Old Peter

Welcome to the Club, David, and a very informative fist post, may I say. Many years ago I asked a college why he always seemed to buy his cars just after a new model was announced. buying the last of the old model instead of the first of the new one. He told me that the last of the old model always had any issues with it solved by the time the new model came out. Experimenting with the wheel sizes sometimes does help solve a problem but if there seems to be something inbuilt then a full examination is need. The Castle Bromwich plant and surrounding area --- which is where I live --- is abundantly served with some very good roads, and I have only had problems with ride and handling with a Compay Car -- a Toyota Avensis -- which was one of the first to come off the line ,. All its problems were solved after the makeover two years late. Regards, Peter.

Later models don't have this style of boot opener, Stan, but you might find something at Just Jags uk or at a car breakers. People do look for small "souvenirs" occasionally, and if they are not nailed down there are those who will borrow them. Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the Club, Martin. I used to have an X type 2.5 litre AWD 05 plate in metallic red. A lovely car to drive. The opportunity came to get an S Type [a pair of rotten so and sos carjacked my X type] -- my wife said "let us turn a disaster into an opportunity" and I looked for an s type 2.7 diesel, and a later model came along. So enjoy your Jaguar, and you will find a lot of people in the club who are having the same experience. Regards, Peter.

Thanks Mick. I have an offer from Halfords --- just a little place in the town centre --- to do a free tyre check, which I know is mainly to get a bit of business. I will do that in April, and I will make an enquiry as to the cost of BGFs for my S Type. The current Pirellis should have 3mm of tread for the MOT in June, so it looks as if I will be replacing my tyres for the winter, which is not a bad thing. If I come over to Peterborough I will certainly let you know, as the drive over there now is not as bad as it used to be with the M6/A14 link. I used to spend a lot of time in Corby when I was gainfully employed, & I have also played golf at the course in Bourne so I know the way reasonable well. Regards, Peter.

Some good information there, Billyboy. I had and "Engine Malfunction" message and an amber warning light on the dashboard. £69 poorer after 25 minutes at a main dealer the information I received that it was the EGR valve. I read up a little and realised that I had had no longish runs for about a month. I have now ensured that I have at least a run over 30 miles each week, and also give the engine a bit of a blast. A gallon of diesel and an enjoyable hour in the car is much cheaper than a main dealer, and also stops you getting your hands dirty, which at my age I am not too inclined to do anymore. Regards, Peter.

Hi Reg Probably a wise choice if you are not doing long trips -- no diesel particulates filter to regenerate, and you can't do a burn up on the motorway once a month, living in Norfolk as you do. While the S Type can go like a sports car, it can also be rather sedate, and I am sure you will enjoy it. Regards, Peter.

Hi Trevor, You always have to wait a while when the engine is hot, even with a dipstick. I give mine a check while the engine is cold in the mornings. The last car I had with a starting handle was a 1962 Austin A 40 Farina with a 998 cc engine that would do 65 mph with a following wind and a slight downwards gradient. The advent of transverse engines caused the demise of the starting handle.. Regards Peter

I use Castrol Magnatec, but there are other good brands, too. I always use the top quality oil, -- why order Fish Sticks when lobster is on the menu? The mechanic who services my car always uses the appropriate oil and brings back the oil he doesn't us for use in top ups. Can't you get a dipstick as a retrofit? The dipstick is a fairly simple means of checking your oil, and why have to depend on a sensor is beyond me. Regards, Peter

A beautiful day today, the sun is shining, the car washed, dried and polished and vacuumed throughout yesterday, and a nice trip and Lunch in Lichfield. There were a few people standing by my car in the car park with admiring glances. That is why I love my Jaguar.

Hi Mick My employers had a account with Kwik Fit, and we were obliged to get tyres/brake discs and pads there. I told them that I wanted to see all the bills in detail, and found that one of my staff in my Office had been charged over £800 for two tyres and disc pads on a Rover 420. I queried it and wouldn't sign if off till there had been a reduction in the bill. Lo and behold, £550 off immediately. I have 245/40 s on 18 wheels and most premium brands are over £150 -- there is only one tyre company that is what you could call a privately run business in the area -- all the rest are the big brands, but he only uses Vredesteins. Unless I can find someone who charges a reasonable price in this area I might well tell Doris to take me to Peterborough for a day! Regards Peter.

Hi Mick, years of experience has told me the same. I always use the combined figure and if I get better than that it is a bonus. I look to get about 40mpg as I rarely do long motorway trips these days, so I am quite happy with that. Regards, Peter.

David, ... Why did I not think of that?........ Possibly because I am a creature of habit who checks the old and other fluids every week and tops up the screen wash every week whether it needs it or not. I believe that if your car has headlamp washers the screenwash reservoir is bigger. Peter.

I have though about a Leaper on the bonnet for my S Type but decided against it, settling for a small leaper on the boot lid. Peter

Welcome to the Club, David. The problem sounds very electrical. Is there any message in the message centre? Regards, Peter.

Hi Dave, You do notice the mileage per gallon difference when you change from petrol to diesel. A caveat, however, is don't let the tank get too empty. If it does run out of fuel, there is a page in the owners manual of what to do, and having read it, I look to fill up my S type when the range gets below 100 miles as a restart seem a bit of a pain. The trip computer on your car will tell you the miles done, the range, the mpg, & the instant mpg. I check mine after every trip! Cost of filling up usually comes in at £70 + -- my local Shell filling station sells its diesel at 134.9p a litre. Regards Peter

Hi Matthew, I think all the remote controls have contacts, rather than switches. One of my key fobs that came with the car had worn buttons and I was able to buy just the set of buttons on ebay for £3.50 --- a bit exorbitant for a small piece of rubber, but it does stop my son from opening the boot instead of unlocking the doors. A bit of WD40 on the locks themselves might do the trick. Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the Club, Ashley. A nice bunch of Jaguar owners post here. You must always remember that wheels and tyres are very important parts of any car, and unless you are certain that you can get the rim repaired properly it might be worth getting a new one. It could also be worth having the other rims checked before making any decision on replacement. I live only 6 miles from Castle Bromwich, the main Jaguar factory, which built my S Type. Your X Type was built in Halewood, 100 miles away, coincidentally 6 miles away from where I was born. Enjoy your Jaguar, nice colour too, the same colour as mine. Regards, Peter.

Going down to Weymouth last summer I got 46.1 mpg from my 2.7 Diesel s type. Mostly at 68mph to ensure that the second turbo charger didn't cut in. Coming back with a busy motorway and driving a little bit quicker I got 37 mpg which is about normal on a longish run [over 25 miles]. I can normally get circa 40 mph on a run over about 70 miles, which I consider pretty good. Peter.

I think that I will make an enquiry with the very helpful guy down at Halfords, Mick, to see if he get BFGs at a decent price. Otherwise I will be looking to come over to Peterborough. The best price for Pirellis I can get round here is about £205 a corner. City prices! Peter.

Welcome to the Club, Neil. There are quite a few experts who will be able to assist you. I just enjoy driving these wonderful iconic cars. Regards, Peter.

That seems a good price, Mick. I have had no problems with the Pirellis, but they do get some criticism at times from users. I have had a look around on the internet but can't find a dealer near me that seems to want to sell them. The plus point for me at the moment is that all five tyres are in good nick. Halfords have offered me a free tyre check which I will take up before my MOT in June, and I will make some enquiries of them. The guy who runs the local Halfords is a good bloke who will tell me the best price etc. Peter

Welcome to the Club, Bernard, and enjoy it. I do believe that there are kits that can be attached to the headlights of any car to make the headlights conform to conform to RH driving on the Continent. Just as important is to ensure that the car carries the requirements of the countries you are going to visit, such as a warning triangle and a fire extinguisher, inter alia. Regards, Peter.

I have heard that when the battery is starting to fail, the less important things are the first to go wrong. Peter.

Hi John. I have had the same problem with my s type 2.7 diesel --- Handbrake Malfunction pops us on the message centre, and the procedure I followed was not dissimilar to Trevor's suggestion. I did post something about a week or so ago, and the solution I came to was to disconnect the battery for 10 minutes as it had happened before. Then do all the other bits when the battery was connected again. My ultimate solution would be having a switch on the dashboard to reboot the computer when this happens. Regards, Peter.

My Rover was a Foreman's Friend, Mick, destined for the MD of a big Rover Main Dealer. He kept it for 8 months and then changed to a Rover 75. Friday night cars and Monday cars are the ones to avoid. The two Jaguars I have had are the best cars I have ever driven in 50 years of driving. Peter.