I've often wondered this but wasn't sure if there was a general consensus on the subject. I know a former Jaguar tech that openly stated factory reps said the life expectancy of the X type was 100k.

Let's factor in an average car that has been properly cared for with regular oil changes and had routine maintenance performed as a general example.

Any opinions? Highest mileage example I've seen was 156k at a Manheim sale.

 

I'm assuming you meant the X350, not the X-type.

For the X350:

It is such an impossible question to answer. I agree with the techs that roughly, 100K miles is a good guess because they must follow Jaguar process and policy, which is a R/R repair strategy at the unit level.

Everything except wear items and oil changes is a "replace when fails" strategy. Given that one adheres to the Jaguar maintenance process, you'll essentially run things (transmission, for example) until they break. Driving style plays a big part in how long these units will last with no PM.

On the other hand, those of us who practice more traditional preventative maintenance techniques (servicing service free units and ignoring Jaguar process/policy) are far more likely to get far more life expectancy. Think about the major components - the 4.2L AJV8 is a very well designed and durable engine. The 6 speed ZF is an excellent trans if it is given a fighting chance. The body is all aluminum, other than accidents (which are often fatal to the aluminum car), the body/chassis components can go on for a long long time. The rest of the wear items - brakes, battery, belt, hoses, etc. - no different than any other car. The last thing - will the seats still have a covering on them after 150K miles.

Let me edit in - I've owned several Jags going back the the SIII. Out of all of them, with 3 still in my possession, the X350 is the one I'd keep over all others.

BTW - if you did mean the X-Type, I agree with the Jag Techs.

 

100k is kind of pitiful. Lexuses regularly go on for 200k+ miles, sometimes even 300k!

 

A Jaguar will last as long as any other car on the road. It is all in the preventative maintenance and fluid changes.

 

ANY modern car begins to reach its limit on renewable parts right around 100k on the odo. Sure some cars go a little longer but most of those are driven quite a bit more than the average of 15k a year. At 100k and 5-8 years you can start to expect to replace much of the suspension wear items (i.e. struts, shocks, and bushings), tranny if not cared for properly might be getting long in its tooth and some of the electrical items will need some attention if they weren't well cared for and greased on a regular basis. As was already stated a Jaguar even an X type shouldn't have any trouble with proper care making it to well over 200k

Then again, maybe I shouldn't bring it up as I don't buy cars with under 100k I wait for people to listen to idiots like your Jag mechanic and dump them cheap!

 

Yes, I was referring to the X type as being given an average life expectancy of 100k miles as was stated by a factory tech at one point.

As far as a standard life expectancy of 100k, if that is the case, on an X350, I do find it a bit disappointing if that is indeed average. My XJ40 went 140k before it was sold and was still in good running order. My X300 was over 100k and all was well minus a heater issue. My XJS 4.0 left my hands at 75k with what I suspect was a differential issue and my 00 S-type 3.0 went to another owner at 93k.

I suppose my biggest concern here is, should I enjoy the car for just a few months (as I have just purchased it and am in it right, value-wise) before I should look to move on before I am inundated with repair, after repair ie, tranny, suspension, eventually the engine, etc, etc. Admittedly, all research I had done was on the X308 and was prepared to purchase one until the 04 fell in my lap.

So, stay the course or be prepared for stormy waters and abandon ship?

 

I do this too, and I end up with very high repair bills.

 

I find it odd that such a round number as 100k is quoted.
As the X-type is based on the Mondeo, perhaps it will have a shorter life than other Jags?
I suspect most modern cars can approach 200k mi easily if serviced. They are sold more out of boredom than gross failure.
My XJ-8 at 10 yr and 135k mi shows no sign of exhaustion. Like all the XJs, it is overbuilt and I hope to see many more miles on it.

 

Higher than a car payment? Probably not, esp. if you do much of the basic stuff yourself

 

I've worked on a lot of X-Types and owned one myself. On this car there are inherent weaknesses in the drivetrain. The Duratec is a pretty good V6 and fairly durable, although, lately, there have been an unusually large number of main bearing failures at +100K miles).

Back to the drivetrain, the transfer case is woefully underdesigned for the weight of the car and torque of the 3.0L. Dirveshafts have had repetitive failures, some cars I've known have had 4 warranty replaced driveshafts. Both center bearings and balancing are common failures and known early on by Jaguar, but not addressed in any engineering rev or redesign. All wheel alignments are impossible to make and hold.

There are bunches of other little idiosyncrasies that lead to common and more than frequent parts failures, all of which can be pretty expensive because of the exclusivity of its design. Although based on the European Mondeo, there are significant differences in the chassis, drivetrain and AWD. Jaguar had plenty of evidence of catastrophic component failures, but unlike other models, it chose not to reengineer, instead, replace defective components until the warranty ran out and MY ran its course. Now the owners left with the cars are coming up with innovative DIY solutions to keep them running. Eventually parts at junkyards will dwindle, then the game is over.

I loved my X-Type Sport (BRG, w/5 speed manual), but knew to go when the gettin' was good. For all these reasons, I agree with the Jaguar Techs, that, on average, 100K is a good number.

 

I wonder why the journel bearings are failing... 10k OCI ?

 

Nope, not higher than a car payment, but I'm also driving a 15 year old car. (I'd rather pay extra and be in a newer car and not be repairing it all the time.)

 

A buddy of mine is driving an 04 XJ8 with 188,000 miles on it. His most significant repair was a new radiator about a year ago (he bought the car new). Given that I just replaced my A/C Compressor last week with 60k on the odometer my luck seems to be a bit different. I don't have confidence in the longevity of the vehicle.

 

I completely understand Mike. Once confidence erodes, it is difficult to ever get it back.

I'm waiting for something to break on my 04 X350 now with 80K miles on it. Best I've been able to do is Prev maintenance. I've replaced every filter, hose, fluid, wear items, belt, even the wiper blades...Still, nothing wants to break. I gave it to my wife to drive as her car. I do, however, require her to carry a cell phone at all times LOL!

 

The essential thing here for me is the cost-value relationship. My last car was a Rover 75, and on the club forum, many members were running cars way beyond 100k miles, and some were over 200k. It is all down to use and maintenance. If you are prepared to do the work, and buy the parts, these cars will run and run. Only trouble is they are worth very little, and keeping them well-maintained does not actually restore any value.

With Jaguars, the cars will likely also run and run, but the problem here is mainly failures of major components, the price of these reflects the price of the car when new, but as we all know, when these actually fail, the car is worth far, far less, and the owner questions whether it is worth it.

Certainly, I do not like this "fit and forget" approach that Jaguar seem to have recently adopted. However, having said that, I never replaced the autobox fluid on my Mazda Xedos in all the time I had it up to 128k when I part-exed it for the Rover 75, and there was no maintenance routine in the Mazda services, so Jaguar is not alone.

I think it is the expense of parts that finally kills off a car, and probably explains why I see so many old bangers running about that were originally cheap run-of-the-mill ordinary cars, because they are easy and cheap to maintain.