Jon Hyde

Thanks Peter, I walked the road looking for potholes or raised drain covers - nothing! Just reported it to my insurance company to see if they can cover the cost of repair - I really hope they don't want to scrap it! Now have to drive to Ireland in SWMBO's Audi TT 😞 Jon

Hi All, So there I was driving into Horsham, doing about 25mph, when I heard a loud bang from the front left of my 2011 XF-S. Then the steering pulled really, really hard to the left and the front wheel hit the curb, followed by a terrible grinding noise. Managed to just about get the car to a safe spot, jumped out to see that the front left suspension had collapsed, sending the turning left at an alarming angle and the body down onto the tyre. It seems that some component also punched its way through the wheel from the inside. Now with my local indy Jag dealer with an initial estimate of between £3K - £6K for parts, plus labour. Love the car, but is it worth it? Ironically, we were planning to take the Jag to Ireland today, relieved this didn't happen on the M4 on the way to the ferry! Cheers, J

Hi Darren, Have you tried the other key &/or replacing the battery in the key(s). Mine chewed through batteries in what I call the 'old' key (was trying to keep the other one pristine for no good reason!). As for your rear door - sounds like a dodgy solenoid or wiring or maybe water ingress to the door? Hope you get it sorted, Cheers, Jon

Well, I'm in much the same position (I'm 65), however I'm told I still drive too fast!

For what it's worth: my 2d(!) worth... My last company car before I retired (3y ago) was a Mercedes with LED headlights and auto-dimming. Dipped beam coverage was OK but very white. Main beam was astonishing, but I always had to be wary of the car not dipping in time, if someone came toward me. This leads me to wonder if auto-dipping lights are a half-step too far; after all, it isn't a major hassle to pull the stalk toward you if you spot a car coming. Change of influence... "Steerable" headlights (anyone remember the Citroen DS?) are (IMHO) very useful. Lots of cars have mocked them up (including my XF) with a light which shines into the corner You're turning into. So, back to my XF-S... I actually find the lights totally acceptable. I once had a Citroen DS5, which seems to have it's mission in life to light up the universe; forgetting about the road! On country lanes, the XF generates a kind of 'tunnel' of light, which, with the corner addition, seems to be OK. However, my boss (the wife) has an Audi TT (2015), which I really dislike... Suspension is soooo hard No room for a 6'1" driver No room for any sensible luggage Noisy as all hell So basically... We are all here because we are passionate about our lovely cars! Let's enjoy 'em and not change 'em too much! (although I did tint my rear windows (Soz!) J

Hi Gary, Oops - I misread your original post - I thought you were asking about the aircon vents inside - my bad! Apologies for that. Jon

Hi Gary, In my XF (2011, XF-S Portfolio) they are def for real! I enjoy the "theatre" of the startup as the vents rotate and the gear selector emerges. All four vents blow cold (or hot) as desired, normally cold on my side, hotter on the boss's side. (Boss has her seat set to heat, mine to chill, mostly). Have to say as well, that I love the way the demisting/de-icing just works in the winter, and have now got over the annoyance of the heating elements in the screen Cheers Jon

Oh my! The chips on the bonnet! 2011 XF-S, has a rash all over the front. It's had a ceramic coating, which looks fabulous all over, but does nothing for the chips up front. Thinking about a respray, but what's the point if it just gets chipped again! A related issue is (with big 20" wheels) road dirt gets thrown up along the sides. Wouldn't swap the wheels though. Car is metallic red, btw.

Hi Daniel, There isn't one! It's all done electromagically, you have to run the engine for a bit, then switch off and wait for several minutes before pressing and holding the button on the left stalk. Car must be level and warmed up. Hope this helps!

Hi Gary, Well, my story matches yours... Recently stopped working, gave back company car (Mercedes). Bought my forever dream car (XF-S Portfolio. There have been problems, but simply driving it is a pleasure. Problems: Cam covers Water pump Brake discs Tyres, tyres, tyres! (have a heavy right foot!) Points on licence! (See above!) If I were you, I'd go for pre-2011 with the best spec you can find. Others may disagree, but you cant beat the original! Need a pic of whatever you get tho!

Hi All, Just had a short trip to the coast. On the way home, I had multiple messages - Battery, Overheating and lost power steering completely. I guess there's a broken belt somewhere, but am waiting for my local indy dealer to com e and take it away. In the meantime, any clues? Cheers, Jon

Hi Philip, I understand what you would like, and would like that too, but cooling things, like seats (oh, the bliss!) needs an air supply from the aircon. Probably impossible, or at least very difficult to arrange to a steering wheel

Hi all (especially those in Sussex), This is just a shout out for the team at Arun Automotive in Pulborough. I promise, I'm not affiliated with the company in any way, but simply want to recommend them as the go-to place for caring for your Jaguar. Even if you don't need anything fixed, it's worth a visit to dream about your next car (Mine's an F-Pace, so my wife tells me), but we'll see when next year rolls into play. Special mentions go to Andrew (service manager) so chilled and calm as in "of course it can be fixed Jon" and Duncan, who sold me the second love of my life, aka MT11AOZ. Just putting this out there for fellow local Jaguar drivers

Thanks John & Victor, I'll have a look! Cheers, Jon

Hi All, Yesterday, the guidelines in my reversing camera failed to display. I know they're not the best, but better than nothing, and I'd like them back! Embarrassingly, I can't find my owner's handbook to look for clues (I'm sure it will turn up one day !!!), but if anyone knows of a way to get them back, I'd really appreciate it! Cheers, Jon

Hi Simon, Thanks for that, once I get my cracked cam cover replaced, I'll be off to one of your suggestions. Cheers, Jon

Hi Darren, No cause given so far, but I'm a bit annoyed that the righthand side cover was fixed a few months ago (similar cost), so why not do both at that time? Most of the cost is the labour, which surely wouldn't have been doubled if replacing both, as most of is is stripping down and rebuilding. Humph! Jon

OK, Sadly diagnosed as a cracked cam cover. Apparently a 2 day job, so have to wait for a loan car to be available. And about £600 to fix it! Grrrrr!

Hi All, Thanks for the suggestions! I tried a quick thrash in full attack mode (Dynamic + gearbox in S) and added a bottle of Wynns diesel additive; still got RP after about 10 miles. Stopped, everything was fine again for about 5 miles, then got RP again 😞 Will go for another spin later today, in case the Wynns has had an effect overnight, but expectations are low! Might need to wait to get it diagnosed when I can get it booked-in. It still gets to 70+mph, just takes an age to get there and exiting roundabouts is embarrassing! Thanks again, Jon

Hi Trevor, Thanks for that, I don't need an excuse for a blast! Will give it a go. Cheers, Jon

Hi All, Yesterday I had the dreaded "Restricted Performance" message. Today it was gone until about 20 miles away from home. I know it needs to be plugged in and diagnosed, but my local indy dealer is awash with work after lockdown. Any clues for likely cause? It seems to be temperature related, but that's just a guess. Cheers Jon

Hi Philip, I've just been outside to check my 2011 XF-S. No such lights on any of the doors, so I'd guess that yours are some kind of after-market addition, so probably difficult to find a fix to make them all work. Cheers, Jon

Hi Everyone, The only think that lets down the appearance of my XF is the wheels. Two are 'OK' the other two are embarrassing (not my fault - inherited!) Problem is, they are 20" Selina wheels with mostly knackered plastic fins. Can anyone suggest a wheel restorer in Sussex or at least the south east? Cheers, Jon

Hi Ian, Yes, exactly that. I live in West Sussex, took my XF to "All That Gleams", near Guildford in Surrey. They did a complete valet and applied the ceramic coating. It took a few hours (large car), but the appearance is well worth it, and I had a long breakfast while reading a book in the nearby pub! Cheers, Jon

Hi Dave. Completely agree with everything Paul said, but prefer the original interior. Mine's an XF-S Portfolio (3.0d), 2011. Goes and handles brilliantly; a car that big shouldn't do what it can do! It runs rings around my wife's Audi TT! Only things that caused my bank balance to shudder are: Tyres, tyres and more tyres (Heavy right foot!) Rear wishbones Inlet manifold Recently had it ceramic coated, transformed the look. almost keeps itself clean, like a good cat should 😉 Currently working myself up to the issue of replacing the timing belt, but due to the lockdown, not such an immediate problem (currently on about 81000 miles). There are lots of horror stories about DPF problems, but (crossing fingers here!), I have yet to be bitten by that, apart from once in the early days of owning it, but a good blast up the M23 and around the M25 resolved it in no time. Currently mainly doing shopping trips, but all is still cool! Whatever you go for, make sure that absolutely everything works as it should, and post a pic! Cheers, Jon