Hi. I am wondering if there are any expensive problems with the 4.2 supercharged XKR, or the 5.0 superchared XKR, engine or chassis (dampers?).

I currently have a BMW 545i E60 with the 4.4i valvetronic engine. I bought it already broken, and all is well at the moment, but I wonder if an XKR would have similar things up its sleeve?

I will run down the issues that can be expected from a 545i as it approaches 100k:

• Secondary air system which pumps air out the exhaust manifold via special holes in the cylinder head, those holes becomes blocked with carbon deposits. Heads need to be removed and cams & valves removed while a drill is run through those holes.
  
• Valve stem seals fail like a Jap car (fix at same time as above).
  
• Coolant transfer pipe runs through the valley from front to back of engine, seal at front fails, causing water leak out of weep hole on water pump. £4000 job to have done - heads off. Fix at same time as above..
  
• Coolant sealing plate behind the flex plate (flywheel on auto) fails and causes another expensive to fix water leak (transmission must be removed).
  
• Another sealing plate is wedged between the alternator bracket and the engine block, this time an oil sealing plate, which is there to blank off an oil cooler connection that I think might be used on the 7 series or something. This plate/blanker has a gasket which fails and again is a big job to get to.
  
• All the other usual gaskets and seals that fail on all BMWs. I'm sure they choose the wrong materials on purpose.
  
• The valvetronic system itself can fail due to bad intermediate levers. Mine seem to be OK.
  

So, what are the expensive problems on an XKR? Are the adaptive dampers problematic like they are on the Audi RS6? The BMW uses a clever hydraulic-actuated anti-roll bar. The roll bar twists - they call it dynamic drive. It keeps the car really flat around bends and I think it's amazing. It seems to be trouble free as well. You can watch dynamic drive initialization on YouTube to get an idea what it does.

I am not worried about the 6hp26 transmission. My e60 has this same transmission and I know about the mechatronic solenoids and other problems. On the BMW it is good because I can reset adaptations from my laptop and what not. The e60 changed to the 6hp28 after about 2006 I think, what about the XKR ?

Does the 5.0 still use the 6hp transmission? Is it a larger one, 6hp32 ? or does it get an 8 speed?

Thanks for reading. I think the XK will be my next car. I'm a bit worried about the cheaper interior to the 5-series, but on the other hand I want a more powerful car, and a car with some charm and charisma on the outside, which a BMW doesn't have. The XK is a logical replacement for my much missed Toyota Supras.

 

The chain guides fail too, leaving bits of broken plastic in the oil pan.

That's a point, are the Jaguar cams chain or belt driven?

 

Use the search feature, that very question is asked at least once a week so you'll find it answered hundreds of times from every possible angle. Using "search" is the same regardless of it being a BMW, a ca ,motorcycle, etc as inquiring about possible issues and such are always the first question asked and repeatedly answered.

Good luck, enjoy the reading/research

 

Thanks.

Perhaps it would be worthy of a Sticky if it's asked every week.

 

I found the answer on the gearbox then :-)

The 5.0 got the updated 6hp28 like what BMW put in the later 545i/550i,

 

The 4.2 is pretty bulletproof - it's the final evolution of an engine that first appeared back in '96. The 5.0 is solid, too - there's a question mark over the water pump, and there have been several versions of the pump and its hoses. However, the number of actual failures is pretty small, as far as I can tell.

I've not heard of problems with the dampers. The 4.2 has hard/soft, the 5.0 has continuously variable, with some very smart software to control ride & cornering. Even on my 75, which has 30% stiffer suspension than a standard XKR, the ride is still comfortable around city streets with their speed bumps & potholes.

The 4.2 has the 6HP26, and the 5.0 has the 6HP28, which is a considerably better gearbox (quicker changes, can skip gears, faster torque converter lockup). While they are 'sealed for life', the smart money says get the oil & filter replaced at 60k miles.

The cams are chain driven; the early 4.0 V8s had plastic tensioners which had a nasty habit of disintegrating after a few years. But by the time the XK came out, that was resolved with metal-bodied tensioners.

 

Awesome, thanks :-)
I did just read about the water pump, and there's the A/C drain tube blockage on earlier (4.2) cars?

Sounding like a much safer bet than a BMW though, which is what I expected to be honest.

 

Yes, the A/C drain issue only applies to 4.2s - they changed the design on the 5.0s, so it's much less likely (though nothing's impossible!). I'm not aware of it being as common in the UK; I think climate is a factor.

 

The mention of the "cheaper interior to the 5-series" - I wonder if I have misunderstood? if you mean that the XK has an interior that is inferior to that of the BMW, well, no BMW I have ever examined has come close to the Jaguars (any Jaguar) for elegance and overall quality. The leather and wood in the Jaguars is second to none.

 

That's what I had read, in reference to the 4.2 anyway. Plasticy?

I'd be pleased to hear it's not.

I saw a picture of a 5.0 car with two-tone seats (tan centre, black edges, and tan centre parts to door cards), and it looked amazing.

 

The 'performance' seats, the ones with triangular holes at the top, were an option on the later XKRs (2012+, I think) and standard on the 5.0 R-S. They're very tasty, and some come in that two-tone effect. But they weren't an option on the 75 - anyway, they don't support the cooling option, and I find the standard XKR sports seats are pretty supportive when chucking the car around on track.

 

Thanks. You sure know your stuff :-)

 

A combination of having the workshop manual, good research skills and spending time on the forum (and loving the cars, of course). Most of my info is theoretical, though - I don't have the facilities or the time to work on the car much myself.

 

The interior of the top of the line 2009 XKR Portfolio (4.2L, 180 coupes, 200 convertibles, North American market) is all leather - seats, dashboard, door panels, steering wheel, arm rest, console trim, and part of the unique Portfolio-only gearshift knob. Even the unique Portfolio- only floor mats are bound with genuine leather. Choice of 2 interior colors: (1) monochromatic Charcoal with Cranberry stitching, or (2) two-tone Ivory and Slate and 2 interior trim styles: Spun Aluminum or Rich Oak genuine wood veneer. Absolutely first-class and gorgeous.

 

I think what I had read basically said that (of the 4.2 model) you should go for the Portfolio edition otherwise you might be disappointed with the interior quality.

Although I must admit I'm googling and I'm struggling to find the same opinion. Everyone says it's luscious. :-)

 

The standard XKR interior is very good - there are a lot of options (wood, piano black, aluminium, etc.), so you need to be sure to see the option you're considering. The Portfolio interior has some nice extra touches, and is worth looking for, but I doubt you'll be disappointed with the normal interior.

 

Great to hear, thank you.

 

My 07 XK has an all-leather "Luxury" interior: dash, door panel inserts, seats (the entire seat), console...beautiful walnut veneer, thick carpets - as I said earlier, Jaguar interiors are second to none. But Jaguar did do detail improvements to the interiors in the period' 08 to '10, adding further wood veneer to the window switch panels, chrome accents to the column switches, to the stereo knob, to the tweeters on the upper door panel, to the seat switch panel - these small details lift an already luxurious interior even further (and all of them can be retrofitted to the 07 cars - I have done it). But instead of accepting a comment about a "plasticky interior" (which is untrue) why not actually LOOK at an XK and decide for yourself? Better yet, drive one - the performance is awesome, even on the 4.2 naturally-aspirated car - there is no where that its potential can be utilized legally.
Look again at the photo of my interior: does this look cheap? Virtually everything you see in the Caramel colour is leather - and it is Italian leather of a quality beyond that found in the German cars.
Regarding overall quality, modern Jaguars are the equal or better than anything on the road - my car has been absolutely trouble-free. I base this comment on having owned 31 Jaguars and being a slowly-recovering BMW and Mercedes owner. There is a reason that so many Jaguar owners own more than one - the more you know about them and the way they are built, the more you love them.

 

All sounds quite convincing - thanks :-)

I need to try to hold off for a year but I'm finding the obsession difficult to ignore. I have only had the 545i on the road for a year, having spent six months repairing it, so I really must get another year out of it, so I think test drives would be a bit premature.

 

I've just sold my bmw 645 to move to a xkr.
I'm more than happy. Yes the interior in the 6 was very good but I think the jag is its equal with the added bonus of leather on the dash too.
I also prefer the less complex audio/nav than the idrive and like having seat controls on the doors

As for my 6,I did have a few things done under warranty including oil leaks...they're not exactly trouble free.