When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Well, today we rode in a very nice 2013 XJ, not the XJL I have been looking for the past 5 months but a very nice car. I ran a CarFax it did show some issues that were resolved early on in the life of the ccar. fuel pump, fuel tank, front fender bender. The car has 34k miles on it and looks really well taken care of. Little wear and tear to the interior and exterior. One scratch on the front right bumper that might need to be polished out or painted. New tires, brakes all look very good and show no heat spots on the disks. My last Jag was a 1972 XKE 2+2 V12 that ate batteries for lunch due to overheating issues but ran like a CHetta when it did run! So, I have tried looking for the VIDEOS that are on the top of the forum but they don't link to a specific video as per the details in the post show but show a variety of OTHER videos on various things NOT JAG. I have gone thru 17 pages of articles posted and would like to know from owners of this model what I need to look for please. Wife says buy it but I don't want to pull the trigger and get a backfire because I didn't research it well enough or ask the right questions here. So....any good advice would be gratefully appriciated.......
I hope you like yours..... so what are these DTCs and the ZF thing? Yes, I am going to admit it has been a really long time since I got under the hood!
Yes. Sticky buttons on the steering wheel and console. Fixed with makeup wipes but does take a lot of work.
Check that the roof does not creak or pop when the car is driven over diagonal bumps.
Water pump is almost a guaranteed repair and at this late date your car might have already had it replaced so check or ask about that. But as posted above there are a number of plastic cooling hoses that will leak and need replacement. Not terrible expensive or even that difficult to do but time consuming.
Consider a 2014 and up because they added the 8 speed tranny over the 6 speed version. Plus the timing tensioners should be updated on the 2014+ cars too.
But the biggest red flag I see is you can't DIY the repairs. That will be an EXPENSIVE decision. A used Jaguar fixed at the dealer is never cheap.
There are really only 2 ways to own a Jaguar without breaking the bank.
1. CPO warranty on car so it's Jaguar's problem or
2. DIY the repairs yourself.
This forum has all the problems figured out if you search so you won't be alone.
.
.
.
Many individual makes/models have quirks that are absent from others. JLR and other small manufacturers are at a distinct disadvantage here, as their low production numbers often don't reveal design or build defects until several years into the model. The X351 water pump/plumbing and sunroof mentioned above are examples of this. Both issues required multiple Service Bulletins to fix. It took three or four iterations to fix the plumbing, and at least two for the sunroof!
From your photos, it looks like you have the normally-aspirated V8, which is a great engine, as long as the oil was changed at least as often as the factory recommends. The timing chain guides are a known weakness, with repairs exceeding $5k. Unfortunately, there are no easy inspection points to determine the extent of wear. The sound of worn guides is quite distinctive. For this reason, and general principal, a pre-purchase inspection by someone familiar with these cars is money well-spent. At a minimum, I'd have the onboard diagnostic codes read and interpreted. Also, don't trust Carfax, as not all claims are reported.
The only other item I didn't see previously mentioned is the battery, or in your case "batteries". In the 2013 XJ, there is a separate battery for the start/stop system (which is a Crime Against Humanity, but that's another thread). Both the main and auxiliary batteries must be in top condition, or you'll see all sorts of weird electrical behavior.
I hope you like yours..... so what are these DTCs and the ZF thing? Yes, I am going to admit it has been a really long time since I got under the hood!
Ken
Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), which may turn on the MIL (Malfunction Indicator Lamp a.k.a. Check Engine Light)
ZF is the manufacturer of the gearbox and the model fitted to the 2013 X351 is the 8HP28.
This has turned out to be a very interesting discussion Ken. I've had my XJL for a little under a year now and my main cause of distress is the dual battery system. The low battery signal appeared consistently, so much so that I used and carried a battery charger during the whole of last winter. A battery checker shows both to be in the functional range so it's just a bit annoying. I bought a service package with the car so I'll probably get them to replace the offending battery before fall. But apart from that and getting used to the AWD having had 20 yrs of RWD Jaguars previously, I can't find fault.
Now with all the other details and feedback I will be sure to keep a watchfully eye out for pending failures.
Enjoy, Regards Ian.
It looks like the car has had the water pump replaced as well as a fuel pump, fuel tank, new tires, both batteries and some plumbing done already. The car was a CA car from Palm Desert so I might think that the heat there took a toll real early on it but it was repaired at a Jag dealer. It only has about 37k miles on it. There is a bumper scratch on the passenger side front right where it looks like somebody in a parking lot swiped it 1" wide and 12" down. Have to have that looked at cause I think it went into the plastic....we will see....
Ian, the car comes with a feature to disable that start/stop thing for the duration of a TRIP, maybe using that will prolong the life of the battery.....Send some photos of your XJL.... I was wondering if some of the features in the PORT models might be added on as a aftermarket item? Maybe like the rear seat AC controls or massage seats in the rear??? Just thinking out loud....
Great, I do have a OBD2 that I am going to hook up when they come over this week and check to see if there are codes or were some that were deleted..... I usually have it on our Truck or Infinity....
The general-purpose scanners used by most consumers will be of limited benefit with your XJ. You'll need one with software specific to this car in order to get useful information, and even to reset the Service Interval light. There are several threads on this forum describing makes and models that members praise.
Yes, there is a handy button to defeat the start/stop for the current run cycle, but the "feature" shouldn't have been there in the first place. The very first time you get Texas (or even Maryland) summer heat suddenly blowing on you, you'll see what I mean.
If you don't have the Portfolio option on your car, adding individual features is probably not feasible. There's undoubtedly some reprogramming of control modules, which should be discouraging enough for you to consider.
Well, tonight we pull the trigger! From all I have learned about our pending new car it does seem to be in very good condition for the actual age of it. It has pretty low mileage and seems to of been taken care of by regular maint also. Getting more paperwork tonight and inspecting the car from one end to the other......The seller has done some recent repairs also and they seem to take very good care of it. This will trplace our 2008 F250 which we are trying to sell because we don't need a truck anymore and I want a car that I can actually pull into the garage and CLOSE THE DOOR without 2' sticking out during a storm! So, photos tomorrow.....And thanks to all of you for this great insite to ownership of the XJ, you folks are just flat out AMAZZZZZZZING!
Did you check that the water pump had been replaced? The crappy Ford pumps were an unmitigated disaster. The short version of what happened to my 2012 V8.
Note that the car was in the shop the better part of six months. The gearbox funnies might have been battery related, but when your service advisor looks you meaningfully in the eye and says, "You know, Sir, the motor has been out of that car twice...", you take the hint.
Did you check that the water pump had been replaced? The crappy Ford pumps were an unmitigated disaster. The short version of what happened to my 2012 V8.
Note that the car was in the shop the better part of six months. The gearbox funnies might have been battery related, but when your service advisor looks you meaningfully in the eye and says, "You know, Sir, the motor has been out of that car twice...", you take the hint.
Hate to read about experiences like that. It makes me hesitate to drive either of our Jags any further than the grocery store and back home....Our XJ-L is going in, in a couple of weeks, for it's annual oil change and state safety inspection. Since it's now approaching 5 years old, and nearing the end of it's warranty period, I've asked the dealer to also check the cooling system components......
The general-purpose scanners used by most consumers will be of limited benefit with your XJ. You'll need one with software specific to this car in order to get useful information, and even to reset the Service Interval light. There are several threads on this forum describing makes and models that members praise.
Yes, there is a handy button to defeat the start/stop for the current run cycle, but the "feature" shouldn't have been there in the first place. The very first time you get Texas (or even Maryland) summer heat suddenly blowing on you, you'll see what I mean.
If you don't have the Portfolio option on your car, adding individual features is probably not feasible. There's undoubtedly some reprogramming of control modules, which should be discouraging enough for you to consider.