Carole Simpson-Hadley

Afternoon all, all aboard for Gaydon. We haven't been to a Gaydon Breakfast Meet before, so tomorrow (June 03) is the day for adventure number one. Hoping for fair weather so that "Myfannwy", our XK, can stretch her legs; alternatively, if the wet stuff is about, it'll have to be the S. Look forward to meeting various like-minded folk, having a good time, and, of course, browsing the Jaguar Collection. We took on our years "membership" of Gaydon back in February and whiled away almost 7 hours with bits still left to see. Anyone else planning on attending? As always, happy growling

Hi Duchy, and as we believe they say in your part of the world, good on yer, mate for diving into the wonders of Jaguar ownership. You will have a permanent grin on your face! My partner and I took the plunge one year ago with a '07 S-type in Seafrost and a '07 XK X150 with just 6000 miles on the clock....both are cossetted, as we are sure Juliette will be also. Don't make Wendy jealous! You look to have found a nice example, patricularly like the light trim (both our Jaguar's have light trim, we don'tgo a bundle on dark trim, particularly black). We are sure that with careful application of various leather products you will overcome the problem of the driver seat bolster. With regard to where the S-types were built, yes, you are correct in your assumption that they emanated from the old Spitfire factory at Castle Bromwich. For your interest, on the roundabout outside the factory (where our XK was also built), there stands an installation which represents 3 Spitfires in flight. I'll try to include a photo for you. You will enjoy the forum, we have found it to be both helpful and friendly, so, as always, Happy Growling Carole Simpson-hadley and partner

Well this is a fascinating thread, and no doubt there are plenty of motors on the list which fall firmly in the category of "wish I still had that one", just as many in the "thank goodness I got rid of that" category. My partner came up with his listing : 1947 Austin 10 with split rear window and a blind controlled by a string from the driver's seat, wouldn't pull your hat off on hills 1955 Austin A40 Cambridge 1200 1959 Ford Anglia 100E in lilac and blue c/w Styla wheel spinners (and, of course, vacuum wipers) 1955 Austin A50 Cambridge 1500 1964 Hillman Imp, later fitted with Peco Big Bore silencer and hub caps removed ..... didn't go any faster 1964 Vauxhall Victor FB with custard stirring 4 on the floor change 1964 Wolseley 6/110 with non-operational overdrive and a freewheel which, alarmingly, had a mind of its own 1969 Austin 1100 (sublime to ridiculous) with two different coachlines on the sides 1966 Humber Imperial (ridiculous to sublime) several company cars, including a 1969 Hillman Hunter 1725, a 1972 Chrysler Charger 770 coupe (!) and two of the ubiquitous Mk 3 Cortina in "flat as a pancake" 1300 form) 1955 Morris Oxford (Cowley shape) (well, my partner says, he was getting married at the time) 1968 Wolseley 6/110...nope, couldn't afford the petrol bill so the Oxford pressed back into service 1955 Morris Oxford (Cowley shape) in far better condition and in green. Later fitted with a MGB engine and uprated brakes 1965 Jaguar 3.4 S-type in silver with red trim.....now that's more like it! 1972 Hillman Avenger GT (yuck) 1974 Hillman Avenger GL (even more yuck) 1970 Ford Zodiac MkIV with 4 on the floor and incredibly slidey seating. Well, at least it was after an application of Mr Sheen. Doh. 1974 Audi 100GL (aagh, an Audi person!) 19?? Triumph 2500 PI 1974 Maestro Vanden Plas auto.....really!! 1978 Jaguar XJ6 series 2 in yucky Moroccan Bronze which was kept until 2003 1993 Rover 214 1990 Range Rover Vogue 3.9 EFI...went like a train. Most of the time. 1950 Alvis TC21 Grey Lady barn find which never quite got there and was sold to an Alvis affocianado from Derby 1994 Citroen Xantia to complement the Range Rover 1989 Rover 800 fastback 1994 Volvo 244GLT..loved it 1994 Rover 827 KV6 which suffered the usual cylinder liner issue and expired just before going overland across the Alps and Dolomites to Kefalonia 3 x Citroen C5, a 1.8 petrol followed by a 1.6 diesel followed by a 2005 2.2 diesel which became the victim of an out of control skip lorry temporary 2003 Vauxhall Omega 2.5 .... grot and double grot 2004 Kia Magentis, incrediubly reliable and got to 160K miles before succumbing to terminal issues Hoorah...our 2007 Jaguar 2.7 S-type as one of the three cars in our current stable Double hoorah...our 2007 Jaguar XK X150 "Myfannwy" Can even remember the registration numbers of each and everyone.......sad or what?! As ever, happy growling

Hi Stewart The XK8 looks grand and that seems/sounds like a good combination. We don't like dark colours at all, either outside or inside. Our X150 is lunar grey (which is as dark as we want to go) with, as said before, ivory trim, which is very light in colour. Our S-type is Seafrost which carries the lines well, again with ivory trim with some mushroom areas. We agree ref the wood trim, although our X150 has aluminium/carbon fibre dash trim which, somehow, in this case, we prefer to the wood - seems to suit the car better. Whatever, we weren't going to turn down the opportunity to buy a '07 car with only 6600 miles on the clock (now, after 13 months, increased to 8700 - high days and holidays!). The S has wood dash trim. A friend of my partner owns a black XF with very dark grey interior headlining; he says it's like riding in a coffin! We both wish you well with the 8, and if you do attend Gaydon on June 03, we hope the weather is good allowing us to attend in our XK; if wet, it'll be the S! We should like, eventually, to add a XJ8 to our stable, noting that MkIXs, early XKs (140/150) and E-types are decidedly out of our range! As always, happy growling and you won't find it difficult to keep the smile on your face!

Good morning Stewart That looks a cracker....might you attend the Gaydon breakfast meet next Saturday? We are hoping to attend in our '07 XK X150 (8K miles) and are really looking forward to meeting other like-minded types. What is the actual colour name of your XK8 and what colour is the trim? We prefer light trim (ours is ivory) as it seems to be easier (surprisingly) to keep looking pristine. That was a brave move to change from the XF, but we know which we'd prefer! (clue....'05 was a very good year!) As always, happy growling

Hello Jamie Ref your problem and costing of EGR valves, have a look at the thread by Actros entitled "S type black smoke" ..... costings are mentioned there, although do be aware that changing them can be a little time consuming (we had our S done last year). Good luck Carole & partner

Hi Martyn It is indeed the n/s EGR that can be difficult; my partner and I decided to allow a local Jaguar Independent to do ours, when they commented that the o/s was "fiddly" but that the n/s was "b..... difficult! They estimated usually at least a couple of hours for the n/s, so take your time and be patient. It would probably be good policy to throw a cover over the wing tops to protect the paint because there's plenty of leaning over the wings. We don't know what the french for "what silly s.. designed this lot", but we do bring to mind the ancient latin of "non illegitimo carborundum". As this is a family forum, we'll not translate but we are sure you can work it out! Meanwhile, whilst undertaking the task, do remember the happy chants of "Sacra Bleu" and "Mon Dieu", and if things get really nasty, how about a rousing chorus of "Non je regrette rien" mixed with "Allouette". And don't forget the Cordon Bleu Fromage Frais. Doh. Happy growling Monsieur, excuse us while we go and take our tablets

Good morning Martyn Good to know you are en-route to sorting the problem. My partner says that If you are doing the job yourself, allow plenty of time as access isn't particularly easy. Once you have done the job, you may experience an odd occasion, for a while, of the amber DPF FULL warning as the DPF will have been taking a bit of a battering. We found that running at around 3000 rpm for 15 minutes or so in lower gears (using the manual hold) clears the issue; this negates the need (as per the Jaguar advisory) of running down the motorway at 70 mph for the same time, which isn't always convenient or practical. Other than that, happy growling, as always!

Hi Martyn My partner and I experienced similar with our 2.7D S-type just after we bought it. At that point it had covered 52K miles on a '07 plate, and had been used mainly for "poodling about" locally. My partner says that the amber DPF warning came on (Diesel Particulate Filter Full) a couple of times and this could be cleared by running at around 3000 rpm for a short while (15 mins or so) in lower gears. However, twice the red warning came on and performance was restricted. A couple of applications of Wynns additive didn't really help, as by this time the problem was beyond being solved with an additive. A visit to a local Jaguar Independent showed that one of the EGR valves was blocking up, hence the black smoke and restricted performance. There are 2 of these on our '07 S. The guilty one was replaced and, touch walnut veneer, there has been no problem since. Not saying that this is the definitive answer for yourself, but the indicators are familiar. Whatever, Mr Jaguar would say that it is not wise to continue running around when the performance restriction keeps coming into play, as you could do some pretty nasty damage to the power unit. Hope this helps, and we wish you well with sorting out the problem Happy growling

Well done John Like you, we both still have a silly grin on our faces each time we venture out in our XK (see our post titled "Oops, ever felt you were in the wrong place!" It was, indeed, a feeling of disbelief when we took the keys of our '07 6600 mile X150 just one year ago. We spend most of our time, when out on our trips, with the windows down and the radio/cd off....can't beat that lovely burble. A hearty welcome and do enjoy the club...we have found it very entertaining and helpful for both our XK and our equally cossetted S. Do watch out for those alloys though! Enjoy the paddles. Very happy growling Carole & partner

As the title says, oops, ever felt you were in the wrong place and/or stood out like an aircraft carrier in a yachting marina? Yesterday evening, it clearly being summer 2017 (one day only?), we elected to have a pleasant countryside amble in the XK X150. Having fought our way out of the conurbation and past Stourbridge, the Shropshire open roads beckoned.......just right to stretch the legs (the XK's, of course) with the aim being to park up at a hostelry east of Bridgnorth, have a glass of coke and a packet of crisps at the outside bench, with the XK parked up below, and watch the world go by. Plan A. Plan A quickly went up in smoke, as once committed to the pull in, we discovered that clearly Wednesday night was biker night.......upwards of 100 bikes c/w riders and a very narrow way through. Not another car in sight. Oops. Ever felt outnumbered?! We gingerly picked our way through, burbling nicely (the XK, not us), and a friendly person indicated that "there's no food and you'd best park round the back". No kidding, we thought. The bikers were all apparently very friendly, but outside of removing 2 wheels from the XK and fitting some stick on handlebars, we thought perhaps we were in the wrong place. Plan B. Circuit the car park, back round the nearby roundabout, and a full throttle blast away from the scene, all 8 of Mr Jaguar's cylinders barking nicely.......and a distinct turning of heads from the assembled bikers. We did wonder if, all of a sudden, a gaggle of Suzukis, Hondas and Ducatis would suddenly loom large in the rear view mirror, but not so. Plan B far more appropriate...another hostelry where XK had the opportunity to say hello to a nice MGB soft top, We don't normally let go of the leash with such alacrity, but on leaving biker's paradise, the opportunity was too good to miss. Our case comes up Friday. Now where did we store that Honda 50? Happy growling

Thank you Joe.......I shall post some pics later..........we are just about to get up to eyes in garden fence replacement so car matters will not need to get mixed up with lump hammers and saws! It seems this is quite a common problem; can't beat the old-fashioned chromed metal (as on Mk2, Mk9 etc etc) but in these days of keeping costs down....my partner remembers working on his '65 S-type where everything was screwed or bolted together, and there ws hardly any plastic anywhere. Cheers and happy growling

Afternoon all I'd like to throw this one out there for thoughts and suggestions. The brightwork trim (plastic and lacquer?) on various Jaguar models, specifically the trim above and/or around the windows, can, over time, become somewhat "milky" in appearance. It's not a tarnish, and neither does it respond to any form of polishing etc. It is not apparent on our '07 XK but is beginning to appear on our '07 S-type. Firstly, what have any members done to stop this effect starting in the first place? Secondly, if it is apparent, is there any way of bringing the brightwork trim back to "as new"? We were informed by one S-type owner that a fellow in the Midlands Jewellery Quarter area had managed to remove his window trim and chrome plate it. Any views on that possibility? The obvious remedy is to replace all the trim with new, but that's quite a costly exercise, as we are talking OEM here....no reproductions available as yet. Thoughts and comments very welcome, to be filed away until needed! As always, happy growling

Good morning Tony We used Mequairs Gold Class clay kit on our XK X150 which seemed pretty perfect. Nevertheless, a film was lifted leaving a perfect base for application of Carnauba wax afterwards. If the car has had Superglaze or similar applied in the past, then it may be harder work to get rid of that. The Mequairs kit comes with the spray on lubricant...essential to use this or the clay will drag (and also be really hard work!). In fact, the kit contains everything you need. Also essential to apply a non-abrasive wax afterwards....again, we used Mequairs Carnauba which resulted in a really smooth finish. We took about 3 hours to do our XK with the clay kit, another hour and a half or so to finish with the Carnauba. As stated in earlier posts, there is lots of advice on the net. Well worth the effort and you can then join the Sparkly Club! Happy growling

I can think back to the days when the AA or RAC motorbike & sidecar fellows saluted a vehicle approaching if it carried the organisation's badge. If no salute, it usually meant "beware, there's a policeman/car about". We have (more recently, of course) noticed quite a few fellow Jaguar acknowledgements......both whilst out in our S-type, and more particularly when out and about in our X150 XK. Always dutifully returned, of course, although we have noticed little acknowledgement/response from drivers of later/recent models such as XE, XF which we put down to the fact that a lot of them may be company cars rather than personal pride-and-joy motors. Whatever, it's good to be in the club and maybe when approaching Gaydon for the Breakfast Meet we could all have a "flashdance" Jaguar headlight session. Then again.... Happy growling, as always

Hello John Welcome to the world of Jaguar ownership...you won't regret it! We have an S of the same year as yours plus a'07 XK X150. Like yours, we have the light upholstery which, we feel, suits the car better than black. We note that you have the same wheels as us; they can be a bit of a pain to clean in the narrower slots....we have found that an alloy wheel brush from B&M Stores is a great help with just water, occasionally a light soap. The B&M brush doesn't have any sharp ended wires in it, the core wire is curved so there is no risk of scratching the alloy. Also, see our previous post titled "S-type brake lights"; be wary when changing a rear cluster bulb if you have to, because the metal frame of the cluster is permanently live. Enjoy, and happy growling Carole & partner

Aha, solved our own problem. It's a bit of a faff, but the clips do push back in, provided they are perfectly lined up. According to a USA forum on the topic, the last thing you want is for the part of the fitting which accepts the visible piece to become dislodged and drop into the tailgate, as it is a pain to retrieve, but will rattle around if it isn't retrieved. Our memo to self....resist attempts to remove the luggage cover and don't try to put any more stickers in the rear window! As always, happy growling

Hi Dave, and welcome to the JOC. My partner and I have enjoyed our membership in the couple of months we've "been in", and found it very friendly and helpful. We have the opposite "always right" syndrome......we started with one Jag (a low mileage '07 XK X150) and ended up with two (also a '07 S-type). My partner thought one would do, but completely agrees with my decision to have two! That looks a very nice X350......look forward to seeing it on the listings. When are you thinking of putting it on? As always, happy growling and do enjoy the XJ

Hello Stuart Welcome to the band of Jaguar owners; my partner and I hope you enjoy. We have a low mileage '07 XK X150 and a '07 S-type and wouldn't be without either...particularly the XK for high days and holidays. We have found the forum to be helpful and friendly, and there is no "segregation" between different model owners. Everybody seems to be in it together. It will be interesting to see whether you use Jag Franchise or Jag Indie (Independent) when it comes to service etc. Happy growling

After frustration with a selection of Franchised dealers, we decided to attempt to locate a suitable Indie Jag Specialist. This as a result of, for example, our XK leaving a franchised dealer with wayward tyre pressures (36 and 24 in the fronts, 24 and 34 in the rears, not quite what Mr Jaguar had in mind!), and, as another example, despite asking another (3 times) as to whether they actually used Castrol engine oil, best response was a curt screenshot of the oil spec but with no confirmation that it would be Castrol. We drew the conclusion that Castrol wasn't used! This was after managing to get past all the "pretty people" at the front of the premises. Also, with our XK, we are not even sure that the oil change which was part of the sales service was actually carried out. Bingo, and we have found our Indie to look after our low mileage (8K miles) '07 X150 XK and '07 S-type - we today visited Elite and Performance Jaguar at Derby for the annual service on the XK. Pleasant and spotless premises, very affable staff, and the work was commenced shortly after we arrived (to enable cool-down, as we had travelled 45 miles from home to try out Elite). We were offered a lift into town,but elected for a shortish walk to the local retail park for a shuftie around and a breakfast. Upon return in the suggested time scale, almost done, and a helpful presentation of exactly what was what with our pride and joy. We determine that they don't suggest work that isn't necessary, and don't charge/quote silly money. Elite are clearly perfectionists, and enthusiasts for enthusiasts, so we are delighted. Needless to say, both our Growlers will be visiting Eliite as and when required.....highly recommended and we have come away with a good sense of confidence and wellbeing......give them a try. As ever, happy growling. Purrrfect

Hi Peter What a sparkly lot we are! Quite agree with regard to the Carnauba and the drying cloths. When we purchased our XK X150 last year she had only covered 6600 miles, but was still 9 years old. We had avoided the Superguard which the Jaguar dealer was desperate to sell us (we had taken a look at the valeters applying the process to other cars and weren't impressed, feeling that any film would be sealed in). We used Mequairs clay pad and liquid cleaner which brought a film off, followed by Mequairs Gold Class carnauba...what a difference, and, as you say, water just runs off, having formed plenty of little beads on the paintwork. We have just done our second application, and the finish is like a mirror. We dry off with an Autoglym towel and high quality micro-fibre cloths. Any residue of H2O which may not be visible is dealt with when she goes back in the Carcoon. With the vent open for a while, the drying process is well and truly complete. Our '07 S-type gets the same treatment. How sparkly are we! Do you use tyre gel? We use Mequairs again, as it doesn't flick and wipes off an alloy very easily, should we be a little clumsy with our sponge applicator. Happy sparkly growling

Here I am again The rear window of the X150 XK has a cover fitted inside, close to the window, which acts as a security cover for the contents of the boot and is attached to the tailgate. At the bottom edge it is located by two apparently push in clips. Whilst happily fitting my Jag OC sticker in the rear window, one of these clips popped out. How does it relocate, as we can't seem to get it to click home? There is no slot in the head of the fitting, so it's not a screw in type. Help! but nevertheless, happy growling

Hi Old Peter Totally agree ref wheel cleaning. We only use luke-warm water on both our XK and S, a wipe over with a specific Autoglym towel to dry, and they are fine. We did put a light application of Autoglym Resin Polish on which acts as a good protector. What a sparkly bunch we are! Happy growling

Hi Mark Yes, we thought that quote was entirely reasonable. Everything at Elite is "in-house" and they seem to be perfectionists in what they do. We know that a new cone is the perfect solution,but at some expense. We believe that the cone alone is around £650 so final tab would be the wrong side of £1K. We shall see what the kitty will stand at the time, should the(almost invisible) cracks worsen. Love the cartoon; is it the case that BMW have allowed Audi to use the patent?! As you say, let's not get started! One does have to be wary of pigeon-holing, tarring with same brush etc., but, really, some of the tricks that are pulled. Hmm. With regard to the Carcoon, we arrived at the decision to purchase a drive-in Carcoon after determining that just having the XK sat in the garage unprotected was not a good plan....condensation, dust etc. We did purchase a "premium" breathable car cover but were somewhat disappointed when, on first removal after one week, the XK was sopping wet with condensation; also the issue that a car cover makes contact with the car so eventually fine scratches would be a distinct possibilty. (We did get a refund). Some years ago (when I could still crawl around under a car!), I had several Gilbern cars - a GT, an Invader, a Mk2 Genie, an Invader estate and a Mk3, and used the original type of carcoon, which lay over the car, zipped up, and inflated, so you still had to be careful, particularly if the car wasn't clean when put away. The drive-in Carcoon is basically a clip together tubular frame built up within the carcoon, so that once it's up, it is simply a case of driving in (no contact with the car), zipping up and switching on the fans, deciding whether to leave the vent open (for drying) or closed (no drying required). If we return home and the jag is wet (still raining) we can drive her straight in, zip up, leave the vent open, and within a couple of hours the car is completely dry. If dirty, and not raining, we sometimes do the bucket business and Autoglym towel her off before putting her away, all ready for the next trip. Alternatively, put her away knowing at the earliest opportunity we need to do a wash off. Either way, the XK comes out of the Carcoon in exactly the same condition as when she went in. So if it's raining, drive in and she will be dry, ready for next "unzipping" to carry out the wash off. There is an outside version of the Carcoon (of which we have no experience) but don't know if that is available as a drive-in. In the day, my partner had a S2 XJ6 which sat outside for a few years pending work and this did not do it any favours, particularly as it was discovered that the rear window seal was leaking and much water found its way down into the rear seat well, corroding away happily...ugh! He also had a 1950 Wolseley 6/80 which was in pristine order but, like you, had a never ending battle to keep it tip-top. And as for the Alvis Grey Lady, that was never going to do any good sat outside! Drive in Carcoon would have been ideal back then! Happy growling (and that different type of growl when it rains on the newly detailed motor!)

Hi Mark Well, we were quoted £250 + VAT to remove nose cone, strip any parts fitted such as grille, foglights etc, strip and refinish, replace stripped parts and refit cone. We shall have a look at the products you have mentioned. Sadly, it's buckets etc tomorrow as we managed to get caught in a "wintry shower" whilst returning from Kedleston Hall, which we visited after leaving Elite. Perhaps we should have gone straight back to the carcoon?! Back to the nose cone, should there be any deterioration, we shall make the decision at the time......repair or replace. Depends on the kitty (no pun intended). Meanwhile, we are planning on attending the Breakfast Meet at Gaydon first Saturday in June.......should be some interesting comparisons there, not to mention (yet another) wander around the Jaguar Collection. What is it about some BMW drivers, that they seem to suffer from red mist as soon as they come up behind, or alongside, the XK?! We just let them get on with it, content in the knowledge of how many come a cropper when they venture onto the Nurburgring Track days! (We wouldn't go anywhere near, eventhough my partner used to race Rover SD1 V8 at such as Thruxton, Brands, Oulton Park etc). Brake lights on half-way round a wet, smooth tarmac curve? Nah! As always, happy growling