Big John

Hi If you are doing regular long trips battery problems should not be an issue. In the XF Stop/Start if you are only doing short journeys the first sign of a low battery is the S/S stops working, which some people like 🙂 but these cars draw a lot of current when you have turned off the engine, so the battery voltage can get low enough to cause issues if you just do short journeys. If budgeting for a battery (I would) remember you NEED an AGM battery which will probably cost thick end of £200 fitted. Don't think an "ordinary" battery will be fine....it will certainly fail within 2 years. Timing belt is 10yrs or 100K miles I believe but I may wimp out and do mine before. My fuel consumption is 30mpg driving in Manchester (not rush hour when it is about 15mpg) with S/S disengaged, 35mpg with S/S. Normal mixed driving 40 + mpg and 70mph motorway cruise low 50s. Max economy driving; best I have achieved is 60mpg but Soooooo boring 🙂 Some say rear discs are short-lived but I reckon after new ones on mine at 60k (1st in my ownership, 2nd for car) I won't need to replace them until 100k. Hope that helps John

Hi Make sure you do at least one 30 min run a week to keep the DPF happy (I also only use Shell V Power). Check everything electrical works properly before you buy (including the Stop/Start) then invest in a Ctek battery maintainer and hook it up overnight at least once a fortnight. The software and numerous computers are sensitive to low voltage causing software corruption and resulting in odd faults. Usually simple to fix as long as you use a garage which knows what they are doing but better to keep charged. Make sure there is not a swimming pool in the spare wheel well due to leaking seals which blows several modules (Mine was sorted before I bought at cost of over £1000). I know some also suffer from water ingress in front footwell. Only other thing on mine is the rear subframe suffered from cosmetic surface rust so had it undersealed. Love mine to bits and for comparison in 2 years my 2013 XF Sportbrake has cost less to run than my wife's 2015 Skoda Rapid 1.6D Enjoy! John

Hi To me both of these cases are possibly corrupt code in the door modules as they both occurred following an electrical event, blown fuse in one case and possible low voltage event following prolonged standby conditions running on the battery whilst being detailled. My advice would be to get them both hooked up to the diagnostic computer and a simple reset may well sort the problem John

Forgot to say. if it is simply that the remotes have died (I haven't heard that being an issue) it should show in the fault codes that are stored. John

Hi Can't advise on cost as mine has a lifetime warranty so when my rear doors and windows stopped working after a flat battery I was not charged (if you pardon the pun). The garage I bought from is Fiat / Abarth / Volvo dealer but they have several Jag dealerships in the group so they simply rang them for advice. They told me it is a common fault and easily fixed by a software reset. As my garage is not Jag dealer I presume a standard "auto-diagnostic computer" can do the job. They kept it overnight to ensure battery fully charged but indicated it had been a simple and quick job. Apaarently the car stores several copies of the "as supllied" software files for each module so it is simply a procedure like doing a self test on ta home PC like scandisk and when it finds a problem it corrects the corupt file by replacing it will an original copy. Hope that helps John

Hi If the heating / ventilation is off they will remain closed. Have you checked Heating ventilation is switched on? John

Hi Do the doors lock / unlock ffrom the dashboard switch and / or the drivers door lock? To me it sounds like there may be a module problem (possibly the KVM) Hopefully it will be software and simply needs resetting. Fingers crossed John

Hi If it is both doors, and the problem did not develop with first one not working then the other it is unlikely to be 2 seperate faults, one on each door, probably a problem in the "computers" or modules. John

Hi Did both Fobs die together? Did you change the fob batteries just before they stopped working? If you did not change batteries and they were both working almost certainly not a problem in the remotes themselves. Can you lock / unlock with engine running? Almost certainly you need to get it on a diagnostic computer. Jag specialist is ideal if you don't want to face main dealer prices. John

Hi Dave Welcome, 2013 Sportbrakes are tops 🙂 I am coming up to 2 years ownership now and very impressed. Only advice would be to make sure you give it enough of a run to clear the DPF at least every couple of weeks and if not doing regular long runs invest in a Ctek battery maintainer. The big cat is sensitive to low battery conditions and if your journeys involve a few stop/starts you may gradually deplete the battery. Other thing worth checking is that the big battery is an "AGM" not an ordinary flooded cell type. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine 🙂 John

Simply saying you may well need to hook up to a good diagnostic computer, and know what you are doing to sort it. These machines are very complicated and use multiple computers and sensors talking over several networks to perform what seems a simple function. The modules are sensitive to low voltage causing software problems so probs better to diagnose with the computer rather than chase possible "obvious" fixes. John

Hi. Just to show how hard it is to diagnose without being hooked up to a diagnostic computer this is from a Jaguar Technical Training Manual: If you thought pressing the button just did one thing, think again...... Complex Network Functions In addition to sharing information, multiplexing has enabled modules to work together to perform complex vehicle functions. The sequence below demonstrates how a network can complete a complex function such as Global Closing using shared logic. The following example depicts an X250 equipped with Passive Entry. The sequence starts with an operator standing outside of the vehicle (all windows and sunroof open and doors unlocked) with a SmartKey within one meter of the driver’s door handle antenna. 1. Pressing the switch on the driver’s door handle provides a hardwired ‘lock request’ input signal to the keyless vehicle module (KVM). 2. Once the KVM receives the hardwired ‘lock request’ input signal, the KVM then transmits a low frequency (LF) signal to the driver door handle antenna which activates any SmartKey transmitter within one meter of the handle antenna. 3. The activated SmartKey transmits a radio frequency (RF) ‘security code’ signal which is received by the RF Receiver. 4. The RF Receiver transmits the ‘security code’ signal via a dedicated serial data line to the KVM, which checks and validates the security code. 5. Once the security code has been validated by the KVM, the KVM sends the ‘lock request’ signal to the CJB via MS CAN bus. 6. Upon receiving the ‘lock request’ signal, the CJB confirms that none of the latches are ‘ajar’ by monitoring the aperture ‘ajar’ switch signals, which are a direct hardwired input to the CJB. 7. Once it has confirmed that none of the latches are ‘ajar’, the CJB sends a ‘lock request’ followed by a ‘security request’ over the MS CAN bus. 8. Locking and Security Request Results – The front door modules receive the ‘lock request’ signal via MS CAN. The front doors lock. – The front door modules transmit the ‘lock request’ signal to the rear door modules via LIN bus to lock the rear doors. – The RJB receives the ‘lock request’ signal and inhibits the trunk and fuel door release. – Once the vehicle is locked, the CJB automatically enters security mode and sends a ‘security request’ signal over the MS CAN bus, and flashes the front side lights. – The front door modules receive the ‘security request’ signal via MS CAN and flash the side view mirror turn signal and approach lights. – The RJB receives the ‘security request’ signal and inhibits fuel pump driver module operation and flashes the tail lights. – The instrument cluster receives the ‘security request’ signal and activates the security LED in the sunload sensor on the dashboard. If the operator releases the lock button now, the car is locked and armed but the windows and sunroof are still open. By continuing to press the lock button for an additional three seconds, the following events occur: 9. The KVM is still receiving the hardwired ‘lock request’ signal from the driver’s door handle and sending it to the CJB via MS CAN. Once the CJB sees the ‘lock request’ signal for more than three seconds it will send an ‘all window close request’ signal over the MS CAN bus and a hardwired ‘all window close request’ to the sunroof module. 10.The front door modules receive the ‘all window close request’ and close the front windows and transmit the request via LIN bus to the rear door modules to close the rear windows. NOTE: The windows and sunroof will only globally close if the anti-trap functionality has been enabled through window / sunroof initialization. I am quickly coming to the belief that any electrical issues need to be diagnosed fully by someone who knows what they are doing with the appropriate diagnostic hardware/software before setting off on a course of replacing the obvious culprit part..... John

FYI from Workshop manual: Parking Aid Control Module (PACM) CAUTION: Diagnosis by substitution from a donor vehicle is NOT acceptable. Substitution of control modules does not guarantee confirmation of a fault, and may also cause additional faults in the vehicle being tested and/or the donor vehicle Presume that this, along with the fact you are asking means it does need programming, butothers may have more detailled (accurate) advice John

Hi Needs programming 😞 John

Hi https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/jaguar_xf_portfolio_v8_auto Think number of that model registered in 2010 is 51 (total at end of 2010) minus the total registered before, 27 = 24 Regards John

Here is a thought. Having left my Sportbrake sitting during lockdown I suffered a totally flat battery, which led to a software crash preventing the rear doors opening. (see other thread) What has this to do with Stop / Start? Well I have been doing a fair bit of reading and they are linked. The XF has several dozen computers all talking over a network. One video I saw showed that with the ignition on and the engine not running the power drain was around 12A that is 12Amps not a voltage of 12 v! Computers love to eat current. That explains the dual batteries used for the S/S. As I found out with my flat battery; the myriad of computers and the network are sensitive to low voltages. Although unlikely to actually damage a module (computer) physically, a low voltage can corupt the software. That is why the small battery is there. When the engine is stopped all of the "computers" are fed by this "Fresh" battery as long as its voltage remains within limits. If it drops, rather than compromising the network stability, the car will restart, using the main battery for the starter (and non sensitive things like fans with the engine off because these things are not really damaged by low voltage particulalry when the starter is working) . So what is my point? If your S/S is not working it is probably because one or both of the batteries is not charged enough to ensure the car can re-start. That means your battery voltage maybe getting lower and lower due to age, short journeys, heavy power loads like lights / Heater / Air-con, Flooded Cell rather than AGM battery etc. So the non-functioning of the S/S should alert you to a low battery charge and if that means when you turn off the engine, and the alternator output is gone, but you still have the lights on and the heater fan or whatever the voltage MAY drop low enough to cause the sort of problems I had, next time you return to the car. Welcome thoughts and other ideas but I think if S/S is not working you can save yourself all sorts of grief with a new battery (batteries) and a CTek smart charger to keep the batteries fully charged. If it annoys you, turn it off as part of your start-up routine, but maybe you are also turning off an early warning system that could save you lots of money. Having lit the blue touch paper......... 🙂

Hi Simple reset was all it needed, covered in my "Warranty for Life" from Preston Motorpark. (very impressed. Actually a Volvo/Fiat Dealer but they have Jag dealers in group that they sought advice from 🙂 ). Happy days!

Hi Are you sure it is coming from the Exhaust Joints? Obvious possibility is Air-con condensate but don't think that is correct location. Just a thought but have you checked the boot spare wheel well for flooding?

Relevant law is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/daytime-running-lights/daytime-running-lights Basically models introduced after 2011 must have DRL but old models could still be sold. That applies to the XJ which was facelifted in 2015. Hope that help

Hi This is from US manual but may help. Kind regards John

Hi For me a 10yr old Battery is not one I would want to take into next winter as chances are it will fail just when it is most needed. If it was me I would replace it ASAP but certainly before the cold nights and frosty mornings arrive. Great believer in Murphys Law 🙂 John

Actually does make sense. Restart is triggered when you release brake pedal so presumably the sensor is the "swirch" to tell the car that you have released the brake and a restart is needed. 🙂

Hi Not sorted yet as garage still shut and I am still in shielding. Done some research though and looks likely that there was a software crash in either the rear door modules (which handle locks and windows) and/or the rear junction module. Seems a reboot should sort it when I can get it to the garage. Now keeping it topped up with the Ctek trickle charger. Hope that is all it needs, although mine has a "warranty 4 life" so hoping that will cover it either way. John

Hi I have been an XF owner for 2 years now. Basically if you get one with a full service history they are as reliable as anything else. Mine has cost the same to run as my wifes 2015 Skoda Rapid! The only real weekness seems to be electrics in terms of the battery. So many problems you read about seem related to a less than perfect battery. If you are only using for pottering you will probably eventually run-down the battery to a level where wierd problems occur. Solution is simple either go for a long run every week (also helps the EGR and DPF) or get a CTek trickle charger. If you do choose a Merc I hope you enjoy it, they are nice cars, but you will miss out on the unique Big Cat experience. I know which I would rather be sitting in 🙂 Regards John

Hi Being in shielding I had left my 2013 2.2 XF Speedbrake alone for 4 weeks only to find today when going to put it on drive and attach charger ..... Dead 😞 RAC got in and managed to get it going OK all good (Both batteries are less than a year old and both AGM), except both rear doors now not working (locked and won't open even from inside) and rear windows not operating. Any ideas? John