Bought a new 2013 XKR last week. The seller hasn't even received my wired funds yet and I'm experiencing my first problem. There is an open campaign on the 2013 XKR's to update the software for the satellite radio. I thought I'd get this done before the car is shipped to me next week. The car was in West Palm Beach Jaguar to have the update installed. During the install they locked the screen and the module needs to be shipped to New Jersey for repair and returned for re-installation. I think they f...d up. I haven't even set in the car yet. Anyone else have the satellite radio software updated or need to ship their parts to New Jersey for repair? This really sucks!

On my way home today I was behind a GT-R. I followed him and we met. We talked about cars. My decision on buying my XKR was made over the GT-R. The GT-R owner told me he loves his car and the ride with the run flats removed. Did I make a mistake to buy another XKR after selling my 2011 XKR 175. I never had any problems with by 175; however, I only drove it for 2 months of the 7 months I owned it for 2,000 miles. I must say the GT-R looked and sounded pretty sweet. When I get my repaired XKR I'm going to meet with the GT-R owner and we're going to do a good comparison. My repaired XKR may be up for sale again!

 

Do you mind me asking why you sold your 2011 Jaguar XKR 175 that you never had any problems with for a 2013 XKR? Was it because of mileage, color, equipment or something else? Aren't the two cars mechanically almost the same with just minor exterior changes? Hope you decide to stick with the Jaguar as I just don't think the GT-R is nearly the over-all car the XKR is. If speed and performance is your absolute top desire, the GT-R is the car for you, but it is hardly recognized on the street by anybody but us "car nuts".

PS. I also think somebody must have screwed-up with that update. It is scary to think you can ruin a module doing an update.

 

The GTR is a beast and will clobber just about anything on the road, but there is no comparison to the XKR in the looks department.

Based on your experience with the satellite radio software upgrade, I think I'll pass on that. What does it do anyway?

 

I sold the 175 because I wanted the updated front end, LED front lights and rear view camera. Also, the 175, from what I hear, is only a cosmetic upgrade (body kit and speed limiter set to 174) with no performance upgrades. The 2013 XKR I bought has the dynamic pack, performance exhaust and wider rims/tires(Pirelli) just like the XKR-S.

I'm tired of hearing people on this forum with problems and it's starting to bother me with the Jaguar brand. You can't beat Nissan service and reliability. Having to remove a hardware module and send it to New Jersey to do a software upgrade is just stupid. I was feeling excited with anticipation of my new ride arriving soon. However, I have no patience for poorly built cars and service.

 

No one should need to option IN or OUT of an update. This is a good example of a poorly built car and just as poor service. Removing a module and having to send it to New Jersey for updating is just stupid. If the module were defective or could not be updated why not just replace it with a new one. Sending parts of your car across the country for updating is ridiculous. When I bring the car north I should dump in at the front door of Jaguar, New Jersey, in pieces so they can update everything, record it and put it on youtube.

 

If ultimate track performance is what you're seeking, then by all means, you've made an error. However, these two cars serve two different purposes, in my opinion. The GTR, a capable but not terribly luxurious or comfortable, (or attractive imho) brute or the XKR (or XKRS) a gorgeous, slightly less quick, but comfort laden high performance luxury GT, it seems to be a reasonably diverse choice. As for performance value, I am sure the next generation Corvette Z06 will equal or outperform the Nissan, probably even the models below the Z06 will be close. The Corvettes are so much lighter weight that they're able to make up performance gaps. I, personally, would choose the XKR, of the two. (The GTR would not even rank in the top ten of my choices) Finally, I don't like the looks of the XKRS, but love the idea of the performance upgrades and think that Jaguar should offer a package that has the horsepower and handling options of the XKRS on the more elegant XKR body. I think they'd have plenty of takers.

 

This is NOT so much GT-R vs XKR. Your missing the manifest of this thread. Jaguar can't even perform a simple radio update at the dealership level. This concerns me. I'm sure Nissan would be embarrassed to need to remove a cars hardware module and send it across the country for a simple radio update. This is about quality and reliability. The GT-R was just another car I was interested it before purchasing the XKR. This is a prime example of poor quality and poor service and the complete Jaguar distribution network should be embarrassed.

 

It sounds like you are wigging out over an isolated incident, and suddenly think it indicates the car/brand you thought was great yesterday is poor quality today...snap out of it buddy And besides...no car is perfect!

And since you are still interested in how it compares to the GT-R...

I think I recall you saying you're not interested in tracking your car, and that seems to be the single use that the GT-R excels at. I don't think they build them for guys that just want the improved traction of AWD. The styling and perceived quality must appeal to you, so that rules out discussing those, but while a tire change may improve the ride, there are still criticisms of how they drive. It's always going to be a track focused car, but that's not to say you couldn't be happy with it as a DD if having the performance potential is more important than other aspects.

Just a totally different animal to the XKR on so many levels that I find comparing them to be rather odd. That may be because I don't find the GT-R to be visually appealing...and because I have a track friend that prefers his wife's '08 C350 sedan or '91 NSX for street use as he finds the GT-R not very street friendly/comfortable.

Bruce

 

lol, I have pretty much exactly same experience with you.
My 10 xf's trunk can not be opened, and It took my local dealer one month still cant fix it. So I have to go 100 miles away to another dealer get it fixed!! How dumb is that
Well, maybe we can do a group buy on the GTR, if you plan to sell the XKR.
But I heard in NOV 2013, there will be a facellift for the GTR. Idk if it's a good time for a GTR.

 

DGL, I feel your pain! Sometimes I want to give up on a car right when I pull into the driveway after just buying it. Hang in there--I'm sure it will work out for the better.

 

DGL. It must be fustrating having to have a part sent away to be updated. Sounds like they did something serious for that to happen. Have you checked with another dealer to see if this ia a normal course of action. Can't see it my self.
You have owned a Jaguar before. So you know you like them. Try not to let this set back ruin the experiance. I bet if you go on a GT-R forum you will find numerous stories similar to the ones on here. Thats the very nature of forums.
If i were in your lucky shoes, i would have made the same choice. I would also be very hacked off with what has happened. But when your new XKR finally arrives and you go out for your first cruise. You will know why you picked the XKR.
Stay calm buddy

 

DON'T PANIC! (Hitchhiker's Guide moment) - time to chill

Mate, you have to remember that these forums are for complaining; a lot of people come here to either vent about or solve their problems. The average Joe/Jane who bought it 'cos it looked great, isn't a petrolhead who likes to gas about cars and has never had a problem - they ain't here.

I lurked on the UK GT-R forum for over a year, and they have had some issues of their own. The transmission housings that crack, the problems with gear wear, faulty steering lock modules than prevent the car from starting, cracking discs, the infamous "GT-R tax" levied by the Nissan High Performance Centres, indifference from Nissan UK when people had warranty issues.

Take a gander at the NAGTROC forum, and I know you'll see the same stuff about GT-Rs in the US. I saw it all, and I was still prepared to consider the car - I see all these things as risks, but quantifiable ones. One thing I noticed was a greater 'clubbing together', at least on the UK site. Someone would find a source for wiper blades that were 50% cheaper than the HPC price, or cheaper transmission oil (eye-wateringly expensive!) and a bunch of guys would pitch in to buy a job lot. But more of the GT-R guys are modders, and are happy to get stuck in and work on their own cars.

I made my decision mostly on how the cars drove, felt and looked (inside & out). Maintenance was a consideration - I have a good local independent Jag specialist, but the nearest decent GT-R indy is over an hour away, the best guys are about 3 hours, and neither are well-situated for public transport. But all the various faults were not such a big deal, for either car; I knew what to look for, and I knew there were ways to fix the problems if they arose later. And this stuff is a lottery - you usually can't tell in advance if you're going to be affected or not.

So, drive 'em, in a mix of conditions, road types, surfaces - see what you like better. For me, the balance went to a stiffened, more 'hard-core' XKR because it felt easier to live with than the GT-R, which had the iron fist but lacked the velvet glove.

 

There are many issues with Jaguar cars which other brands don't have. Come on, a simple radio update can't be done at the dealership. This is ridiculous. Do I want a car that can't be serviced? NO. Do I want an unreliable car? NO. Do I want Jaguar to soak me for every little part when it is out of warranty? NO. Why are so many members concerned about extended warranty? Let me tell you. The brand is unreliable and Jaguar charges 10X's the price for parts than other car brands. So I get it. Jaguar manufactures poorly made cars that are unserviceable and unreliable so they can make a huge profit on the parts when the warranty runs out. This also explains the free falling depreciation of the brand.

[QUOTE=And since you are still interested in how it compares to the GT-R...

I think I recall you saying you're not interested in tracking your car, and that seems to be the single use that the GT-R excels at. I don't think they build them for guys that just want the improved traction of AWD. The styling and perceived quality must appeal to you, so that rules out discussing those, but while a tire change may improve the ride, there are still criticisms of how they drive. It's always going to be a track focused car, but that's not to say you couldn't be happy with it as a DD if having the performance potential is more important than other aspects.

Just a totally different animal to the XKR on so many levels that I find comparing them to be rather odd. That may be because I don't find the GT-R to be visually appealing...and because I have a track friend that prefers his wife's '08 C350 sedan or '91 NSX for street use as he finds the GT-R not very street friendly/comfortable.

Bruce[/QUOTE]

I've said if I could merge the GT-R's reliability and performance with the beauty of the XKR I would have my perfect car. My first priority is reliability and serviceability. Even before taking possession of my new the car it proves to be unreliable and unserviceable with 300 miles on it. Yes I'd prefer a comfortable ride second and phenomenal performance third. I also live in Canada where AWD is a big plus. Consequently, my needs are a little different than most on this forum and the GT-R is a desirable car for me. An unreliable and unserviceable Jaguar is not a choice for me. I have no tolerance for poorly made cars that can't be serviced properly. Come on, needing to send parts of a brand new car across the country to have a simple radio updated? Give me a break and give me a better built car!

 

Meh - there are people here in the UK who had to wait months for Nissan HPCs to fix faults under warranty, in some cases being without their cars for weeks at a time. They were having to ship gearboxes from Japan, fer chrissakes.

I see this as par for the course for the auto industry. You get good cars and lemons, you get good dealers and tossers. Things break, they get fixed, sometime fast, sometimes slow. I don't think you can escape the problem by switching marques.

From (limited) experience of Nissan dealers, I did get the impression they were more geared to the mass market, and that performance cars were a sideline. The service quality reported on the forum seemed to come down to which HPC had a clued-up mechanic, and whether he was the one that worked on your car or not. And, of course, there aren't many GT-R trained mechanics - at least with a Jag dealership, they should all be familiar with the supercharged 5.0. That did bother me a bit, though I was probably going the indy route anyway.

 

Compared to other European brands, Jaguar is probably one of the better ones in terms of the number and severity of problems they have.

I think you are making a bad assumption that Nissan GT-R reliability (and the price of its parts) matches that of its much cheaper and less complicated counterparts. Do you really think it's as cheap to fix as a Nissan Versa? Maybe this is not the case anymore, but on the older models shutting off stability control and using the launch control simultaneously would void your warranty and be very damaging to the transmission, which, by the way, costs about the price of two base-level Versas.

2010 Nissan GT-R Gets Its Launch Control Reprogrammed - Feature - Car and Driver

I'm not sure why you bought this XKR if you could be set completely off the edge by what amounts to a minor technical issue caused by a mistake by a dealership technician, especially one that is being fixed at no cost to you.

And do you really want a GTR? I hear stories of strangers creepily stalking GTR drivers to have a chat with them when they get out of their cars...

 

Neither the Nissan nor the GTR is the Holy Grail of reliability, as Ngarara is telling you, and as a good internet search will reveal. You therefore are setting up a false choice, the answer to which is clear. If Jaguar builds "unreliable" cars, as you say, and you believe you can conclude this from one experience regarding your module, then that's the end of it--who would spend that kind of dough on an unreliable car? I sure wouldn't.

Personally, I could almost not even imagine getting a GT-R as a daily driver, with no intention to track it. An utter waste of that car's ultimate purpose, which is not to putter along at legal speeds on public roads. It doesn't do that particularly well, either, as I understand it. What it does do very well, on the other hand, is allow you to drive the snot out of it on a track, with superb dynamics for that sort of use.

Nor would I get a GT-R if "reliability" were my number one priority. Instead, I would own the GT-R mostly as a track car, and an XKR as a far better looking (in my view), about-town, weekend canyon carver-type vehicle. If I could only have one, then since my track time at best is limited these days, it would be the XKR in my driveway.

 

Now, that worries me a bit. Just today my wife came home with her 2012 XF with about 2K miles on the odometer and told me that she could not open the trunk. Sure enough, it would not open with any of 3 electrical access devices. I finally opened it with the physical key that is part of the FOB. Figured that maybe a fuse popped. Did not have a chance, yet, to investigate but, I am taking it to the dealer Monday for its one year service.

Now I am wondering what kind of problem can be with an electric trunk opener that a dealer can not fix for for a month??????

Now, at least the XF has a backup metal key to open the trunk. My XJL has no key access, as far as I know.

Albert

 

DGL:

West Palm Beach Jaguar is one of the largest in the country and one of the most respected Jaguar dealers. Call them and speak with Allen, a seasoned Jaguar Tech with West Palm Beach Jaguar, he will give you the correct info.

Makes no sense to keep trading cars unless yo have some deep pockets and money to throw away.

Let WPB Jaguar fix the car then see what happens. Until them, vent here, release the stress, get the car back and see what happens.

Only advice, drive it. That's what you bought it for.

 

To conclude that the Jaguar brand sucks because a handful of people constantly find something to complain about on this extremely isolated forum is just absurd. I LOVE my XK!!!! I'm coming up on my one year anniversary, and I love my car more and more every single day. It's the perfect car for me. I wouldn't take another car if they gave it to me for free.

 

DGL - you have 72 hours once funds have been received to reverse a sale.

If they have not received your funds the sale has not occurred and you can cancel/reverse the funds transfer and notify the dealership that you will not purchase the car.