I don't have any plans to track my car. Like you, it's my daily driver.

But it might be worth pointing out that the engine in my 340HP is the same as the "S" - JLR have just chosen to "nobble" it because I didn't stump up the $$$ to get the unlock. This is of course different to those with the V8 who want to take it to 11.

So if JLR already rate the engine at higher HP than my sticker, for me that's additional comfort.

So for me, with the tune, I appreciate a more responsive throttle for one thing. I've said I'm not interested in dyno certificates for potential bragging rights although I'm not sure Jaguar owners are quite as rabid about that as other makes (no names no pack drill). When I revert it to stock, it feels flat.

Life is full of risk of course but I went with VAP because of their reputation on this forum and their openness to answering questions both private and public.

 

I brought up VAP in this thread, but tried to be exceedingly clear that it was a different tune on the OP's car. At one time there was a tuner here called Vmax. They both start with V. Easy to see how they can get intermingled. I was well aware of that, and if one re-reads my post, I would think the distinction was pretty clear.

 

Don't think this option is on the table any longer now that the owner has taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic and torn down the engine. No telling what transpired in that effort. Unless of course it was a forensic tear down and diagnosis performed under the strictest of evidentiary protocol.

 

But why should he? Jaguar developed and tested their engine programming over probably hundreds of thousands of test miles with an army of test drivers in climates ranging from the Sahara desert to arctic conditions to arrive at a reliable configuration.

Now a tuner hacks away at the engine code changing parameters to increase engine performance with rudimentary basic testing and no insight into the original development program or code.

Why should Jaguar pick up the tab for a broken engine? Other than lawyers and a litigious culture?

 

"Hacks away at the engine code"

Wow. Is that what you think we do?

 

Only an idiot would buy such a car. The F-Type is not one of those cars. An oil starved engine pumping out 300 horses is just as likely to fail as the same oil starved engine pumping out 600 horses. Lubrication is not power dependent.

 

Just a lesson in consumer law

Failure-to-Warn
Manufacturers of products have a duty to provide adequate warnings to consumers about the dangers their products present. If a product manufacturer knows or should have known about a risk of injury and fails to adequately disclose it, then under the product liability law theory of “failure-to-warn” the manufacturer may be liable to a consumer who is injured or incurs losses by use of the product.

And

yes you can sue the alcohol manufacturers just as the cigarette manufacturers have been.

 

A car with 600 horses is transmitting twice the energy to the crank than a car with 300. If the car was on the limit with lubrication at 300, taking it to 600 is going to cause metal to metal contact as the lubrication film breaks down. As I've said before , it makes it possible to use the engine at lower RPM's where the lubrication is marginal, so premature failure is quite likely in a car which 'supposedly has lubrication issues'. Its not rocket science so I dont really know why you cant grasp the concept

 

Jaguars T's & C's are quite clear, 'Unauthorized modifications will invalidate your warranty' . That is on the document that is signed at the dealership when the car is bought and is also on any extended warranty documents purchased afterwards. Seems reasonable to me, standard exclusions that are on everything from a toaster to a 747 and everything in between.

 

Stuart, I have generalized here and maybe tarred everyone with the same brush - I know your organization is well established, has a proven track record with many happy customers, involvement and testing in motor sport etc so that comment was not aimed at you or Velocity AP.

However I am sure you will admit in your industry there are a lot of unreputable organizations out there that disappear overnight as quickly as they appeared often leaving their customers with broken promises or at worst broken cars - and fit the bill of "hacking around".

That is why it is so hard to build a reputation in the tuning game, and why a lot of people are rightfully wary of modifying their cars.

 

I don't think it's so much hack jobs as playing with a modern tune is like playing three dimensional chess. A smart move on one level may make you vulnerable on another. I do also agree with the 300 vs. 600 analogy. Pushing the power up across the board like a positive displacement blow does may put the engine on the edge at an unexpected point.

 

Because that is 100% not how an engine works. If you have a known oil starvation issue there is no edge... You either starve the engine or you don't. You could have a 1000 hp engine or a 2 hp engine; if you stop putting oil through it, its gonna fail. A power increase via tune has absolutely no impact on the chance of an engine failing due to oil starvation.

Yes 600 horsepower is going to have more risk of failure than 300 horsepower. But the oiling issue is not dependent on that.

 

I'm not an engine designer, but if the oiling system to the bearing - both main and rod- are designed to provide adequate lubrication for X hp, does that same design suffice for the same engine producing 2X hp? I would think that potentially more oil pressure and volume are needed to prevent oil sheer at the higher output. Obviously this is a theoretical question since in the FT world we're looking at increases of at most ~25% which should fit into the normal design margins.

 

OK, analogy time. Get a skinny person to step on your toe, then a fat one. Your toe is the oil film and which hurts more? It just takes metal to metal contact once for the metal to gall and create a high spot that will be easier to gall more under the next load.

 

The supposed cause is oil starvation meaning that the oil was not being delivered in the first place.

Cause for the starvation, according the now missing OP, is a faulty oil pan design.

Stohlen and unhingd are correct in the statements above.

What's missing is a more in depth explanation from the mechanic who tore down the engine as to how the starvation occurred, substantiation of statements that this is a known issue and an explanation as to how more frequent oil changes can avoid the starvation issue.

Add the supposed screaming match between the Jag dealer, a Jag corporate rep and the OP and something doesn't quite add up. These heavily biased one-sided stories rarely do.

Grandpa.

 

I read through this thread and the answer is very simple. It is clear to me that the engine warranty is null and void when you change the software and do something not approved by the party providing the warranty. The warranty is for the engine as is.

That being said; if one owns the car then one can do as he/she/gender-neutral decides. However, then one has to take personal responsibility.

I have a lowly 495hp RWD V8 and have no plans to modify it. I have never personally felt; "Gosh, I wish I had more power."

 

It's not that cut and dried.

The modification must be demonstrated to have directly contributed to the failure. If an owner chooses to use a non-OEM oil filter and the next day the entire fuel injection system packs it in, there's no connection and no basis for denial of warranty.

For Jag corporate to have already denied coverage on the OP's engine as per story above, they must believe that they are on solid ground to do so. We are all sitting here with baited breath (fish for lunch) waiting for some credible information that there is evidence to the contrary.

 

I have a lowlier V6 and for me it wasn't about wanting more power but a more responsive throttle...same reason I put an APR tune on my NA 4.2V8 Audi, got maybe a handful of extra torqs and horses but the throttle was much less dead pedal...

 

My point is that an oil starved engine will fail whether it's tuned or not. Whatever is causing the oil starvation (oil pickup exposed, failing oil pump, etc), is just as likely to occur regardless of the tune level.


"oil starvation" is different than "barely adequate oil flow by design".

 

Yes, I had a Lawnmower engine disintegrate as the oil had leaked out and the young man running it did not notice.. definitely low horsepower and no tune

Check your oil levels often is best prevention.
Lawrence