, what you say makes perfect sense. Both with our S and our XK, we enjoy going over to the Welsh Marches and having a (legal) "squirt" here and there, and consequently a compound erring towards softer is preferred. My partner remembers once going out in his Rover SD1 V8 racer at Thruxton in the '80s, and choosing a way-to-hard compound, whereupon the SD1 became a veritable tail-happy toboggan! Used and repaired tyres......absolutely not, we always go for premium tyres, which is what makes this issue all the more disappointing. We weren't disappointed (with our XK) to find that the Dunlop Sport Max, which were original, needed replacing (despite the car, at the time of our purchase, having only covered 6600 miles) as they were 9 years old and the car had spent most of its life standing still (some years, less than 200 miles between MOTs) and therefore had some flat spots. What we found strange is that we were told, when the faulty tyre was removed, that it would be sent back to Pirelli and it would take between 8 and 11 weeks for a result to come through. As we hadn't heard anything at the 11 week mark, we contacted the supplying dealer who said that they would communicate with Pirelli (this on Tuesday). Later that day, we were informed by the dealer that Pirelli stated they "were still in the testing process and would communicate with us in about 2 weeks time". Strangely, we then got a letter on Friday (dated Thursday) and, therefore, only two days later, stating that there was no claim due to what amounts to impact damage. Hmm. The (very standard format) letter says that we have the option of having the tyre returned to the dealer for our collection. We are going to do this, half expecting that the tyre will then have mysteriously disappeared. Watch this space!

Well, we finally we got a response from Pirelli....after 12 weeks! And not a good one, but we did say we would update the thread when there was something to add. As per our post above (by the way, Joe, you are correct in assuming we have a spacesaver spare, so the offending tyre did a gentle few miles to our tyre supplier only) we returned to our supplier, whereupon a new tyre was fitted (which we paid for) and our faulty tyre was remitted to Pirelli. All this back in April. We can categorically state that there was no pothole impact on the tyre, the bulge simply appeared. There are no marks of any sort on the alloy wheel and we most definitely don't kerb slide or kerb mount. After 12 weeks Pirelli have dismissed the claim stating that the bulge is a result of impact damage. End of story. Needless to say, no more Pirellis for us! We replaced all 4 tyres on our '07 S at the same time, and a minimal mileage had been covered when the offending tyre failed, so they will all 4 come up for renewal at the same time.......we shall look at either Dunlop Sport Maxx (as on our '07 XK) or maybe Continental. We are aware, from various forums, that sidewall bulges can be an issue with Pirellis, but Pirelli seem not to be interested. Apart from that, as always, happy growling everybody!

Further to the above, we have established that the Mk2 featured in the Practical Classics Special book on the Mk2 is not the same one as featured on the recent National Geographic Car SOS. Also, having watched several of the current repeats on More 4, my partner discovers that he was working at Dudley Bus garage at the same time as Fuzz Townshend and, having seen a short clip of Mr Townshend in the 1980s included in a recent Car SOS, the light came on, and he recalled him clearly........and always thought he wasn't the stereotypical bus mechanic! Small world, and all that. Wonder what the SOS team would make of a recent auction entry, which was a 1936 SS Jaguar described as "with later engine". Imagine our surprise when lifting the bonnet revealed a Ford Crossflow "Kent" lump complete with banana exhaust manifold! As stated in another thread, no we didn't bid! As always, happy growling

Hi John We concur with all the other comments, and good to know that this particular XJS is going to be cossetted. We'll also concur with regard to the Carcoon....an excellent purchase and you will be well rewarded. Our 6600 mile '07 XK lives in one. We have, like you, a dry and secure (large sized) garage at the end of our rear garden, but when we first purchased the XK (in April '16) we found that although the XK remained dry (apart from an occasional condensation drip from the roof), it did get dusty. A (not cheap) car cover was purchased but this produced more condensation than enough and was rapidly returned. Enter the Carcoon (in our case, a drive-in version i.e. a strong free-standing metal frame with the cocoon attached over it) and the XK now comes out of the Carcoon in exactly the same condition as it went in. You will, of course, find that even if the car is put in slightly damp, the fans and vents will dry the car off. Of course, the Carcoon is not particularly cheap, but then how many hours of professional paintwork etc would you get for the cost of the Carcoon?! Not many! Have a great time with the XJS, and good to see it with an original Glamorgan issued number plate (last two digits 'TG'). As always, happy growling

Hi Marty What rotten luck. My partner says you have a clear case under The Consumer Rights Act 2015 (superseding The Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982), specifically that the car is not as described and is not fit for purpose. Your local Citizens Advice can refer you to your local Trading Standards Dept., but your first action has to be to approach the seller/dealer to either remedy the faults (don't think I should be too trusting there!) or repay your money on return of the car to them. You must do this first, or it would be considered, should the matter end up in court, that you didn't take reasonable steps to solve the situation with the seller/dealer before going to legal action. Quoting what your intended action may be, may galvanise the seller into action, but you most certainly should not lie back and ignore the issues. Also, do remember that if there was an incident as a result of a fault with the car, you, initially, would be liable. Sounds like you have already had one lucky escape! Good luck

Mouth watering.......when was Christmas again?!!!! Thank you for the prompt! And as always, happy (classic) growling

Hello Wayne We have a '07 2.7D S-type.......my partner says that the Jaguar spec oil is 5W-30 WS5 MDC913-B. Both the Jag Indie Specialists that we use (for the S and our XK X150 V8) concur with that, and definitely NO additives! That spec equates to Castrol Magnatec A5 or Shell Helix,both 5W-30. Neither of the above are particularly cheap, but we don't think that cutting corners on such an important item is a good idea! Same goes for the filter. Hope that helps, as always happy growling