Old Peter

Hi Frank, I would be inclined to do the same, in fact I did when I had a Rover Sterling while it was under warranty. My s type was also main agent serviced also. I have only bought cars from main agents, two of them from Colliers. There was a Stratstone Jaguar Main Jaguar dealer in Birmingham in Bromford Lane. It still might be there under "Listers" who took it over. But not too salubrious an area. Colliers in Tamworth will give you a courtesy car, I should think, and I got my first Jaguar from them, and would have got another but they had nothing in that I could either afford or wanted. They are pretty good, too. I would sound them out. I think you could probably get a courtesy car, but if you can't there are a few places close where you can get a half decent lunch, and quite a few stores to meander round - John Lewis, Marks and Spencer. Regards, Peter.

In the fifties, sixties and seventies weekends or part of them had fairly specific things to do with your car or motorcycle. One a month, the spark plugs had to come out, get cleaned, and the feeler gauge would come out of the toolkit to reset them. As I was doing about 500 miles a month the oil would be changed, & the filter either cleaned or changed. A top up of oil wold go into the SU carburettor, and if your car had a Solex, now and then it would have to come off and the jets be cleaned Tyres checked, and stones picked out, and now and then the drum brakes would need new shoes. You didn't have to top up the screen wash, because usually there wasn't one, and the carpets never needed cleaning either, because the car had rubber mats. The clutch cable would have to be greased, and probably the grease gun would have to be filled so you could put a little into each of the grease nipples. If you had time, you could wash the car! What do we do now?

M Insurance is circa £525 with full no claims and protected no claims bonus. Birmingham is an expensive place to insure a car. Peter.

Hi Frank, When I was gainfully employed we had our cars serviced by Colliers --- quite good, but still expensive. They are franchised dealers rather than Main dealers. WE found them better than Stratstone - now Listers. Since 2002 I have used a mobile mechanic [trained by Rover and who worked for colliers]who has done a great job for me and is a third of the price. Peter.

Terraclean did improve the performance of my car as well as the fuel consumption. It cleans out the fuel system entirely and does make a difference. Peter

Hi Frank, I get the few I have needed parts from the David Manners Group in Halesowen. I can ring them up, tell them what I want and they will tell me that they are either in stock or tell me they will ring me when they are - usually a couple of days. All genuine Jaguar parts - they have a great online catalogue and most small parts are usually in stock. Regards, Peter.

Hi Paul, I had a company car Ford Escort Mk1 in metallic leaf green Reg 000459K. My cleave in the same office had the exact same model and the exact same colour with the Reg 000458K. I was just driving out of a car park in central Sheffield when I was pulled over by the Police. They told me that they had just seen me going onto the M1 in the opposite direction , and had noted the unusual number. It took some time to convince them that they were two different cars. It is a good job they didn't see my other colleague as he also had a similar model and colour Reg 000456K. Our employer has in their wisdom [or otherwise] determined we should have the same model, the same colour from the same dealer somewhere in Chelmsford. Peter.

Hi Chris, Being retired after woking in the Steel Industry for 40 years, I determined not to do as many of my colleagues did -- go to the pub and talk about old times. I make sure that at least once a month we go out for the day - maybe an hour's drive each way and usually at a good speed to get the engine hot - which you need for a full DPF regeneration. Last week to Croome in Worcestershire, and next week somewhere in Derbyshire, for instance. You have two things to consider on the modern diesel engine - the DPF and the EGR valves, as the latter can get a bit sticky. Both of these "filters" need a good blast occasionally. Additives for specific things can be found in most auto stores --- Halfords etc. I have used Wynns EGR Cleaner to good effect when I get P0402 come up on my Code scanner, and I also have some of their Injector cleaner in the boot just in case. What I did, and would recommend id you should get you XF Terracleaned. For £120 or so you will have the full fuel system cleaned -- Just Google it --- Wheeler Dealers did it on an XK8 and it is even more beneficial on a diesel. Hope this helps Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the club, Chris. The DPF is quite a big topic with owners of diesel cars. I have the s type 2.7D and I only drive about 6500 miles a year, with mostly journeys under 10 miles. But I al pleased to say I have never had a problem, possibly because I read up on that fitting in cars and ensured the I did a regeneration trip about once a month. Regards, Peter.

I give my car a charge about once a month, just to be certain that it is OK. There was one new member whose electrics were performing curiously who found that the new battery that the dealer had fitted would not have kept a mini going. A proper one cured everything instantly. As Paul says preventing something happening is much better than curing it after it has happened. Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the both Mike and Andy. The problem of mucky injectors usually comes down to the lack of the occasional blast which often works. And for a few shillings you can get an injector cleaner to add to your petrol -- Wynns have a good product, and there are quite few others on the market. I often give my 2.7 diesel a blast with s button on, to taking the "J" gate into 4th gear manually and a couple of minutes seems to clear any cobwebs. Regards, Peter.

Hi Brian, and welcome to the Club. My s type and the two previous cars that I had all have had internal aerials and I had great reception from all of them. It could be that area in which you live is reception "black spot" or that your aerial has a bad connection. If the reception is always bad wherever you are, then I guess the aerial has the fault, which a good auto electrician should be able to fix. Regards, Peter.

Hi Ben, You are right in using top grade fuel ---- my diesel engine really improved once I started using it regular. And I get about £6 a quarter voucher from Shell with points gained which offsets the extra cost. Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the Club, Stuart. Often there are some curious electrical issues that pop up now and then. It is well worth checking your battery as the S Type likes a fully charged battery. It could be a cheap fx. Others more expert than myself in electrics will also advise. Regards, Peter.

Hi Frank, I was the victim of a large pointed piece of stone on the road to Lindisfarne, and I couldn't get the wheel off my Rover Sterling. My first purchase, after a new tyre, was a proper wheel wrench! Peter.

Hi Tim, The S type has a "Quick Start" Handbook of only 15 pages long. Would that be suitable? At the moment I am having problems with my scanner connection, but there might be a way to get it on the site. Regards, Peter

Welcome to the club, Damon. The S type, described by the designer of the M1 and the Mk 11, Sir William Lyons as having Grace, Space and Pace. Absolutely true -- you enjoyed the grace and space today -- and it won't be long before you enjoy the pace! Great Car, and I hope you enjoy both the car and the club. Some owners like to put a photo on the site, but it is not compulsory! Regards, Peter.

Hi Richard, Glow plugs can be expensive to replace. I would be inclined to walk away unless the person you are buying it from agrees to pay for any costs. When the car goes into limp mode it is generally to protect the engine. Regards, Peter.

There was a member whose car had a full service history but the air filter was coming up for its pension! Some garages can't be bothered with things like that. A full service is always worthwhile. Peter.

Hi Andrew, There is one on the S type --- a rather neat one, too. It might be worth checking out eBay, or even looking up the part Number. Otherwise, seeing if someone like Breaker Yard has one. Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the Club, Rob, That's a great offer for Motor Sport enthusiasts, and I am sure someone will be very interested. Regards, Peter.

Hi Tim, Thai is a bit curious. I have inadvertently opened my s type by sitting on my keys, but if it is happening a few times then there is something wrong. I don't think it could be battery failure, but it could be worth checking. Can the windows and sunroof be opened from the key fob? I know my windows will close if left open , but they wont open with my key fob. Quite mysterious! I wonder if you disconnected the battery for 5 minutes [make sure you have your radio code handy] which will reset the EU. Worth a try and it costs nothing. Let us know how it goes. Regards, Peter.

Good point, Paul. My wheel wrench is identical. Peter.

Hi Barry, I have read this post a few times, and trying to think of the answer, which is still eluding me. The mechanism seems OK so I am thinking that it could be electrical. The battery must be OK as you car is fairly new and a battery lasts about 5 or 6 years on average. There could be an faulty electrical connection, and unless you know electrics I would be inclined to get an auto electrician/locksmith to look at it. In this area, there are mobile Auto locksmiths, so it could be worth checking if there is one close to you. Lets us know how you get on -- knowing the answer will assist anyone else who gets this problem. Regards Peter.

Hi Ben, and welcome to the club. There are two almost identical posts, and for the sake of clarity I have deleted one. Spluttering is usually a fuel system problem, and my first reaction would be to use an additive to clean out the fuel system - there are plenty on the market, and Wynns products are usually easy to get hold of -- Halfords stock them. The V6 engine can be worked on, but plug removal can be a bit fiddly, but there will be some members who have done it. On the passenger airbag issue my s type has a sensor to determine if there is a passenger on the front seat - so it could be that sensor that needs attention. You won't really know what the fuel economy will be like until you have cleared the spluttering issue. I had an X type with the 2.5 V6 engine and I could get about 35 mpg on a long run and around 25 mpg round the town The fuel you use should be good quality too. I have the 2.7 V6 diesel and always use the top grade fuel and I do get a much better mpg. Regards, Peter.