Well, if all goes well and the *********** moves a little bit more towards my offer, I'll soon be the extremely proud owner of a 2005 S Type 3.0. You gotta love the styling of the S Type and I was sold on the car after the first few minutes of the test drive. Hopefully I will have my first Jaguar.

My question I'm posing to y'all is: I know that the S shares the same basic underpinnings as a Lincoln LS. Are the motor and the major electronics the same also? I ask because there isn't a Jag dealership located near me so I'm wondering if a competent Ford/Lincoln service center can perform repairs when/if needed. I can perform basic maintenance myself, but leave it to the experts for the move involved stuff.

Also, is synthetic oil the factory recomendation? Is this what it arrives with when brand new?

Thanks in advance and I look forward to some happy motoring.

 

Hey Skidz. Good luck with your purchase. You'd be better off looking for a Jag experienced/certified independent mechanic in your area than going to the Ford dealership.

By the way, we shy away from the "***********" title here as some of our members actually are employed at dealerships and give of their own time to help us out here.

 

My apologies to any dealership members here. It certainly wasn't my intention to offend anyone. Especially with my first post. I'll search around my area for an independent mechanic. The dealership I'm buying the car from will service it, but they're 40 miles away. I can use them, but they're just not conveniently located.

Thanks, mohrd

 

These cars actually share very few parts with the Lincoln LS. They are completely different cars, externally and internally. They may share a similar platform and the same water pump, but not much more.. A Land Rover dealership would actually be better than a Ford dealership because both Jaguar and Land Rover require the same IDS computer which Ford dealerships don't have.

As for the oil I think it comes with non-synthetic, maybe Castrol, from the factory. Not very sure about that though.

 

You'll waste time if you chase the jag as being like the LS. It never was much and after 2002 (or a bit earlier) it moved further and further away.

If you want anyone to use IDS, stick with a Jag independent (IF and only IF they know the S-Type) or a jag dealer - but research carefully which ones are any good. Some aren't

You don't have to buy spares from a jag dealer but again forget the LS.

Do plenty of reading on this and other sites. The old messages and FAQs etc are there for a reason.

 

Ahhh, yes, the "I got a LS with wood" train of thought. Time for me to spew some of my trivial knowledge. While the two cars share a platform, they went in different ways afterwards. One interesting fact is that for powertrain development they split the duties. Jaguar took the V8 and Ford the V6. So, the 3.0 is a Duratech motor. In fact the 3.0 is built in Cleveland, OH and sent to Jag. But even it has components that are unique to Jaguar. That is also why the only Fords with the 3.9 (smaller stroke than the 4.0 / 4.2) is only found in the LS and Thunderbird roadster. When it comes to the rest of the package, suspension, electronics, audio, HVAC, ect. there are more connections to other Jags than any Ford products. This is one of the reasons that the dash on the S, X, and XJ all look similar. That way they could share components, spreading the cost among all the models. You will certainly find some parts out there listed as compatible with the LS / Thunderbird. Be careful though. Since Jaguars in general are very rare cars and the aftermarket cross reference is weak at best. I stress that one must always check with the vendor that they guarantee that the part will fit. That said, don't be turned off by any of this. These cars are no different than any other premium car. The electronics are more sophisticated than a regular car, but still no worse than those from Mercedes, BMW, ect. (In fact, many components are sourced from the same suppliers). Remember, in modern manufacturing, the main manufacturer really only stamps metal, paints the metal, then assembles the car. So, in a lot of respects these cars are no different than others. OK, time to get more coffee and stop babbling.... Good luck.

 

This is great stuff. Thank you all for your replies.

I already did quite a bit of lurking around and reading here before I registered and will continue to do so.

Again, thanks everyone.

 

great info Josworth.

 

Update:

I purchased the 2005 S-Type 3.0 last weekend and I'm now approaching a full week of driving it. I love this car. Pretty quick for a 6 cylinder. Drives great and corners fairly flat. With all the adjustments it's easy to find a comfortable driving position. So far I'm an extremely happy motorist.

I'll be popping in from time to time with some questions or comments. Hopefully I won't be requesting help for any problems for some time.

Cheers.

Edit: The car is Quartz exterior with the Dove interior.