Jon Hyde

Hi Sean, An XF was always my dream car, so upon retirement, I took the leap with a 2011 XF-S Portfolio. Upsides always outweigh the downsides! Upsides... Goes like a greyhound on steroids, corner like a scalextric car, rides sooooo soft too. Downsides... Brake discs, inlet manifold. Costly fixes, but maybe peculiar to mine. Would I but it again?... In a heartbeat! Just do it! Cheers, Jon

Hi Paul, I think that the nature of this group is to support people with difficulties, questions, etc., so it's easy to get the impression that things can be worse than they are. Back in 1983, I made a bad mistake by buying an old XJ6 4.2l. It was a monster and I was naïve. Between then and now, I had only company cars, loads of them! None were perfect, none were terrible. Two years ago came (semi!) retirement and my first owned car in decades. Always wanted an XF, had to be an 'S', had to be portfolio spec. Found one on an '11 plate. It's had a couple of minor issues (brake discs, suspension bushes) but overall, it's a delight - I still get a silly grin as I burble down the road out of the village and then let it roar! I truly enjoy this group - it's a great place to go to for answers to questions that we all have from time to time, but by its very nature, you will tend to see the issues (and their resolutions). Maybe there should be a section for reporting the good stuff, as in my terrific drives to Ireland (Irish wife - visiting in-laws). Always so much better in my XF than in any Mercedes/Audi/Lexus/etc., that I had in the past! Cheers, Jon

Maybe we need a new topic... Our car history / how we got to here? J

Hi Peter, Car History... Ford Anglia 1200 (cost £110, was a 1965, bought in 1973) Sunbeam Stiletto Ford Cortina 1600E Triumph 1300TC Ford Zodiac Ford Zodiac again Jaguar XJ6 (nightmare) Ford Capri JPS (Wedding - 1983) Vauxhall Cavalier From then, company cars all the way... Renault 18 Ford Escort Mk3 Vauxhall Astra GTE (got me a ban for speeding) Nissan SX Vauxhall Calibra Vauxhall Calibra turbo 4WD Subaru Imprezza turbo Lexus IS200 Lexus IS200 again Renault Laguna Renault Laguna again Citroen DS5 Mercedes A220D Bought my beloved XF-S two years ago Has been mostly fun! Cheers, J

Hi Peter, You have my respect as a calming influence on all of the "OMG it's a risky buy" when considering a secondhand Jaguar Little bit of history... Back in 1983, I made the biggest mistake ever and bought an 4.2l XJ6, which did 6mpg and only one fuel tank that worked). WTB said "That has to go!", so bought a Ford Capri JPS. (Black, Gold stripes, gold seats; you get the picture!) History has furnished me with some lovely and some not so lovely cars, but I've never lost my joy of driving. However, while I always listen to your sage-like advice, I've recently swapped from Millers to Wynns. It seems to make the running smoother, and certainly more responsive. Happy bank holidays! And thank you so much for your insight (also applies to others, too numerous to mention)

This seems a bit odd. One thing I noticed when I got my XF-S Portfolio was how quickly it started warming the interior. From a cold start, I have warm air within a mile or so, if it's really cold, heated seats do the job too. Seriously, after many years of nice cars, the XF trumps them all for getting warm in the morning, so maybe you need to have yours investigated? J

Hi Euan, I think it was about £180. My XF is a 3.0l XF-S, battery is now a couple of years old and showing no signs of deterioration (fingers crossed!!!). I don't think AGM batteries were a requirement for 2011 cars, but I might go that way when the current one needs replacing. J

Hi Euan, When I had mine replaced at Halfords, I asked the chap doing the replacement to keep a connection, so he got another battery and connected it to the car via the diagnostic socket to the right of the steering column. It seemed like he knew what was needed and the change went ahead with no issues whatsoever! (phew!)

Oops, sorry about that Paul! J

Hi Martin, XFs haven't had a temp gauge since the first version - mine is a 2011 XF-S without one. I worried about it at first - how to tell when it's warm enough to 'go', how to tell if it's suffering? Some people get an app for their phone which links to the diagnostics and give a realtime view of temperature, but I'm not sure I'd want to wedge my phone somewhere just to check it. Seems a strange omission from what is intended to be a 'driver's car', but it does keep things simple in the dashboard. Assuming wheel balancing is on point, you are possibly looking at a pair of discs soon - I had a similar issue - tremors when braking gently, fixed by having new discs fitted (in my case all round, just to be sure!). Not sure discs alone would cause a pull to one side though - wheel alignment maybe??? Glad you're enjoying your XF! In the last two years, since I bought it, mine has been over to Tipperary (visiting in-laws) about 10 times - it loves country lanes there! Cheers, Jon

Hi All, There seems to be a lot of angst about satnav updates atm. I get mine here: https://www.latestsatnav.co.uk/ So far, they have never failed me. Cheers, Jon

Hi Darren, I would have, but there was a deluge just as I got home, hopefully later today! Cheers, Jon

Hi, Just putting this out there no affiliation at all, but... Had my XF-S detailed at All That Gleams near Guildford. Stunning job (although still need to get the Selina wheels sorted) If you're in Sussex/Surrey, give them a go. Good hotel nearby for brunch too!

Hi Dave, Wow - that is super-clean, and so few miles! Just had my '11 XF-S detailed near Guildford - was a shame to drive it home in today's weather, but they took a few tears off its appearance! Enjoy! Jon (also in Sussex)

Thanks all for the replies! Can't have both (no room for three cars (SWMBO has an Audi TT). Don't use the XF as much as I used to (regular drives to Ireland to visit MiL, now sadly no longer with us). Having said that, I probably manage about 300 miles a week, driving just for the hell of it. Can't possibly consider a SUV of any kind (sorry Peter - just not as elegant as the XF!). But, in profile at least, the Tesla Model S is very similar the the XF, just wish it had a 'face' with even a mock grille. Decisions, decisions! Cheers, J

So, here I am, 5 months away from taking my pension lump sum. My heart says keep the XF-S on the road, whatever the cost. The other half says 'get rid and buy a Tesla model S' I'm drawn by both, but emotionally. I want to keep the XF-S, but practically, I see the sense behind the Tesla. Help!!!

Well... for what it's worth (not comparing apples with apples!)... My 2011 XF-S (3.0l) does about 29 mpg locally and up to 50mpg on a long motorway cruise.

Hi Steven, Being a bit of a luddite, I have no music on my phone, so I have an old iPod permanently in the centre armrest, connected to the USB socket in there. iPhone does reliably connect via Bluetooth for phone calls. Congratulations on finding an XF-S with wheels that look to be in good condition - mine are somewhat tatty, but a refurb is expensive due to the shiny plastic spokes, I'll probably bite that bullet after the winter though as they let the car down. Cheers, Jon

I still have the jitters when I contemplate driving my XF-S in snow or ice. I know there's the "winter" button. but 255/35x20 Pirellis don't sound ideal for slippery stuff! TDF photo btw Peter! This was Norway in 2013...

Good job! Phew! Enjoy! J

Must be my week for typos! Cam cover replacement was £1.3K, not 13! D'oh!

Oops! Sorry, my mistake!

C'mon Steven! How was it??? J

I just suggested 3K less than the sticker price, expecting a haggle in a Wheeler Dealers kind of way, but after a bit of huffing and puffing, its was a deal. Wished I’d gone a bit lower, but I love the car anyway. J

Hi Steven, I know exactly what you’re talking about! I hadn’t owed a car between 1983 and 2018 - loads of (some very nice) company cars, driving roughly 40K miles a year, but I always wanted an XF (above my pay grade!!!), it had to be a red (claret) one and a good spec. So when I retired, I found a 2011 XF-S Portfolio, in claret, listed at £16K, biggish mileage, but looking perfect (although the wheels needed, and still need, a refurb). Actually bought it for £13K (nothing to trade in) and have enjoyed every single second with it - I had high expectations after all those years, but they were well and truly exceeded. I can’t pretend it had all been plain sailing, there have been costs along the way, but the bank isn’t broken yet. It now needs a new rear coelom and there’ a leak somewhere in the aircon which hasn’t had a noticeable effect. Also needs a second set of rear wishbone bushes. Worst hit was a crack cam cover at about £13K Joy is still undiminished though! Enjoy your XF!!!