The Voices

If the car has been stood for 2 years, I would suspect that the fuel in the tank is not up to much ? Worth siphoning out what you can and putting in a few gallons of fresh fuel maybe ?

Might be worth paying for a main dealer diagnosis, you can then use whoever you want to do the work once you know what the solution is ?

Contact Jaguar customer service ? It is only a year out of manufacturers warranty, I would expect some goodwill from them.

I only ever use Shell V-Power (99 octane), the ECU is supposed to be able to 'learn' and adjust itself to improve performance when supplied with better quality fuel. Could all be in my head but for the small premium over 'branded' 93 or 95 octane, it can't do any harm.

It isn't 'behind' the number plate on the S-TYPE. The keyhole is located above the number plate on the boot plinth that houses the number plate lights, to the left hand side if looking at the car from the back. I would suggest spraying WD40 or similar into the keyhole before trying your key, the manual lock doesn't get used often and can be hard to turn.

I would guess it will be the 'clock spring' (squib) that is causing the problem ? Had the same issue with my car but also accompanied by the airbag warning light flashing. Replaced the clock spring unit and problem(s) solved.

I don't know unfortunately, never heard of anyone having to replace one ?

Probably cheaper to get one from a breaker and pay to get it fitted ?

The rates quoted in the original post only apply to new cars registered from 1st April 2020

The later XJ models up to 2009 did have bluetooth but for voice calls only, not for bluetooth streaming. There are 'Jagdroid' modifications available which can add the ability to stream audio, think it costs about £170 ? http://jagdroid.org/jagdroid-cd/ This is the correct link to the website.

The later XJ models up to 2009 did have bluetooth but for voice calls only, not for bluetooth streaming. There are 'Jagdroid' modifications available which can add the ability to stream audio, think it costs about £170 ? http://jagdroid.org/jagdroid-cd/ This is the correct link to the website.

I recently purchased a cheap new pressure washer from Aldi and thought that other Jaguar owners might be interested in my findings. It is the 'Ferrex Q1W-SP07-2200A' (memorable model number !), which is retailing at £79 currently. https://www.aldi.co.uk/ferrex-pressure-washer-2-2kw/p/090593007320200 I wasn't expecting miracles at this price but it does come with a 3 year warranty, so figured that I didn't have much to lose. The specification seems decent, 2.2KW motor, 10m hose with storage reel mounted on the machine, onboard detergent tank, 5m mains lead with brackets to wind it onto for storage, 2 wheels for mobility with a decent size base for stability and extendable handle. Supplied accessories include: spray gun / lance, variable pressure nozzle, turbo nozzle, rotating brush and 0.5 litre of cleaning solution. The nozzles connect using the 'click quick connect system', I don't know if this is compatible with any other manufacturers attachments but the connector for the spray lance to the spray gun is the 'Lavor type C' connector. This meant that I could purchase a snow foam lance from Ebay to allow me to use it for car cleaning (which was the main reason for the buying the pressure washer) Very impressed with the results so far, the vario nozzle give a decent range of pressure adjustment and the snow foam performance seems good with the 'Bilt Hamber' product. Fairly noisy in operation but does automatically turn off the motor when you release the trigger, so doesn't bother me. I think my Nilfisk machine delivers better spray pressure but doesn't have the hose reel and isn't as stable in use. Overall, I think it was money well spent and allowed me to clean all three cars before the rain appeared this week !

I am told that they make a 'clicking' noise if you put your ear to them (with the car in reverse, ignition on but engine not running !) The faulty ones won't make the clicking sound.

Without wishing to state the obvious, it is worth what someone is willing to pay, especially in the current market. It is (in my opinion) one of the best colour combinations for a Sport model S-TYPE, it doesn't have the factory option navigation but not really a massive issue on a 15 year old car. A quick look on Autotrader revealed that there are only 6x petrol S-TYPE Sport's for sale at present, prices seem to range from £2,295 up to £2,995 ? All of them are for sale with 'traders' rather than private individuals, some people expect a private sale to be cheaper due to the sometimes imaginary ' benefits' of buying from the trade but on this age of car, I think the condition will be the biggest influence on what someone will pay ? It might be worth using one of the free online valuation tools to get a feel for the current 'bottom line' Best of luck with the sale.

It looks like a Sport model due to the dove/granite two tone interior paired with the aluminium trim ? If so, have a look at similar Sport models on Autotrader to get a feel for a realistic selling price.

Yesterday, I decided to use the headlight restoration kit that I bought weeks ago. I already have the Autoglym one and used that a couple of years ago. The results were very impressive but the lenses have gone cloudy again. The new kit was a 'Holts' branded one from Eurocarparts, comes with an attachment for the drill, 4x grades of sandpaper, abrasive polish, aerosol sealant and 2x microfibre cloths. Worked very well and the plan for today was to apply the clear headlight protection film that I also happened to purchase months ago. This is where everything started to go wrong ! The adhesive film instructions recommend a heat gun to help stretch the plastic over the headlights, I have one but never used it before, what could possibly go wrong ? The S-Type has four individual front lights, I started on the outer passenger side lamp to get a feel for the process....... Two hours later, with 3rd degree burns to one hand from the heat gun, craft knife cuts from trimming the protective film and one very sorry looking headlamp, I decided to call it quits and leave it to a professional (once life returns to normal) To add insult to injury, removing the film was really easy ! Undeterred by this (minor ?) setback, I decided to take a look at fitting the replacement supercharger inlet pipe. On one of the US forums, someone had fitted the larger diameter pipe from the supercharged Range Rover and reported a noticeable difference. Guess what ? I purchased the Range Rover inlet months ago and not had chance to fit it ! The replacement inlet has some casting marks that need to be removed before it will fit into place on the S-TYPE, armed with a 5" angle grinder, what could go wrong ? Well, firstly the current Mrs Greenwood was not too impressed when I appeared in the back garden with my folding workbench, angle grinder and the aforementioned inlet pipe. I think she was saying something about the noise but I couldn't hear her above the sound of the grinder ? Anyway, all was going quite well, I was using a thin metal cutting disc and had to remove the spark guard from the grinder to get better access..................... It's really surprising how well a metal cutting disc does when presented with gloves and fingers. At least I now have an interesting scar to show the grand kids (if only I had some kids in the first place ?) Managed to staunch the bleeding and carry on, only to burn out the motor on the grinder ! To be fair, it must be over 25 years old and has seen more action than Warren Beatty's mattress ! My wife displayed a remarkable lack of solidarity and found the cloud of smoke a electrical burning smell highly amusing ? I had the last laugh however, my policy of 'multiple redundancy' kicked in (referred to by the wife as 'buying useless crap because it is cheap') and I emerged from the garage with, you guessed it, another brand new grinder that I just happened to have around ! Managed to complete the cutting without further impairment to my ability to count to 10 using my fingers, grinding it smooth is tomorrows job. So, what could end such a perfect day you ask ? Striding over a cat and falling down stairs is the answer ! Luckily only half a flight and my 'Mr Blobby' type of physique prevented any serious injury. When can I go back to work please ?

The original factory option Recaro seats were about £2,500 as an option if my memory serves me ? You will do well to find a set available second hand, we didn't get very many people 'ticking the box' when the cars were new !

Hi Martyn, that sounds like a plan !

A late plate, S-Type, manual petrol is quite a rare thing. I could only see two for sale on Autotrader nationally, which says it all really ! The silver 2007 on there is advertised as an 'XS' but doesn't have the body kit ?

There would be a saving running on LPG due to the cost per gallon but the actual 'miles per gallon' figure is slightly lower compared to petrol. You could calculate the 'actual' saving for your mileage and then work out how many miles to cover the cost of the conversion ? I am lucky in that almost all of my 40k miles per year is in a company car, fuel cost on my own cars isn't really an issue due to low mileage. My advice would still be to consider a cheap diesel runabout to keep the miles off the STR, as the potential downsides of the LPG conversion would outweigh the benefits.

I am only going off everything I have read over the years regarding a noticeable drop in performance when running 'performance' cars on LPG ? Never heard of anyone fitting it to get improved performance, only lower running costs. I did find this bit of info (but I am not a chemist !) Generally there will be some loss of performance as LPG has a lower specific energy content than petrol, so more fuel is required to produce a given power figure, meaning lower economy. and more fuel in the cylinder, means less oxygen, resulting in lower maximum engine power

Hi Martyn, I agree regarding the fuel consumption, mine averages 17MPG ! Not the most obvious fuel saving option I admit, but for the price of a good LPG conversion, you could purchase a second, more economical runabout to keep the miles off the V8 ?

Martyn My point is that the car was designed to run on fuel with a particular octane rating, adapting it to run on 'something else' seems to defeat the object. The last thing that a performance car needs is sub standard fuel. The cost of a reputable LPG conversion is going to be £1500-£2000, how many miles will you need to cover to repay the outlay ? On top of this, you will not see any return on this expenditure when you come to sell the car, the majority of people who would consider the purchase of a used STR are not going to want one that has been LPG converted (partly based on personal opinion but also based on 20 years in the motor trade !)

LPG is a lower octane rating that standard petrol, would never run any of my supercharged cars on anything but 99 octane fuel. Why on earth would anyone want to convert a performance car to LPG ? A professional installation is expensive and will take quite a while to pay for itself in fuel savings also, it is harder to sell an LPG converted car, many enthusiasts will avoid them like the plague.

Don't want to stick my nose in but the X150 XK was never offered with a leaper, either in the UK or abroad. It has the 'pedestrian deployable bonnet' so isn't meant to have anything fastened to it.