Help. I need some input from my fellow Jaguar enthusiasts. I have a 2011 Jaguar XJL. It is my favorite car of any I have owned....a pleasure to drive. That said at 63k miles, I am on the precipice. Within the last year, I have replaced all the fuel injectors, both catalytic converters and just last week....the coolant light came on and before my husband could get off the highway, the engine cracked. I have the following options.....please help me decide.

1. Replace the engine with an upgraded one with only 19k miles. Person with engine says they have upgraded the failure points of the engine....areas that had plastic or aluminum....then keep the car because I have at this point fixed virtually everything anyway.
2. Trade the car in as is and get another XJL. This assumes the problems I am having are just my bad luck and not going to happen with another one.

I would be heartbroken to hear that all XJLs are trouble because I really don’t want any other car. But I can’t take this any more. Advice please?

Thanks All,
Cathy

 

Cathy,
Your decision should be based on numbers, not emotions. What is your car worth now, with a dead engine and what was it worth immediately before the engine died? Let's call that difference "X".

Even if If it will it cost less than X to buy that used engine and install it (which I doubt), I think you're better off to sell or trade it for a newer XJL with the 8-speed transmission, improved sound system, and many other improvements. Time is money, and it will take several weeks to swap the engine. With only 19k miles, that engine is obviously out of a much newer car. Are you sure that the electronics in your 2011 will work with that engine, or will you get Check Engine warning lights? Jaguar changed the Engine Control Unit from Denso to Bosch in 2013 (I think), so know that an engine swap might not be as easy as it seems.

You love your 2011 XJL. I get it. But why not avoid the aggravation and fall in love again with a much newer and far more reliable XJL? Get the newest model year you can afford, preferably with a Jaguar Certified Pre-Owned Warranty. You won't regret it.
Good luck!

Stuart

 

Buy a brand new 2019 while there's some avail left & huge discounts...

 

A shame you had so much trouble with your 2011, my last XJL was a 2011 that I bought brand new, it had covered 107000 miles up until a drunk driver wrote it off last year, I was intending to keep it "forever", in that 8 1/2 years of ownership I think repairs, obviously not including service costs, tyre, brakes and normal consumables, were probably no more than £1000 to £1200, I guess there are good and bad cars of all models and brands.

 

Hello Cathy, too bad you're joining this helpful forum under such a bad situation.
It's not the end of the world though. There are options that might help.

If the worst case scenario is that your block and/or heads are ruined due to overheating, the cheapest, quickest and safest option to try is a product called Blue Devil Head Gasket Sealant.
Please do not confuse this with the myriad leak block products that have various sorts of particulate matter designed to clog-up a leak. The Blue Devil product is all liquid, and from what I've read & seen doesn't block what shouldn't be.
That said, the Blue Devil must be applied generally as the instructions say; I suggest you call the Blue Devil Customer Support (I think there are 2 of them?) for help and to answer questions and for guidance.
It seems expensive for a coolant leak sealer - the only product of theirs that I would use is the ~$70 bottle, but it's massively cheaper and easier than replacing or even repairing (if possible) an engine, and worth a try before going down a long, expensive trail; and in the case of you and many of us, a trail that does include emotions - and fairly so, it's our right to be fond of our vehicle.

I agree with Stuart for what matters to myself in my decision making, but you have the right to make your decisions on how you feel; whether the rest of us think it's a waste of time & money or not. That doesn't matter in your life where you decide what you want to do. You answer to yourself. Now as far as your better-half running your Jag after the warning came-up and overheating it, he may have to answer to you, but that's nothing to do with us out here either.

But before committing to major repairs, if your block or heads really are cracked/warped or head gasket blown, I suggest checking out applying a bottle of Blue Devil to your car, to get it back in operation.
It would work for me personally because I've had vehicles with head/engine coolant leaks, and I keep a vehicle pretty much indefinitely. I wouldn't use it in a vehicle to sell or trade, but I would on one that I use. And to me if it can be sealed without blocking heater cores, radiators or damaging anything, and making it cool and run as it should, then I'm fine with it. even if I reapply the Blue devil every couple of years, when I refresh the coolant. I'd be fine with that if it works.
I've tried several brands of sealant over the last few decades and all but the Blue Devil I've recently been turned-on to (by a JLR dealership mechanic, coincidentally) is the only one that I've seen/used that doesn't mess-up the cooling system in some way, and possibly clog something up.
Advice I'd give if you or someone try it:
-Remove the thermostat as instructions say - relatively easy in the Jags of this forum. The housing has 1 screw & about 4 hoses holding it in. Easy to get to. Once the thermostat housing is removed, the thermostat can be taken out of it, then the housing put back together & reinstalled to run the Blue Devil as prescribed.
-When the thermostat's back in, pour the full bottle of Blue Devil into the top radiator hose before topping up with plain DISTILLED water (try to never put tap water in you engine, unless it's well-filtered).
-MAKE SURE that the air is removed from the cooling system properly before starting the 50-minute run with Blue Devil. If there is an air bubble in your engine (and there always is when you open the system other than the surge tank cap) it will ruin the Blue Devil application. The proper way to make sure there's no air is to use a coolant system leak & refill kit (I got one at Harbor Freight for like $50 that works great). This requires an air compressor to use the kit.
- MAKE SURE that the engine is completely cool when you start the process, and gets up to full operating temperature for the 50-minute run at idle. Do not drive for 50-minutes, just let it idle in park (Not in your garage of course, out where the exhaust will not collect)
MAKE SURE you let the engine fully cool again AFTER the 50-minute run, and before draining-out the used Blue Devil, re-installing the thermostat and refill with fresh coolant, and make sure that again there are no trapped air pockets in the cooling system (other than the surge tank, of course.
After that, you will likely be able to drive your car as you normally do. If not, then look at the other bigger options.
Just another option to try.

This may sound difficult but really isn't in contrast to replacing an engine or head gasket or whole car.
Also keep in mind that for the price of buying a possibly (no guarantees unless it's a brand-new JLR engine) good for a while engine, removing your old engine & installing the replacement, you could surely buy a beautiful newer used XJ for cheaper.

But I still would always go with the Blue Devil option before any of that cost & headache.

 

Yes with an AL. engine you can't wait to get off the highway. They warp much worse than the old style iron based engines.
If any lights other indications of over heating come on you MUST stop immediately or suffer what happened to you.
.
.
.

 

How do you know your engine is toast, has it been confirmed by an inspection ? Did your husband drive some miles before leaving the highway ? Driving on with a coolant light on is always a huge risk.

 

Long and short: the mechanic thinks it is a cracked engine. If you pour in coolant it goes right through onto the floor. Gasoline also leaked out everywhere. It is unconfirmed, but that is what he thinks it is. We went to Jaguar today to see what’s what and we found a 2016 XJL. Low mileage. I think I have made peace with the fact that repairing my car would be a poor financial decision. I just wanted to make sure that I was simply unlucky and there is not a history of issues with this model. I really appreciate everyone’s time. We have a Jaguar XKR 175th anniversary model as well.....it’s perfect. So at least there’s that.

 

Thank you Mark, I will certainly suggest it to the mechanic as a last ditch effort.

 

I’m very glad to hear that it is not a widespread issue because I will get another one!

 

Yep, I’m on it. I am looking at a 2016 right now....but still on the lookout for even newer.....has to be an XJL.....I love the long lines. I appreciate the advice.

 

Sure seems the Jaguar XJs prior to 2013 have problems that were addressed in later model years. Reading this forum, the major problems seem to be confined to the 2011 and 2012 model years. My 2015 XJL has yet to have any repairs due to mechanical issue. Sorry to hear of your unfortunate problem. I wonder what the value of the car might be in parts.

 

Don't know where you live, but up to a couple of days ago, South Florida had a few CPO XJLs. Check the Jaguarusa.com site. While it's rarely accurate, it does show availability for your area. Another site is "Off Lease Only" and then there's "autonation". I believe Autonation has their own warranty for used cars.

Good Luck