Force4145

Hi All, I've had an advisory on my MOT about needing new rear tyres (245/40R18) in the near future. Can I ask what make of tyre people prefer and how much you'd be prepared to pay for them?

Having used the same garage for my MOT for 4 years I duly booked mine in today. The girl there has always been friendly but to day was different. My car failed on several points and she read them out so fast, I barely had a chance to write down the work and the price. She kept saying, "and because your car is a 4 wheel drive..." to which I replied, "no it isn't, it's a rear wheel drive". She then started arguing about how I was wrong and she was right! I tried to ascertain what difference it made and why she would even mention it. No explanation was forthcoming and the tone was can you get off the phone now! They want me to spend over £700 in repairs and still treat me like an ignoramous. Needless to say, I've gone right off them now and will take my business elsewhere next time. Anyone else been treated the same off-hand way?

Hi Ron, Never thought of that. I'll have a look and see if it might work. Thanks. I did find out that the full mirror surround requires that the door card be removed and the whole wing mirror unit be taken off. Nick

Hi Paul, Mine is a 2006 2.7 diesel with electric wing mirrors. Would yours be suitable? Cheers, Nick

While driving the other day, an idiot coming in the other direction decided to overtake and veered into my path. I pulled to the left to avoid a collision, but he clipped my wing mirror and took a chunk out of the black surround. Luckily the rest of the mirror was ok. Does anyone know if I can replace the surround without taking off the inner door panel and removing the whole mirror assembly? Cheers.

A bit late now Joe. At least I got it fitted (saving my bad back) and the old one taken away.

I decided to replace my battery and used Halfords Autocentres to do it. They gave me a very good price for a Yuasa battery (£147.00) and included the fitting, saving all the car settings and getting rid of the old battery. They were very polite and did a good job. I know some people don't like Halfords but I thought they were ok.

I can't seem to find any indication of date but I have tested the voltage and it averages out at 11.6v which is too low for a 'good' battery. The upshot is that I'll get a replacement battery before the cold weather leaves me stranded 😞 Thanks for all the helpful comments, much appreciated. Nick

No labels on the side. Only one on the top.

Thanks Joe, I'll have a look tomorrow. Cheers, Nick

I've got an original Jaguar battery fitted to my S-type and I was wondering if anyone knew how to ascertain its age? Cheers

The battery is an original Jaguar but I don't know how old it is as there doesn't appear to be a datestamp on it. Perhaps it might be worth changing it and cleaning up the leads at the same time. Any favourite battery makes?

I've just had a 'Parking Brake Failure' warning. It lasted about 10 minutes and during that time, the parking brake did not work. After turning the engine off for a while, I restarted and the warning had gone and the brake worked normally for quite a long trip. I'm really scratching my head now!

Well I've fitted the boot latch without too much bother. So far, no 'Boot Open' warnings! BUT what I have noticed is that during the hot weather, especially direct sunlight, the temporary false warnings increase. Locking the car can also be a problem, as it just opens itself immediately and I have to lock manually with the key! Jags are certainly a challenge...

Hi Guys, Thanks for the contributions, much appreciated. Believe it or not, over the last two days there have been no 'Boot Open' warnings (typical S-type). However, I'm taking no chances and have ordered a Boot Latch Assembly. The suppliers said that a faulty internal micro-switch was the most likely cause of the warning. Anyway, it wasn't very expensive, so I'll give it a go. I'll report back after fitting. Cheers, Nick

Hi All, Driving around in the course of my business I've been getting a Warning 'Boot Open' and a red light. No need to say that the boot was firmly shut and the warning came and went all day! It even sparked off the alarm when I locked the car. Anyone come across this fault before? Cheers, Nick

Hi Joe, Thanks for the video, that should be straightforward. Unfortunately, the motor factors have sold me the wrong replacement filter. I thought it was the wrong size, but they insisted it was the right one. Do you have the correct part number Joe? If not, don't worry I'll get it somewhere. Cheers, Nick

Hi People, Has anyone ever changed the cabin pollen filter on a 2006 2.7ltr diesel? The reason I ask is that I think the previous owner has put some sort of air freshner in it and it fills the cabin with an unpleasant smell (to me anyway). If you have replaced it, can you tell me what the procedure is please? All the best, Nick

A while ago I had a problem with the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) warning light coming on regularly. Member Carole Simpson-Hadley posted that she found that using Shell V-Power fuel helped, so I thought I would give it a go. I had been using the cheapest diesel I could buy, so I let that practically run out. I then filled up with V-Power diesel. I've used V-Power ever since and have had no DPF warnings at all. I think the idea is that the V-Power fuel has had all the particulates that clog the DPF filtered out, so it remains cleaner. I know it costs extra but I'm a V-Power convert now and shall carry on using it. I hope others will find this useful and may want to try their own tests. Nick

Hi Andy, I might be able to help as I had the same problem. There is an electrical switch block situated inside the front offside wheel arch. It can be accessed by carefully pulling back the housing in front of the wheel arch below the bumper (it's difficult to describe, I'm afraid). Anyway, the wires, and even the switch block becomes very corroded over time and the bare wires start to short out. Hence the hot air blowing all the time. The affected wires will need replacing as will the shrink wrap. Sorry I can't describe it more accurately but once mine was fixed, the heater went back to normal. All the best, Nick

Hi Steve, £185.00 is a very good price. The lowest I could get was £250.00. I think I will get it done, but I have a few pressing repairs that need attention first. Cheers, Nick

Hi Steve, How much did they charge you for remapping? Cheers, Nick

Hi Steve, I have a similar model to yours and recently had cause to take mine into an independent jaguar garage for a minor repair. Whilst there, I asked the boss if he recommended remapping and if it made any improvements. His reply was an emphatic 'Yes' to both questions. Briefly that's my experience, and when I've got a few quid spare, I think I'll have it done! All the best, Nick

Hi Joe, I can see it's backlit but it's very faint. Perhaps the bulb needs renewing? Cheers, Nick

Hi All, Does anyone else find the message centre on the Odometer and Rev Counter difficult to read? I mean, black writing on a dark green background is not really the best combination for displays. Maybe there is an alternative or a way to make things brighter? All the best, Nick