Wymjym,

I admit to being very skeptical about anything they are telling me now. After six times, you do get a bit paranoid. But I am now dealing with the head mechanic who has promised to get things fixed right. I gave him strict orders that I do not want the car back until all is well and he has agreed to only charge me for the engine mount parts, 75% of his original quoted work. I will get the car back on Thursday and report back.

It is an awful problem to love your car; have a local Jag dealer who sold you the car but now is not interested in working on it because it is too old; have a local indie who has screwed so many things up due to an inexperienced young mechanic. Unfortunately the next JLR is almost 100 miles away with their own reputation "issues". Through the Forum, I did contact another indie who told me that the engine mounts were bad, told me to fix them and then see how things are. I think that this is what I am going to do....afterall, I do have a day job other than worrying about my XJ. Cannot quit working because it looks like I will need the income to afford all these repairs... Will update by weekend. Wish me luck!

 

Perhaps I should also clarify that they told me that the fuel pressure level sensor code indicated that the calculated and actual mpg deviated and to fix would require replacement of the gas tank as the sensor is integral to it. They explained that it was a calculation issue not a functional issue and of no risk to the car or to me. Hope that is better...

 

I also live in the Bucks County area and am curious how you make out with this issue. I haven't had the need to get service yet but am anxious to find the right shop. Best of luck!

 

Jaxxr1, will keep you posted. I am happy to tell you that Copes garage in Souderton was the second independent garage that diagnosed the problem that the first independent is now fixing. Copes was recommended by the Aston Martin guys as THE best option in our area…I believe it! They were fabulous at helping me. I only returned to the original indie guys because I could pressure them on the bill as after six visits, they owe me.

 

MPG calculation’s fairly accurate on these cars. Never heard of a faulty display providing inaccurate readings. A fuel pressure error’s usually a failing low pressure fuel pump, located inside the fuel tank. Also, I didn’t see, but have any of the techs replaced your PCV membranes? You have 2 and they’re easy and inexpensive, about $80 from the main dealer, and in my experience only last about 5 years. If they’re failing, they can cause all sorts of issues. And finally, new motors should make a big difference to you what you feel at idle and under load.

 

Jahummer, TY for your response. Perhaps this is what they were trying to tell me but used the wrong term as they did say it would require a new fuel tank since it was an integral part and they said it was expensive. Is it something I need to address or can I ignore for the moment? And if I must address, any clue as to cost? I certainly was overcharged for the timing chain/ water pump work at 13k…want to be more aware of when I am being scalped in the future!
Incredulous that all these issues just suddenly popped up since the indie began their work on the car which previously had been maintained perfectly at JLR.
I guess everything decides to need replacement at 123k…and I had just been boasting what low repairs I had had since purchase…

 

The fuel filter's integral to the tank, the LPFP is not and is only $400-600 depending on whether you source it from the main dealer or some place like FCP Euro.

 

jahummer,

ah ha. So, if I understand you correctly, it is the LPFP that would cause the incorrect mpg and that is a plug and play part without replacement of the fuel tank? Is this something that must be done soon to prevent additional problems or can it wait? I need to recover from the 13K timing chain repair bill. (aaaah).

I am not automotive savvy (my skill is medicine) and although I know what PCV is, I do not know where these membranes are located and what their function is? None of the mechanics have ever mentioned this to me. I would like to be better educated.

 

They are located on the top rear of the RH valve cover. At this age and mileage the are long past due if not done already.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zqV2ELut1HY

Vacuum system leaks (PCV) and failing fuel pump may contribute to poor MPG along with other fuel system errors and rough idle.

I don’t know on the X351 if the LPFP can be replaced through the back seat or if the tank must be dropped, but it’s not hard to do.

 

jahummer, TY for explaining. My 2013 XJL supercharger is throwing no faults currently...I just noticed that there was a 15% mpg drop since they did the timing chain/water pump replacement. The LPFP was there explanation and told me it was in the fault history. I am not capable of replacing it myself and therefore am "stuck" relying on others. My JLR shop has made it quite obvious they do not wish to work on a nine year old car and this indie shop is on its sixth attempt to make things right. Surely there has to be a better way than this. Thanks for your advice. I will follow up once I get through the engine mount problem. cat doc

 

I don’t know where you are in Pennsylvania. I’ve never been disappointed with Dougherty Automotive in West Chester, PA.

 

Arenaej,

If only…West Chester is about 1.5 hours from me, living in the Lehigh Valley. Will keep in mind if I exhaust options here. Via a lead from my local British Car Enthusiast group, I spoke with an Aston Martin repair expert who highly recommended Cope’s which is less than 30 minute drive. Perhaps this info can help others in my area. We certainly need to stick together on this!! Thanks for your help.

 

I will start by saying that, after the indie shop’s sixth attempt, the car is still not right. They DID replace the motor mounts which WERE both broken (despite their reassurances that they were fine, originally). The vibration noted in the wheel and seat and car remains. The chief mechanic admitted that he felt the vibration and does not know what is the cause. So I am off to the shop that the Aston Martin guys suggested. Will update you when I have news. Everyone enjoy a lovely holiday weekend and stay safe! Catdoc

 

Let the dealer fix it only.When they can't do it,take it to another dealership.Every Jaguar dealership near me is atleast over an hour away and i have no problem getting my Jag there for service if the problems it's having are that serious! But if an Aston Martin dealership suggested a shop you should take it to,those guys don't lie since they only do prestige maintenance for cars that expensive to keep their customers satisfied to keep buying their very high priced cars

 

Barry, TY for your reply but I DID call two dealerships in a two hour radius and they will not work on my car. You are very lucky to live in an area where your JLRs are reputable, reliable and willing to work on a nine year old car.

 

I have a 2013 XKR which means your jag is as old as mine and they pretty much use all the same engine parts.The 2013 models should be free from the timing chain issue since the 2013 i heard was revised when it comes to these parts.But hold on,You had tensioners,timing chains,and a water pump replaced and the price was $13k?????The least amount all that sounds like it would cost would be around $6k if the dealership was charging u to fix it and you pretty much can buy a brand new Engine and pay for the labor and have money left over with that kind of price they ripped you off for.I wish you can get your money back and just go that route by putting a brand new engine in it.But also i bet they didn't bother replacing your timing chains at all knowing what I just told you and trying to make it seem like your Jag have that old problem kink that they been fixed and revised for land rovers and Jaguars.But moving on with all that said,no jaguar dealership suppose to turn down service to your Jag no matter how old it is.You might can even sue them for that if they are still denying you service to have them fix the problem.Then i read what you said about how the dealership sold you the jag and refuse to fix it.I'm like "WHAT IS THAT??????????"That is 1 hell of an audacity and equivalent to a person stealing something from you and helping you look for it.If hell haven't froze over yet,this doesn't make any sense at all for this kind of nightmare to happen to anybody.The only service the dealership can deny you on is fixing cosmetic damage(like this 1 time i tried to get them to fix my convertible roof and they won't trying to do it but at the same time,they never denied me and said they could but told me it would be mad expensive) or fixing parts if they can't replace the whole thing and that's what their service department is there for so their trained technicians can fix any Jaguar or range rover that breaks down and they STILL using the same engines in the 2020+ models and so on that dates all the way back from 2010.So WHY wouldn't they work on your car again when it's the same engine they been using on all Jaguars and land rovers for over a decade?????????????It's pretty much the same exact service they use to fix any modern day car they have since they still using completely the same engine.

 

The 4 JLR main dealers around here consider anything 5 years old, vintage. Most if not all of the original techs are gone and replaced with young trade school graduates who don’t even realise JLR have been using essentially the same platforms for the last 13 years. I’ve been dealing with a very similar situation on a 5 year old Land Rover for the last 2 years. JLR’s also been converting service facilities to all electric for the changeover and perhaps have little interest in combustion platforms.

 

This is almost unbelievable to read.

Since living in the same area (as of 2008), I have been relying on the same local JLR dealership.
I had bought my two prior XKR convertibles from them - and sold both of them after 3 years (warranty ending and approximately 100,000km on the clock, each).
Without exception, I enjoyed reliable service there, and I am back to them with my old “new to me” 2007/08 cat (imported from Switzerland with low mileage) now, after a seven-year break. No indication whatsoever that they would not be willing to care for it any longer…

So, should anyone encounter a similar problem in the greater Rhine/Main area, I’d be more than willing to share their address.

If, however, JLR were already now in the process of dismantling their (and their dealers’!) competence in combustion machines, I’d consider that a suicidal move indeed.

 

TY to all responses. Perhaps some recall that there was a class action lawsuit for my exact problems. It affected certain VIN numbers of which my car IS included but the final agreement stipulated the age and mileage, of which my car was over on mileage. Previous to the timing chain problem, I was having issues that my ECO mode would not turn on and off while driving. I brought it in multiple times to the dealer when it was under the lawsuit limit but they couldn’t seem to fix it, admitting they had a few with this issue. I wonder now if it was a symptom of the future problem as now it works fine. Once the chain jumped and the car was in an emergency, I could not drive over two hours to find someone new to try. I understand that 13k is outrageous, especially when they made so many mistakes but a/ I am not a car repair expert only a car owner and b/ my formerly reliable dealership abandoned me when they “reorganized” their teams about eighteen months ago. And yes, quite a slap in the face after spending six figures for a beautiful car that you want to keep longer than eight years. No more judgement please. I am doing the best I can. I HAVE contested the credit card charge and am moving to the Aston Martin recommended shop which all the local indie vintage Jag people suggested. Will update the saga once they have a look see. If my experience is the future of JLR, I may write to Mr Tata himself

 

Interesting that it's noted above that the 2013 and above models should be free of engine timing issues but if you read the f-type forums aren't there quite a few posts about the issue and engine problems or are these problems due to something else??