XF Boot Won't Open - Help

[Seeker UK]

After 2 months of (unhappy) ownership, my pile of st XF has now rewarded me with a boot that won't open, even though it tells me it is on the display.

If I press the boot unlock on the fob, the button on the boot lid or the button on the dash, it sounds like the solenoid is moving but I can't shift the lid and if I try the key, that doesn't work either. This would suggest that the usual problem diagnosed (broken wiring loom) isn't the culprit. I can't lock the car with the fob / door buttons either - it 'beep-beeps'. Luckily, I can lock it with the key.

Before I return it to Jaguar, through the window of the nearest dealership, is there any emergency boot release lurking anywhere? Or does anyone have any ideas how I can open it? I'd like to p/ex a car that's working.

Many thanks in advance.

[edit]

It's a 2011, 2.2D Prem Luxury, BTW.

Edited by Seeker UK on Saturday 7th February 18:55

[Seeker UK]

fatboy b said:

There's small plastic panel To the left of the boot button that you pop off and use the key from the fob to open the boot.

Sounds like you need a new battery too, so not really a Jaguar problem.

Edited by fatboy b on Saturday 7th February 19:21

Thanks for the reply but I can't open the boot with the key. It doesn't work. So I suspect it's *not* a battery problem.

[Seeker UK]

fatboy b said:

There's a metal key *inside* your fob that will physically insert in to a keyhole behind the plastic panel next to the boot button on the bootlid.

You need a new battery.

Thanks again but when I stated:

Seeker UK said:

... if I try the key, that doesn't work ...

and

Seeker UK said:

Thanks for the reply but I can't open the boot with the key. It doesn't work.

I was referring to using the metal emergency key in the keyhole. It doesn't work. I cannot get the boot open at all. Therefore, I suspect it's not the battery.

[Seeker UK]

Triple7 said:

Can u get into boot through rear seats?

I don't know. I thought that the only way to drop the back seats was from the releasing handles in the boot - if that's the case, then, no.

[Seeker UK]

mike_e said:

...it looks like the linkage is busted which will be a PITA to sort.

That's what I'm beginning to realise and, well, it's going to be Jaguar's PITA.

[Seeker UK]

Final update.

The car went into the main dealer's today for diagnosis and repair. The problem was due to the soft-close motor had seized (why I couldn't open / close boot) and the surround had broken from the lock barrel (why the key wouldn't work). To achieve this required a technician to unbolt the rear seats and crawl into the boot to free the lock.

It's still not completely sorted - it'll take another week before the new motor turns up and is fitted - but at least I can close it and lock the car again.

[Seeker UK]

Not the final update. FFS.

Motor was replaced under warranty a week ago and the day after, the boot seized again, same symptoms.

The car went back into the dealer to fix (again).

The fault is not with the motor but the circuit in the ECU that lives in the boot behind the lining on the driver's side. Water has got in, soaked the ECU and damaged it. They've dried it out but won't reconnect the soft close motor just in case the circuit locks it up again. The water has likely got in either through the hole that the wiring loom passes through from car to boot lid (the rubber tube it sits in wasn't fitted properly) or through a seam in the bodyshell under the rear windscreen or through some vent in the wheel well. Whichever way, it boils down to one thing; poor quality manufacture.

However...

The ECU cannot be replaced under warranty - damage due to water ingress isn't covered, despite the water ingress is due to a shoddily made car. I am waiting for an estimate for the cost of a new ECU.

I now have a bit of a fight on my hands with the supplying dealer (I won't name them but it isn't the one who has done sterling work fixing it) to get them to pay for a new ECU. The fault occurred only 2 months after purchase so I think they have a duty to fix it. I know that it means all I have lost is the soft close function (I can still open and close like a 'normal' boot) but there is a principle here - I paid for it.

When it is fixed, it's going. It has been the biggest fking disappointment I've ever had for >£20k and the second Jag I've and the second Jag I've had with a series of problems. It is unlikely I will ever consider the marque again.

[Seeker UK]

Sheepshanks said:

Yep. Any fault that occurs within 6 mths is assumed to have been present at the time of sale unless the seller can prove otherwise.

Thanks for that - where is this written down?

[Seeker UK]

Extra 300 Driver said:

Either way I don't see how the new owner should be liable for the correction costs, although it could come down to a gesture of goodwill from Jaguar. Do you know if this is a common defect?

From the chap I spoke to it wasn't common but by the same token, he wasn't surprised...

[Seeker UK]

A further update.

The car went back in Mar 15 to the supplying dealer and was repaired at no cost to me (thanks, therefore to Jaguar and Listers).

However, today, it's gone wrong again. Same problems.

This time, it goes back to Jaguar for a full refund. The car has been a pain in the arse and I want shot of it.