Jaguar S-Type

koswus5 · July 2005

Hi I posted the following message in a Lincoln LS forum to get some help with deciding on a car. I was told that the S-Type and the LS is pretty much the same but the S-Type would cost more and not be reliable in the long term sense. Since I would be buying a used car the price is always negotiable but I was hoping that some of the member out there with 03 S-Types with automatic transmissions could give me some insite towards the dependability and impressions of your cars up to this point. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to post anything to help.

(Message posted in Lincoln LS forum)
Hi everyone im kinda new to this whole car buying thing so I was hoping to get you opinions on some cars that I was thinking about buying. I'm 20 and still doing my undergraduate and I need a car to commute between school and my work (only highway) and I was doing som research about cars here at Edmunds. I came down to three choices 03 Linc. LS, 03 Jag. S-type, and 02 Lex. GS430. I'm looking for something used around 25K before taxes and fees and those 3 have my interest. My old car was a 95 Town Car (which I love very much but gas prices are killer). Since I dont have much time between school and work I wanted a car that wont need much trips to the shop and is generally low maintance. Gas mileage is important to me also and I need to use this care for at least another 6-10 yrs (tuition rates are up). I also need fold down rear seats (gotta move hings between dorm and home and a navigation system). I was wondering the opinion of the all members here that are willing to help me with this decision (my family and gf are going crazy listening to me talk about these things). I'm also open to new suggestions if anyone has them.

frisconick · July 2005

I am in the market for a new car, but your Jaguar problem sounds just plain wierd. I am considering a 2005 or 06 Jaguar, but your post does not inspire me.

kfriedell · July 2005

my jaguar s type is a 2003 and at 20,000 miles i need new rear brakes, mostly city driving and i am not hard on my car. just took car in for 20,000 mi serrvice and they want 450 for the rear brakes. how did yu get jaguar to make you a deal and how much did you have to pay?

jastelt · July 2005

You'll read all the problems on this web site but actually the s-type has very good reliability compared to its competitors. I can tell you this, I wouldn't trade my S-type R for anything remotely comparable. And even if i did spend an extra $15k or more for say an M5, well BMW has all kinds of reliabliity problems if you do the research. And the M5 still would never drive like a jag.

drive24x7 · July 2005

My 2002 S-Type feels like it is driving with the parking break on. During my 20k check up they said everything was fine. 5k miles later I hear this grinding and decide to check my rear pads - the back left pads (and rotor) were completely gone, but the back right pads still had some life. What could cause the uneven wear other than the parking break (which I have never had to engage)?

goose106 · July 2005

My 2003 S-Type Jaguar had excess wear and was making rearwheel noise(padwear indicators) at about 16,000 miles in September 2004. I brought it in to the dealer and they changed the rear rotors and pads at no cost. The service manager told me that there was a known problem that the rotors and pads were not of the right metal composition. After replacing the parts however, the pads/rotors became very hot and had a hot metal smell, but only happened one time(probably break-in). I notified the service manager and he told me that there was no problem. I now have 25,000 miles and have not had a problem to this date.

wcollins · July 2005

I would strongly disagree with you on the reliability issue. However, you can make numbers say anything if you massage them right. I am an owner of 2000 S-Type 4.0 which I have driven for 5.5 years. I have had every problem in the book. I have only met 1 and I repeat one person in my travels that was pleased with their vehicle. I purposely engage in conversation with every Jag owner I meet about their vehicles.....and it starts....."are you having troubles too".....in most cases a big smile and a yes. Most common problems is the transmission. I have had 3 trannys and ready for another one......and I don't drive the car hard at all. Jaguar USA customer service flatly told me that it was not uncommon for a transmission to go at 50,000 miles. I told them it was uncommon......they then said it depends on how you drive the car. Everyone that I have spoken to had gotten the same response from Jaguar, but they won't put it in writing. Also, the windows are always breaking down, the regulators fail because of the cheap plastic clamps that holds them up ($450). I have had 3 regulators so far. I have also had a new engine at 48,000. A bad themostate fried the engine and transmission. Other Jag website will bear this out as well. I could go on about failed a/c, heat, can't get car out of park on hill (must use handbrake or run the risk of not getting it out of gear), I broke the gearshift lever off trying to get it out of park, faulty Jaguar advised getting out and rocking the car while someone pulls it out of gear......not in my tuxedo. If you have a Jag that is working fine, count your blessing. air bag warnings, bad telephone, etc. Oh yeah, terrible resale value, and please, please, please purchase the extended warranty....or you will be sorry. I think Lexus or Acura would be a better bet. Mercedes and BMW is having some problems, however, the 5 Series does retain it value very well. :mad:

wcollins · July 2005

That's about right.....as a matter of fact I took my car to an independent brake shop and they told me that the original pins in the brake housing has never been pulled. He said these were factory pins, no wonder I was going through brakes. My rears brakes are replaced about every 15-18,000. :lemon:

gshocksv · July 2005

Wow that's really too bad, I wonder why you had kept the car all this time.

I got a used 2002 Jag S-Type, with 28,000 miles, and now it's got 35,000 miles, the light bulbs went out twice, and you do have to pull the gearshift a bit harder (but not really that bad) on hills, everything else seems fine and I love the car so much. Engine is very smooth, the tread on the tires seem good, and I still have a lot of brake pads left.

According to German Automobile Association, Jaguar's reliability is far superior than Mercedes (well, everyone is, Mercedes was the 2nd to the last). If you go to the Mercedes forum here, you will for sure see a lot of people complaining about its reliability as well. I think it's important to note, most people that suffer the most problems are also more vocal, I am a very satisfied owner, and I love my S-Type a lot, but even then, I only reply once in a while to give my testimony.

Just my opinion.

deadstype · August 2005

A tape adapter, thats what I use for my iPod in my 2001 s-type

deadstype · August 2005

I own a 2001 Jaguar S-type 4.0. I am 21 years old, and this is my DREAM CAR. I am a huge Jaguar fan, friends make fun of me because I wear Jaguar T-shirts several times a week. I am a college student and support myself after my father's death. I work hard to own my dream car. Recently my jaguar died on me in an intersection. My jaguar has 29,000 miles on it and I kept it in perfect condition. Until recently I thought I would be a Jag owner for life. My car went out of warranty 3 months ago. I towed it to a Jaguar dealership and they told me I needed a new engine, and it would be $13,000. I am a college student who doesn't have $13,000 and now I don't have my dream car or a car at all. The mechanics could not even tell me what is really wrong or what caused it. I contacted the Jaguar Customer Line and talked to them to try and get them to repair it under warranty since it was such a fluke problem and obviously a defect. After a week they told me I was out of luck since the warranty was up. I took such great care of my car, had every service and have records to prove it. The worst part is I was just months away from buying a new '06. But now I have to dig myself out of this hole and am skeptical about buying another Jaguar. I though I was buying one of the most quality vehicles, and it turned out to be the most expensive mistake I ever made, and probably the worst automobile I could have bought, I don't think any manufacturer has a reputation of their cars dying before they hit 30,000 miles. I know people with other brands of cars pushing 200k miles and still running, but my car, what I thought was the best in the world is dead. I do not know where to turn, so am writing to fellow Jaguar owners for advice, or to know of anyone who has had similar problems. I'd love to drive my Jaguar again and be a driver for life, but who knows now. I am unable to pay to fix my car, and feel that Jaguar should fix this car under warranty, so I can get rid of it and into a new 2006. It is horrible that 3 months after warranty a car would die, not just have a small problem, but die. It is obviously a fluke that this happened and from what Jaguar says they have never seen this before, but still told me I was out of luck. I love Jaguar but I am going to go to every extent to make sure nobody else suffers this problem from such a high end car. If I have to go to every consumer report and news station I will, I'd even picket outside my local dealership. I have nothing else I can do. Please help if you know anything, or anyone that can help. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Or if anyone knows the CEO of Jaguar let him know i'd like to talk. Thank you fellow-jaguar fans.

rayainsw · August 2005

Deadstype:

I find your situation a bit difficult to fully comprehend.

Several points:

I can certainly believe that a blown engine at 29,000 miles is frustrating. In any car.

And yet, the 2001 Jag warrantee was for 4 years (as I recall, or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first). Not 5 years. Or 6. Or 7. I believe that there are extended warrantees available, if the added insurance / peace of mind is worth it.

Are you suggesting that this 4 year limit on a Jag warrantee is merely a suggestion? And if a major issue surfaces beyond that limit, Jaguar should just fix it for you, when they have no legal requirement to do so?

You do not have $13,000 to spend on fixing the 2001 Jag, yet you were a few months away from buying a new 2006 Jag? (Setting aside the fact that when I was 21 & in college, I could barely afford an 8 year old VW, let alone anything even approaching my Dream Car.) How exactly can that be? Trading in a 2001 on a 2006 would likely have required a good sized bunch of cash?

I mean no disrespect and I do not mean to be condescending here, but if you cannot afford a major repair on the 2001 S-Type, how could you afford to purchase a 2006?

I am a Jaguar Fan, and nearly purchased an S-Type R 6 months ago. I have rented 4 or 5 S-Types and XJs over the years. And I could likely afford one, by making a few Lifestyle Changes. But I certainly cannot afford the risk of having such a complex & expensive (to buy & to repair) car as these Jags without a warrantee. With the labor rates charged for diagnosis as well as parts and labor to repair or replace problems, it seems the possible out-of-pocket expense would certainly hit my budget very hard, indeed. (I did own both a 2000 and a 2003 Lincoln LS - brother under the skin to the S-Type Jag  and traded each before the warrantee expired.)

I wish I could offer real assistance, but I see no recourse for you. If they were refusing repair on a vehicle still covered under warrantee, perhaps there would be legal recourse available to you. Here, out of warrantee means that I dont see where Jaguar or your dealer could be under any obligation to do anything.

The dealer, if you have a long standing sales and service relationship  and if they value you as a current and potential future customer, might lobby on your behalf to Jaguar USA. But again, I see no other reason for them to take any action. Certainly no reason for them to offer to perform thousands of dollars worth of work that Jaguar is not obligated to reimburse the dealer for.

Perhaps I am missing something here . .

Good luck!

- Ray
Still hoping to buy my Dream Car  someday . .

deadstype · August 2005

Well I see what you are saying and here are my grounds for my complaint. Things go wrong with cars, its just understood. And it is also understood that a car's engine blowing at 29,000 miles is ubsurd. I have had every scheduled maintenance through Jaguar and then some. And you are right the warranty is up, I will not dispute that. And I am not coming to Jaguar much later, or even a year later just months, not even a 1,000 miles after my warranty was up, and I am still way under the mileage allowed for the warranty, but I'll agree the time came first before the miles, and my warranty is expired. Now put the warranty aside, under law, and it's a stretch anybody that is a licensed business and sells products owes reasonable care to their customers. Warranty or not, this is a very unreasonable repair, on top of that Jaguar can't diagnos it or its cause. Therefore it is obviously a defect in the automobile. And if you do some research like I have since this has happened, I am not the first with this problem. The law protects consumers from unreasonable manufacturer defects, which this is. I am not asking them to fix my A/C that broke after warranty, or a 300 dollar stereo, or the tilt on my steering wheel, the car died, the ultimate thing that can go wrong with a car. That being said most cars now way outlast 100,000 miles some almost hit 200,000. So a consumer can expect that with the care needed to maintain a car it should last (I'd say reasonably 100,000, but) certainly far beyond 29,000. And on that basis I think Jaguar should step up to the plate realizing this is a unusual problem and obviously not my fault. First off it is customer service. Since researching I have met hundreds of people who have given me great advice and support, your the first to be negative, but thats fine, maybe I wasn't clear to you or you just haven't been in this boat and hopefully will never be. But according to other owners with similar problems, other manufacturers as people have told me has happened to them have stepped up to correct problems. Someone I met in a forum owned a Lexus that was a little over 1 year out of warranty when the engine blew at less than 50,000 miles. Lexus replaced it no problem, they admitted they owed their customers the quality and reliability they paid for, and this was an excessive repair. That is customer service, and I think that is what is seperating other manufacturers from Jaguar if you do your research. So hopefully they will realize they want a level of customer satisfaction and they will not stand for the reputation of producing cars that leave their customers in trouble after 29,000 miles. Maybe not, but at least I will make some people think twice and do some research before spending that kind of money on a high caliber car.
Now as for buying a new 2006, I don't see where you don't realize why I won't and can't pay 13,000 for a new engine but would buy a new '06. Well it doesn't take a finance major, but lets figure this out. First off, I don't have 13,000 cash, that would take me using tuition money. But I purchased my Jaguar S-type 4.0 at say "x" dollars and when I bought it I put very little down, so lets say my monthly payment was "y." And a new Jaguar S-type is still "x" just like a new one was when I bought mine, and on top of that interest rates are lower now, so right off the bat I am at the same car payment or even lower. On top off that assuming when my Jaguar still ran, I have say $15,000 in equity in it. So subtract $15,000 from lets say a new '06 is $50,000 thats $35,000. So regardless of financing $50,000 in 2001 or financing $50,000 in 2005 payments are the same, But now with my trade in and $15,000 in equity I am only financing say $35,000. So I will not have to pay a lump sum or put down more cash, and in fact my payments will be 20-30% less than what I am paying now since I will be financing for an additional 48 months and will have a car with equity to put down. If you need any other financial tips I am happy to help you out. Maybe you could afford that dream car, pay a car off, gain equity, and then you can move up a class in vehicles. It's the american way.

deadstype · August 2005

And also. Are you a bar licensed Lawyer. I am not either, I am just still in law school though, and at least in my state they actually do have a legal obligation to correct defects, and since they sell in my state they need to meet are statutory requirements. The law protects and strongly favors consumers over corporations. The law protects consumers from unreasonable repairs needed because of defect. My situation fits. Especially just after warranty expiration and such low mileage. Under the law, I have a right to expect if I take car of it, a car will last a reasonable amount of time, now each cae would define reasonable, but certainly a lot longer than 29,000 miles. And a new engine is not a reasonably forseeable repair at that mileage.

cdnpinhead · August 2005

If you have a good relationship with the dealer, there are such things as "after warranty adjustments," which can help in cases like this. Ray made reference to just such a thing.

I keep cars forever, but was able to get an AWA on my hydraulic cooling fan (on a Lincoln LS, not a Jag, but they're very similar) which failed shortly after the warranty ran out. The dealer made it quite clear that he wasn't interested in submitting the thing unless there was follow-on business to make it worthwhile. I discussed it with him carefully, and got more than half of it paid for. What kind of relationship do you have with your dealer? Have you discussed splitting it, or do you want/demand the whole enchilada?

If you want to blow off the dealer (which I tend toward on a regular basis), you've got to accept the downside. If you run to him every time the ashtray needs to be emptied & pay accordingly, he'll pony up the paperwork hassle involved in replacing an engine. If you're like me and only show up when major things are broken. . .

That said, I'm still intrigued by the numbers involved in paying for the '06 S type. You use X's & Y's freely, as do most of us in the math world (I'm an engineer), but it might make sense to put in real numbers. I'm thinking it wouldn't take too many of those payments for the new car to pay off the repair on the old one -- then you go for the '07 (or '08), plus which your trade-in has a new engine. Plus which, the value of a used S type, even with an engine that works, isn't anything to write home about.

Maybe I'm missing something.

deadstype · August 2005

Well I have a great relationship with the dealer, I would have planned to by Jags from them for the rest of my life. And I have never asked them for a thing and wouldn't do it if its something less or something that reasonably went wrong. But the fact is it is very very unreasonable for an engine to die at 29,000 miles and its not just a small repair of a couple hundred or a couple thousand, the entire engine needs to be replaced and it will be 13,000. I still don't understand why you don't get the math, go to a dealership they might be able to explain it to you. You are right a couple months, well actually several months, in excess of a year it would take those payments to add up to $13,000, and then I could fix it, but then I have no car for over a year, and when it is fixed it is a year older and worth even less. But the bottom line is a new s-type is still 50 grand like an '01 s-type was so my payments will be the same, but assuming before my car died, I could have traded it in for 15 grand, I had already spoken to them about it when I looked at new ones, or I could sell it privatly for close to 20 grand. My car is paid for, and I can afford the monthly payments of a new one, but not 13,000 at once, so what do I drive till then? I don't understand why this is a hard concept. Forget if I was to even trade in my car, payments on a new S-type today are the same as they wer in '01. So I don't see why you are saying I can afford to buy a new Jag. But can't afford 13,000 cash to put into a car that will then make it worth only 15,000 to me so I really only net 2,000. I can afford several hundred dollars a month car payment, but do not have 13,000 laying around for a unreasonable repair. 13,000 is well over a years worth of car payments, so you want me to save that money each month, walk for the next 14 to 15 months and then repiar my car which is then 5 years old and worth even less. This doesn't make sense to me, maybe I am missing something. But in any event I will not be buying a new Jaguar right now, first off would I want or anybody else to buy a car that might die at 28,000 miles, or would you want to work with a company that doesn't take care of people in a rare case like this. They are the ones who are getting a reputation of faulty vehicles. I am not asking them to fix a little thing. The car died. Put yourself in my situation, I don't even see what anew '06 has to do with this. You buy an expensive car, you take care of it and have every service done through Jaguar, you keep low miles on the car and just 3 months after warranty, you don't have just a little problem, but your car is useless and needs pretty much the biggest repair a car could ever face, a new engine, that is pretty much the entire car. Jaguar should repair this because it is obviously a defect in the car, they cannot even say what caused it. And other manufacturers have a reputation of helping out customers when it was their vehicle that was defective regardless of warranty. I met a gentlemen since I have been researching this who had my same situation with a lexus, Lexus didn't even hesitate to fix it, it was obvious that this was an odd and excesive problem and wasn't the drivers fault, they repaired it outside of warranty over a year. I am not asking for the repair of a minor problem, My car is totally dead. Would you be fine with it if you bought one of the highest quality cars, and it died at 29,000 miles. The fact is this is a ridiculous problem, and from the research I have done Jaguar's reputation isn't as good as I thought it was, lots of other people have had problems like mine or different within weeks or months of a warranty expiring. Picture this you have new home built, builders typically give a 1 year warranty, everything is right with the house and a day after 1 year it crumbles to the ground, not a small repair,. but not liveable anymore. Would you not feel as if the home builder owed you the quality you payed hundreds of thousands of dollars for. Forget about home insurance, car insurance unfortunately doesn't cover repairs. The bottom line is a manufacturer of anything, a car, a house, etc. owes its customers a certain level of quality, by law also, but just by common customer service. If it was a small repair I'd see where they'd say you know we can't do anything about, fine i'll dish out the couple hundred bucks, But nobody can tell me they expect their car or could even believe that a perfectly maintained car of that caliber will die at 29,000 miles.

cdnpinhead · August 2005

OK. I think I understand your situation better.

Certainly too bad about the engine.

I agree. You (and most other people) should avoid any future Jaguar involvement.

One hopes the tone that comes through in your posts isn't part of the reason the dealer isn't willing to work with you.

Good luck.

rayainsw · August 2005

I truly did not mean to be (or sound) negative.

No offense intended.

My personal philosophy is to not own any vehicle beyond a manufacturers warrantee period. Even relatively inexpensive cars today can be prohibitively (even breathtakingly) expensive to diagnose (at shop rates) and repair. The electronics as well as the tight working quarters conspire to require extensive dis-assembly to even reach many parts under / behind the dashboard. And while a 4 or 5 year old Jag is worth MUCH less than a new one, replacing a motor (or trans. or rear diff., etc.) with new parts likely costs the dealer and / or Jag much the same as replacing those components on an equivalent new car. Perhaps even more, as many years may freeze mounting bolts, etc.

I choose not to buy extended warrantees on appliances or electronics, where my exposure is typically limited to a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars. But that's just me. YMMV.

You are convinced that this is Jaguars problem  and thus they should fix it. Yet I see you say more than once that the Jag dealer cannot tell what caused the problem.

Although you state that you have had all maintenance performed (and I have no reason to dispute this) Jaguar may have no way (short of tearing apart the motor) to tell what caused this catastrophic failure.

In Jags view, I suppose they may believe it to be possible that the car was mechanically abused. Since they say they do not know what happened or what caused it to happen.

Assuming that you are confident that they will find no signs of abuse, perhaps one course of action would be to suggest that they (dealer and Jag) agree to pay two thirds or three quarters (as best you can negotiate) of the (estimated) $13,000 cost, if they will tear it down and if they find the failure is a result of a manufacturer defect. And you will pay that higher portion (or all of it) if they do find evidence of abuse  however that is to be defined and decided. (Perhaps by a disinterested / independent third party?)

Just my 2,000 cents worth . .

- Ray
FWIW: MBA  with high honors . .

rayainsw · August 2005

Also, that $13,000 seems really, really high to me.

A somewhat comparable Caddy Northstar V8 is available as a crate motor for something like $4,500 at:

http://www.sdpc2000.com/catalog/120/GM-Performance-Parts-Crate-Engines.htm

(Not that you could slip that motor in, of course, much as Id like to drive such a conversion . .)

Id expect that a complete, new Jag V8 (installed) would (or should) be way less than $13K. And a used Jag motor from a wreck ought to be even less $$s.

Again  I sincerely wish you good luck.

- Ray
Wondering what 320 / 310 HP / TQ would do for that S-Type . .

deadstype · August 2005

I understand what you say. I am very confident they will not find any mechanical abuse. What I mean by they could not determine the cause, is that they do not know what made it happen, they could not say oh well this was caused by something that you did, and the service department agrees with me and admits that it is a defect in the vehicle, they said they have never seen this before and S-types do not have these kind of problems, this is a fluke, they even apologized to me and they are the ones who told me to talk to Jaguar the company, since the dealership can't do anything about it after warranty. The service rep. even told me Jaguar should take care of it and to pursue it because like he said and I say, and everyone should agree this should not happen to a Jag or any car at 29,000 miles, and they've seen the care I kept of my car. Unfortunatly the helpful people at Jaguar customer care, and at my local dealer are on the low end of the pole, and they have met me and seen my car and agree with me, but their superior who hasn't even seen my car is the one who makes decisions, and obviously those based on what they can save sacrficing a quality reputation and of of providing good customer service. If they could tell me it was my fault, I'd accept it, or if it was a small reasonable problem at low mileage, yea. But the death of something that should have a reasonable life expectancy, I can not accept, especially one I paid hefty for. As for the post regarding my tone of voice, no this isn't the tone I take with the dealership or Jaguar, I have been very civil and polite with them. It is just frustrating when dealing with a problem such as this, when people seem to be atacking you when you posted your story in seek of some help, I thought thats what forums were for. However I must thank all of the people who have given me great advice and great contacts to others on this and other forums. I have recieved hundreds of e-mails since I have been researching all of this of people with similar stories or Jags and other high-end cars, and almost everyone can sympathize and has offered great advice. I have had people forward my story to lawyers, other Jag dealership oweners, and other people who are all actively helping me. So my advice to anyone else is don't give up if you think you are owed a certain level of quality, because some people genuinely do care and are willing to help. Do your research and post on these forums and anything else and you'll be helped. Luckily I contacted the Jaguar National Club of America, and my local Jaguar owners club, and they have been the biggest help EVER!!! To any of you Jag owners out their join your local and national club. Members of these clubs included Dealers, Mechanics, Lawyers, etc. who all own Jaguars and sympathize, and will do anything to help you out. I have had countless offers of fellow-jag club members who are mechanics giving offers that are at cost for a new engine just becuase they feel what I am saying, and they do anything to help fellow club members. So thanks. And I will keep this forum posted and hopefully I can help somebody later with a similar situation after my problem is resolved.

pat · August 2005

Please do keep us posted - the folks here are interested in what's going on and are sincerely trying to help.

No one attacked you here - I think maybe you might have read a bit too much into some things that were asked. That can happen, and is especially easy to fall into when one is mad at a situation. I know the folks here understand that and no one is upset with you. As I say, everyone genuinely wants to be helpful.

And you know what? If you would break your message into paragraphs with a blank line in between them, they would be easier to read and thus easier to follow. :-)

Let us know how it goes - good luck.

gshocksv · August 2005

Well, I really do feel bad for you. I have a 2002 Jag S-Type V6, extended warranty up to 100,000 miles. I think the extended warranty is very important because Jaguar does have the reputation of being unreliable (of course, my Jag has been extremely reliable and I love it), but sometimes you might end up with one that's got more problems than the others.

If I were you, I would try to negotiate with the dealer to see if you can split the cost, if not, since the car is paid for, I would try to fix it and then sell it (get a loan to fix, sell, pay off the loan), or, sell it to the dealer. They might want to fix it and then sell and make some money. Use the proceed to buy a more reliable car. After graduation and when you make over six digits, you can then buy a new Jag, but remember to buy the warranty (I would also pay off the college loan first).

If you do want to take it to the court, I really don't see a recourse. Warranty clearly states 4 yrs and 50,000 mile warranty...

lgolding · August 2005

Faced with replacing the third window regulator on my 2000 S-type Jaguar with a mere 26,000 miles, I became suspicious and wondered if there had been a recall on them. The two REAR window regulators broke last year, while the vehicle was still under warranty. However, since I did not know there had been a "service action" notification on them, and living 90 miles from the nearest authorized dealer, AND suffering isolation and destruction from the eye of Ivan, a category four hurricane some 27 days prior, I unwittingly had the repair done at a local repair shop. After the third broke regulator, FRONT window this time, I inquired as to why this would happen to a vehicle with so few miles and was then told about the recall. Now, I have been out a total of $876 for regulators, of which $500 would not have cost me anything had I been alert to the recall. I was told by the dealership that Jaguar would probably reimburse me for the two rear windows if I would contact their customer service department in New Jersey.Well, no they will not. Reason: It was not repaired by an authorized dealership. I have dealt with Customer Relations Reps, Supr. for Customer Relations, etc. and it seems to me a bunch of "kids" are running the show and are more concerned with the bottom line than with customer satisfaction. I would have been satisfied with reimbursement of the cost of the regulators($300), excluding the labor, if they had agreed to meet me half way. I live on an island where most people drive Mercedes, Lexus and Jaguars. People ask me about my car quite frequently. My opinion has suddenly changed. If I can cost Jaguar a mere $300 in sales then I feel I will have been compensated. Guess what? I think I just did! And by the way, I had to put new tires on this car at 19,000 miles and was told by the dealership that that is about average for this car. :lemon:

gshocksv · August 2005

Before your window regular broke, did it make squeaky noise? My left front window has been making squeaky noises, I wonder if it's a sign.

In regards to the repair, I think the only recourse is if the recall letter was never sent to you. If they can prove that it was sent to you and you somehow did not respond to it, you're probably out of luck. Of course it's hard to prove, maybe it was lost in mail or it was never sent and they insist they have. However, if during recall period that you've serviced your car at a Jag dealer and they did not replace the regulators for you, you can probably do something about it.

Now I have to be on Jag's side. I think you should have had the windows repaired at a Jag dealer, I understand that it might be hard for you to go to an authorized dealer due to weather/location, but you have to make a decision whether the $876 is worth the trip. If you decided that you would rather save yourself a trip at a local shop, then it doesn't sound like Jag should be responsible for reimbursing the difference. I don't think MBZ, BMW, or Lexus will reimburse you for having warranty work done at a non-authorized shop either.

Lastly, don't worry about comparing the Jag to other luxury brands, go to MBZ, Audi, or BMW forums, you'll find just as many complaining. My best friend drives a 2005 CLK 320, he's had his shares of problems with stereo, speaker cover, tires, and various minor problems. Another friend who drives a BMW's has also been complaining about the SMG and a few problems on the exterior panels. Only luxury brand that's really trouble free is probably Lexus, but it's probably in a league of its own in terms of reliability.

lgolding · August 2005

Perhaps I did not make it clear that I had not been notified about the "recall" or "service action", as Jaguar prefers to call it. Jaguar does not deny this. In fact, what they told me was that a true recall by notification is done only when something crucial, usually regarding a safety feature that could cost lives is involved. Anything else is called a service action and they do not notify for that. Just how we are supposed to know was never made clear to me other than one rep said that when you take your car in for service they should check for these things. If you go to the Jaguar web site and look under recalls, there is a complete listing. There are pages and pages on the S-type. It is astounding. Had I known about it at the time I had the repair done I certainly would have taken my car to a certified service dealer.
In regards to your front window, yes, two of my three windows made squeaky noises prior to the problem. Of course, my rear windows had only been down a couple of times since I purchased the car.
Thanks for the info about Lexus. I keep hearing good things about them from their owners around here. Because I live about 90 miles from any of the luxury dealerships, perhaps at my age I should just settle for a Chevy or Ford.

gshocksv · August 2005

If you car was serviced during the notification period, then you probably should talk about it with the dealer, but I still think you should have replaced the regulartors at a Jag dealer, not just because the regulartors were defective, but becuase your car was still in warranty period, therefore the dealer had to fix for free. But then again, that depends on how your value the time and trouble to drive 90 miles.

Thanks for the heads up on the squeaky window, I am taking the car to my dealer to check it out sometimes this week (signal light bulbs went out too). I do have tint window, I hope they don't blame it on the tint window.

viper68 · August 2005

I bought a 2000 S with 7000 miles last year. Immediately after the warranty ran out one of the window regulators broke down, but I was told at the dealership that they did not have a recall on the cars because of that, therefore they could not do anything. Would customer service honor those service actions even if I am not the original owner?

Also, my radio display is faulty. Every time I start the car it display a bunch of trash, and gets normalized after a while. Anybody knows if there is a in-dash cd changer from Jaguar?

Thanks Guys

carquest1 · September 2005

I found a good deal and I am considering a purchase of a 2005 Jag S type 4.2 V8 used, with 21,000 miles. After reading all the info out here I am concerned about reliability. Should I be? or have they made improvements on the 2005 model?

xkss · September 2005

The 2003 model was heavily revised.

The 2005 model has an aluminum hood, retuned front suspension, restyled exterior, and some other stuff.

mechrad1 · September 2005

I bought a used 2005 in March of this year. Love the car. I researched all of the jag forums on the web and I found tons of complaints about older jags. Very little after the 2003 redo. From my experience I would recommend that you but the car and enjoy.

Bill

carquest1 · September 2005

Bill, thanks for the response, I bought it, over time I will post how it turns out.

hopkins · October 2005

Can my US Spec. 2001 S-Type be converted to day time running lights?

I believe they were mandatory for Jaguars sold in Canada. Could it be the car is wired for this feature but not installed in the US.

David,

Jacksonville, Oregon

bronxjagdriver · October 2005

This weekend I just purchased a 2000 S-Type 3.0 for $15,000.00. When I test drove the car it seemed fine. Now that i brought the vehicle home, the problems have begun. First thing I noticed the drivers side rear window,it is either off the track or needs a new regulator (looking into that today), the odometer is not working(maybe dealer disconnected this) probably will void my warranty without it (5 year engine and transmission) Went to pick up the car and they told me the windshield wiper motor was dead (the only thing they fixed for me)(how is this motor bad in a 5 year old car?) Next my engine light is on, was told its a oxygen or fule tempertaure sensor (maybe this has something to due with the idle not being stable at all times) And most importantly being that winter is here, my heat does not work, but the ac does. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated, any good jauar mechanics in the bronx area would also be appreciated. I think im gonna bring the car to the dealeer and do a full diagnostics test. Should I have to repair all this or is my dealer part responsible. I dont want to much time to pass if he is.. Any laws to prtoct consumers from this? He told me that his guarentee is 30 days on tranny and engine, but he aslo told me everyhing was fine on the car. OOO my mirros dont work either, maybe its just a fuse hopefully. Love the car, just wanna fix it and hope that there arent a lot of problems around the corner...

vtwo · November 2005

i have a 2000 stype and on the passenger rear side the the break lights and the lamp does not come on. the bulbs are good on both lights. has anyone else had this problem or reccomend something

thanks

tms0407 · December 2005

I brought a 2000 stype in june of this year for same price as u. and now i am haveing simialr problems. just wondering if you have found any help for the problems. my heat does not work and they told me to replace thermosate

my00jag · December 2005

I have a 2000 Jag S Type with 84k miles on the odo, recently I've been having problems with both front lower ball joints. I have the 100k extendeded warranty and the dealer claims that the joints would not be covered due to wear and tear. According to the warraty it should, but they refused to fixed it at no charge. Do any of you know of Jaguars Customer Service/Consumers Affairs phone number. I would like to verify what the dealer told me. Apart from the above problem, I have enjoyed my Jag trouble free.

splashatl · December 2005

Did they say how much the thermosate costs? The heat in my 2000 S-type is not working properly. It's blowing out cold air. I can get a little heat if I leave the temp on high and leave the level high. When I raise the level I get cold air. This just started as the weather got colder.

tms0407 · December 2005

Yeah i called dealer said part is about $50 and the labor is $150.00 but i am trying to see if anyone other than dealer can do this cause the labor price is crazy. once i start to drive the heat starts to work but idilling or short distance i get nothing

ulcers · December 2005

I HAVE A YEAR 2000 JAG S,AND IT HAS LESS THAN 42000.MILES ON IT..BOTH FRONT WHEEL BALL JOINTS HAVE GONE ON THE CAR.PLUS THE A/C...PLUS IT OVERHEATED..PLUS THE REAR SENSORS.PLUS THE WINDOW REGULATORS...PLUS THE PARTS OF THE REAR PASSENGER BODY FRAME ARE FALLING OFF AND THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT.JAGUAR REFUSES TO REPAIR THE BALL JOINTS AND THEY ARE BOTH DEFECTIVE ...WANT AN ULCER.BUY A JAGUAR!!!!WHAT A PIECE OF TRASH!PRETTY BUT A WASTED TON OF CASH!!

roksob · January 2006

I recently purchased a 2002 S-type. The car was delivered with a pouch containing a variety of information ... Operating Highlights, Audio Systems Handbook, Passport to Service and a number of Supplements to the Driver's Handbook. However there was no Driver's Handbook. As a result, I'm having a problem figuring out how to program the driver's seat memory. Can someone tell me how?

Anyone have a spare handbook that's looking for a new home?

rayainsw · January 2006

Some owner manuals are available on line here:

http://www.keycast.com/keycast/jaguar/myjaguar04/main.asp?infoid={308E06A9-BEE7-- 410A-96FB-B29E647A233D}

tms0407 · January 2006

i went and had the diagnostic test done and they said not thermostat it is a leak in the coolant resovouir which cost $360 to fix. called around and can get done cheaper

stypeguy · January 2006

I have a 2001 S type Jaguar, It has been to the dealer for wind noise and they cant seem to figure out where its coming from, they said the windshield and doors are fine along with the moonroof. The rubber seal on my moonroof has been replaced twice, and the top squeaks when it takes turns. any suggestions on wind noise?? Also my steering wheel shakes it seems like its a common jag problem. :sick:

bronxjagdriver · January 2006

In october i purchased a 2000 S Type jaguar. i've found that repairs are rather costly for this vehicle, so I am looking into purchasing an extended warranty. I hear that a lot of these companies are scammers. Can anyone recommend a reliable warranty company and reccommend coverage I should get.. I have 72,000 miles currently

jaxs1 · January 2006

Has anyone had an iPod connection or other auxillary audio input installed in place of the CD changer?
If so, how well does it work for you?

jaxs1 · January 2006

How do I know what's a good price? How close to Kelly Blue Book Retail price is a reasonable transaction price on Select Edition? I know most used cars are marked up by a huge amount to allow for negotiation.
For instance. Check out this car http://tinyurl.com/bkj54
It has 3 years and about 50,000 miles remaining on the warranty (6 year/100K for Select Edition) and the dealer has priced it at roughly KBB retail value for "excellent" condition for the mileage and equipment listed.

colgateqb · February 2006

I have had an S-Type R for 3 years and it has been awesome--no mechanical issues--no instrumentational issues--nothing...the z rated tires wear quickly, but that's because of how I drive. It's awful in the snow, but that's the price you pay for racing tires, rear wheel drive, and huge horsepower. There's nothing original about owning a BMW or Benz--I get compliments from everyone on the S-Type R and I've yet to meet anything on the road that is significantly quicker...Suck it up and buy one, you won't be sorry--(asking if you have problems with your jag is like a pregnant women asking people about their experience...all you get are the bad stories. I promise you that there is more good experience with Jags than bad)

2b1ask1 · March 2006

I have experienced the exact same problem with my 2004 S-type. In addition to the "hanging" of the gear shift in low speed, intermittently the car will shift into 2nd gear very roughly (like the tranny jumps). This occurs mostly
when making a left turn (from a stopped position).
The dealership states they can not find any problems. The tranny service light have come on 3 times in the last 6 months. Each time it (service light) has come on it has been after dealership hours and on the weekend. I will drive it directly to the dealer if it ever comes on doing dealer operating hours. Car has 28.5k miles on it. I'm still searching for answers from dealership. Like You - I Love the car but these issues are starting 2 irritate me..

mkovalsk · March 2006

The trans service light sets a code in the PCM when it's on. That code will stay in memory for about a month after the last time the light was on. Take the car in even if the light has gone out.

Karen_S · March 2006

A national newspaper is looking to interview consumers who have had to replace a car key, which ended up costing over $200 or $300. Please send an e-mail to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Monday, April 2, 2006 containing your daytime contact information, the cost to replace your key along with the make and model your vehicle.

Thanks,
Chintan Talati
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com

Jaguar S-Type

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