My 2011 XJL has been in and out of the dealer's shop at least 5 times over the last year. The problems first started under warranty and now I'm at 54k miles. The electrical system seems to be the biggest problem at this point. For the last year I've had problems with the doors not locking, the alarm randomly going off, blank screen, windows not rolling down and now all four windows randomly roll down and the locks unlock and lock over and over again. I've also had the water pump replaced. Immediately after the water pump was replaced I had a low coolant light come on. I parked it and the next morning drove five miles down the road before it overheated and shut off. I had it towed to the dealership where they had it for three months waiting for Jag to approve that the engine could be taken apart. They found that coolant had leaked into the engine block and blown the head gaskets. I picked it up two weeks ago and drove 150 miles before the check engine light came on. I took it to another mechanic only to find out that the front of the car is not getting power and there's major issues with the electrical system, connectors to components were broken and the evaporator system has failed. I love this car but I've very concerned with all the issues that have happened in a short period of time. So far all of the labor has been covered by Jag but I've had to pay 10% of the cost of parts to have them covered under warranty. I'm still waiting to hear back from the dealership on the latest issues, including the electrical system which seems to be the most costly. Has anyone else experienced these issues?

 

If you post your location, maybe someone can point you to a good independent Jaguar mechanic. Sometimes they are capable of tracking down electrical issues at a much lower price.

 

Very sorry to read about all your issues with the XJL. The one thing that is giving me a hint is when you say:

"major issues with the electrical system, connectors to components were broken"

These days just about everything in a car is electrically operated or controlled. Sounds like the car could have been abused previously by someone?

I wish I could say much to encourage you but, with all your troubles and descriptions sounds like your best bet is to trade the car, unless you can get it repaired all under warranty.

Most of us have not experienced anything like you describe. There are electrical issues due to weak batteries but, those are minor compared to what you are experiencing. The 5.0 engine is robust but, it can be overheated if the water pump fails. That could result in a blown head gasket. In your description you have it backwards. It was the head gasket that blown first, allowing water into the engine block. Why did that happen just after your water pump replacement? Hard to say but, incorrect installation, air trapped in the coolant passages preventing proper water circulation would be my guesses.

Terrible luck, I feel for you. My '12 XJL has been 100 percent trouble free at 28K miles, other than some ride quality issues I had. My two other Jags with the 5.0 have also been very close to 100 percent trouble free. Not even water pump issues, thus far. So, my answer is that none of your serious issues are common with this car.

 

I'm in Austin, TX

 

My car only had 20k miles on it when I purchased it. I had it looked at my two different mechanics inspect it prior to buying it. It was used by Chase bank as an executive transport vehicle and was only serviced with the dealership. I'm hopeful that everything will be covered under warranty since these issues were documented when it was under warranty. We shall see...

 

The March 2015 issue of Consumer Reports ran a survey between spring 2013 and spring of 2014, based on 121,188 auto-repair outcomes at new-car dealerships and independent service stations.

Overall scores for dealership service ranged from 76 (Ram) to 93 (Tesla), with Jaguar coming in at 80 (fair).

Scores for Independent Service Stations ranged from 85 (Jaguar) to 90 (Buick), so while Jaguar was at the lowest end of the scale for independents repairs, that score equaled the OEM dealership ratings for all but the electric Tesla, and tied with the highest rated conventionally powered Buick.

So, overall, independents definitely outshine dealerships, especially in quality of work and value.

But then again, you can't beat free "under warranty" work in any case, even though frustrating at times.