The Voices

That's very interesting, I bought one of these for the my old XJR but had to remove it. Unfortunately the wired FM adaptor only has two switchable frequencies that it outputs on, which are right on top of where BBC Radio 2 sits on the FM band, so all I ended up with was FM 'bleed through' (even when the aerial feed was bypassed) This is because the signal strength is so good where I live that I can get full stereo reception on all of the BBC stations without an aerial plugged into the head unit !

The X260 XF diesel (2015 on) uses either the 2.0 ingenium engine or the 3.0 V6, whereas the earlier X250 model (up to 2015) uses either the 2.2 or 3.0 V6 diesel engine. The 2.0 ingenium engine doesn't have a brilliant reputation for reliability unfortunately. General opinion is that the X260 also had lower quality interior materials, until the final facelift in late 2019, when it got the interior upgrade that it deserved. Personally, I would look for one of the last X250 3.0 V6 S Portfolio models, very well specced and great interior quality.

Still available, I don't have an XJR to put it on !

The onus is on them to carry out the work you are paying them for with an appropriate level of skill and professionalism. I would first ask to speak to the dealer principal / head of business, if you don't have any success, trading standards / consult a solicitor.

The SV8 was the top of the range XF from 2008-2009, using the 420 BHP version of the supercharged 4.2 V8 engine, which was used previously in the S-TYPE R, XJR and XKR models. The XFR came out in 2009, and used the newer 5.0 Supercharged V8 engine with 503 BHP. The SV8 was discontinued when the XFR was launched, hence it's rarity, only being in production for 1 year. It was marketed as a 'Luxury performance' version, hence not being badged as an 'R' model.

Only a thought, but the two features showing as 'expired' (secure tracker and online data plan) only come with a 12 month subscription ? If you purchased your F-PACE in July last year, they will have expired this month, if you want to retain these features, you will need to pay the annual subscription. Think it is £240 per year for the Tracker and £120 per year for the data plan ?

It might be worth amending the description slightly to avoid confusion and adding some more details of the colour combination and specification. The SV8 is a rare car, only officially available 2008-2009 Description should be: XF 4.2 SV8 (the 'S' in this case stands for 'Super' V8, it's not an 'R' model) An XFS 'V8' on the other hand, doesn't have a supercharger, so people can get themselves mixed up, depending on how they read it !🙂 Best of luck with the sale.

It needs to be a data only SIM, not a phone SIM as far as I know. This one has been mentioned previously and lots of the reviews mention in car use. https://www.argos.co.uk/product/3342985?clickSR=slp:term:data sim:7:69:1

The aircon on my XFR has been playing up. Was working fine one day and then no 'cooled' air output. It runs on 'auto' all year round, so thought that sudden refrigerant loss wasn't likely, but a re-gas was maybe worth a try. I thought that rather than do the 106 mile round trip to work to get it done, I would use someone local. This was a mistake, as on both occasions that we took it in for our appointment, the aircon machine malfunctioned ! I then took it into work, first try revealed that the system was only indicating a small amount of refrigerant loss, which was topped up. This didn't have any effect, a more detailed check diagnosed a failed compressor. Not the cheapest component to buy, JLR offer two options, 'new' on an exchange basis at approx £1025 plus a refundable surcharge for returning the old unit, or a re-manufactured unit for approximately £685 plus the same surcharge. I do get parts at cost, so would be significantly cheaper, but still a lot of money on a 2010 vehicle. The supercharger belt and serpentine belt are also meant to be changed at the same time, so there was this to factor in as well. I did some shopping around and eventually settled on this: https://www.buycarparts.co.uk/nrf/13865282?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=orderConfirmation&utm_term=link8&deep_link=orderConfirmation&kmtx_hash=eyJtaWQiOiJ1aWQtNjg0OWRhZmEzMThjMzEuNjg3Mjg1NzUiLCJob3N0IjoiYnV5Y2FycGFydHMuY28udWsiLCJ0eXBlIjoib3JkZXJDb25maXJtYXRpb24ifQ%3D%3D Under £250 with free delivery and a 2 year guarantee. Had it fitted earlier and now basking in blissfully cooled air ! Waiting for the bill for the belts and fitting but saved me about £225 compared to the re-manufactured unit, even at 'cost' price.

My 2006 STR has the standard audio setup (not the Alpine 'Premium sound') I made a noticeable improvement to the sound by adding a 'stand alone' Alpine Class D amplifier. Most manufacturers offer them, commonly referred to as 'power pack' amplifiers. As the standard head unit in the car hasn't got line level outputs, my amplifier can accept either 'high level' inputs (fed from the speaker outputs of the head unit) or 'line level' inputs for head units that have this function. The amp is very compact, I managed to fit it behind the dashboard, after removing the head unit to gain access to the wiring. Quite a while since I did the upgrade, but I think that I put standard round speakers into the front and rear door to replace the paper coned ovals that are standard fit, possibly needed an adaptor to make them fit the aperture and a short adaptor lead to change the speaker wires from a plug to standard spade terminals.

Best bet is probably to get an exhaust fabrication company to add some silencers to the straight through pipes, or make up some custom backboxes for you ? I will be surprised if you can find new genuine ones anywhere for the 'R', think they are bigger pipe diameter than the V6 versions. Used ones, if you can find some, are a gamble, they could already be corroded. I still have the originals from my car, removed when I fitted the straight through pipes but will keep them in case I ever decide to revert to 'stock'

Finally managed to get time to fit the new starter today. No idea why I bothered, as ironically the car has started first time, every time for the last 2 weeks ! I can honestly say that extricating the top 'hidden' bolt is one of the most stressful car maintenance jobs that I have ever undertaken. It is a 13 mm headed bolt, not a 'stud / nut' like the lower one. Access is absolutely awful, you cannot even see it to get a spanner / socket on it. I managed to get about another half turn using an 's' shaped obstruction spanner and then after dozens of attempts, got a 13 mm 1/4 drive socket on it by attaching it to a 150 mm extension and a universal joint to clear the engine mounting. You have to basically feed the extension in down the side of the starter motor and then try to guide the socket onto the bolt head. I was then lucky enough to be able to undo it with another long 1/4 extension connected to the universal joint. So far, so good.................................. Then actually getting the starter motor out of the gap is another excercise in frustration. You have to twist and turn it at every angle imaginable to avoid damaging the oxygen sensor wires on the catalytic converter. Of course everything has sharp edges, wearing nitrile gloves is a waste of time, as they either split almost instantly or get cut to ribbons. My hands look like I have been attacked by angry cats. Once removed, you have to repeat the same process to get the new one back in place. The bottom stud is easy to get back in but the top bolt was hell on earth. Once again working blind and mostly by 'feel', it must have taken 30 attempts to get the bolt and the extension assembly into place, as there is no room to 'start' the bolt into the hole by hand. Using the same combination of extensions and the flexible joint allowed me to tighten it up for several turns, but it then became almost impossible. The bolt is approximately 50 mm long, so needs a lot of turns to get it tight enough to do the job. At this stage I was worried that I had managed to cross thread it, so had to call on the assistance of one of our technicians, who was doubt muttering '!Removed! amateurs' under his breath. He kindly had a look and had to undo the bolt to be able to check for any damage to the threads. Again, by a stroke of luck, the threads weren't damaged. He then had as much trouble as me trying to get the bolt / extension assembly back into place, when he did, the same problem occurred, seemed to be tightening up well, and then became very hard to turn. Only thing we could think was that the universal joint was now binding against the starter body as the bolt tightened. This resulted in him raiding everyones toolbox to try to find a different universal joint or alternative extension / socket combination. A different joint and a longer handled 1/4 ratchet allowed him to finally tighten the bolt, with much colourful language when he had to hold everything in place whilst one of the other technicians had to find an alternative ratchet to the first one he tried. I then finished up connecting the cables and made sure it would still start before refitting the undertray. Still starting first time, so no idea whether the new started has fixed anything or whether the fault has just 'gone to ground' for a while ? A couple of things have subsequently occurred to me: If doing it again (please, no !), I might be tempted to try a flexible extension drive, usually used for power screwdrivers. I have one the seems quite sturdy and allegedly rated for use with an impact driver. If I put a 13 mm 'nut driver' on the extension and then push it down the starter motor body, I wouldn't need a universal joint, as the extension itself will bend to clear the engine mount. By using the 13 mm 'S' spanner to get a couple of turns on the bolt to initially loosen it, the flexible extension won't be under as much strain when undoing it the rest of the way. The second thing that has been on my mind is the following: On my first attempt at the starter, I gave up and got on with replacing the headlamp washer pump instead. When I removed the wheel arch liner, one of the wires had come out of the plug going to the headlamp washer motor and was just 'floating' with a metal spade connector. The wires themselves also looked as though they had been trapped or damaged at some point, with some technical assistance, the spade connector was refitted to the plastic housing and the wires covered with insulating tape. I don't see how this could have any bearing on the intermittent 'non start' problem, but from that day, it has always started first time ?

Someone on the American forum found another video for me. The trick is to use a combination of socket and extension, plus a flexible joint. Fixings are actually a threaded stud with a welded nut, so the whole thing unscrews as one piece. Hopefully, this should make the job do-able when I next have access to the ramp.

Thank you. I have one of those 'twist handle' ratchets, but there is no way to get a socket onto the 'hidden' nut from any angle that I can see, the starter motor body is in the way. Also thanks for the 'You Tube' video, unfortunately it is for the V6 version, so the bolt holes are in different positions than the V8 starter. I did wonder whether once the bottom nut is removed the starter motor could be turned slightly to get better access, then realised that the thread will still be sticking through the mounting hole ! I presume they have used nuts onto studs instead of bolts, because there would be no room to undo and extract a 30 mm long bolt.

Purchased a new starter motor and planned to fit it today. Got the car up on the ramp and removed the undertray, according to 'Topix' the starter motor on the V8 is only held on by two 'bolts' (they actually appear to be nuts ?) The V6 and diesel models are different. Bottom nut is clearly visible, it has a second nut attached that secures the earth lead. The top nut cannot be seen using any method that I have at my disposal. I can reach in and feel it, it's a 13 mm, but trying to get anything on it to loosen it is proving to be very awkward. Managed to get an 'S' shaped spanner onto it and managed to move it by a fraction but can't seem to get any of my 13 mm ratchet spanners onto it. Has anyone tackled this job who can provide any hints or tips ? Starter motor removal and refit.pdf