Hey everyone,

I know this is brought up often. How has your reliability been? Is this just a misconception? I know a lot of the older Jags had issues; are the F-type R's free of major catastrophes? I've already reviewed the "typical problems" section and at least 10/12 of the problems have already been fixed on the one I'm looking at getting. Should I be terrified that this will be a giant money pit and a car that's never on the road? Or is that just crap from people who don't actually own the car?

 

The bolded bit.

 

Yes, it is just oft-repeated crap from people who haven't a clue. I have owned many Jaguars, some for decades, and they have all been very reliable and far, far more so than the two German marques I have owned and from which I have not yet fully recovered. Modern Jaguars are overall the equal of any competitor in that regard.
Any particular car of any make can have problems. One thing to note: modern luxury cars, Jaguars included, need full voltage to the myriad modules. Unless the car is driven regularly (and by that I do not mean once every week) and far enough (and by that I do not mean a 5 mile run) the battery will eventually fail to put out that optimal voltage. The result can be any random electronic issue -and these cars are full of electronic modules. This is why every, every luxury car manufacturer markets the CTEK battery maintainer under their own marque name - every one from Bugatti to BMW to Bentley to Jaguar to Audi to Mercedes....so, a word to the wise: if you buy this car, fit a CTEK unit to it and use it always when the car is not being used. Now, some owners might answer that they have never had an electronic issue despite not using a battery maintainer, but it is cheap insurance. Further, a battery disconnection and reconnection solves an amazing number of possible issues (again, not just on Jaguars).
Buying any used car is a gamble but you have investigated possible problem areas and the overall condition will suggest its pattern of use. As always, the service history is essential - and if it happens to have mention of electrical issues, see above. The number of dealers who are not fully aware of the very simple issue of battery voltage is shocking.
Use only a "top tier" fuel and occasionally BG 44 Platinum fuel system cleaner and use only the specified oil - these items are crucial on direct-injection engines such as these.
F-Types are fabulous, addictive cars (the coupe version being the most beautiful!). You won't regret it.

 

Thank you. I was ready to pull the trigger but then I went to Reddit and was overwhelmed by "mine burned down", "my engine needed replaced", etc. I expect to have some cost of ownership, I'm estimating $5-$10K per year, and I'm prepared for that. But not for a $40K engine replacement or something insane. So now it's made me very hesitant and I start thinking "maybe I should just get a mustang GT or something." But I don't want that ... at all... :/ I appreciate the response.

 

The one I'm looking at has had a battery replacement as well as the start/stop switch, both recently. Is that a good sign? Or does that mean that's a bad sign?

Thank you for the input.

 

Oh, and side note, I plan on driving it at least 2-3 times per week; probably at least 150 miles per week

 

https://smartercharger.com/collections/vehicle/?i=1

Any specific one you'd recommend? Thanks for the suggestion on that

 

How often should I use the BG 44 fuel system?

 

I'm happy (and I'm not alone) with my CTEK MXS 5.0.

Regarding BG44K, I think Unhingd reckons used annually is the way to go.

And as others have pointed out, Jaguar's reliability woes really go back to the pre-Ford days of the 70s and 80s with their wonderful British commie workforce(!), Ford turned round the quality and that has continued under Tata's ownership. On the plus side, it's good that lots of people are scared to buy Jaguar as we're driving not only a beautiful car, but it's also a rare sight on the roads. We're an exclusive club!

 

I’m using a 3A battery charger/maintainer. I haven’t had any issues with it so far. I picked it up from auto zone for 70$. I just got my car (2016 ftype r awd) within the last 30-45 days and the cars been in the shop quite a bit. First they had to swap out the battery because it was giving me an adaptive dynamics fault. After the switched it the fault came back. Then they said an update was needed to the stability control system. Worked for a few minutes then the fault came back. Now I have to bring it back because they think it’s the height sensor. Besides that I’ve enjoyed the car. I’m upset about this whole issue but I’m too much in love with the car to care.

 

No, but you have to realize that your F-type is not a Corolla, and it could get expensive. No matter what, it is $100K new car and repair costs would reflect that. If you can't afford 2-3K catastrophic repair bill, then you shouldn't hold on to the car.

How much it is going to cost you depends on two things (in order of importance):

1. Maintenance. If your car had one oil change since it was new in 2015, it will be a money pit. On other hand, if there is no original fluids (e.g. coolant, brake fluid, transmission, differential) left in your car and they all were changed, with frequent engine oil changes, then your car will have a good chance to be reliable.
2. Luck. Mean time to failure is one thing, but the standard deviation around it is still huge. For every 1 million miles with only oil changes outliers there are other side of broke rod bearing 1 day after warranty expires.

 

It means nothing. Don't try to read tea leaves and find patterns where there is none.

What you should be doing is looking for a car with full service records. You are buying a very expensive Jaguar, if previous owner didn't do a good job maintaining it, and they have no reason to care on a leased car, you will have a rough go of it.

Also, you should have any car inspected by a third-party. Don't trust the seller even if they are a jaguar dealer - they won't tell you about all the problems with the car. No matter what, it will be always "fully sorted out, lady driven" even if they just pulled it as a smoking wreck from a side of a race track.

 

Neither of these replacements necessarily indicates any electrical issues. First, the batteries of modern cars (if not kept fully charged either by frequent use or battery maintainers) will last on average 4 years and often less. Second, the start/stop switch, available in two colours, is often replaced - but for cosmetic, not electrical reasons. I do not recall any mention of replacement for electrical defects, only cosmetics -and the replacement takes approximately one minute if you want to do it and if you are slow (!).
The favoured battery maintainer is the one I mentioned (any one of the CTEK units...if they are good enough for all of the luxury car manufacturers, they are good enough for our Jaguars - and by the way, the unit which the car manufacturers supply under their own name is the least expensive, basic CTEK unit; I used one of those for years with zero electrical issues as a result).

The possibility of engine replacement is statistically far greater on a BMW than on a Jaguar! My experience with many Jaguars has shown that the running costs are lower, not higher, than with other luxury makes -assuming proper maintenance.

 

Of course, when they supply it, it becomes the most expensive CTEK unit!

 

I have had my F-type R RWD for 3 years, and enjoyed every moment with the car. The only problem I have had in the 3 years is the same adaptive dynamics fault. The dealer diagnostic software correctly identified the fault straight away as the front height sensor. So it was in and out of the shop in a day without costing too much. Clearly the ftype can be an expensive car if something major goes wrong, but for me it has been pretty problem free to date.

 

As with any marque, you are subject to luck of the draw. Except for a clutch design flaw, which JLR has subsequently resolved, my F-Type been more reliable than any other car I’ve owned over the past 50 years. My ‘90 GMC comes in a close second.

 

My '14 V8 came with Jags 100K/7Y CPO. I have til Aug 2020 if I am going to use it, unless I put 60K miles on in the next 8 months. They did change the battery for me but I don' t consider that a legitimate warranty claim just good will.

 

My 2016 MY F type R was manufactured in March 2015.

First owner put a mere 8700 miles on it in two years, I am the second owner, have had it for thirty months, covered an additional 40,000 miles.

Only problem was Sat Nav stopped working, was down to a faulty GPS antenna (roof mounted "sharkfin"), simple fix under warranty.

It's my daily driver, driven in all weather and stored outside, not cosseted in any way

 

Great to hear, everyone. Sounds like all of the 'reliability issues' are literally just memes. Those people have no idea what they're missing out on; my (new to me) R is hands down the best sports car I've ever owned. I absolutely love it. And today I just noticed the active exhaust button lol. Wow what a totally crazy sound when that exhaust is opened up. Just put it in dynamic mode for the first time today, too. Just really can't believe how exceptional this car is.

I, too, have the CPO warranty - good until December of 2020 or 100K miles. Purchased with 38K miles on it so there's no way I'll hit 100K this year lol. Either way, nice to have a little piece of mind just in case.

 

We have the 2015 R RWD, built in May that year to our spec; been smashing ever since.

Due diligence Wrt history is very important to ensure your choice is an educated one, rather than one based on options or colour alone.

Look after these cars, and they reward the owners with 'miles of smiles'.

Forums and websites get engrossed with the negatives of any brand and sometimes you have to ignore all the crap and 'grab the bull by the horns' and go buy one!

FWIW - Yes, had battery issues, but its a consumable item, understand that. Its almost 5 years old which I think is pretty good for a summer car.
Regular, not permanent maintenance from a battery tender helps.