KEN33Y

20 hours ago, JOE-DOT-COM said:

Hi

my fathers car sits on the drive sometimes for a while before he uses it and his battery was going low

so when it had a new battery, i bought him a small solar panel that sat on his rear parcel shelf and charged his car by sunlight when he was'nt using it

something like this might help you, it was from maplin and under £15

cheers

joe

You may have missed the fact that my car lives in a locked, alarmed garage Joe therefore, the use of a solar panel would be deemed totally useless. I do have a small trickle charger that I should attach during the week however, being an electrical engineer I am somewhat sceptical of leaving it plugged in and attached all week when working away from home.

Varta as turned out to be the cheapest deal actually Peter. I have mostly over the years purchased Bosch but you can add an extra £30 on the Varta price.

My problem is car usage. At present I am working away from home quite a lot therefore the battery is not being charged as normal until the weekends even though its left unlocked in the garage because there is an alarm on the garage

I do like the 5 spoke but that is simply a matter of preference. I also like the 18" however, I have an XKR which comes with 20" standard. If I can ever decide to keep the car rather than upgrade to an F type I think I may choose to downsize to 18" for a more comfortable ride. I do like the range of Coventry wheels and if you shop around they can be quite reasonable

Anybody recommend a battery mine has died on the XKR

Unfortunately had the same problem from returning from holiday Sunday battery was dead and therefore, would not start the car. I simply placed my battery booster into the cigarette lighter socket which retrospectively trickle charged the battery. Half an hour later the battery turned the starter motor over and started the car. I took it for a decent drive and all was well. I'm in a fortunate position whereupon I can place the car in the garage and leave unlocked therefore, there is no drain on the battery when left standing on this occasion my Son had used the car returned to the garage and locked the car, idiot the garage is alarmed.

Dean, get the car up to operating temperature to check for leaks, if its an hose you should see a fine spray coming from it or anywhere else its leaking to give you an indication. If its an head gasket leak the Oil or the water will look creamy in colour

Does it not tell you on the rear of the fuse box lid?

Nadolig Llawen from Welsh Wales John, have a good one

Hello Liam and a warm welcome to THE Jaguar OWNERS CLUB. The S type is a great car and I'm sure you will enjoy the experience of ownership. Feel free to ask any questions there is a great bunch on here willing to help out

Hi Keith and a warm welcome to the Jaguar OWNERS CLUB. I'm sure you will be enjoying life with your new purchase, feel free to ask questions there are many on here ready to assist in any way possible

Hi Paul, welcome to THE Jaguar OWNERS CLUB. There is a good bunch on here always helpful when advice is required.

Hi David and welcome to THE Jaguar OWNERS CLUB. Some good knowledge and advice to be had on here feel free if you are stuck

How very peculiar. I can only speak for myself and state that I have always found members to be helpful and friendly. Never have I seen or rather heard anyone try to proclaim the website is associated to Land Rover / Jaguar.

Nadolig Llawen, Happy Chtistmas

Maybe,

http://www.parts.loc8apart.co.uk/nav/auto-part/Jaguar/XK/Ignition-Coils-and-Modules.php

Hi Charlie and a warm welcome to THE Jaguar OWNERS CLUB. You will find a great set of guys on here always willing to assist.

spark plugs are a matter of individual choice just like that of Oil however, there are differing types of spark plugs with offer different attributes such as copper and platinum. Platinum will last longer than copper however copper conduct better than platinum, please see below;

Copper spark plugs vs. Iridium and Platinum: Understand for Top Performance

Many people come to the point where they are forced to change the spark plugs on their vehicle and face a difficult decision; copper spark plugs or those of another type? You can find spark plugs in a variety of different metal combinations, including aluminum spark plugs, iridium plugs, platinum and more. Copper core spark plugs are still the most commonly seen, however, and many people agree that they are the best. However, the advertising that accompanies the different types of spark plugs is potentially misleading, so it's important to recognize the real difference between the spark plugs in question. In order to do that, it's necessary to first learn about what the metal in the spark plug is used for.

Purpose of the Metal

The metal in a spark plug serves a single basic purpose: to channel the electric energy from the plug wire through the spark plug so that it can be forced to the engine block in the form of a spark. Therefore, any metal that conducts electricity at all could potentially be used for a spark plug. The metal should also not get too hot; one of the main problems with some metals is that they overheat quickly, causing the electric charge itself to be compromised and the spark plug to not operate as smoothly.

Copper Spark Plugs

Copper spark plugs are generally considered to have the best performance of any spark plug type. This is potentially different from what advertising companies suggest, but the other metals are, unfortunately, not as conductive in general as copper is. Platinum and iridium plugs are more likely to overheat, which causes damage to the plug components and can compromise the delivery of the spark to the engine block.

Platinum and Iridium Plugs

Platinum and Iridium plugs perform at a lower level than copper spark plugs, because they are less conductive and they tend to overheat. However, the overall longevity of these two types of metal is better than copper plugs. In reality, copper has the best performance of all three and the worst longevity. Platinum has good longevity and the worst performance. Iridium has good longevity and a performance that is decent, which is why iridium plugs tend to be more expensive than any other type. Still, the difference between these plugs in terms of overall quality is minimal, as there is a trade off for each.

Most copper plugs need to be changed every 20,000 miles or so. Platinum and iridium plugs can often go for twice that before they require changing, but the overall performance will not be as good and you may have to deal with overheating of the plugs. This is potentially not worth the added cost of both platinum and iridium spark plugs, although the decision will depend upon your preference.

Many younger people do think that Jaguars are the province of older people, and seem to forget that over the years younger people seemed to be more envious of E Type and S Type Mk2 drivers rather than looking to buy one themselves.

 

Despite what younger people think, the Jaguar car is not  as expensive to run as some other cars popular with younger people.

 

Parts can be obtained through other sources than Jaguar Main dealers and servicing and diagnostic charges can be done by good mechanics with lower overheads, and consequently lower labour charges.

 

When I bought my S type with only 48k on the clock and with a lot of bells and whistles,  a Ford Mondoe with the same mileage was £2,000 dearer, and a "Hot Hatchback" was not only more expensive but also significantly slower.

 

Experientia Docet!

 

Peter.

Managed to get a pair that was advertised on eBay from http://www.jojags.co.uk

£90 instead of the dealers £400, can't be bad

Trevor I understand and accept that 5 / 30 is the recommended however, in my XKR 4.2 V8 Supercharged which has the same recommendation I always use Magnatec. It is my preferred choice of lubricant after foliong a demonstration of it working. It leaves a working on all metallic parts of the engine in comes in contact with offering protection if Oil is not present momentarily.

Its always a personal choice of make / brand

Personally I would take it to a Jag specialist, main dealer or a good auto electrician to resolve. Jaguar don't make it easy to upgrade sound systems. That was one good thing about my old Mercedes SL's it was so straight forward.

I'm trending towards the vacuum myself Russ worth a look, I think if it were a gasket seal it would be more erratic on as you say normal idling

Hi John and a warm welcome to THE Jaguar OWNERS CLUB "JOC". You will find a good bunch of members on here all willing to be of assistance should you require any.

Graham, it would appear having read many posts in the matter that reversing sensors are a common problem with certain models of the Jaguar range. I personally have not come across the constant bleeping problem for which you appear to be encountering which must be annoying.

I do however, know how to locate a faulty sensor which is a common problem, they work on a daisy chain system which means if 1 sensor has gone faulty then the parking sensors will not function correctly.

To locate a faulty sensor is quite simple;

You will need the assistance of another competent person to sit in the vehicle with the handbrake set firmly. The assistant should start the engine and select reverse whilst keeping their foot on the brake pedal. At this point you should place your ear to the near side sensor it should be making a clicking noise if not then it could be suspect. Should it be clicking then inform the assistant to select neutral then, reverse again whilst you perform the same procedure on the next sensor, check if its clicking. Perform the same routine on all sensors until you find the sensor that is not making the clicking noise which should be the faulty sensor. Good luck

Hello Stuart and a warm welcome to 'THE Jaguar OWNERS CLUB "JOC". I cannot give any advice on the Diesel engine owning a 4.2 V8 supercharged petrol engine however, Peter has made good comments being an experienced owner and would only offer good advise.

Thanks Peter, I have sent them an email.