Old Peter

Fuel consumption depends a lot how you drive. I do tend to leave it in auto as my S Type has a 6 speed auto box as against a 5 speed when I use the manual shift. I found that the second turbocharger cuts in at 2000 revs which is just on 69 mph. Keeping it at below that level I got 46.1 mpg driving down to Weymouth last summer. With stop start driving on the way back I only got 36.6 mpg, although on the way back I did some driving at just over 70 mph when able to do so. But a good point to think about is that occasionally you can give the diesel engine a good exercise by pressing the "S" button and letting it go a bit. It can be quite enjoyable. You can't do it, however, when you have a speed governor in the car.

I towed with a Rover Sterling 2.5 Litre petrol engine for 11 years without a problem. I used mostly cruise control to keep inside the speed limits. The XF will be a doddle! Peter.

Rinsing the car comes easy in the West Country, Trevor. If you make careful forecasts here you can shampoo the car, wait for the rain to rinse it, and then the wind to dry it. Josh, have you got that S Type yet? Some good weather ahead! Peter.

You sound that you have had a good day, Matthew. Curiously my previous Jaguar, an X Type, and my current S Type have slightly different wood on the steering wheel as against the Maple on the dashboard. There are a couple of websites that you can google into which might answer the questions concerning differences between the variants of the XK. Unfortunately I know nothing about restorer of leather seats but I know someone will. Regards, Peter.

Thanks, Mick, Two very reassuring posts. My mechanic never buys oil in bulk. In fact when he last changed my oil he got the Castrol Magnatec as recommended and brought me three litres back that were surplus to the required amount. Of course, living 6 miles from Castle Vale, genuine parts for Jaguar are quite easy to buy in the shops and the "cheap" alternatives are very rare. There is some pride in Brummies about making cars. If I get a big mileage with this car I will be very pleased as I am 80 next birthday. Thanks very much Peter.

Hi Mick, I have just come back from the local Shell station and fill up with their standard diesel. At £1.34.9 it was the same as Tesco. I did notice a "superior" diesel at 8p dearer. I am going to Northampton on Monday and I will see if I notice any difference. The mechanic who has serviced and maintained my cars for the last 12 years will only use the correct filters and oils. 30 years of fully expensed company cars lead me away from doing my own maintenance, and having an expert around like yourself is great for the Club. Regards, Peter

My Chief Executive and Financial Controller had to approve of my S Type. I am only a Technical Advisor, Valet, grease monkey, and general labourer! Mind you, I wouldn't have it any different. The Coupe looks far better, and a dark colour looks better. My S Type is in Indigo Blue Metallic which looks great in the sun and still pretty good in the wet. Regards Peter.

Very interesting posts, Mick. I have never used oil additives and at the moment I have been using diesel from Sainsbury's as the price is lower. Jaguar do not recommend the use of oil additives My S Type has only 52k on the clock and the engine was replaced by Jaguar at 21k so for a diesel it is still quite young. I use Castrol Magnatec. Should I change fuel from the Supermarket brands to the local Shell Garage? Any recommendations/thoughts

Welcome to the Club, Matthew. I see a similar car to the one you want parked in our road every day -- in gold. It does not look as good as the one I have seen in British Racing Green. Enjoy your search. Regards, Peter.

We have had very strong winds here and the roof of my shed was blown off. It landed on a BMW in the car park at the rear of my garden. It could have been worse --- It could have landed on my Jaguar!

First, Welcome to the Club, James. I had this problem in a Rover some years ago. Not being an electric expert, I just pushed it in a bit and tried to jiggle it round. It seems to work OK after that. Anything cheap is worth trying first. Regards Peter.

When the engine is running just look in the display which sometimes tells you" passenger door open etc". If there is no message there it might need a visit to a good garage. There is a topic on "Independent Garages" and you might find one locally who does not charge the same labour charges as Jaguar. Peter.

Hi Jonathan, and welcome to the Club. Is there a message in the message display? Is the car running OK? If there is no indication of what is wrong a code scanner will be needed. There are some members who know the x type inside out. Regards, Peter.

Glad it's sorted, Col. I think my S type will probably be my last car --- unless I get another lease of life. I used to come back home to Lancashire every other week throughout February to September to watch Rugby League, but this season my wife and family said I was getting too old to do an 190 mile round trip every fortnight. It will be the only the odd match on a sunny Sunday from now on! Regards Peter. Lancastrian in exile.

"I should have bought a Ford."

I have just done something, Josh, that you will be able to do tomorrow. We had a deluge this morning followed by quite a lot of snow. After lunch the sun came out and it became a lovely bright day. My son wanted me to drive over to advise on his new allotment, so I did. This is the bit you can do tomorrow. Get the Jaguar off the drive and press the "S" button if auto, and get on to a nice stretch of dual carriageway [A38 to Lichfield, in my case. Let the big cat have its head, without breaking the speed limit, of course, and enjoy. The car really likes to be driven rather than to cruise sedately, and with the diesel you have to get the second turbocharger into action at 2,000 revs.. Look forward to that!! Peter.

Cheers, Phil.

My car knows the way to Lancashire even though I left there for work reasons when I was 33. Any problems with the fancy bits of electrical technology, I will be letting it take me up there Regards Peter.

I hope it is not too wet tomorrow,Josh, so that you can have a good test of the S Type you choose. Peter.

I don't think so, Mike. It certainly does not need to be reprogrammed on my S type. There are full instruction on how to replace the battery in the key fob in the handbook. You can even buy the batteries in the 99p Shop! Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the Club, Alan. Vintage S Type -- one of the first. Good Luck. Peter.

Welcome to the Club, Col. It does look very like a new battery. I have heard that when a modern battery dies, it dies quickly. It could be worth taking if off and having it tested --- but they are a fair weight to carry. My S Type had a new battery in 2012 -- when it was 5 years old. Regards, Peter.

I think the S Type is a future Classic car. Reading some of the posts on this topic, I am not surprised at the comments. I have an Indigo Blue SE with the 2.7 Diesel engine with 52k on the clock, and as long as I give it a long run once a month [which is fun rather than duty] I will not have problems with DPS. There were only 290,500 S Types built -- and they were built just 6 miles from where I live. The USA had 119,700 S Types, Canada had 5,425, Australia had 3,025, and Japan 4,150 and Europe had 43,000. The UK had around 55,000. Other exports must be miscellaneous. The site I found these figures admits to having approximations, as the figures were produces by Ford, but it, mostly it does show that the car was very well received in the USA, mostly in the 3 litre version. No 2.5 litre or diesel S types apparently never crossed the Atlantic. When the car was first manufactured in 1999 there were 53,000 made and similar in 2000, but manufacture dropped off year by year after the x type was produced, with 2007 being the final year of manufacture with only 11,000 being built and only 4500 registered in the UK. So will the S Type be a future classic? I think it will. You either like the style or you don't, but whatever your preferences, you cannot deny that a well looked after S Type can be a head turner. Quite a few younger enthusiasts are buying Jaguars and enjoying the drive that they are experiencing, which is a good point in favour of the S Type being a future classic. When I got my first Ford Escort MK 1 in 1971 [000459K] I never thought it would become a classic, but it did. So why not the S type?

And welcome to the club, Phil. You will be of great assistance to us Luddites, who can take apart SU or Solex carburettors, and fit new shoes on to drum brakes, but who are rubbish with the electronics. Peter. An exiled Lancastrian.

Now Enjoy, Mike. Have some nice journeys round God's County! Peter.