Ian Manning

My strong advice would be to start with the small battery. When I had the problem of stop-start not working 18 months ago on my 2014 XF 2.2D 200, I left it for a while as I am not a fan of S/S anyway. However, at my last service I asked Marshall Peterborough to check the batteries. They informed me that the main battery needed to be changed to sort out the problem. However, when they wanted to charge me nearly £400 for this work, I took it to an independent garage in Milton Keynes who changed it for less than £250. However, afterwards the stop/start was still not working, so I did some research and replaced the small battery myself with the same part number as the Jaguar battery for less than £50. Stop/start immediately working again. Very frustrating as it meant the original main battery had been fine and hadn't needed changing. Very poor call by Marshall Peterborough, who otherwise had given good service. So, from this I strongly advise anyone with a non-functioning stop/start system to change the small battery first. It was pretty easy and rigging up a 9 volt battery with crocodile clips across the terminals during the swap over seemed to maintain my settings.

Hi, Jon, What is 'ceramic coated'?! Some sort of paint treatment? Could you please supply some details? Cheers, Ian

Hi, I tried the Superchips Bluefin remap on my 2015 model XF 2.2 200 and was unimpressed. On their website they show two endorsements, both claiming huge improvements in overall power and, crucially for me, a ‘virtual elimination of the diesel lag from standstill’. Both of these claims I found to be largely unsubstantiated. In fact, driving the car with the Bluefin installed and then without showed any improvement in performance was difficult to identify. Pickup from standstill was the same and I think that mid- range power was slightly increased but no more than when using Shell V Power fuel!! So, if you fancy trying the Bluefin remap, my advice is as follows: 1. Go to Superchips in Buckingham and get them to install it. 2. Go for a test drive with the installer and assess any performance improvement. 3. Get the installer to remove the remap. 4. Go for another test drive to confirm the impressions from your first test drive. 5. If the improvements in performance are not clear to you, return the Bluefin for a full refund. Do not drive home with the Bluefin installed unless you are 100% certain you are happy with it or you will have to pay nearly £10 to return it for the refund as I had to do. Hope this is of some use. PS: I’d love to hear from the writers of the two glowing testimonials as I simply cannot square my disappointment with their experiences.

Hi, Peter, Yes, a very fair point. Maybe I had expected a bit too much but I still found the disparity between the experiences of the reviewers quoted on their website and mine puzzling (on the assumption the views quoted were accurate and unsolicited, of course!). I still find the turbo lag/slow response (not sure how to describe it accurately) an occasional cause of irritation but have learnt to get round it by a/using 'S' rather 'D' or b/ manually choosing 1st at rest and c/ always filling with Shell V-Power diesel. The latter definitely makes the engine more responsive (not greatly but enough to be worth the extra cost). It has a higher cetane number, so I guess that's not surprising! BTW, what was the Honda motorbike you were riding? Must have been an early import, surely, as I thought the Japanese didn't make serious inroads until the second half of the 60s? I remember when, in 1970, a friend and I swapped his new Honda 250 for my fairly new Triumph 500 Daytona and my astonishment at the performance of his machine! Redlined at nearly twice the Trumpet's 5,500rpm, no vibration worth talking about as opposed to the vibro-massager I was used to, 5 gears and - a revelation - an oil tight crankcase!

Hi, all. Well, it's a while since I posted in this thread ref. the Bluefin remap from Superchips. Well, I finally had it done earlier this year and here are my views on it written 4 days after having it fitted: 'I had the Superchips Bluefin remap carried out on my 2014XF 2.2 200 by a member of staff, Graeme, at the Superchips HQ back in May 2018. I have since sent the Bluefin module back under their 14 day refund offer as, quite simply, it didn’t produce any of the considerable benefits mentioned not only in their literature but particularly in two testimonials shown on their website. The diesel lag from standstill (my main area of interest for an improvement) was virtually unchanged as far as I could tell and the low to mid range engine speed pick up seemed very little changed, too. Driving away on the day, although it didn’t feel obviously different, I guess I really wanted it to work and so persuaded myself that I should give it a ‘fair crack of the whip’. And, indeed, I convinced myself that it was a bit more ‘perky’. However, to check this, the following day I removed the Bluefin software and replaced the stock files and far from feeling slower and less responsive, I amazed by how ‘perky’ it still felt! It makes no sense but I can only conclude that any improvement the Bluefin may have made was so small as to need the placebo effect to show itself! Interestingly, Superchips website shows two testimonials from XF users with the same model as mine (20012 - 2015 XF 2.2 200) and they were both claiming really amazing improvements such as ‘diesel lag gone’ (mine hadn’t), ‘fantastic low speed pick up’ (mine was very little different from standard), ‘so fast now, my wife won’t drive it’ (no obvious increase in power and speed). The company spokesman, Joe, could offer no explanation for this lack of benefit other than ‘it may be an under performing sensor somewhere’ and something about ‘no two cars are the same’ despite being the same model, coming from the same manufacturer on the same production line and from the same year span. Logically, I can only conclude that the testimonials were from people either expecting the results and imagining the improvements in performance (the placebo effect) or the Bluefin remap really did do the business. The obvious question, then, is: why did it not work on my car? Simply to say, ‘we don’t know, here’s your money back’ seems to me show a lack of faith in their product as well as a lack of research into its operation. There was no suggestion of bringing my car back for them to investigate the lack of improvements. Legally, they cannot advertise the remap as providing an extra 30 bhp if this has not been proven on a dynamometer, similarly with the extra 73 Nm of torque. Therefore, I simply can’t understand why a 15% increase in power was almost undetectable in normal driving. I was most unhappy with the way I was fobbed off by Joe with his ‘it’s just one of those things’ insouciance. So, if anyone does want to take a chance on this remap, my advice is: go to the HQ (don’t do it yourself), get them to come out with you as you drive the unmodified car over a short road test, let them drive it as well, then swap the ECU files and re-run the road test with both you and them driving. The claimed improvements should be immediately and clearly apparent. If not, don’t leave until they have given a convincing reason for its failure to live up to its glowing promises. I was deeply disappointed with the Bluefin remap as, to put it bluntly, it just didn’t work as advertised. So, all in all, a very unhappy experience with Superchips although I must say the staff I met at their HQ were very friendly and polite but, sadly, that ‘butters no parsnips’ when their product simply failed to live up to their promises.'

Addendum to post: the key fob caused the lights to work but did not lock the car, so the door opened when the key fob was out of range, therefore setting off the alarm.

Hi. I wonder if anyone can offer advice on the following problem with the keyless central locking my 2014 XF 2.2 200 which has just started. First, when I unlock the car with the driver’s door handle, the mirrors do not un-park. I tried the other 3 doors in turn and all DID un-park the mirrors as well as unlockking the car. Later, I 5ried to unlock the car with my fob, the lights flashed, the mirrors stayed parked and the left passenger door remained locked. I got out the spare remote ( rarely used) and tried that but with the same result. I then pressed the lock button on the fob, the lights flashed but mirrors did not park. I then moved the fob out of range and tried to open the driver’s door which set off the alarm! I do not think it is the battery being low as my local Marshall dealership charged, checked and conditioned the battery only last week. Any advice would be gratefully received. Ian

You may be interested in an email exchange I had with Superchips regarding a Bluefin for my 2015 model XF 2.2 200. Cheers, Ian 'Hi Ian, Thank you for your enquiry. I can say 100% that we DO NOT have to remove the ECU, the whole process is achieved through the OBD port on the Bluefin for the XF 2.2d 200PS. The forum chaps are on to something - most other tuner's have to remove the ECU to remap all flavours of the XF. As with everything on forums though, worth taking with a pinch of salt and asking the source rather than trusting hearsay. Some of the other XFs with different ECUs do require the removal first to work with Bluefin, but not the 2.2d, which is where your confusion on our website might arise. No worries, all hair intact - you've asked a reasonable question, and hopefully my response is reasonable too :) If you have any further questions please come back to me. Best regards, Graeme -- Graeme Kendall Superchips Ltd 2-18 Homestall Buckingham Industrial Park Buckingham Bucks MK18 1XJ Tel: +44 (0)1280 816781 Extn: 630 http://www.superchips.co.uk http://www.mybluefin.co.uk -----Original Message----- From: Ian Manning [mailto:iwm4@icloud.com] Sent: 18 January 2016 18:35 To: Sales Subject: Bluefin for Jaguar XF 2.2D 200 Dear Superchips, Are you able to confirm unequivocally that with the Bluefin I can re-chip my XF WITHOUT removing, opening or touching the ECU? It is clear that this is implied (stated even) on your website. People on the Jaguar Owners Club website are still saying that physical removal of the ECU is necessary. Sorry if this makes you want to tear your hair out! Many thanks, Ian Manning iwm4@yahoo.co.uk Sent from my iPhone -------------------------------------------------------- This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error then please let the sender know immediately. Please make sure that your system checks this email and any attachments for the presence of viruses - although we take all reasonable steps to ensure communications are virus-free, we can accept no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email. Superchips Ltd Registered Office: 2-18 Homestall, Buckingham Industrial Park, Buckingham, MK18 1XJ Registered in England No: 1303145 VAT Reg. No: 196 1165 50

Hi, all. I'm a new member and find this thread very interesting as I have been considering a Bluefin re-map for a while now. I have a 2014 (2015 model) XF 2.2D 200 Premium Luxury with extras. It's my first Jag and I really love it. There is only one thing that has ever grated slightly and it's the delay when accelerating, especially from standstill. It's reduced when using S rather than D, but is still there. That's why I have been considering a remap, not for any increase in power, although that would be a bonus. I would be interested in any comments on the effect the Bluefin has on this delay. Also, is it really a simple matter to remap the car with the Bluefin? Where does the diagnostic socket hide? Cheers, Ian