Old Peter

Hi Andrew, So will I, even though I had to hang up my clubs a few years ago -- arthritis in both knees and a bad back cutting in after about ten holes. We live near the Belfry and I occasionally got to play The Brabazon Course as some people used to invite me. Rather nice. Regards, Peter.

Hi Kenny, Some main dealers do the Stratstone trick and keep some good clean cars in stock, and some have other outlets which are partners, as it were. Stratstone own some of Evan Halshaw and use their website to advertise some of their trade ins. And one of my local Main Dealers directly own a big secondhand car outlet very close to their Birmingham base. Cars with big mileages all go off to small dealers, however, and some go off to the auctions. Regards, Peter.

Dave, -Try Piston Heads. Just look at Jaguars and you will get a good selection.

Hi Kenny, I found one at Stratstone 6 years old and they had a few older than that -- I must admit to being a bit surprised. From What I can gather they appear to keep their trade ins in a garage for about 3/4 months and advertise them sparingly. I was interested in one in Perth for £7k and asked if they would bring it down, but then, lo and behold, they produced one that they had had for three months and never advertised, with 40 k less on the clock and two tears younger. Regards Peter.

That must be the difference between the XK and the XKR, Kenny -- the supercharger! I never research the XK as I had made my mind up to get an S type --- need rear seats for the grandchildren. I just have the humble 2.7 diesel in my S Type which is surprisingly quick, especially when the second turbocharger cuts in. The advantage is the 53 mpg I got on an 85 mile trip on Monday Regards, Peter.

Possibly the wiring, Martin, as it is possible / probable that the wiring was done at a later date. Peter.

Hi Kenny, The early XK8 started life with a 4.0 litre multipoint fuel injection engine later uprated to a 4.2 litre engine. I think the XKR came in during 2005 with a 5 litre supercharged engine, that was quite a bit quicker, although I am uncertain as to whether the supercharger was put on the the XKR 4.2 engine earlier. I do know that the S Type was also fitted with a 4.2 litre supercharged engine in the S Type R version. It sold very well in America. I think you are right about the supercharger being the difference between the XK8 and the XKR. I am told that since Jaguar decided to cease production of the XK in July of this year, sales have gone up Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the Club, Tony. You will enjoy the Jaguar experience, and you have a very nice car to enjoy it in. Regards, Peter.

Hi Kenny, The XK series replaced the XJS around 1996, and the model was in both coupe form and convertible. Basically the series comprised the XK8, the XKR, and the XKR-S, the latter being the most powerful car built by Jaguar [and also very pricey]. I think that the XK8 had a 4.2 litre engine and when the XKR came out the engine was the 5.0 litre, and the difference between that car is about 40 bhp and over £27,000. Regards, Peter.

Try looking at the Stratstone Jaguar Website. They will move cars round the country. Peter.

Welcome to the Club David, That is a useful piece of information, Regards, Peter.

Hi Ben, The S type was introduced in 1999 during which year 53,000 were produced, with the 2.5 litre not available for export to the USA. The numbers exported to the USA were roughly 50% of the S Types produced. So with a bit of informed guessing about 26,000 S types went to the USA, and again assuming that those that went to the UK were produced with half of them being 3.0 litre cars there were only 13,000 sold in the UK that year. I have tried to find exact figures but Ford who owned Jaguar at that time were far better at engineering than at administration. The 2.5 litre was quite popular but when the 2.7 litre diesel was introduced in 2004 the demand for the 2.5 litre diminished and was eventually discontinued. Enjoy your car, Ben, Regards, Peter

Check the battery, David. There are so many electronic features on Jaguars that the battery, if failing, will not let the least important work. Peter.

Welcome to the Club, George. I think the code p1260 is an indication that there is something faulty with the key fob communication with the ECU. I am not certain, though. There might be someone who will know exactly what is wrong. Regards, Peter.

I left the Steelworks in 1970 - almost 45 years ago - there were 13,000 employees then and a bit more fumes arising.

Welcome to the Club, Gary. I was told that when I bought my first Jaguar that I would never drive another make of car. I think you might have been told the same! Enjoy the Club, Regards, Peter. Sutton Coldfield.

Welcome to the club, Carl. That is a useful bit of information. There are a lot of friendly people in the club who will always assist others & that is what the club is about. Great to have you aboard. Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the Club, Paul. You car sounds that you are rather fond of it. I hope you enjoy the club just as much. I was in South Yorkshire yesterday -- and my S Type 2.7D managed to get 53 mpg for the 85 mile journey! Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the Club, Dave. The x type is a very nice car described by some as "nippy" which is not a word I would use about a Jaguar. I had a 2.5 litre AWD which was a great car --- quick but stately, too. I used to work at the Steelworks across the water from the Wirral. Regards, Peter.

Quiet correct, Ken. I always replace tyres the same way, and never change them round. Peter.

Yesterday I drove past Orgreave -- the site of the former Orgreave Coke Oven and the battle of Orgreave -- instead of fumes polluting the area there is now a small wind farm and a small power station.

I was wondering whether average speed cameras would also cut down on car emissions -- you do burn more fuel when going faster -- which would save Governments a lot in expensive measures to reduce the effects of air pollution

A lot depends on where you live, Trevor. I agree that safety/speed cameras should not be seen on some roads, but on others the Average sped check would be a great idea. We live very close to the A38, and on one stretch, a twisty stretch of road with lorries exiting from a quarry, there is a couple of miles with an average speed check which has saved lives, which is far better than a couple of odd cameras. Regards, Peter.

Hi All, I went the 85 miles to Sheffield to attend the funeral of a former colleague. Entering the City I fought of the last fuel crisis in which the National speed limit of 70 mph was temporarily reduced, as I was working there mostly at the time. My route to Sheffield is motley on motorway - M1 - and dual carriageway. The motorway was restricted for the whole of the journey to 50 mph, but was flowing quite freely, and I stayed in the inside lane for the whole journey. When I got to the Cemetery in Sheffield City Centre I checked my MPG on the trip computer and found that the average for that journey was a very acceptable 53 mpg. Pretty good for a 2.7 diesel engine. The MPG for the whole journey was 47.4 which is also pretty good, as I had quite a few hold ups getting out of Sheffield. My thoughts? Should there be more average speed/safety controls on certain stretches of roads rather than the random speed camera on various roads which seem to be more of a revenue generator rather than a safety issue? Peter.

Hi Andrew, I am glad you got it all sorted, and now you will start enjoying your car. I also use a mobile mechanic for service and repairs but for tyres I always go to Halfords Auto centres and I have built up a good relationship there --- they seem to keep the same staff. The last time I changed a pair of tyres after a pothole damaged one, I asked for a the tracking to be checked. They forgot to do it - I spotted it when I got the invoice, and they fixed up the appointment the next day, corrected it but waived the £30 charge. Regards, Peter.