Jaguar s type running costs

[tummelv]

Hi,

Had my eye recently on a new car and I am thinking of a Jaguar s type 4.2 v8 in either Sport or SE guise. I don't do many miles so the mpg isn't too much of a concern really. I gather that the basic engine is a pretty solid lump and it's more things like the suspension and electronics which can be a little iffy. I'm looking for 2004 or later models. Budget is probably somewhere around £4-7k but I'd prefer to spend nearer £4k really. I'd rather keep a bit back for repairs which I'm sure would be needed at some point.

The running costs are where I'm pretty clueless though. I gather the gearbox is a sealed for life unit but at the likely age and miles of the cars I am looking at it should have had a fluid change done by now? I believe they are ZF gearboxes which are pretty solid?

What's the other general running costs like? Tyres and fuel are pretty much a given but you can plan for them. I'm a little unsure what the bills would be like. I believe an x type is fairly cheap to run as it's basically a mondeo whereas an XJ has quite high running costs. Is an s type somewhere in between them? Can a decent independent handle these or are they best taken to a main dealer? The reason I ask is the main Jag dealer where I live doesn't have the best reputation.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated!

 

[Rilot]

A 2004 model will be the vastly superior first facelifted version which suffers from very few issues. I ran an S-Type R for a while so have some info for you.

Suspension bushes. They wear out quickly. My R only had 60k on the clock and it's bushes were already shot. Jaguar will tell you that the entire arms need to be replaced at about £1k / corner + labour. However, any independent with a press can sort them for a lot less and some even keep arms in stock and just do a sort of part-ex for your old arms.

Valley pipe. There is a small rubber tube that connects the water jackets of the two halves of the V. It's between the two cylinder heads and it perishes. On the R it's a SoaB of a job as it needs the SC to come off to get at. On the N/A V8 it's a simple job.

Gearbox. Find a straight road with a very slight uphill grade. Drive at around 50 mph and watch the rev counter. If it surges up and down by about 250rpm then the torque converter has issues. This was fixed with a newer design from 2005 onwards but many earlier ones had it replaced as a TSB. Check for this. My R had the issue and it drove me nuts.

Headlamps. If Xenon the auto leveller can fail. They used stupid plastic gears which just fall to pieces. If the lamps don't both do the little dance when the ignition is turned on then you're looking at a complete new unit.

Water leaks. Quite a few hoses in the engine bay are of poor quality and perish. Make sure it doesn't leak any water at all.

 

[monkeys]

A 2004 model will be the vastly superior first facelifted version which suffers from very few issues. I ran an S-Type R for a while so have some info for you.

Suspension bushes. They wear out quickly. My R only had 60k on the clock and it's bushes were already shot. Jaguar will tell you that the entire arms need to be replaced at about £1k / corner + labour. However, any independent with a press can sort them for a lot less and some even keep arms in stock and just do a sort of part-ex for your old arms.

Valley pipe. There is a small rubber tube that connects the water jackets of the two halves of the V. It's between the two cylinder heads and it perishes. On the R it's a SoaB of a job as it needs the SC to come off to get at. On the N/A V8 it's a simple job.

Gearbox. Find a straight road with a very slight uphill grade. Drive at around 50 mph and watch the rev counter. If it surges up and down by about 250rpm then the torque converter has issues. This was fixed with a newer design from 2005 onwards but many earlier ones had it replaced as a TSB. Check for this. My R had the issue and it drove me nuts.

Headlamps. If Xenon the auto leveller can fail. They used stupid plastic gears which just fall to pieces. If the lamps don't both do the little dance when the ignition is turned on then you're looking at a complete new unit.

Water leaks. Quite a few hoses in the engine bay are of poor quality and perish. Make sure it doesn't leak any water at all.

Otherwise, a nice car.

 

[monkeys]

Gearbox. Find a straight road with a very slight uphill grade. Drive at around 50 mph and watch the rev counter. If it surges up and down by about 250rpm then the torque converter has issues. This was fixed with a newer design from 2005 onwards but many earlier ones had it replaced as a TSB. Check for this. My R had the issue and it drove me nuts.
-Last one had this issue that the 'chief mechanic'...can't even tell after 2 rd test and them me driving...gave up.

Also, auto brakes were stuck on and the unit had to be replaced.

 

[miniyazz]

The gearbox oil is recommended to be changed (by Jaguar) only in extreme environments e.g. weather, towing or track use. Owners clubs will recommend changing the oil at e.g. 60-80k miles regardless. I believe it's fairly pricey to do at several hundred pounds but have only taken the word of a Jaguar specialist for this.
Electrical gremlins are not uncommon but rarer in later cars.
Check that the toys work including things like heated seats, even if it's summer!
Full service history is obviously important.

 

[geekman]

Running cost wise, the main difference between the s type and the XJ is the air suspension: the XJ has it, the S type doesn't.

Compressors are highly likely to fail on the XJ (although mine never has) and can usually be fixed by a refurb kit which costs £30-£50. The air struts themselves tend to last a long time but aren't immune to failure, and are very expensive to replace when they do go - you're looking at around £700 each new, or £150 second hand.

Lower rear wishbone bushes are a big issue on both cars. Jaguar, and many jaguar specialists will tell you that they're all one complete unit, i.e. if your bushes wear out you have to replace the entire wishbone, which costs around £400 per side just for the part. This is not the case: any competent mechanic should be able to re-bush the existing wishbones, and you can get a rebush kit for £70 per side, which will save you quite a bit of cash.

Engine wise, the 4.2 N/A is a decent engine, but I've always thought the best of the line up was the 3.0 V6 and 4.2 S/C. The V6 gives noticeably better economy and reliability, whilst the 4.2 S/C gives epic performance whilst still being relatively solid. The 4.2 N/A seems to occupy a kind of middle ground, not having the best performance or reliability, so I'd be tempted to go for the S/C. I believe with the S Type, the 4.2 S/C was only offered in the S Type R (correct me if I'm wrong!) but in the XJ it's offered in both the XJR and the XJ Super V8.

With either car, if it's over 100k and the gearbox oil hasn't been done, I'd get it done. I was charged £405 including the oil, filter and pan at TL Jaguar in Wokingham, and the oil came out looking incredibly sludgy. Changes were much smoother after the oil change, so I thought it was money well spent, especially as gearbox failure will always generate a huge bill.

I actually really like the S Type, but I'm not sure if I'd get one for your budget. The prefacelift 3.0 models make sense for £1000 as they're a relatively solid car for not very much cash, but once you start spending XJ money on them, I'm not sure I really see the point. Yes, due to their traditional suspension design they're slightly cheaper to run than an XJ, but there really isn't a lot in it, and I personally think the XJ is overall a noticeably better car.

I often look at mint S Type Rs online for £6000-£7000, and I'm always extremely tempted, right up until I search for XJRs and they're exactly the same price. So unless you prefer the styling of the S Type, or find the XJ a bit too large, I'd be looking at an XJ.

Not that I'm biased or anything

 

[tummelv]

Hmm....judging by the replies here I think the running costs are a bit higher than I had anticipated.

Think I might give it a miss then! Thanks for the information guys.

 

[pepsilol]

I was charged £405 including the oil, filter and pan at TL Jaguar in Wokingham,

Thats ridiculous on the basis that I did the same job on my XK using a Meyle pan and Millers oil, the parts were £100.

Took me an hour to do which it'd take a mechanic the same so call that £50.

Where did £405 come from?

 

[geekman]

Thats ridiculous on the basis that I did the same job on my XK using a Meyle pan and Millers oil, the parts were £100.

Took me an hour to do which it'd take a mechanic the same so call that £50.

Where did £405 come from?

Apparently, the oil they use is extremely expensive, as is the pan, which makes up the majority of the cost. I called 8 places to get a quote and TL were £100 cheaper than anyone else, and they also reset the adaptations at the same time. With something as crucial as the gearbox, I preferred to have the work warranted and proper parts used, rather than just buying the cheapest service kit on ebay, which is still £170ish, and pay my mechanic friend to do it.