Does XF ownership mean the same hassles and high costs as with slightly older Jaguars?

[I asked a similar question in the other (X260) XF forum, but realized I am much more likely to buy an X250, and I'm hoping the answer is at least slightly more positive for the X250. Sorry for any redundancy!]

I'm tempted to buy an XF Sportbrake, which surprises me greatly, considering my increasingly negative experience with my current Jaguar. The car itself is fine. Repairing it, however ... .

There are several big issues. First, unlike with a BMW or Porsche, and probably lots of other makers, I was never able to download a complete parts catalog (often called EPC) or access one online. Neither can any independent service which I know. So if I need to replace a part, sometimes the only way to find the part number is to go to a Jaguar dealer. And the last time I did that, they said "sorry, we're not allowed to share part numbers". (Till I told them I wouldn't pay them for the diagnostic work they had done, when they became more cooperative.) However, I learned in the X260 forum of something called Jparts developed by a forum member, and visited the thread ( https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/g...l-jepc-255587/ ) but I am still trying to figure out if I can use it, and don't know if it covers the X250.

Second, some parts have been out of stock for years.

Third, independent Jaguar specialists are hard to find. The only one that was close enough closed down. A problem that may be related to the first two problems.

If I buy an XF - probably ~8 years old with 60-80k miles, and drive it 10-15k miles per year for at least 3 years, it's going to need a lot of repairs. If I can only do that at a main dealer, the ownership costs will be MUCH higher than with a similar BMW that I can buy at a similar price. It will also be a much bigger hassle. My local specialists often help me with my other cars anywhere from the same day (if I stop by to have them take a quick look at something) to the next week, only rarely longer. After giving up on one of the (non-Jaguar) specialists fixing a problem with my Jaguar, I booked the first available appointment at the Jag dealer - one month later.

My Jaguar was as little as 10 years old when taking care of it started to become a big problem. If the same thing would happen now, or within a few years of buying an XF, forget it.

But would it? Can one download/access the (X250) XF parts catalog? Is Jaguar keeping parts available for the (X250) XF (and in particular, the Sportbrake)?

Thanks for any insight into this!

 

You can find most parts for any Jaguar model from one of the forum sponsors, SNG Barratt on their website.

Your location of 'Europe' is very broad, but SNG Barratt have parts houses in France, Germany and the Netherlands in addition to the UK. Here is a link to their website:

https://www.sngbarratt.com/English/#/uk/home

If you want to reduce the cost of ownership of any high-end or luxury marque, it's best to be able to perform most of the maintenance and repairs yourself.

I have personally found the modern Jaguar models to be no more and no less reliable than their German competitors based on the opinions of friends having German vehicles.

 

Thanks! I know of SNG Barratt. They, and others, also don't have the part I've been looking for - and I checked several times over several years :- (.

I'm not really worried about the reliability being worse than the Germans. More it being more expensive and, even more importantly, harder to get things fixed when they go wrong. And with that in mind, I remain concerned about both access to a part catalog and part availability for the X250.

 

Actually I find just the opposite for Jaguar? I have worked on many other cars that the manufacture's just obsolete the parts and your out of luck. Prime example are the twins. Jaguar S Type and the Lincoln LS. Ford has stopped producing a huge amount of LS parts and the few remaining guys are using what they can get from Jaguar. But many things are still available from Jaguar for the S-Type.

I can find the Jaguar parts I need BUT the trade off is the prices!
Yes finding a service place is a problem and that's what drove me to get the JTIS and the JEPC so I could work on my car. Both of these are free on this forum too if you want them?
This list is the best tool I have for fixing my car!
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Yes, I want them. And thanks for your post in the JTIS thread about how to get the JEPC!

 

No problem but I always feel a bit guilty as SDD has been a big project for me and I was unaware when I started just how complicated the dang thing is!
But compared to other tools it does contain everything needed. With no training documentation I guess it depends on how much time you have spent on software/computers.
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You know I hadn't considered the hassle when I bought my Jag. Discovered my options for service were limited and the dealership here sucks. I've been doing my own service so far, which certainly saves me a lot of money. I thought about getting a different car that wouldn't have that hassle, but here's the rub. There are no other cars I'd rather have in this price range. I'd have to go $15k higher to get anything comparable. I absolutely love driving my XF. I have owned an Audi and a Mercedes. I doubt I'd ever get an Audi again, I won't touch BMW, and there's maybe one Mercedes I'd be okay switching to. Maybe I'll change my mind in 5 years, but I don't think cars are getting much better lately. In fact I think they've started getting worse.

 

Sadly, that seems to be true for several manufacturer's cars for a while now :- (

 

Have you tired looking for an independent Land Rover shop? They should be able to fix anything on a current Jaguar
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Jaguar: Grace, Pace, and Space - Sir William Lyons
Current: '15 XF (X250) Portfolio AWD 3.0 (it's aubergine)
Past B: '08 S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 whp / 259.67 torque)
Past A: '05 X-Type 3.0/AWD Jaguar Racing Green

 

Dear Zimt,
If I was you given my experiences with my 2014 XF supercharged 3.0 I would NOT buy an older Jag or even a new one for that matter.
Great to drive but when they fail which they will bring a fire extinguisher for your credit card.
I have spent a fortune keeping this thing going. I am 63 and have had cars for 45 years and nothing compares to the upkeep on this and I've got a wife and 3 kids.
The final straw was the bluetooth/ audio unit failed which meant no navigation, phone, radio or music player.
The stereo in this was fantastic but now i carry around a bluetooth speaker while I try to organise a new unit which will cost less than the $6-7 thousand dollars
the main dealer wanted to replace it!
So over this car!

 

I have owned 6 Jaguars, currently my daily driver is a 2009 XF Supercharged with 420 hp. To get this car, we sold our 2017 XF 3.0 Supercharged. Why did we do it? 2009 was the last year of arguably the best V8 Jag ever produced. After 12 years of “tweaking” the 4.2 by 2009 it was as bullet proof as it was going to get. Mine had 24k miles when purchased in January, we have 35k miles now.
will there be maintenance bills, of course. The key is finding one where ALL FLUIDS have been changed as intended.
The pain in the **** stuff like window motors, seat motors etc… are expensive to replace.
Maintenance Itself, find a good independent wrench and just take care of the car man, the engine and ZF tranny with the 2007-2009 4.2 engines are rock solid. Even my AC blows ice cold. The starter is basically a Toyota version, solid.
finally, for peace of mind I purchased an after market warranty as an insurance policy. If you find a low mileage XF they are available for $150 a month with $100 deductible . Will the warranty pay dollar for dollar what a $200 an hour labor a Jag dealer charges, no. But, if you have a good independent certified wrench, they could come in handy as the mileage adds up. I am satisfied and realize that when my baby gets up to 75k+ miles warranties will not be an option.
bottom line, look closely at service history. If you can, call where it has been serviced. Doing your homework could save you thousands man. I still love Jags, but, recently retired, so a Lexus, Caddy, Buick, or Jeep could be next

 

It's an appealing idea, and while unfortunately not super relevant for me (I'm looking for a Sportbreak, which never had the 4.2), it raises an interesting question: X250 vs X260. In particular, ownership costs and hassles. On the one hand, I'd generally expect more parts availability and better support from Jaguar for later models like the X260. On the other hand, I guess more X250s were sold (not sure of the numbers, but there are now over 7x more people viewing the X250 forum), which should help availability (maybe for new and probably for used parts). And the newer cars probably have more things that can break. In sum, I'm not sure what to expect. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated!

 

If your looking for a Sportbrake they are awesome wagons with the 3.0 supercharged engine. I drove one for about a week once when a warranty item was being fixed on my 2017 XF 3.0. I have my eyes on the Sportbrake, XJ or XK next. Just depends, I am very finicky on how to purchase Jags, low mileage is a must, and we will probably wait a couple years and let the car market comeback down to earth. Jags used to be a great used car bargain, some still are but they are becoming harder to find. We loved the 3.0 Supercharged engine too. In you get a Jag with the 5.0, several Jag people told me to look at 2014 or newer to be sure the tensioner and chain problem is not a potential problem.

 

I'm mainly looking at the 3 liter diesel, though I'd consider the V8. As far as I can tell, Sportbrakes were never offered with petrol V6s, supercharged or otherwise. The problem with the V8 is that the Sportbrake was only offered with the full-on supercharged 5 liter, which is what, all else being equal, makes the V8 less fun than the 3 liter diesel - I'd never be able to use more than half throttle or half the revs. (A Sportbrake is, after all, a family car.)

 

In the states the Sportbrake only came with the V6 gas supercharged engine

 

Well that's interesting. It seems my favorite source for such info (ultimateSPECS - www.ultimatspecs.com) isn't so ultimate after all. I guess they only list European market models, at least for the XF. I understood the 3 liter petrol/gasoline disappeared due to emissions requirements. As Europe has different requirements from the US, it's not surprising that it survived there.

 

I put 32k miles on my 2017 XF with the supercharged V6, we loved the way that car performed on the highway, close to 30mpg on every tank. People said I was nuts to sell a 2017 to buy a 2009, but, since I had owned three 4.2 S-Types and 1 XJ8 with the 4.0 engine we knew how rock solid the 4.2 engine is. Have not been disappointed, we will end the year putting about 15k miles on the 2009 XF Supercharged and it makes me smile every time we get in to take a long ride or trip. She only has 35,600 miles on it now

 

Can't argue that the 4.2L was a great engine! Put 132K miles on my old 2005 S Type R. No oil usage and no leaks of any kind either. Either NA or SC versions both were pretty good.
Replaced many coolant hoses and finally at 125K miles the water pump but the engine and 6 speed ZF were just rock solid.

Do watch out for the dreaded under SC coolant hose if you happen to have the SC version. It's a cheap $25 hose but tons of work to change. And this hose WILL leak at some time so be prepared for it.
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