I have made it!

[Captain Comfort]

25 years ago I first drove a Jag, a V12 E-type that belonged to my Boss - he gave me the keys to clean it & suggested I take it for a spin to charge the battery up afterwards. I'll never forget the admiring looks I got in that car, and his words when I parked it back in his space - When you arrive in your Jag, you know you've arrived...

So I've finally made it - I took delivery of a 2005 S-Type Sport Diesel yesterday. 110K on the clock, full service history & only 2000 miles on the cam-belts & everything still working. Should be reliable enough, & a good size for carrying the wife & kids. I made the daily commute in it today & smiled for nearly every mile. 2 roads from home though, the low coolant light came on & steam surrounded the car. I limped it home & had a look under the bonnet. Expansion tank was empty, so I started adding water. And adding more water, after 5 litres the level was still dropping, but no external leaks to be found. Not head gasket or hydro-lock as it still turned over & ran & the temp needle hadn't risen over normal. 2 litres later though, the undertray yielded all that water as it began pouring off the back of  it. So this is clearly a major leak somewhere inaccessible. I removed the top cover & noticed coolant residue on the EGR body. So a leak in the 'V' then. Getting worried now as I have expensive experience of a V6 Omega Oil cooler failure back in the day. Poked & prodded a few hoses, & found significant movement in the thermostat housing. I looked a little closer & found the housing split clean apart. Fantastic, my first 'ownership experience' less than 24 hours after signing the green slip... Straight on the blower to the trader, I've got some warranty so no issues there. Going to miss driving it while it's getting fixed though - it takes no time to fall for a jag, does it?

And on a totally un-related note to this breakdown, I'd like to fit the touch-screen head unit, is it compatible?

[Reusch]

Wow now that is an intro a new to you car ownership I had similar with a cayenne I bought 3 years ago ( now own a 2009 xf).Hopefully the dealer will be better than the one I bought off.

[Old Peter]

Welcome to the club, Stuart.

Not a good start, but I am sure that when it gets fixed you will certainly enjoy the S Type.

I have a similar model to yours and the 2.7 diesel is a great engine, quite quick and very economical, with bags of room inside.

I think that the touch screen unit is possible and there are several knowledgeable members who can advise.  When Paul [Raistlin] spots this post I am sure he will give you some very expert advice.

Regards,

Peter.

[Captain Comfort]

Thanks for the welcome. I'm hoping it's just a storage related fault but I'm now looking into an extended warranty.

[bmcl6]

Welcome to the Forum.

[Captain Comfort]

I collected the car yesterday afternoon, with a new genuine part fitted. Put another 60 miles on & I've checked the coolant level 3 times already because I'm now paranoid about it...