Hi guys,,
Just found out I will be traveling back and forth to Florida from Baltimore a couple of times a year.
I have a 2012 xj supercharged which I love but it scares me to death. 58,000 miles good extended warranty to 105,000
Last June had a 2011 XF naturally aspirated 5.0 with 100,000 blow up. Typical hoses or water pump failure and my wife who was driving didnt pull right over, Engine cooked, everything mixed together gas, oil, antifreeze. Lost about 7,000.00.
So I have same engine and am scared to death to be driving this thing up and down 95 wondering when in say South Carolina it will blow up and have to be towed to some place that works on jags to be told it is no good anymore. I have spent alot of time recently looking into a Lexus or Acura something that should not blow up but I would lose my *** selling a car I just bought in August for 30,000.00 with 4 year extended warranty. Worth 12,900 trade in 14,000 selling my self which would be almost impossible.
Beside keeping oil changed and fluids topped off is there anything I can do to feel confident in this car. That is after you all tell me to put my big boy pants on and drive. I am just spooked because of the last Jag and all I have "heard" about these engines.

 

Make an appointment at Hunt Valley Eurocar in Cockeysville. Tell them what you've told us. They are highly experienced in these cars. I've seen DC and VA tags in their lot; one of my golf buddies from Alexandria will take his XK nowhere else.
There's not much else you can do with any vehicle to ensure reliability than to have it regularly serviced by a competent shop. I'll be driving to Jupiter sometime next month in my 2012, and looking forward to it.

 

I think if you read through existing forums, you'll find the things that normally wear and you should refresh at 10 years.
The main one is the cooling system.
If you put a little effort into reading the related posts available here, you'll learn that the cooling system is a weak point. It's well worth replacing the cooling system pumps. hoses, thermostat & pipes BEFORE they fail.
There are a few other things that fail over time/mileage too that you will find plenty of posts about.
I've had the high pressure fuel pumps fail on my wife's, and that will leave it stranded (just as the in-tank low pressure fuel pump will), but not permanently damaged,
Have you thought of periodic injector cleaner (gas additive) and induction cleaning?
There are a few supercharger issues that you should search the posts for, there are plenty of posts related to that too.
I notice that you didn't mention air filters - do you keep those changed regularly?

I just replaced my wife's XJ's cooling system and my Range Rover (same year & engine) a month or two before - so I'm sure I won't be getting any surprise cooling system blow-outs.
With good oil & filter changes, not much else that will break down & leave you stranded. They're pretty good engines, once those are maintained well.

A mechanic will mostly help with repair, and generally not as much preventative stuff since they rarely come across a customer that will want to spend money to replace parts that aren't broken yet.

 

All I would say is, a good visual with an inspection lamp by you regularly to identify, oil leaks coolant hoses deteriating etc. Anything looking not correct, one step further at 50k miles would be to change all coolant hoses, thus eliminating that worry.
They are generally reliable cars, treat it with love and it should look after you 👍🇬🇧

 

And to be more specific - the coolant crossover "heater manifold" pipe at the rear of the engine & the coolant outlet pipe at the front. But if you read historical posts in here, you'll see the stories of those.
The original ones are plastic parts that have a seam where two haves were welded. Those common points of failure. The rear pipe was beginning to seep on the one I replaced on my wife's, but not enough to be noticeable until I removed it.
To get a visual inspection of the rear pipe, the intake manifold has to come off, and the supercharger on yours.
For the supercharged engines, there are aluminum replacements available from an aftermarket supplier, but Jaguar Land Rover still keeps the welded plastic replacement parts.
There are more components to the hose system than literal hoses.

 

arbud, do some looking in the forums. You will find that there are 2 pipes that seem to be the main culprits for what you are worried about. Both of these pipes are now made in aluminum vice the factory plastic. yes, it is going to cost a little to get installed as 1 is under the supercharger as I recall and the other is the short tube between the water pump and the oil cooler. But, between these 2 pipes and having a newer water pump on the car, the coolant system will then be almost bulletproof. The only other worry that you have is the grouping of coolant lines behind the driver's side headlight (for you) that are the little coolant lines. These with time will become brittle. But, $100 and an hour of time, you can swap these out and be good for another 10 years.

If you don't mind a bit of a drive, come on down to my place and we can look the car over to make sure all will be good. I am about 2 hours south of you in California, MD.

I guess if you are truely worried about "will the car survive the trip", the test you can do is get a pressure tester from the local auto parts store and get the engine warm and then do a 15 psig test. If things survive that, then your trip should be error free. If things fail, you are atleast home and can get it fixed at a preferred place. I know what you mean about having the water pump fail mid trip. I drove down to Gulf Shores, AL and had the water pump fail on me. Didn't have a Jaguar dealership near me (nearest was 80 miles away in Mobile) and trusted a local shop. Needless to say, when I needed to leave, they had fixed the water pump, but did something (I suspect got something into the fuel rail, can't prove it) and then the fuel injectors failed. Had a nice drive back with the kitty on a trailer.

 

Actually that makes 3 pipes that are available in aluminum instead of plastic - but again READ EXISTING POSTS in here about the topic. You can learn so much more.
The short pipe between the back of the coolant pump to the oil cooler (under the intake manifold) is the only aluminum option I was able to take advantage of since my wife's XJ is NA instead of supercharged.

 

I don't know if this helps but all the bad points covered in one 😁

https://www.exco.nl/en/parts/importa...xk8-xkr-3133-p

It does say up to 2003, so, would I be correct to say that the 4.2 2003/4 onwards is a lot better? Or do the 4.0 & 4.2 V8 engines(motors) still have issues post 2003?
Thank you

 

That's why I recommended this shop, and not the JLR dealer 0.9 miles away (where most of the Eurocar guys once worked).

 

What? So you're saying I'm not sincere with the advice I suggested? Out of curiosity, what's my motive for giving false advice?
There is no "non-critical weeping". If there is a weep, I'd advise you to replace it immediately. If you put it off, it could be today, it could be tomorrow...
Whether or not you or the OP can do any amount of work yourself isn't my responsibility to decide or even be aware of when I make a suggestion. It's up to the poster to describe their details that they want responders to consider.
Removing the lower covers isn't needed to look for leaks of the cooling system. Tell me which of the troublesome cooling system parts are only accessible by removing the undercover & getting underneath it?
I understand that you're a Marylander, but if you don't live in a home with an enclosed garage to park in isn't my problem either. You may assume it's my responsibility to know what your parking situation is, but it isn't.
Because you don't have the knowledge, skills, aptitude or desire to get this close & personal with your vehicle doesn't mean I don't. I do. I have, and I will in the future.
My wife's XJ has 4" clearance too, and that has not kept me from figuring out how to get under it while it's raining and cold outside. Our house has a garage.
What "single-use" parts are you talking about? Are you speaking from experience of doing this work yourself? Because I am.
You're suggesting that it's not worth more than a $200 inspection to replace parts that are absolutely known to age and wear over the 10+ years they've been in service to avoid an eventual failure that can easily completely destroy the engine? The mechanic you're referring to could replace all the critical parts for a reasonable price - if you consider their work worth their price.

It's great that you can share a trusted shop near the OP, but I don't understand how you think that makes any other responses or suggestions insincere.

 

Well thank you all for your responses. I now have plenty to think about before taking any action.

 

Mark, I apologize for my poor use of the word "disingenous".
I have edited my post.