I'm considering buying a 2015 F-Type S with about 42K miles. Seller states discs and pads replaced 2 years ago. What should I be checking. I had an XK and it had notorious issues with the duck bill, leather on the dash and a few other things. What are the F-Type issues?

 

It's not a long or unusual list, but I'd ask about the coolant lines/water pump to see if they've been replace. Supercharger nozzle. Sticky buttons. In general, I'd want to see service records to make sure it was properly maintained. By now it should have been through the "3-year, 30k mile" list twice. There are a few things minor items I'd note for a "to do" list, but wouldn't expect to have been done already (coolant, rear diff fluid).

 

I just purchased the same car with similar miles and so far have had the following work done (through a 3 month Carvana warranty) for about $7000 total:

​​​​​​New AC compressor
New muffler (squeaky valves)
New supercharger and serpentine belts and tensioners
New O2 sensor changed differential fluid
Oil change
This work has all been done at the dealership as I am not paying, so a good independent mechanic would likely be less expensive.

This work was all completed AFTER the dealership did a pre-purchase inspection and I was told it was in "great mechanical condition."

I still want to change the transmission fluid at some point soon as well.

 

Wow, that warranty is getting a workout!

I have another 15 days until my CarChex warranty kicks in (30 day wait), and have done a number of preventive services myself. Have an axle out now getting a new boot put on as it was split.

 

Well, actually, apart from the AC compressor, the rest is pretty much maintenance work, not repairs. The squeaky vacuum valves on the muffler can be lubricated. O2 sensors eventually wear out but there was a run of short-lived sensors on the F-Type…but they are covered under a 15 year Jaguar warranty in any case. Nothing in this list should cause concern other than the compressor.

 

My post was meant to be more of a cautionary tale about the cost of repairs and maintenance. For instance, the dealership quoted me $690 to recharge the AC. That same service cost me $164 for a Volvo the previous year.

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Same thing happened to me, Jag dealer did a PPI and said "great condition", and not five minutes after getting it home, I diagnosed a broken engine mount..

 

I can't even be upset with them. I think they kind of realized the error of their ways and have bent over backwards to get things done for me through the 3 month warranty I had. The service has really been exceptional.

I just dropped it off this morning for the new muffler. $3700 was the cost on the work order.

 

From my experience in chatting with several top notch service managers over the years, most PPI's are woefully inadequate. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way [back in the day] with an '88 Carrera Coupe. A dealer is generally not interested in a PPI as most car buyers do not want to pay an amount which is required to do a thorough inspection [and they could care less anyway]. It's one thing if you're buying a Rav4, it's another if you're considering the purchase of an expensive to maintain high performance car that could set you back thousands if an issue is missed.

If possible, always buy a car that still has at least a year or so left on the manufacturer warranty so you have time to discover the true condition of the car, but if you are buying a car out of warranty, find an independent specialized mechanic that knows exactly what the particular vehicle's issues are will do a REALLY thorough job of inspecting it. Expect to pay $500. or more but it will be the best money you've ever spent!

 

Mixed feelings on PPIs done by a dealer different than the seller. Are they a Complete waste of time? Probably not, as they know more about the cars than the buyer (presumably) and are therefore more likely to see something.

Now as far as motivation, yeah, that's questionable. We looked at a 2015 R with zero warranty at an Aston Martin dealer (boy did I feel out of place) and had a PPI done by the local Jag dealer... "no problem", they said. Thing is, it's very unclear what their motivation is to find problems (other than being paid to do so, which should be enough, but I digress). If they find a big problem, you probably won't have the Jag dealer fix it, so they make nothing. You probably won't buy the car, so the Jag dealer identifying the problem likely loses "buddy points" with the Aston dealer. OTOH, if they say it's fine and it's not, they're not screwed, you are. If you go back to them and say "hey you missed this", they'll just shrug and say "sorry." Thing is, you aren't paying them to fix a defined problem, so there's no accountability, nothing that you can point at and say "this wasn't fixed."

As mentioned above, they missed the scuff marks on the engine cover and hood that indicated a broken engine mount - I figured it out myself. So, does that mean that I shouldn't have bothered with a PPI? My opinion is, no, that it's still worth something, but what that something is, is very dependent upon how responsible and sharp the tech and dealership is.

 

Before I purchased mine, I looked at 2 F-types that were "certified" and had the 170 (or whatever) point inspection performed and both were sad. one had tires that, if they were in compliance with the inspection, were likely 30 yards from being too worn along with numerous other defects and issues. More shockingly was how poor the inside and outside looked. I get that cars are used and they have wear and tear, but both looked terrible and as if they didn't even attempt to clean them up to minimize the dings, scratches, and filth. Those inspections are garbage and provide zero peace of mind. It all comes down to the dealer and whether they care about their pre-owned cars. I worked in auto sales/service/finance for a number of years and the cars on the lot typically reflect the attitude of the dealer/principal and their business model. Again, not all skip the inspection and dont care; I looked at several cars at a dealer in Illinois where they all looked new. each f-type had the lower spoiler replaced (usually had whiskers on them), got 4 new tires, complete service, legitimate detailing inside and out and every car came with 2 keys and all of the stuff you would expect with a new car. Yes, their cars were higher priced, but they hand picked each one and delivered a like-new buying experience and confidence in the purchase.

 

Sounds like you did a good, thorough job of choosing a car that is right for you! My car is overall in good shape, with a few it's that needed some work. I never would have bought one of these cars used without at least some kind of warranty.

I chose to have the PPI done at the dealership for peace of mind. They obviously know the platform. Whether it was the best choice or not is probably debatable. The willingness of their service writers to try to help me out and to treat me fairly on a vehicle purchased elsewhere has been really great.

I obviously did my research before purchasing and knew the repair costs, especially at a dealership, would be higher than what I was accustomed to with my previous cars (which have been Volvos for years). That said, the difference in service costs is still fairly surprising. An oil change is $390 vs $125 for the Volvo. The difference in labor rates is about $70 an hour more at Jaguar.

 

That's because people who pay a lot for a car mistakenly think that every part and aspect of it cost more, and pay it. I wonder what "Jaguar" spark plugs cost, or "Jaguar" coolant, or power steering fluid, or transmission oil, and on and on. Sometimes I want to reach through the computer and dope-slap people who think $400 for an oil change is reasonable. There is no reason to buy anything from a dealer that is not directly manufactured by Jaguar, other than convenience, laziness, or having a lot of money to blow.

 

Agreed. However with the work being paid for by someone else, in this case it doesn't bother me at all. When the next oil change comes around I'll use the Mighty Vac I have for my boat. What I'll have once this latest service completed is a car that has all it's services up to date and backed by the dealership. It's nice to have a baseline. I don't buy new cars, so this process is not new to me. Buy a good used car, get it up to snuff, drive the snot out of it for 3-4 years and then sell it for something else.

 

You might change that policy with the F-Type!

 

I'm going through the Jaguar tax right now. JUST a CV boot is $290 from Jaguar. Normally a whole axle is $100-150 - Jaguar wants $850. I can get the entire axle rebuilt for $200. So instead of just a boot with the brand name, I will get 2 new boots and a rebuild of the axle for less.