Pablo1965

Thanks Joe but how do I get the ring out? I don’t want to break anything

Hi My rear view mirror has literally fallen off the screen. As you can see from the metal ring that secures it to the screen, the glue has failed. the circular sensor is still attached to the screen and all the wiring is still in place. The car is an '03 model year. Does anyone have any information where I can get this done? I live in Shropshire

Thank you Maurizio, you’re a gent. At one garage, people working on the car found that there was no thermostat in there and replaced it. I think it was taken out to resolve an earlier overheating problem. I have had the radiator re-cored and a new cap put on and although the bottom half of the radiator cowl is missing I don’t think there is a coolant flow problem . You have given me some good points to consider here, but I think it might be something as simple as having the thermometer re-calibrated, along with some of the other instruments. It’s not now boiling over like it was Thanks again, Paul

Thanks Steve I'll have a look

Hi My S type has just had its radiator re-cored and water pump re-furbed. It and has come back with the ignition light permanently on, after I start it, and the battery discharges when i put the lights on. How can I test the Dynamo, which has the power steering pump on it? Paul

Had the radiator re-cored and they sandblasted the water pump; the nozzle being partially blocked, which seems to have cured the the problem. Thanks, Paul

I took the above to my local garage to get it done. Turns out there was no thermostat in the car! The garage fitted one but from what I understand, it's not going to cure an overheating problem. They say the rad seems o.k but they suspect it's a water pump problem as the hose to the matrix, and the water within, is still cold. There was a new core plug fitted in Feb' 2016 and no engine blockages were picked up. I've been told that it's probably the rad- but I don't know. Are the rads easy to remove? Do I need to Jack the car up? I'm told by JEC members I can flush it out, upside down, with a hosepipe but ultimately I suppose it will need re-coring. Thanks, Paul

Thanks Carole Fact is, workshops take on too much and then assume that you're prepared to wait, literally years in some cases, for them to get round to it. As for paint, apparently £20,000 is not unheard of for a bare-metal respray. I had to fork out £11,763 for mine where the engine and transmission stayed in, the roof wasn't repainted and I stripped it all out (and put it all back) and took all the paint off! At the mo I have an overheating problem (no, not me -the car) which my local garage has agreed to take on, provided I can get parts- although they don't really do old cars. That said, they're an excellent garage and very trustworthy. Cheers, Paul

Thanks Carole I agree with the adage up to a point, but if I could afford £80 or £100 an hour, I would be driving a concourse Coopercraft Mk2 not an S Type! Seriously though, I think its all got a bit silly. thirty or so years ago you could have taken one of these Jags to most garages where there would have been someone who knew enough about them to fix it for you. Admittedly, there was a lot of questionable work done, mechanically and Bodywork (which I've found to my cost). Now the high-end garages and workshops are running the show and they're setting the pricing standards for everyone. Unfortunately, instead of wheedling out the bad practitioners, its had the opposite affect, that even they are now charging these prices. I tried CMC in 2015. They were charging £54 an hour at the time. They said I was looking at about £20,000 for paint, so I told them to concentrate instead, on getting it roadworthy; at which point they seemed to lose interest. They had my car for about 4 or 5 months before, after much prompting, they managed to put it on a rolling road, and gave me a crudely scrawled report for which they charged me £495 without carrying out any work on it. After this, I took the car to a local restorers (again with an excellent reputation) who was only interested in if CMC had quoted for paint, and how much. I didnt tell him. Obviously everyone's experience is different. Cheers, Paul

Does anyone know where i can get reliable mechanics in this region? I have a '66 registered S Type, live in Ellesmere near Shrewsbury and I am struggling to find the right people to work on it. Paul

Hi My temperature gauge goes up to around 80% on journeys. The fan seems to be working ok and there is plenty of coolant in the system. I've been advised to check the temp of the water in the rad with a thermometer to see if the gauge is working. The engine has had a lot of work done so I don't think there's anything major going on, but the rad feels a bit furred up in the neck. Paul

Hi Does anyone know how to keep the scuttle lid open without having to have the engine running? I need to change the gasket and clean up the metalwork so I can paint it. Paul

Hi Carole Sorry this is late. I managed to get the lock off by placing a tack in the hole in the collar and gently (as I could) knocking it round with a little panel-pin hammer, to unscrew it. It took ages as the thread had been bashed about a bit (wish people would be more careful with this stuff), and I did pull a little ding in the lacquer on the wood- even though I'd put tape around it. The lock body is not screwed in, but contained in a machined recess in the wood, which can then be pulled out once the collar is off. The locks for sale on ebay are for Mk ll s and are a different set-up. S Type locks are frustratingly rare. Thanks for your help. Paul

I recently bought one of the above and had it re-chromed. It doesn't fit. I've noticed that the centre of each end on the ones I already had, has a small hole pressed in. On the one I bought, this hole is on the edge. Would you know if Jaguar changed this at any time? If not, then its not a Jaguar part. At the mo, I have the supplier adamant that they sold me the right part, and the chromers have probably mixed it up with another part and given me that.

Hi Does anyone know how to disassemble the lock on a 60s S type? I need to get the barrel off the door. There is a collar that goes on the front with two holes in the side of it. I'm wondering if a tool locates in these and screws it off. Paul