I took my XF in for service on Wednesday. I had a check engine light on and after confirming it wasn't the gas cap, decided to take it in to my dealer.

My service manager said that they determined the thermostat needed replaced. Apparently there is some sort of "lever" that controls the flow of the engine coolant, and it is supposed to open and close...mine is stuck in the open position.

It was covered under the Select Edition warranty, I was told, so there wouldn't be any cost associated with the repairs. They gave us a 2013 XF loaner and told us to come back in a few hours to pick it up.

We headed off to the mall when I remembered that lately my touchscreen has been flickering, especially when using the Navigation. The color of the terrain flickers from brown to orange to pink...so I called my service manager and asked him if they could check it. He called me back and said that the whole module needs to be replaced, but it too is covered under warranty. He said its pretty unusual that this would happen, and the part is several thousand dollars, so they have to special order it. And it will take about a week to get it finished. LUCKILY, this too was covered under the Select Edition warranty.

So for the next week, we have a 2013 XF loaner w/1,400 miles on it. But in the meantime, I'm evaluating whether or not it is time to part with the Jag.

I love the car. Its fully loaded, my favorite color combo, the nice, pre-2013 V8 engine. I hate the little rinky-dink V6 in this loaner, despite its having all wheel drive. But my car is up to 38,000 miles, the Select Edition warranty will expire this fall, and I'm worried about costly maintenance after that happens.

Thoughts on what to do? Do you think after these repairs my car will be 'like new' and my worries are for nothing or should I take these issues a little more seriously?

 

If you like your current car (which by the way would be quite a bit slower than the rinky dink V6 in the loaner), keep it. It will almost certainly be less expensive than getting something newer, even if there are some repairs. Thermostat replacement is definitely not a cause for significant worry, and the nav screen, who knows... The 09s, though were definitely prone to more problems than subsequent years, which is common for the first production year.

 

Maybe its because I'm used to my car, but the V6 just doesn't have that same aggressive, muscular growl that the V8 in my car has. To me, at least. It may be faster...I don't argue that (although I don't see a noticeable difference either), but I certainly prefer my car for performance. Although I do like the EcoBoost feature in the loaner. Both have their pros and cons.

I am just wondering what the expected life is like post-CPO warranty. I am worried that if it has this much in repairs needed at 38,000 miles, what will it be like at 58k, 78k, etc...?

 

Just my 2 cents...

If I could find a nice '11 or a '12 MY and upgrade to it with my '09 as a trade..I would IMPHO...Like Robzilla said the 09's as we all know had/has a lot of little first year issues...

I also agree with you about the rinky-dinky V6....vs a V8 in these XF's...I too like the growl...That's why I mentioned an '11 or '12 MY and there is a lot of them out there to be had with low miles..

But I will also say that your '09 car now, is LOW miles and there is a a lot of fun driving life left in it..If I were to keep it a few more years, I would look at changing transmission fluids and stuff like that....But don't worry about it imploding on you anytime soon.

 

Just buy an extended warranty. There has been a couple of threads on this board recently covering that topic. There are several companies out there who have gotten into the extended warranty business including Ford and they cover All makes and models. Let us know what you decide to do.

 

If you like the car, you can also think about this very differently.

First off, do preventative maintenance such as transmission fluid change, coolant flush and brake fluid flush to insure longevity.

Then put, say 1/3- 1/2, of a new car payment into a repair saving account monthly. You will then have ready cash for repairs if you need them, and if you don't the money is still yours.

Lastly, start having your car serviced by a good indy Jag shop, like London Motors in Falls Church, VA or English Auto in Odenton Md...this will save you a lot.

 

V6 is a lot quieter then the V8. Part of that is the supercharger damping intake noise.

The V6 isn't much slower than the normally aspirated 5.0 V8 in normal driving. The big difference is from a standing start before the supercharger really hits.

The AWD version is a bit slower than the rwd version due to the added 150lbs of driveshafts and differential/transfer clutchpack.

 

I absolutely agree about the 5.0 V8 growl - my '12 Portfolio is just such theater as it literally snarls/growls (or whatever other aggressive feline noise you'd like to insert)to life, the shifter rises and the vents awaken, and the car settles into a purr. It just has so much character. Intoxicating as far as I'm concerned.

 

Absolutely like the V8 growl. I had the 4.2 in two previous Jaguars, and I thought it was a great engine. I think the 3.0SC is also a nice engine. But the 5.0? Wow, it is just amazing in terms of the overall package. But it is RIP in naturally aspirated form (unfortunately) and all Jag engines will be FI from now on - even the XJ will not have the NA 5.0 for '14. If you drive a '12 - new and much improved styling IMHO, and the NA 5.0, I'd be surprised if you don't see if there's some spare change in the sofa to pony up for it!

 

You can purchase warranty through Jaguar. It will extend it to 8 years 100,000.

 

Will that offer the same benefits as the Select Edition Warranty? And any idea on the cost of such a warranty?


Thanks to the suggestions for saving for repairs. My concern isn't so much being able to afford them, rather making most financially responsible choice for the long run.

The 4.2L V8 is great in my car, and I can only imagine the 2012's 5.0L V8.

To complicate the matter, I found a Jaguar Dealer with a NEW 2012 XF still left in inventory. It is not a portfolio, just the entry level sedan. Ebony exterior over black interior. MSRP: $54,875. They're offering it for $39,990. It has 5 miles on it. I would guess it would cost me $10-12k to upgrade to this car from my current vehicle.

While I would much prefer the Portfolio package, this sure complicates things....

 

By all means if you want to upgrade, go for it, but buying a new car, even at a significant discount is rarely the most financially responsible choice in the long run.

 

I'd go for the 2012 in a heart beat...The portfolio is not a big determining deal..

Go look at it, drive it and you will see the Base model it not an Entry level XF by any means...The past gone X-type was considered an Entry level Jaguar....Bite your tongue.

And please..do not install another leaper on the hood

 

I believe it's about $3500. The warranty covers everything.

If I were you, I would just wait and go for a 2012 SC model. You will love the extra kick.

Either way, if you get a 2012 w/v8, within 4y/50,000 miles you will be out of warranty. Maintaining them without it, can be very expensive. So, you would have to get the extended warranty for it, for a peace of mind.

Better option would be to find 2012 with CPO, 6y/100,000 mile warranty. It will be cheaper to extend it later if you needed to.

Or you can just keep yours and purchase extended warranty.

 

Honestly, I guess it is a matter of personal preference, but I could never see owning a Jaguar without a leaper. I get the new design (I'm a huge Ian Callum fan), but it is such an iconic part of the heritage and such a recognizable feature of the brand that I would never own a Jag without one. But to each his own...

Have a great day ;-)

 

Thanks Executive. I appreciate your advice. Thinking the extended warranty may just be the way to go for the time being. I am eyeballing an XJL Supercharged (in the distant future) and don't want to get financially strapped to the car in the short run. I looked at trading it in, but was offered about $4-5k less than what NADA says its worth, not even factoring in that it has the transferrable Select Edition still good on it for the time being.

Cheers!

 

Yer right and I was just ribbing ya..But IMPO, the leaper had it's hay-day when on the X-type and the S-type and there were a couple other models..But the Styling has changed so drastically and I'm just saying that the leaper on the Hood of the XF looks out of place now...Again, that's just me.

 

I bought my 3rd Jag, a 2012 XF base with the 5.0na. NO REGRETS!! This car is basically loaded in base form. Some of the standard features are now optional on the new models.

 

If you end up buying an extended warranty, I'll just say don't be cheap about it because you get what you pay for in most cases. I've had quite a few issues with my '09 XF, and my warranty has only covered a small portion of repair costs. I didn't get the warranty through Jaguar though, so I'm sure that was my first mistake...