The Voices

Very pretty ! Reminds me that I should consider giving mine it's annual bath !

All S-Types from 2002 onwards had the phone buttons but not necessarily any phone capability. It needs either the Motorola car phone mounted in the centre armrest (not the Startac used in the MK1 S-Type !) or the bluetooth module. If you press the buttons (with the radio switched on) and the display says 'no phone', you don't have bluetooth. The other giveaway is to see if there is a microphone mounted on the drivers side 'A' pillar, it looks like a minature computer mouse !

Not added to this thread in ages ! Had a few things sorted in the meantime. Ordered a replacement 'new old stock' door latch to replace the OSR one that was not working. Andy went to fit it and pointed out that the part number on the box was correct but the part was a NSF door latch ! He lubricated all of the latch mechanisms and check straps and now all of the door lock work as they should. I decided that I would also order replacement coolant hoses to start replacing as many of the original ones as possible due to the deterioration I had seen. This was time consuming as Jaguar have some very strange descriptions for what a hose is called and what it does ! Rear parking sensors were doing strange things so took a chance and ordered some cheap ones from ebay, sold individually at less than £10 each. Whilst Andy had the car for a preliminary look to weigh up how long it would take to fit the new hoses and sensors, we noticed a leak on the gearbox oil cooler pipes. Had to leave the car with him as we decided it was not a good idea to drive it until he investigated further. Not very popular with Sue as she had to drive the Impreza instead, I did get a few 'Brownie points' by letting her use the new F-PACE company car for a couple of days when she had long trips to do (cheers boss !) Ordered the cooler pipes, advised that the part number I had which was C2Z11606 (supersedes XR856184) was only for the NA V8 not the 'R'. Duly ordered the C2Z11607 part number, which I was told was for the supercharger version. Took the parts over on Saturday morning for Andy to fit them, new gearbox sump / filter, sleeve and replacement gearbox oil as well. We got the leaking pipes off to find out that they were not the same shape as the C2Z11607 that I had ordered ! This presented me with a dilemma as the car was now immobile on a main dealers ramp being worked on as a favour from my former employers. Being Saturday of course made it worse, we checked national dealer stock for the 'other' part number, part was in stock at Jaguar but none at dealers. No parts delivery on Sunday so car would be blocking a ramp on Monday morning when the workshop re-opened. Options were to refit the damaged pipes to be able to move the car a short distance or see if the new ones could be persuaded to fit ? The two pipes are only held together by plastic clips so we were able to separate them to make comparisons easier, I should have taken some pictures but I was too stressed to think about it. Luckily, only one of the two pipes appeared to be a different shape, the other one had some different bends where it goes up to the radiator. Andy suggested that it could be a 'modified' design taking a different route around some of the other pipework, subsequent investigations seem to indicate that the part number in question is for the 4.2 SV8 XF. To cut a long story short, we managed to get both pipes into place and clipped back together without any major bending or twisting (I was terrified of creasing or compressing the thin walled aluminium tubing) Gearbox refilled, new sump / filter and sleeve and everybody lives happily ever after. New rear sensors fitted, work fine but have a much shorter range than the originals, only start to bleep when you are quite close. Ran out of time with the coolant hoses so not all of them were fitted, apparently one of them at least is easier with the bumper off ? Still loving every minute, goes like a train !

Adaptive cruise currently shows as a £1,460 option on the XF configurator ? Must be a 'glitch' somewhere if it is showing as a no cost option somewhere.

I now have the 'yellowstuff' front brake pads fitted to match the rears, very impressed by the results. Pedal feel is improved, 'bite' from cold is fine and the car feels to stop better. The replacement intake pipe has arrived as well. Fitted it last week and car feels a bit smoother, may just be my imagination though ! I now have a rear door that sometimes does not unlock however, so need to investigate at some point.

Link below to a set of four replacement 'flush' valves and the adaptor. Dirt cheap compared to the other ones listed. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391636200742?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

That looks grrrrrrrreeeeat ! (pardon the pun)

The majority of X100's will have fallen in bits due to corrosion by then ! Slight exaggeration, but make sure you have a really good look under the car if you still want one in 12 months. I can remember standing under one that was up on a ramp in the workshop and thinking 'that underseal looks really light coloured ?', I pushed it and discovered that it was actually the rubber backing on the carpet behind the drivers seat !

You could always buy the plate and use it as an excuse to buy a nice STR ?

Thanks Russ ! Looks better on my car than the 318i that donated the plate. There are stacks of number plates on the DVLA site that are STR related for not much money. Anything that actually has 'JAG' costs a fortune though. As an example, I thought of S400 GRR as a bit of fun, it is up for £250 including fees !

I work at Kentdale Jaguar in Kendal and live in Nelson near Burnley. Been ironing out a few minor issues before any modifications, now seems to be running sweet. My Impreza is getting neglected as the STR is so much 'easier' to drive.

Just put my 'free' private plate on the car. I don't think it looks too bad for nothing ? Prefer it to 'growl' rather than 'purr' but that's just me !

Probably worth trying some 'uprated' headlamp bulbs ? Might also be worth getting the headlamp 'aim' checked to make sure the alignment is correct.

Jaguar never offered the 19" size on the X-Type, we did offer dealer fitted 'Arden' 19" alloys however ? Returning to a smaller size will be straightforward. Just buy a set of used genuine alloys and ensure that, if they come with tyres, the tyre size is correct for your car. The 2.5 was offered with 16", 17" or 18" wheels from the factory. As the rim gets smaller, the tyre profile is increased to maintain the same diameter and prevent speedo errors. A 'taller' tyre profile will give better ride quality and less road noise than a low profile tyre but you lose a little steering feedback and handling. I probably still have some literature with the standard tyre sizes if you cannot find the information on this forum.

We had a trade- in car at work with the number plate P88 URR (PURR ?) It was on the car when the previous owner bought it and he didn't want to keep it. My boss said I could have it if I wanted for the cost of the retention fee. Seemed like a bit of fun for £80, as we are also cat lovers (as well as 'big cat' lovers !) Retention certificate has come back so just ordered new plates ready to do the online DVLA transfer. I think it should look reasonable ?

I wondered about speaking to the local Powerflow / Longlife exhaust centre in Kendal (where I work) to see about a price for custom back boxes ? I am biding my time on the used Milltek, I can get a new one for about £1,000, so £500 would be the maximum I would pay for the used one.

Hi Russ, I am still watching the second hand Milltek exhaust. The fact that it is still for sale suggests that the target audience is very small and the price is too high !

I decided not to buy the Barcelonas after all. Concerned that the lower profile tyres would make the ride a bit harder and then Sue would give me earache for 'ruining' her car ! I may regret the decision in future..............................

Hi Russ, I expect it will be very noisy without any silencing. Might give it a try at some point, the second hand Milltek would be my preferred option but only at the 'right' price.

Worth a thought !

Not a bad idea Russ. Our alloy wheel guy calls at work on Wednesdays which is unfortunately my day off. This would mean a 150 mile round trip to get them done but I should just get on with it !

Hi Joe, thanks for the tip about the pipe bends. My current exhaust is fine, just want it to sound a bit more like a V8. Another option is to replace the rear silencers with straight through pipes, I have heard a few sound clips and they sound okay ?

Hi Joe, thanks for the link. That is the exhaust I was considering. Might make him a 'cheeky' offer as I can get a brand new one for £1,100 or less ? I am also considering seeing what our local Longlife / Powerflow branch could come up with, possibly just smaller rear silencers ?

Good point, well made !

Now I have another dilemma ! Cheap set of 19" Barcelonas and second hand Milltek exhaust available ? This is how the Impreza started !