LairdScooby

You're welcome Dominic, i've achieved similar figures from mine on longer runs, for example a trip last year to the Kinson area of Bournemouth for a friend to collect a car he bought on ebay returned 31mpg. I should add mine is on LPG so the general multiplier to get the "correct" petrol consumption is 1.3 so arguably i would have returned ~40mpg on petrol. Knowing the roads you mention and roughly what i get around here on similar roads (but without the hills) i generally get 27mpg which works out ~35mpg when "corrected". Where possible, on unrestricted roads, i try to keep my speed at an indicated 78-80mph which is (by GPS) a real 73-75mph as i've found this gives the best economy on a longer run, ~2500rpm so the engine is just into the power band properly. Talking of winter motoring, i had a nasty scare last year when i encountered some ice and nearly got intimate with a telegraph pole. Since fitted a new set of tyres as the ones on there were all 10+ years old and had obviously gone hard, despite having good tread. At the time my other car was a Volvo 760 GLE on near new cheap tyres and that had gone round the same junction without even a twitch hence pointing to the tyres being the cause of the problem. If your tyres aren't reasonably new, it would be worth double checking them before winter in the light of this. 😉 😄

Glad to hear it's all sorted now Dominic, it's surprising how sensors interact with each other on many cars. There are many schools of thought on auto box use, one is put it in D and forget it no matter the length and terrain of your journey (assuming it's all forward of course). The other is to use the manual override for hills (both ascending and descending) and also for restricted speed areas. Rough rule of thumb is at 2000rpm (the beginning of the power/torque band), 3rd gear gives 30mph and 4th gives 40mph so besides helping avoid a speeding fine, it should (in theory) improve fuel economy. I'm currently testing that theory but thanks to some recent town driving don't have any conclusive results. Using the auto box purely as a manual seems a bit unnecessary IMHO, fine to use it on hills ( as above) etc or for slightly more control through a series of twisty S bends if you're driving "enthusiastically". Either way, it shouldn't cause any problems using the box as a manual, it will in fact help to keep the various hydraulic valves moving easily, especially if combined with ATF changes every 24k miles to keep it fresh. Early S-Types upto 2002 used Mercon V (roughly equivalent to Dexron III in viscosity but i'd be reluctant to use Dexron) and later cars used Dexron 6 (ZF 6 speed) which is much thinner and causes problems in the older (Ford) 5 speed auto. Mine is an early car and when i change the fluid i will be using Carlube ATF-U or NAPA MVA as both meet/exceed Mercon V specs. Another reason for me using ATF-U is my other car also uses the same so saves me having two different ATFs lurking in the shed! 😛

Dread

Phobia

Clown

Government

Excursion

Tenacity

Trivial (as in strictly for the birds)

Immigrant

Frontier

Exploration

Wanderlust

Hopefully the ABS sensor will fix the gearbox too and you don't have two separate faults there! Keep us posted Dominic!

Boonies (Boondocks)

Province

Cadillac

Do you know what fluid was used in the box? I have a couple of ideas but some more info is needed before i have any firm ideas of where to start looking.

Hi Fiona, just to clarify, restricted performance is in fact limp mode. It should be ok to drive but expect lower performance and hgher fuel consumption. If you can find an alternative route avoiding the motorway, i think i would probably do that, not that it's likely to break down but if it did, at least you wouldn't be stuck on the motorway. My thoughts are with you for your mum, i also have a (sort of) family member in hospital at the moment so i understand what you're going through, hope both your mum and car make speedy recoveries!

Welcome aboard Jacques! Check your sills, particularly the rear ends of them as they have a habit of being the first places to corrode badly, often hidden behind plastic covers. Good luck with your X Type, they're good cars! 😉 😄

Panther

Supermarine

Roundel

Specific

Don't ignore the warning light Cyril, it's there for a reason. If it's on when it shouldn't be, the charging system is definitely NOT working fine! What makes you think it is fine? Without looking at a diagram and not knowing that model, i can only make assumptions but either way, something is bringing the w/light on. Worst case scenario is the alternator isn't charging at all - it might be putting out enough voltage to appear to be charging on a basic voltage charging test but not putting out enough current to cover everything needed just for basic running. End result will be a non-start but in the meantime, rough running is likely to happen with the potential for ECU damage. Best case scenario is a fault in the w/light circuit and the alternator is charging on residual magnetism in the unit in which case the flat battery will likely be avoided but the alternator is likely to be damaged ultimately. Get it back to that garage, if they try and fob you off, find a good autoelectrican near you and get a second opinion. Even if you have to pay for that and seek recompense from the supplying dealer under warranty you should get it sorted.