Jerry Brett

Sorry to seem like an attention seeker but I have never owned such a troublesome car. As I have hit 120k I thought I should get the transmission fluid changed. After my experiences with the nearest specialist I decided to try one further afield. When I told him what I wanted he advised me to leave well alone unless the box was playing up. His reason was that he said you can't access the filters in the box and if he just changed the fluid he can't guarantee that it won't disturb any sediment in the bottom which could then compromise the box. This seems somewhat ludicrous to me. Shouldn't a filter be accessible for maintenance?

Me again. After the steering pump broke and had to be replaced the car seemed a little raucous although it was not noticeable outside the car. I eventually took it to the garage but the mechanic said he can't find anything wrong with the exhaust. It's definitely louder on idle and at low speeds. Is there anything else that would make it sound louder and harsher?

Hi everyone, I'm back with more misadventures. Lately my X-Type has taken to dropping a cog, usually when driving at low speed (30mph ish). It will do this for a short distance and then change up again. I did wonder if the gearbox was playing up (will be posting on that later). Is it possible that the car is going into dpf regen mode? I do a lot of short journeys although this issue didn't manifest itself until I had a change of duties which has increased my weekly mileage. The car also seems to be running cool. The temperature gauge has never quite hit halfway but recently it's only clearing the quarter mark. Any thoughts gratefully received

I have recently noticed small deposits of a creamy white powder collecting in the join lines on the dashboard. I am assuming that this is glue that has flaked off the interior of the dash. In which case, should I expect the dash to start falling off anytime soon? Anyone have any thoughts on what the powder might be?

There are fake bolts on fleabay. They call them rivets for some reason. Available in chrome and, mmmm, gold. I didn't check to see if other colours were available but there were numerous listings.

Nope, I couldn't be so lucky as to suffer a split hose. Leaking pump. £200 bill to put it right. Just what I needed right before Christmas. Doh!

So today I was running an errand and suddenly noticed a groaning sound when turning the steering wheel. Usually I am the one making groaning sounds as this car seems to have been sent to test me. When I got to where I was going I popped the bonnet and there was the fluid reservoir slick with fluid on the outside where it doesn't belong. Hopefully this means it's just a split hose or busted clip. Anyone know if X Types are prone to this or have I just been unlucky? Even worse, does anyone know if this is something worse than a split hose?

Has anyone tried snow socks? I've heard that they're really effective and you can get by with a pair on the driven wheels only. I have contemplated getting them on the rare occasions when hot flat Suffolk gets snowy. If they work it might save you the expense of a Chelsea tractor.

And it went into limp mode a week later!! To be fair it did it after heavy braking and so far it hasn't done it again since. I wait with bated breath....

So here is my update. First the garage told me that they had sent the turbo for testing. When I progress chased the following week they told me that London Turbos had not received it! The garage told me that they would check with Royal Mail. After further chasing they told me it was collected by DPD. Another phone call elicited the news that it had been found and re-sent. Then I actually got a phone call from their mechanic who told me it was all a big misunderstanding and he had the turbo all along! Apparently he had been doing some research and traced the problem to the variable vane mechanism which was coked up. This was causing the actuator to burn out (this sounds like the problem described on the Pistonheads website). He had cleaned out all the crud and the car was running fine. I now have the car back and it does seem much better. More powerful and (so far) no limp mode. But why the !Removed! and bull story about the courier? I will never know and I will not be using Suffolk Transmissions again. They repeatedly failed to return my calls, told me inconsistent stories and turned a problem into a lengthy catalogue of disaster. Oh well. You live and learn.

Thanks Rich I passed your advice on to the garage, no idea whether they'll do anything with it. Sounds like they have decided to send the turbo off for testing but the guy on the phone isn't the guy doing the work so was his usual vague self. They're not my regular garage, I got lumbered with them because they are the only transmission specialist in the area and the fault originally showed as a gearbox issue. I will post an update when I find out what's going on. Cheers.

So I posted earlier about needing to replace the turbo actuator. The garage I'm using insisted that a remanufactured one would be too troublesome and unreliable in their experience. So I dug a bit deeper to pay for a new pattern part. Guess what? The first actuator they fitted was faulty. I was deprived of my car for a couple of weeks because the supplier insisted on testing the part before sending a new one. Then the new one was fitted and Hey Presto, car was jumping into limp mode within hours of getting it home. Back to the garage and they ran some more tests. Apparently the turbo spins like a dream so back went the second actuator. Took car back for 3rd installation and it failed while the garage had it. By now I was due to head to Devon on holiday so I left the Jag with the garage and we did some creative packing to get the family luggage into the wife's Civic. Rang the garage from Devon and they now say that the turbo must be faulty as the parts supplier says there is nothing wrong with the actuator. However, they don't know what is wrong with the turbo. I feel somewhat trapped as I can't walk away from an incomplete job. The problem has now dragged on for months. After doing some online trawling I have found a company called London Turbos who do an exchange unit for £252 inc VAT. Does anyone have any experience of this company? The website looks very professional but that isn't necessarily a guide to quality. Although my problems have been exacerbated by a garage with poor communication skills I have to say this is the most troublesome car I have ever owned. I have seen references to the Jaguar grin. In my case it's become a manic fixed one.

No coding required. I just installed and paired and they worked just fine.

Cheers, I have seen their advert. Sounded OK to me. My old Mazda used a version of the Ford 2 litre diesel. I ran it for. 7 years with no hint of any turbo issues. So I am a tad miffed with the Jag.

Thanks Tom, I'll look into this.

Anyone know if the companies offering refurbished actuators are any good? I have just been told by the garage that they don't last so I am having to fork over for a new pattern part. With labour and VAT the bill comes to over £600. Still cheaper than the dealer option of a new turbo but painful nevertheless. I know there's an item on the forum by a guy who fixed his with elbow grease and a can of Wynn's but I don't tend to have that kind of luck.

Thanks Tom, I'll look into that but may have to wait until I have saved my pennies 😀

I have started to notice a strong vibration from somewhere in the depths of the centre console or dashboard. This happens under acceleration from rest and when accelerating from 30 to 50 mph. My concern is, should I be looking for loose trim or more worried about what's making it vibrate? Car seems to run OK and it certainly pulls better than my old diesel Mazda did. The noise is annoying and doesn't sit well with the luxury image of the car. I don't expect it to be as quiet as a petrol car but I am sure it shouldn't do this. Anyone know if any parts are prone to working loose?

If it's the same as my 08 model then you turn the key to position 1 then flip it back and forth between position 1 and 2 four times. It should beep or ping. When you hear this remove the key and press any button. If it pings or beeps this indicates a successful pairing. If the fob refuses to pair you can get new circuit boards for various prices from a well known auction site. I paid £18 for mine and so far it works beautifully.

I was recommended a process called Tetraclean. On checking the interweb I think the mechanic meant Terraclean since Tetraclean appears to be a laundry product. The Terraclean website is here https://www.terraclean.co.uk/ . I haven't used it yet so no idea if it's any good but the guys who worked on my car seemed impressed.

Thanks for advice everyone. I have been told that there's nothing wrong with the transmission and it hasn't played up since. Apparently the EGR was knackered and this was causing false code readings. After much messing about I finally got the correct part fitted and car seems to be running well. I have been advised to get a carbon clean and to give the car at least one decent run a month. Happy to do this as it's a really nice drive.

Hi. I use air con bomb. You start the car, set the AC on full and press the Recirculate button (closes the external vents). Place the bomb in the rear foot well with the front seat backs as far forward as possible. Press the nozzle of the bomb (keep your face out of the line of fire) and shut the door After about 10 minutes the bomb is empty and you can switch off. Leave the windows open for 10 minutes or so to air the cabin and you should have fresh smelling vents. There are similar cleaners on the market. They all work in a similar fashion. I was also told that it helps to run the fan for a few minutes after switching the AC off This dries the system out thus inhibiting the spread of the bacteria that cause the smell. The trick is remembering to do it.

Thanks for advice everyone. Since the warmer mornings this week the slipping has abated. The car will be checked out on Thursday by some electronics wunderkind on the local industrial estate so I wait with bated breath for his conclusions.

Don't know if this is of use to you but you can buy repair kits off eBay for about a fiver that include microswitches, battery and replacement buttons. I bought one to repair my X Type fob and the switches seem to work just fine.

Hi, I am new to the forum and to Jag ownership. I bought my 58 reg X Type 2.2D last August and it's been fine so far. Recently I have noticed a couple of instances of transmission slip which have given me cause for concern. Last auto I had that slipped was a 1979 Granada with a leaky box so I naturally considered low ATF. However, I am given to understand that the Jag box is 'sealed for life' which means messing about in the depths of the engine with a turkey baster in order to top up the fluid. A local garage will be looking at it and they have suggested it might just need a software update (or the top up) but it could be a replacement gearbox. The car only has 115k on the clock and had 2 previous owners about whom I know nothing. It doesn't look or feel like a hard used car. Since I've had it it's been used mainly for short local runs and the slipping manifested itself on a cold morning. If anyone has any insight to offer I would be grateful.