Old Peter

Thanks, Trevor. I will try that later. Today, is man in apron day and I am preparing a very nice Northern dish, based on Fresh Atlantic Cod delivered from Grimsby, deep fried in beer batter, with chipped potatoes, and those quintessentially Northern delicacies, Mushy peas. There was a story about a lad from Widnes who went into a Fish and chip shop when on holiday and asked if they had any mushy peas. He was told they they had just put some on a couple of hours ago, to which he replied that he would come back in a couple of days when they were done. So first things first, and after dinner, I will talk to the Jaguar. I have also looked in the service portfolio, and though I did insist on a full service when I bought it, the previous service was on the 29th March 2013. It has been known that main dealers sometimes forget to reset the computer after they have serviced a car. Regards, Peter.

Today the engine light came on, but with no message in the message centre. The car is running beautifully. It came the time to use my scanner, but when I plugged it in and set it up it told me that it could not make a connection to the vehicle. Has anyone had this experience? That was question 1. Question 2 is what do I do next? Peter.

I have P zeros on 18" wheels 245/40 97Y. I have not found a problem with them and they have done their time in the wet. Peter

Hi Wlliam, These modern cars need a lot of study for us oldies. I recall when I go my first car with a heated rear window, and when a heater was an optional extra. I keep my handbooks in my bookcase and read it now and then to discover new things. As you say, the sport mode is great, much better than the one I had on my Rover Sterling. Regards, Peter

At the moment it is between GEM and the RAC. The recent Auto Express survey and which has named GEM as the best service provider with the RAC well above the AA.

Welcome to the Club, Jason. I looks as if you have some interesting projects, and I am sure there are some with the expertise to assist in the Club. Regards, Peter.

Valuable post, Mick. I have been running on supermarket diesel [due to 10p a litre off] . Last month I used my local Shell garage which was only a penny a litre dearer than Tesco, and nearer. The car seems to run a touch smoother. I might also use the dearer higher performance diesel on occasion. Regards, Peter

Welcome to the Club, Steve. You will enjoy the Jaguar experience, and get loads of help from the folks on here. Regards, Peter.

I have locked myself out of my car on three occasions. The most embarrassing was when I locked myself out in that very hot summer of 1976 in Sheffield and then the following day in Leeds. It was the same AA Patrol man who came on both occasions! Peter.

Hi Trevor, Having read the whole GEM site and comparatives, some Breakdown services cover the car and some the driver/s. If your wife does not do any driving then the single person would be suitable for you, unless she is an occasional driver, like my wife. I have watched the video, and they cover whatever car the named driver is driving, and you do not need to register the car when you change it, are driving or indeed are a passenger in someone else's car, or driving a hire car. GEM also topped the survey that one of the motoring magazines did, so seems OK to me. Ideally, I never want to use a Breakdown Service, as I don't want to break down. Regards, Peter.

Morning, Trevor, I am currently with Britannia Rescue, which is now owned by LV=Frizzell, but used to be the Breakdown Service owned by the Civil Service Motoring Association -- I had for 17 years a part time appointment with a Government Body which classified me as a Civil Servant. They tend to used local mechanics and guarantee to be with you in an hour, which is of less importance than being able to fix the problem. The last time I used them was when the electronic handbrake of my S Type stuck and the mechanic who came said he knew nothing about modern cars and towing an automatic would present a problem. The problem was solved by my daughter's partner who googled it on his mobile phone. GEM seems a touch cheaper than RAC, with who I also was considering joining when Britannia runs out in May -- they have a discounted offer on till the end of April, and being a Lancastrian, I always look for the best deal on both quality and cost. I will let you know of any experiences I have. Regards, Peter.

Good morning on what I hope will be a Sunny Sunday, I have had three less than satisfactory issues with my current breakdown provider, with the last one telling me that he didn't know anything about modern cars. I have been looking around the various providers and came across the above. Apparently it used to be called The Guild of Experienced Motorists and was started in 1932. I was wondering if anyone has experience of this company and would like to give me an opinion. Regards, Peter.

Mine went Wiindscreen top, rear window bottom . Peter

As an former steelworker, I always work on tonnage. For every 1000 tons sold I get five shillings. That is a lot of scanners. Peter.

Morning, Matthew. I have a scanner from ebay costing about £25 which I bought after paying £69 to a main dealer to identify an "engine Mafunction" message [EGR Valve]. However ,I have never used it as I have not had any other message to identify yet! Just google ebay and take your pick from what is there. They are universal, and you should not have to pay too much. Regards, Peter.

Hi Martin, The last tow bar I had fitted was on a Rover 2.5 Sterling in 2000 and cost me £250, and it wasn't detachable either, so I think a detachable 15 years later is pretty good value. I thought you would like the quietness of the 2.7 diesel, and when you push the S button it certainly shows a lot of pace. Regards, Peter.

Good afternoon, Alan. Getting behind the grill does not look easy. Most suggest removing the front bumper, but that does seem a bit too complicated. There is another option which could be glueing it on with Araldite. Now with my S Type I can just lift the bonnet and ........... Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the Club, David. I have just had a look round my S type to see if there was anything easily spotted. Unfortunately not, so I am concluding that it could well be the wiring in the light unit itself. There could well be some other XF owners on the Forum who have experienced the same thing, and who will assist. Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the club, Andrew. You will enjoy the Club and the Jaguar. Regards, Peter.

Hi Del Also before you get oily hands there is also a site that you can google. Do not google the site direct as it will cost you a few shillings but simply google" S type: an ABS fault. traction control You will come to a site called Just Answer and the topic that you want will be showing --- free! Regards, Peter.

Welcome to the club, Del. I am afraid that I don't get oily hand any more, but I don't think it is a difficult job. But I have heard that disconnecting the battery for 10 minutes [make sure you have your radio code] will reboot the computer and might do the job. Regards, Peter.

Jaguars are the official cars of Cabinet members.. They used to have Rover Sterlings till Rover went out of business. It is good to see them buying British. Regards, Peter.

Good Morning, Jessica, from Sunny Birmingham [uK] where they make Jaguars. That is some problem that you are having with your car. From what you have written, and I have read it all, it seems to me that there is something electrical going awry. You seem to have done all the correct things so far. I con only surmise that there is an issue with wiring that you have not been able to find. I hope that other more technically expert than myself might be able to throw some light on the matter, and you car soon gets going. Regards, Peter.

Looks good, Trevor. I have been to the funeral of an old friend [Lord Bilston] today and there were quite a few XJs there. Radiance Red looks very nice in the sun. The cars mostly belonged to MPs and Members of the House of Lords --- they do like Jaguars. Regards Peter.

Welcome to the Club, Stewart. I have a similar model to you with the same mileage on the clock, but I have not noticed that problem. The only thing I can think of is something loose such as the exhaust, or something similar. Regards, Peter.