N6 JMX

Hi Martin, this sounds like a really bad experience and one that I am pretty sure must be quite rare as these engines are generally VERY reliable. I have heard of 300k miles on these engines, without missing a beat, so you have either been very unlucky, or something has gone truly amiss inside the engine. The fact that your car has been taken to "a reliable Jaguar Specialist" would indicate that you have not been using a main dealer for your servicing works, has that always been the case in your possession? You may want to get in touch with Jaguar Cars Customer Services, but I doubt they are going to be very sympathetic, unless you have detailed records of any works carried out, including oil specifications as used at the oil changes, any other work undertaken by you since 2018, etc. A seizure without warning, even a high temperature or a low oil light is mystifying, so not sure what to suggest further, but good luck going forward. N6 JMX

If you are sure it is rain water, then it should also come in when you hose / wash the car. Have you confirmed that it only comes in due to rain? Try turning the AC off for a week and see if there is any improvement. Normally, in hot weather with the AC running, you will find a small puddle under the car when parked. Have you seen the puddle recently, or is the driveway dry under the car at all times? Do you have a sunroof? There are also drains from the sunroof surround, but I have no idea where they travel through the car, but down an A-post would seem logical, ending up near the footwell. N6 JMX

Hi margi3, a little strange to buy a car and then immediately think of flipping it for a "profit". In my experience, "flipping" for a profit with Jaguars is a fantasy world, not one occupied by mere mortals. If you are not "in" to the car and want your money back, try selling it on but be prepared for an inevitable loss. N6 JMX

Hi Keith, Not very far as the crow flies, but a drive around to Swallows Jaguar at Rooksbridge, see link below, might be a worthwhile trip. These guys are very knowledgeable and good to deal with. https://swallows-jag.co.uk/ N6 JMX

Hi Geoff, I suspect what you are looking at is a rubber seal that has baked hard due to age, wear and heat. Putting your part number into the search engine produces multiple "hits", including OEM seals available and they all look like rubber items to me. N6 JMX

The problem of the blocked AC drain persists on both the earlier New XK (X-150) and on the XJ (X-350). N6 JMX

Hi Eddie, sounds like you have a blocked drain from the AC system, a known problem especially in the New XK models. There is a modification to the drain that avoids future blockages. Not a big problem, but quite a task to access the drain and make the fix. N6 JMX

Located in Chelmsford Essex is JD Classics. A little further afield is Ken Jenkins (marque specialist) trading as Carlton Autos Ltd in Worksop, Notts. N6 JMX

Hi Keith, welcome to the wonderful world of Jaguar motoring - you will enjoy it. From your spelling of "tires", I am guessing you are not in the UK, possibly North America. If so, there is a great community in Jaguar North America and you will find lots of great help and insight on here. One of the first things you'll need to keep a 2004 car running well is a suitable code reader, preferably one that can cater for Jaguar specific codes (DTC). Enjoy. N6 JMX

Hi Phil, the first thing required is more information, particularly any stored fault codes that could point to the problem. You have listed your XJ as a 2012 model, therefore an X-351 model, so it should be worthy of a fix, but first we need to know what is causing the limp home mode. N6 JMX

I assume you are using a suitable charger for the battery? Your battery is NOT a standard lead acid, but an AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) and should never be charged using a standard style charger. It must be charged by a charger with an AGM setting. The AGM battery has a very different charging cycle and has different internals. The fact that you sometimes get interior lights and ignition, would indicate that the battery can deliver a small level of current but not cranking the car would be a sign that the battery is past it's prime. If the battery has a Jaguar sticker on it, it could well be the original and therefore at least 9 years old, which is well past the use by date for a battery in a modern vehicle - 5 years would be more typical these days with all of the onboard electronics. You certainly need to have the battery drop tested to confirm it's condition, but even then, I would suspect it to be dead - especially if charged incorrectly. N6 JMX

I Gordon, you are not alone. I suspect the site has an issue at the moment and a number of recent posts have "gone astray". I haven't started any recently, but a few of my answers have certainly gone from the post areas. Over the the staff / moderators to advise. Incidentally, check out the post under Scottish Events for a Jaguar Day in Glasgow on Saturday, Jun.29.24. N6 JMX

Welcome to the wonderful world of Jaguar motoring, it has a great community aspect to it, so be sure to get along to local shows and meet fellow enthusiasts. Not sure about the tyre size choice for the XE, but there are several ways to check what tyres are correct fro your car. An obvious one is the sticker, usually in the driver's door jamb, that advises the tyre pressures - often tyre sizes are given there as well. Another option is to check in your Owner's Handbook, there you will find the tyres that are advised for your vehicle. Finally, visit the Kwik Fit website and type in your registration number to their tyre selection tool, which will advise you of a range of tyres to suit your car. At 9 years old, your car could be on its second or third set of boots by now, so it is not always correct to think the current tyres are the correct dimensions. Previous owner may have changed and gotten it wrong at that point. Good luck and happy motoring. N6 JMX

Hi Paul, I mean to keep an eye out for hydraulic fluid appearing in strange places. It is not easy to simply look around the car and visually check the pipes and hoses as they are predominantly concealed behind areas of trim. However, you can see quite a few of them if you stand outside the car and have someone else operate the open / close hood function. An improvement over the X-100 cars installed in the X-150, is that the top latch mechanism at the windscreen is electrically operated, as opposed to hydraulic, so any hose failure and subsequent leakage is more contained. N6 JMX

Hi Jim, below is some pointers I posted a couple of weeks ago for someone else looking at procuring a New XK (X-150) with the aluminium body. There was a specific car in mind for this chap, so some of my comments are car / mileage specific. The 4.2 New XK was only available from introduction in 2006 until MY 2008, meaning you may find a 2009 car, but most of the 2009 cars will be 5.0 litre engined. I regularly keep an eye on the Classifieds and right now there are a few 4.2 litre convertibles for sale, but practically all are the NA XK, as opposed to the S/C XKR. Let us know if there are any specifics yu come across in your search. N6 JMX There is quite a bit of information around on various Forums in regard to the New XK (X-150) model, which production ceased in 2014, despite some registrations taking place in 2015. I appreciate that you state you would like a 4.2 litre engine, but you should not discount the 5.0 litre engine, especially in Supercharged format. Most of what I gave below will also apply to the 4.2 litre engine. The 5.0 litre engines are very reliable, but there are some areas to watch out for, like the supercharger coupling. A relatively simple and cheap fix, but not if you go to a dealer. Listen to the top of the engine at tick over. At 86k miles, the gearbox oil should have been changed, probably around 60k miles so check that has been undertaken. Supercharger belts and serpentine belts should have been changed at 10-years, so check service records. Look at the MoT history on the free DVLA check website. The aluminium bodies are very good, but can still corrode. Areas to look at are the boot, above the plinth. Here is a water trap and if the boot plinth is loose, it can rub through the paint allowing the corrosion cell to develop. Other areas are on the A-pillars and the front of the roofline, where stone chips have been allowed to progress - check for bubbling. Easily fixed, but the bodyshop needs to know how to work on aluminium panels. Aluminium corrosion that hasn't broken through the paint looks surprisingly like rust bubbling, so check these areas, the leading edge of the bonnet and the rear bodywork after the doors, ahead of the rear wheels Biggest area of concern is underneath where the subframes meet the monocoque. If the car has been used all year round, and at 86K on a 2012 model, that sounds to be the case, then exposure to salt roads can cause significant corrosion on the underside. It also may not need to be a year round car, there is a suspicion that living in the salt laden air by the seaside can cause the same issues, so spend plenty of time scrutinising the underbody. Inside, the interiors are very robust, but wear on the driver's seat could be an issue to be sorted with a repair kit, or a good trimmer. Note that the convertible can get quite grubby with road dirt if driven plenty with the top down and not regularly cleaned / treated. All of the switchgear should be tested and all of the various screens / menus on the centre touchscreen should be checked and working. A lot of functionality is controlled via the touchscreen. Obviously check there are no warning lights illuminated on the dash and if available, check for stored codes via the OBD port. Depending on your own abilities, or skill levels, it may be worthwhile investing in a full inspection of the vehicle by an "expert" either from a Club, or one of the motoring organisations. If you have any doubts, come back here, with details / photos and the community will get back to you. N6 JMX

Paul, the issue of the congealing fluid in the convertible roof hydraulic system refers to the X-100 cars, early XK8 up to the late nineties. It is not necessary to replace the fluid in the circuit on the X-150 vehicles. Of course leakage can occur due to hose / pipework aging, so you may wish to consider that in the future, but carry out a pipework inspection first. The hydraulic circuit is self bleeding. N6 JMX

Hi Terry, obviously this should not be happening to a 2013 era car, but it depends on what, if anything, the offending areas have been subjected to in the past. Do not use any solvent type cleaners, but try an internal detailer fluid, such as Meguiar's, to see what can be cleaned up. Do not spray the detailer direct onto the steering wheel surfaces, but onto a microfibre cloth and then work the solution into the cloth before tackling the control thumb wheels on the steering wheel. Work the areas around the controls and then wipe clean using a dry / clean microfibre cloth. If the Meguiar's doesn't do the trick, mix up a weak solution of lukewarm water and washing up liquid. Again using a microfibre cloth, soak it in the prepared solution and wring it out thoroughly until the cloth is just moist / damp, once again work the cloth over the controls and then dry with a second cloth, or a hairdryer if you have gotten the area a bit too wet. N6 JMX

Hi Andrew, I assume you have not yet undertaken a trial fit of your 18 inch space saver, at least to the front axle of your XKR? As Jim has stated above, the 18 inch, red wheel WILL NOT FIT the XKR as a consequence of the larger front brake callipers. It has to be the 19 inch space saver for the XKR, which in Jaguar supplied days was black in colour, whilst the 18 inch was red. Nowadays, there are multiple companies offering space saver spare wheels and one can no longer rely on selecting by the colour of the wheel. I have spotted black space savers that are only 18 inch. Anyone who needs / wants to procure a space saver spare wheel needs to take due care and attention so as not to be caught out. And, DEFINATELY do not elect to purchase a suitable standard (front) road wheel as that would be dangerous if fitted to the car in a puncture situation. In these cases, it is not a diameter issue to fit over the rear callipers, but it is an "offset" issue to avoid binding on the spokes on the rear. Look at a company called Road Hero, who use Kwik Fit as a retail agent. They offer a complete kit, including chocks and jack, which all came with the Jaguar supplied version. N6 JMX

Hi Howard, there is quite a bit of information around on various Forums in regard to the New XK (X-150) model, which production ceased in 2014, despite some registrations taking place in 2015. The 5.0 litre engines are very reliable, but there are some areas to watch out for, like the supercharger coupling. A relatively simple and cheap fix, but not if you go to a dealer. Listen to the top of the engine at tick over. At 86k miles, the gearbox oil should have been changed, probably around 60k miles so check that has been undertaken. Supercharger belts and serpentine belts should have been changed at 10-years, so check service records. Look at the MoT history on the free DVLA check website. The aluminium bodies are very good, but can still corrode. Areas to look at are the boot, above the plinth. Here is a water trap and if the boot plinth is loose, it can rub through the paint allowing the corrosion cell to develop. Other areas are on the A-pillars and the front of the roofline, where stone chips have been allowed to progress - check for bubbling. Easily fixed, but the bodyshop needs to know how to work on aluminium panels. Aluminium corrosion that hasn't broken through the paint looks surprisingly like rust bubbling, so check these areas, the leading edge of the bonnet and the rear bodywork after the doors, ahead of the rear wheels Biggest area of concern is underneath where the subframes meet the monocoque. If the car has been used all year round, and at 86K on a 2012 model, that sounds to be the case, then exposure to salt roads can cause significant corrosion on the underside. It also may not need to be a year round car, there is a suspicion that living in the salt laden air by the seaside can cause the same issues, so spend plenty of time scrutinising the underbody. Inside, the interiors are very robust, but wear on the driver's seat could be an issue to be sorted with a repair kit, or a good trimmer. All of the switchgear should be tested and all of the various screens / menus on the centre touchscreen should be checked and working. A lot of functionality is controlled via the touchscreen. Obviously check there are no warning lights illuminated on the dash and if available, check for stored codes via the OBD port. Depending on your own abilities, or skill levels, it may be worthwhile investing in a full inspection of the vehicle by an "expert" either from a Club, or one of the motoring organisations. If you have any doubts, come back here, with details / photos and the community will get back to you. N6 JMX

Jaguar Classic Parts offer period correct looking radio heads with all of the modern technologies incorporated - they cost circa £1,000 + VAT, so your desire is available, but at a cost. Alternatively, you can visit your local Halfords or Auto Store and speak with the incredibly young looking technician who will set you up with everything you need at a fraction of the cost from Classic Parts. N6 JMX

Hi Alan, check out the Scottish Jaguar Enthusiasts Day happening at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow on Saturday the 29th of June 2024. This is one of the few opportunities to meet and chat with fellow Jaguar enthusiasts north of the border and without making a 600 mile round trip to somewhere in the south. There is further information on this Forum, in the Events section near the bottom of the page, but if you cannot locate it and want more information, send me a PM and I will get back to you. N6 JMX

Hi again Robert, Auto Reserve Jaguar are the primary ones that come to mind and the link to their site is below. Huge range of Jaguar Spare Parts - Fast delivery UK and Worldwide - Auto Reserve (autoreservejaguar.com) N6 JMX

Hi Robert, unfortunately there are many beautiful X-100 cars around, but the beauty is only on the surface. The ungalvanized steel bodies are very prone to rust, with many built-in water traps that, unless carefully managed, will practically guarantee MoT failure as you have just experienced. You are right in thinking that the online scrappers will not treat you as fairly as one might, but there are a number of specialist Jaguar Breakers who would be interested in your car - it will still have a lot to offer and one never knows, there may be some folks out there who are wanting a "Project". I recently, a few years back now, had a request for assistance from someone who needed rid of a car with similar issues to what you describe. Before committing the machine to an inglorious end, I advertised the car in specialist Jaguar Classifieds for a very reasonable sell price and had several takers. You may wish to consider that option as well. Keep us posted here on what you finally decide. N6 JMX

Hi Dave, there is a full information site at the DVLA website on how to register an imported vehicle, but you may be short of relevant paperwork. Best place to start is DVLA and if you follow the link below, you will see what it entails. Importing vehicles into the UK: Registering an imported vehicle - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Alternatively, you may wish to approach some of the other Jaguar Clubs, such as Jaguar Enthusiasts'' Club, see www.jec.org.uk who have access to specialists in touch with DVLA and they too would be able to assist. N6 JMX

Hi Shaun, you can try, if you know a good independent, but the Jaguar suspension system is unique in some respects, so you may need to resort to the Auto Logic or Jaguar Diagnostics to get a full description fault code. Good luck. N6 JMX