roymattblack

Ok... Purists look away... It's a 'Marmite' thing. I retired a few years back and treated myself to new Raceline rims, an Adamesh sports exhaust, caliper painting and a full body wrap in the Gulf colours. At least I can't lose it in a car park. Not everyones cup of tea, but virtually every comment I get is 'Wow - fantastic!'. I love it to bits.

As an add-on... I agree re: the fuel consumption. Ignore any 'official' figures. Mine is mainly town, short journeys. MPG is around 26-28 mpg. On a good long run, it can go right up to the mid 40's. If you're ok with the fuel aspect, a great car. Mind you, the fuel seems ok to me, as my other car is an XK - around 14 MPG.

What a load of garbage. I've had my XF for 2 years - trouble free, amazing smooth executive classy ride. EVERYONE who gets in it is wowed by the quality. Just look at a Mercedes or BMW - Total cheap plastic rubbish interiors. I took a BMW 1 series 'M' model for a test drive only a few weeks ago. I was gobsmacked at how cheapo it all seemed. Fast? - yes. Lots of toys and gizmo's? - yes. Quality? - NO. The XF has bad press over the DPF because of new ruling on emissions, meaning the filter gets full up after about a month of town driving. I take mine on a run on a nearby country road at about 45mph literally for 5 minutes. The warning message disappears. When you see the 'DPF FULL' message, don't panic. It doesn't mean your car is about to explode in the next 2 miles. Obviously, don't ignore it, but take it for a little blast within the next day or so. The guy above must either have been incredibly unlucky to get a bad car, or has never even owned one. Ace car. Why did it win countless awards for years if it was so bad?

Just though some of you might be interested in my 1953 C Type. It's the Le Mans winner, the Rolt/Hamilton car. OK...... It's a model. I scratch-built it, which means it's not a kit. I had to make everything myself although I had the Webber carbs 'printed' by a company in Germany. It's 1/8 scale and it's the first time I've ever 'scratch' built a model car. I learned a lot along the way - about 4 months. The body is carbon kevlar - a bit like fibre glass but thinner and stronger. Formed in a rubber mould taken from a hand carved wood body former. The chassis/engine frame is brass tube/section/plate and virtually everything else is made from bits, scrap, and anything I could use or adapt. The wheels are Ally rims and hubs with hand laced spokes. Seats are plasticard covered in thin leather. The manifolds (and I'm quite chuffed with this...) are made from old microphone cable. All the decals, badges, labels and even the map on the 'passenger' seat were also home printed. Finished size is around 50 cm or 20" long. Hope you good souls like my little C Type. Next up is a short nose D Type - then maybe a Lightweight E Type. Roy.

As I said at the start of my message.... Maybe I'm lucky. Marshall Ipswich has always treated me well. - And no, I have absolutely nothing to do with them other than being a happy customer. When our XF DPF played up, the car went into 'failsafe' mode on a Sunday afternoon, 10 miles from home. They sent a recovery truck which took the car home, then the AA who diagnosed the problem. The following day, another truck picked the car up and they left a 6 month old XF in it's place. The car was sorted, returned (clean and valeted) and there was ZERO to pay. We had owned the car 6 months - a 4 yr old 2.7 diesel. My XK was bought 'elsewhere' 3 years ago, and Marshall's treat it as if it came from them, new. If it has ever needed work, they collect it from my house and leave me a courtesy car. It comes back sparkling and clean inside, and the bills aren't a rip-off. To me, THAT is Jaguar service. As I say - maybe I'm lucky. I've had (new) Fords etc in the past and the service doesn't even compare. If others here have had bad Jaguar service, then what can I say??? Marshall Ipswich are tops. When the XF gets a bit older, I'll be going there for another car. Roy.

I know 'stealership' is the current phrase, but maybe I'm lucky...... I get my cars (XK and XF) looked after by Marshall Jaguar in Ipswich and they are ace. No massive bills, no exorbitant charges, they treat me 'special' and they even gave a massive bouquet of flowers to my wife when I bought her XF. A full diagnosis cost me £38 some time ago. Not exactly expensive, and They made me coffee while I waited as they washed and valeted the car! They even left a tin of Jaguar sweets in the glove box. To me, that's REAL service. One of the reasons to own Jaguar. Roy.

I had my S Type for two years and loved it. Get some Mozart, Dvorak (New World symphony) or similar on the CD, crank up the volume and drive a few country lanes at around 40-50 mph. There's nothing quite like it. Roy.

Sorry.... You're very wrong. DON'T have the DPF removed. It is now not only an instant MOT fail, but it is also a criminal offence. New legislation early this year. The DPF thing is a flippin' nuisance, but it isn't confined to Jaguar. All new diesels have them, and have just as much trouble. Have a read: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-for-mot-to-test-for-diesel-particulate-filter Keep it clean, keep it checked. Should be no bother. Roy.

The DPF message is incredibly common - and irritating. You need to run the car for around 20 mins minimum at around 50 mph. The message should clear next time you start the engine. Getting the filters cleaned and reset at a Jaguar dealer isn't cheap, but it's really worthwhile. We had our XF done a few months ago and town driving mpg went up from average 26, to average 31. Also, the car feels more responsive. If you can't clear the message, get the filters cleaned and reset pronto. There are a couple of intercooler valves that can become troublesome otherwise, resulting in a total engine shut down and a MEGA bill. We know - that's what happened to us but luckily the car was still under the Jaguar full warranty. No cost. Roy.

I was SORELY tempted by an Aston DB7 'S' from Chiltern Aston a few months back. It was the classic Chiltern racing green, yellow mouth ring, amazing green/polished alloy wheels, green/yellow piped interior and it was a certified number 5 of a limited edition of only 7 ever built for Mayfair Aston. It was a total jaw-dropper to look at. It wasn't CLOSE to my XK in terms of 'driveability'. I kept the XK. I bought a 2009 XF for my wife (for putting up with me!) when I took early retirement 10 months ago. She loves the car to bits. A word of advice with diesels - get the DPF filters cleaned and re-charged by a Jaguar dealer even if you think it doesn't need it. Not cheap, but the mpg went up from average town driving - 26 to 31. A considerable jump. Roy.