msmicksmith

Depends on which Jag you have but try this -http://www.xtypeparts.com

These guys sell second hand bits but they're all sold warranted and ate good parts

Welcome to the club. What model do you have?

Welcome. Not far from me!

Welcome to the forum Martin.

My last 2 cars had towbars but I couldn't bear to think of adding one to my X-Type. However, if I were to do it, I'd fit a Witter one and make it the detachable type. They do one with a swan-neck and concealed power sockets so that once removed you can't see it at all. A little more expensive but, again, you get what you pay for. They are the best in my opinion.

Enjoy your S. 

Rgds,

Mick

Anytime. Glad to help  :D

If you find a car with around 100k on the clock for about £3500 without a fault you'll be very lucky.

There are hundreds of X-Types out there that fit your criteria but expect a couple of issues.

I paid £4k for mine with 101k on it and so far I've fitted 2 tyres, front discs and pads, Oil and all 3 filters which were all in need of replacing. (Discs were knackered!) After that I've since fitted front and rear anti roll bar bushes simply because I know it to improve the handling as the old bushes are weakened, although they would have carried on for several more miles. By the same token I'll be doing the anti roll bar drop links in the next few weeks just to get it done rather than wait for the imminent knocking/rattling and just to get it up to a the standard I want I'll replace the rear discs and pads soon too, although they would be perfectly good for another 15k or so

Mine had a decent service record and is pretty much mint so has been obviously well maintained but I didn't expect perfection and factored in a few hundred quid to be spent after I'd bought it.

If you buy a decent X-Type with a decent history you'll get a car that once you sort the minor niggly bits out will be one of the most reliable cars you'll ever own (as long as you maintain it properly of course). By comparison, my Renault Laguna of similar mileage etc was a total money pit!

Welcome to the club Ian.

Feel free to ask what you like. Most of us will try to help as much we can and there are some really useful people on here for techy questions ;-)

Read this thread - http://www.jaguarownersclub.com/forums/topic/9273-diesel-tuning-box-chip/?fromsearch=1

My comment is the last one I believe.

I can't slate these plug-in boxes enough. They will cause you nothing but trouble, especially with DPF's clogging from the excess soot.

Give Celtic Tuning a try. It's more expensive but you'll save money in the long run by not having bits of your pride and joy ruined by what a tuning box will do to them.

I had my 2.2D remapped by them last month and it was worth every penny!

Wise words Jim. I've left the building having been brought down as far as I'm willing to stoop.

What's happening in Leicester? Anything Jaguar related?

Thanks Peter.

However, here is the latest instalment from another member of the forum in question. I copied and pasted so as to quote it to you here verbatim.

Claimed results must be backed up with evidence - 200BHP unsubstantiated is not credible particularly when coupled with a demonstrable lack of knowledge despite 35 years experience is embarrassing'

I could just be being over sensitive but I find it insulting to say the last given that this guy has no idea what my 35 years experience has entailed.

At one point I was tuning Ford V10 Hill climb racing engines. The ones almost identical to F1 motors and producing 750bhp..... without a turbo!

I've been a member of this forum and another Jaguar forum since becoming a Jaguar owner a little while ago.

In that time this forum has been brilliant, with every member I've encountered being polite, helpful, friendly and respectful.

Today, I spent a little time on the other forum and have been nothing short of offended! In one topic alone I have, today, been accused of lying by using 'Top Gear' style mathematics whilst discussing my own cars ECU upgrade. Belittled by another member for asking a question to which 'I should already know the answer seeing as I have 35 years experience', and the final straw a few minutes ago, another member reckoned everyone in the discussion to be incompetent and we should mindlessly rip out our brakes, satnavs and phone equipment whilst we're at it to make our cars faster. 

It is those very type of people and their comments that have forced me to delete my account on every forum I've ever encountered.......... Except this one.

The JOC is the best I've ever come across and it's a real pleasure to interact with the members on here. I'll be deleting my account from the other forum, but will continue to use this one.

Thanks to all involved

Peter, what size are your tyres? I've never come across a size they don't manufacture before. The BFG website lists pretty much every tyre available and it would be worth a call to Apex to check they can actually get them. They've never failed me yet in 22 years

The bluetooth connection is for phone calls. There is an option for bluetooth audio but it depends on model and if it was an option fitted to that particular vehicle.

You can retro fit bluetooth audio using Jaguar original parts, but as it is all connected via fibreoptics, you can't use another system and fully incorporate it into the Jaguar one.

However, I managed to fit an aftermarket device that I bought from Germany which connects to the aerial socket and transmits connected audio straight into the aerial lead whilst disconnecting the car's aerial at the same time. This means you get no outside interference from radio stations transmitting on a similar frequency like you do with the cigarette lighter plug-in type.

Connected to this device I have a bluetooth audio receiver to which my phone connects. This does mean that your phone needs to connect to the Jaguar phone bluetooth and to the the audio receiver but as my phone allows multiple connections it works fine.

See my thread here regarding this mod - http://www.jaguarownersclub.com/forums/topic/9377-bluetooth-audio-for-non-bluetooth-jags/#entry14129

It appears most people I talk to know the golf course at Toft near me!

I used to work in Corby to for a little while. I was doing promotional work for Honda Motorcycles and the warehouse is in Corby. We were the guys responsible for the Honda stand at the NEC Bike Show etc.

Crikey they look like they were ready for replacing!!

Nice to know you found the problem. Glad I could help.

The squeaking you get over speed bumps is quite often shock absorbers, but you say you've replaced them already. Usually it's caused by the seal on the damper going a little hard from age.

If you've already done that the It can only be the wishbones or the anti roll bar mounting bushes.

Cheapest ones to do are the anti roll bar ones. I just did mine on my X-Type and it's a doddle. Got mine from Kent Jaguar Supplies for £15 each (Genuine Jaguar parts). Jaguar themselves charge £30 each!

Oddly though, the rear ones are identical but Jaguar charged me £6.50 each!

Wishbone bushes are easily replaced too. Just unbolt the entire arm and replace it with a whole unit. Slightly more expensive but without a hydraulic press you'll struggle to get the new bushes on so it's much less hassle to just bin the whole arm and replace it.

If you've got noises like you say they are probably on their way out anyway so a new set will sort out any untoward noises and will revitalise the steering and handling, which you probably won't even notice isn't as tight as it should be but once you get new ones on it'll feel like a new car

Sounds like you'll still save a fortune by travelling to Peterborough, Peter.

Vrededteins are ok. I had them on the front of my Supra 3.0 Turbo but they weren't as grippy as the BFG's believe it or not. I swear by BFG's (as you can probably tell!)

If you do travel this way, let me know and I'll pop out for a coffee with you at Apex. It's free and actually quite nice!

For your info - Apex tyres, Mancetter Square, Werrington, Peterborough, PE4 6LQ.

If you go on a Saturday be sure to arrive before 9am or you'll not get seen. They close at 12 and will be packed! I always get there for around 745am and am then among the first 3 or 4 there for opening at 8am.

You'll need to pre order BFG's as they don't stock them but usually get them for next day or day after

£205 PER TYRE!! Ouch!

When I had my Renault, I had Kwik-Fit quite me £225 for a tyre! I told the poor unsuspecting lass that I had a Laguna not a bl**dy Porsche!! Best they offered was £125 and I got BFG's at Apex for £79. They were 225/45 17's. 

My Jag has 225/40 18's so the price is a bit more but jeez!! £205 is a real rip off!

Look forward to meeting you at Apex Peter!! Lol

Yes, that's pretty spot on. Most manufacturers give an Urban, Extra Urban and a Combined mpg. I tend to ignore the Urban and Extra Urban and go with the Combined Cycle, which in Jaguars case for the X-Type 2.2D is 47.8mpg (I think). Given that I reckon I'm getting about 45mpg average, it's not too far off the mark, but I'd always advise using the Combined figure and then making that figure the 'maximum' you'll get on a day to day basis instead of an expectation of what you'll get without any effort on your part. You'll get less if you drive through towns and hills and more if it's on the open road at a constant cruise, but overall, about 45 is your lot.

I can probably get 60-62mpg out of mine, possibly even 65 if I try really hard, if I drive 150 miles on a motoway with no traffic, at a constant 60-65mph and with no passengers or toilet stops. If I use the car to go to work, however, I get about 42-45mpg.

Bent rims can be repaired so long as the damage isn't severe. However, were it my car, I'd replace with a good second hand one, if only so that I didn't have 3 wheels showing 11 years of use and one in mint condition. Failing that, I'd have to buy 2 for the same axle and refurb the other 2 to mint condition, keeping the other good one for a full sized spare.

My advice - if you are unsure of the safety of the wheel, replace it

The diesel X-types will return roughly 42-48mpg in general. The 2.0 is slightly more frugal with the fuel. 

I have the 2.2 and I get roughly 44-46mpg which I consider pretty good. On a run, they will do more obviously, but don't expect 60+. You'll get around 55 max on a long run.

Mine has been chipped and still returns pretty much the same mpg as standard, despite it being much easier to stick the right foot down, there is little need as it now pulls superbly without hammering the throttle.

If you buy either the 2.0 or the 2.2 and expect to get around 50mpg on a motorway run and an overall average of around 40-45mpg you'll not be disappointed. The real choice here is whether you want the refined, smooth unflustered 2.0D with it's 5-spd gearbox, or the entertaining, brisk, driver focussed 2.2D with the 6spd box. The fuel use will be much the same with either.

Let us all know which were at fault when you manage to fix it

Definitely not. The bronze, brass etc would wear away rapidly. There needs to be an amount of flexible movement in the bushes and the rubber bushes are designed specifically for that purpose. If you replace it with non flexible material, not only would your car handle like a horse cart, the cabin noise would be obscene!

The wishbones, bushes etc cost peanuts and are easy to unbolt and bolt on new ones. Anti roll bar bushes for example are held in with 2 small torx bolts. I just bought genuine Jaguar ones for mine for 15 quid each from Kent Jaguar Supplies.

I expect your knocking will either be the drop links or the bottom ball joints. Neither of which are expensive or difficult to replace

Suspension shock absorbers and springs don't usually cause knocking like that. Usual culprits are strut top bearings, anti roll bar mounts, wishbone bushes, bottom ball joints and anti roll bar drop links. Occasionally, track rod ends but you'd feel that more in the steering wheel.

Most common are the drop links. It only takes a miniscule amount of play in them to give quite a loud knock. They sound more like a constant rattle than a heavy thud and are easy to replace. A competent diyer could do both in around an hour and a half max. I usually take 15-20 mins per side.

They look like a long thin rod with a ball joint at each end and attach the anti roll bar to the suspension strut. Some look like small, stubby knuckles but they're less common.

There is a nut on the ball and a flat cut into the other side for a spanner and usually are rusted on a bit. Soak with WD40 and they'll come off ok. If they resist, grind them off. They're not going back on anyway!

For the cost, I'd start there. If your approaching 100k they'll be ready for renewal anyway and you won't detect any slight play in them until they're removed as they are under constant tension.

Cost is around £15 each for decent pattern parts. Avoid FAI, Blueprint and FirstLine parts as they're rubbish and won't last. Try for Meyle, QH (if you can find them add they've ceased trading but parts are around) or Febi-Bilstein (These are excellent). Jag genuine I expect will be double that but worth the expense.

Peter, I've used Apex for 23 years and in that time I've tried beating them on service, quality and price and found no other company to be in contention.

The cheapest I've been quoted for BFG's elsewhere is £115 so they are easily saving me £80!

Even at £115 though, they are cheaper than most other branded tyres and the grip they offer in the wet is beyond anything I've ever encountered.

Couple that with dry grip in equal measure without any tyre squeel when being 'pushed' and my last set returning me 25k miles, I can't find a better tyre!

I'm prepared to guarantee you won't look back if you try BF Goodriche.

I had them on my Supra 3.0 Turbo which was tail-happy everywhere when I bought it. The BFG's were recommended to me and even in the wet, I'd have to rev up and dump the clutch to get it to break traction in a roundabout and even then it squabbled a little and gripped again without losing the back end at all.

Absolutely phenomenal grip! Since then, i won;t fit anything else.

Not got them on my jag yet as the current tyres are ok and have life left, but will be fitting them when I need replacements. Just priced them a couple of weeks ago at my local (Apex tyres, Peterborough - used them for 23 years now) and they've quoted £95 each for the 18's.

I had a set of BFG's on my Vectra V6 SRi (which was driven accordingly!) and I managed 25k miles!

Can't beat them and they knock the pants off Pirelli, Michelin and the like.