StrayCat

Hi Peter, thanks for your message. I’m a bit ‘old school’ when it comes to fiddling with modern cars so I’ve not invested in a reader as you suggest. For me, I’m sure it would result in a little knowledge being a dangerous thing! Since posing the question, I’ve learnt of a Jaguar specialist not too far away from where we’re staying so I’ll visit them very soon. Thanks again.

Seven years on and I'm still in love with my S Type but recently she's been misbehaving. On longer journeys and, by coincidence always on motorways, the amber engine motif will display with the RESTRICTED PERFORMANCE message. At first there's no feeling that performance is restricted at all until an occasinal cough and splutter makes me pull over and switch off. On restarting, the performance seems restored for a while, despite the warning lights remaining on and I was always able to get home. Frustratingly, after an overnight rest, the warnings are absent and local driving returns to normal. It was too easy to put this all down to gremlins and fortunately, in France, motorways were always traffic light. However, we're back in the UK and it's happened again, this time in heavy rain and very congested motorway traffic around Manchester. I nursed the car off the motorways and chose a slow and uneventful cross country route to get home. This morning no warning lights are displayed! I'd appreciate it greatly if anyone has any similar experience or advice which could help me identify the cause of the problem. My local garage has said bring the car in with the warning lights still showing but that never seems to happen. With sincere thanks in anticipation.

Hello all, A Jag driver stopped me in a supermarket car park to tell me about a JDC meeting coming up in the East Midlands at the end of this month. Retford Market Square, DN22 6DR, 10am - 4pm Sunday 30th June. Retford is close to the A1 so could be convenient for anyone along the old north road.

Another point of view; I'm not an advocate for heated screens. A recent eye test revealed that my distance vision is close to perfect but I do use reading glasses. Whether this combination exacerbates the problem I experience with the heated screen on my car I don't know, but in various lighting circumstances I am very conscious of the fine wires in the screen and find it quite distracting. If my screen were to be damaged I'd probably ask for a non-heated replacement - if that could be done?

I'm not a fan of bumper stickers but this one does send a direct message don't ya think?

Some friends in France are planning to buy a new car. They're well heeled and looking at some expensive options, but didn't mention Jaguar. When I asked why the marque was not on their shortlist the lady responded "If they made a car like yours I would buy it but the new ones are just normal". The word 'normal' in France interprets as indistinct from anything else, run-of-the-mill. C'est la vie.

Thank you Joe The battery is not too old so I think a good long run is needed, I'm looking forward to it! All the best, Jim

Hello everyone My car has been off the road for a few months (no problems) but before then I had been unable to open the boot manually, pressing the button did nothing. I wasn't too concerned because the keyfob and dash buttons worked perfectly. Now they don't function either, can anyone offer a clue please? I look forward to hearing and thank you in advance.

It's like the thrill of that 'first kiss' - again and again and again.

Hello fellow owners, Before buying my S Type, my work meant high mileages annually in high(ish) performance cars, through all kinds of road and weather conditions with up to three complete tyre changes each year. I have had experience with several makes of tyre, none of which were low cost. About eighteen months ago, a front tyre puncture caused me to call into a small garage where the owner convinced me to buy two budget tyres which he rated very highly. In the time since then I’ve discovered characteristics which I’d never come across in any of the tyres I’d driven previously. The first thing I noticed was in the winter, I became aware that the tyres rode very hard until warmed up which took a few miles and up to thirty minutes before their road holding felt reasonably secure. There followed a worrying time on an autobahn with steering ‘wander’ at high speed, something I’d never been concerned about with the premium tyres with which the car was previously shod. Then, just last week, a large carbuncle appeared, fortunately on the outside edge of one of the tyres which I noticed straight away so I’m now replacing both of them. At this stage they have covered only about one third of the typical mileage I expect from tyres on this car. I won’t mention any particular brand because I’m not an expert although I’ve bought an awful lot of tyres in nearly two million miles of driving. My only words of caution are that there has to be a reason for the price differentials between tyres. Or, as they say “You get what you pay for”!

Hello Rees I’m sorry to hear about your gearbox problem and hope that my own recent experience might be helpful. On the first of two 1,500 mile drives my car (also a 4.2 V8) displayed vaguely similar symptoms to what you describe. As with your car, there was no warning in the dash panel until after about 1,000 miles then; ‘Gearbox Fault’. I called into an independent Jaguar garage where they cautioned that it could be the torque converter or, big worry, the gearbox itself. I did not have time for them to investigate properly and took a chance on continuing my journey. Eventually the car went into limp mode but I managed to get home and took it to a local Jaguar specialist. The gearbox oil and filter were changed and I was able to set off on a repeat of the previous journey. I mention this because 1,500 miles seems more than enough to determine the garage’s diagnosis was correct and I’ve enjoyed perfectly smooth gearchanges since. Good luck with yours.

Hello guys I think the history of this particular requirement goes back several years and, if I remember correctly, began with United States safety directives. Until glass became so creatively applied, most headlamps and auxiliary lights were positioned on the front and rear of vehicles. The US safety directives required that signals had to be visible on the sides of vehicles, for the benefit of other road users who might not actually be in a position to see the front/rear lights clearly. Very many designers achieved this effectively with wrap-around lighting which is currently ubiquitous except that the retro-characteristics of the S Type Jaguar feature circular lamps, placed very much in the style of earlier vehicles - at the front and not always visible from the sides. Hence the side indicators on the S Type fulfill both safety and legal requirements. I hope this is helpful.

Hi Slowprop I've owned an S Type for four years which has been my primary mode of transport. When I bought the car it was (relatively) the least expensive I'd owned for very many years but I've had no regrets. In fact, my affection for S Types has increased, so much so that I too find myself contemplating a second car and top of the list - another S Type! Go spoil yourself.

Found this pic of the car I'd seen.

Hi Gary I agree with you about two-tone cars, especially some of the older vehicles. At a recent vintage car show I saw an old Jaguar saloon in silver over 'anthracite', that's the best description I can bring and it did look beautiful, the darker colour appeared to underpin the lighter shade. Also, it had whitewall tyres, perfect for its age.