2001 Jaguar X-Type 2.5 V6 AWD
Discussion
Evening all. 
Whilst my Range Rover is in with The Man for extensive open wallet surgery, I need something to smoke about in. Enter stage left, this here X-Type.
It's a lovely old bus, with plenty of go from the 2.5 litre petrol V6 (though I wouldn't call it fast), and has the added bonus of all-wheel-drive, which seems to work just fine. The engine doesn't leak fluids, and the air-con blows cold. It's got just over 11 months MoT, and a partial service history (most of which was undertaken at Jag dealerships, or Jag independent specialists).
The car drives spot on, the automatic gearbox feels strong, there's no play in the steering, and no slack in the AWD drivetrain. It's also got matching Pirelli Cinturato P7 tyres all round, suggesting it's been looked after (this is backed up by the non-scary MoT history, and thick folder of paperwork). It's even got two keys, with H.A. Fox Jaguar dealer fobs.
The drive home (20-ish miles, mainly motorway) was a pleasant experience, especially once I'd put the right amount of air in the tyres - what is it with second hand cars having tyre pressures all over the place?
This, of course, is far too good to be true... Naturally, I have a few (very minor) gripes.
- At some point, the standard Jaguar head unit has been pulled out, and replaced with an aftermarket stereo. This means the steering wheel controls for the radio don't work, and the 6-CD changer in the boot cannot be operated. I'm going to set up an eBay search to eMail me when Jag X-Type infotainment systems come up for sale. Should one present itself cheaply enough, I'll go for it.
- When pulling away, there's a brief metallic noise from under the bonnet, as the engine rocks back under acceleration. I'm hoping it's something trivial, like a loose heat shield. Doesn't sound any more serious than that (he says).
- The gearlever lock-out release switch makes an overly loud clicking noise when the brake pedal is pressed. Every. Single. Time. It can be ignored by turning the radio up, but it's as loud as central locking engaging and disengaging, so I might have the gearlever assembly apart to see if I can quieten it down.
- The paintwork will benefit from a good polish, as it's carrying many years of swirl marks and minor scratches. I've got all the kit for that - just need a good weekend of weather to tackle it.
All in all, I'm very pleased with the car.
My dark mood over the Rangie's problems has been temporarily lifted, in the only way a man knows how - by distracting himself with something shiny! 
Whilst my Range Rover is in with The Man for extensive open wallet surgery, I need something to smoke about in. Enter stage left, this here X-Type.
It's a lovely old bus, with plenty of go from the 2.5 litre petrol V6 (though I wouldn't call it fast), and has the added bonus of all-wheel-drive, which seems to work just fine. The engine doesn't leak fluids, and the air-con blows cold. It's got just over 11 months MoT, and a partial service history (most of which was undertaken at Jag dealerships, or Jag independent specialists).
The car drives spot on, the automatic gearbox feels strong, there's no play in the steering, and no slack in the AWD drivetrain. It's also got matching Pirelli Cinturato P7 tyres all round, suggesting it's been looked after (this is backed up by the non-scary MoT history, and thick folder of paperwork). It's even got two keys, with H.A. Fox Jaguar dealer fobs.
The drive home (20-ish miles, mainly motorway) was a pleasant experience, especially once I'd put the right amount of air in the tyres - what is it with second hand cars having tyre pressures all over the place?
This, of course, is far too good to be true... Naturally, I have a few (very minor) gripes.
- At some point, the standard Jaguar head unit has been pulled out, and replaced with an aftermarket stereo. This means the steering wheel controls for the radio don't work, and the 6-CD changer in the boot cannot be operated. I'm going to set up an eBay search to eMail me when Jag X-Type infotainment systems come up for sale. Should one present itself cheaply enough, I'll go for it.
- When pulling away, there's a brief metallic noise from under the bonnet, as the engine rocks back under acceleration. I'm hoping it's something trivial, like a loose heat shield. Doesn't sound any more serious than that (he says).
- The gearlever lock-out release switch makes an overly loud clicking noise when the brake pedal is pressed. Every. Single. Time. It can be ignored by turning the radio up, but it's as loud as central locking engaging and disengaging, so I might have the gearlever assembly apart to see if I can quieten it down.
- The paintwork will benefit from a good polish, as it's carrying many years of swirl marks and minor scratches. I've got all the kit for that - just need a good weekend of weather to tackle it.
All in all, I'm very pleased with the car.
My dark mood over the Rangie's problems has been temporarily lifted, in the only way a man knows how - by distracting himself with something shiny! CharlesdeGaulle said:
Looks good. Whilst not really my cup of tea, they have aged pretty well I think and are stonking VFM.
Well, here's the thing - the X-Type has never been my cup of tea either. Never had "the want" for one, not ever. But, as you say, at such incredible value for money, they are hard to ignore these days.I spent much of today trudging around various small independent car dealers, looking at some truly awful circa-£1,000 cars. Proper dross. I had no preconceived ideas on what I wanted, except that it needed to be "family sized", and that I prefer an automatic gearbox.
After seeing the worst the trade had to offer at my desired price point, and getting more and more depressed by the minute, I happened across this X-Type. It was such a nice car for the money, I couldn't say no.
I've justified this particular purchase to myself on the basis that my car's AWD and the 2.5 V6 engine make it a little more interesting than a lesser-equipped X-Type (a FWD four-pot diesel with cloth seats and a manual gearbox, for example).
I'm hoping this car will be a "grower". If my first few hours with the Jag is anything to go by, I'm sure it will get under my skin in no time.
Jimi.K. said:
Looks very nice. I do love a cream interior!
Car Throttle are turning one of these into a rally spec 'mud type' which has been good for a few laughs: https://youtu.be/-29X6ZWFFis
Your comment on tyre pressures reminded me of when I picked up my new-to-me Lexus GS from the dealer back in January. The ride felt a bit choppy so I checked the pressures and they had pumped them up to ridiculous levels ranging from 40-52 psi!! Dropped them down to the recommended 33 all round and it was a huge improvement. Don't know what these dealers are thinking!
I'm a complete sucker for a cream leather interior. I've been known to buy cars I really shouldn't have, on the basis they have the "right" colour leather seats. Car Throttle are turning one of these into a rally spec 'mud type' which has been good for a few laughs: https://youtu.be/-29X6ZWFFis
Your comment on tyre pressures reminded me of when I picked up my new-to-me Lexus GS from the dealer back in January. The ride felt a bit choppy so I checked the pressures and they had pumped them up to ridiculous levels ranging from 40-52 psi!! Dropped them down to the recommended 33 all round and it was a huge improvement. Don't know what these dealers are thinking!
On the matter of tyre pressures; I can't remember the last time I bought a used car that had the correct pressures all round! May have never happened.
dbdb said:
I think these are hugely underrated and a nice one gives incredible value for money. I prefer them to the BMW E46 to be honest.
The X-Type is definitely underrated, which makes them scandalously cheap. To get an E46 as nice as my X-Type, I'd have to pay at least twice what I gave for the Jag. I do like an E46, mind you... Especially facelifted cars. 
Back to the Jag, people get sniffy about the Ford underpinnings and rusty sills, but find a solid car (as I have done), and the X-Type makes a huge amount of sense.
I've said many times over the years that the Mondeo was a pretty good place to start in terms of the chassis, so there's no shame in the X400's "humble origins". The AWD system adds a bit of much-needed quirkiness to the mix (plus additional bork potential, thinking with the glass half empty), and the V6 engine sounds good at both part and full throttle. Every little helps.
Richard Aucock said:
That looks lovely! Imagine how it's going to look once you've worked the magic on the paint...
Absolutely! The thought of how good the end result will be is motivating me hugely. As mentioned above, I've never had "the want" for an X-Type, but this one is growing on me already (I'm only on my second day of ownership).
sgtbash said:
Just bought one of these myself unseen. Cant beat the value for money in all honesty.
Brave man!dme123 said:
I still think everyone responsible for signing off that dreadful design should be beaten with a length of garden hose, but the underlying mechanicals were very sound and they do drive nicely (just not much like a Jaguar). As you say they are off the scale at VFM at this point, no doubt helped by their hideousness.
You might be surprised to hear that I agree with you on the design, with one caveat.During the X-Type's production run (2001-2009), it was never a great looking car. Wilfully retro, but not in a good way.
However, in 2018, it just looks like an old Jag, which is fine. When it was a new Jag, that wasn't quite as fine.
I've been showing the baby Jag some love today, so I thought I'd update this thread.
Earlier in the week, I had both headlight bulbs replaced by the good people at Halfords (I took one look at the very limited access under the bonnet of my V6 X-Type, and decided I didn't fancy doing the job myself!) Only one of the bulbs had gone, but I wanted to get them replaced as a pair.
Anyway, that made me look at the lenses, which were a bit cloudy. So, today, I had a go at restoring them. I don't have any "specialist" equipment/potions for this sort of thing, but I do have a LOT of random odds and sods laying around in my garage!
I started by masking up both sides.
All four lenses had suffered with clouding/scratches, but the worst offender was the offside headlight.
I started with a bit of Brasso polish wadding, that (guess what) I had laying around the garage.
The results were half-decent with the Brasso...
... But I knew I could do better, with a bit of T-Cut Rapid Scratch Remover (with apologies for the out-of-focus picture).
Looking much better, but I wanted to "seal" the effort I'd put in. So I found an old bottle of Auto Glym Super Resin Polish, and went to work.
All done! Is it 100% perfect? No. Is it good enough for a 17 year old car, using stuff I found knocking about in my garage? Absolutely! :lol:
I was rapidly losing the light towards the end of the job, so the final images don't look all that impressive. However, the difference in terms of headlight efficiency at night is marked (I took the car for a bit of a spin once it had got properly dark).
All in all, an hour or so well spent.
Earlier in the week, I had both headlight bulbs replaced by the good people at Halfords (I took one look at the very limited access under the bonnet of my V6 X-Type, and decided I didn't fancy doing the job myself!) Only one of the bulbs had gone, but I wanted to get them replaced as a pair.
Anyway, that made me look at the lenses, which were a bit cloudy. So, today, I had a go at restoring them. I don't have any "specialist" equipment/potions for this sort of thing, but I do have a LOT of random odds and sods laying around in my garage!
I started by masking up both sides.
All four lenses had suffered with clouding/scratches, but the worst offender was the offside headlight.
I started with a bit of Brasso polish wadding, that (guess what) I had laying around the garage.
The results were half-decent with the Brasso...
... But I knew I could do better, with a bit of T-Cut Rapid Scratch Remover (with apologies for the out-of-focus picture).
Looking much better, but I wanted to "seal" the effort I'd put in. So I found an old bottle of Auto Glym Super Resin Polish, and went to work.
All done! Is it 100% perfect? No. Is it good enough for a 17 year old car, using stuff I found knocking about in my garage? Absolutely! :lol:
I was rapidly losing the light towards the end of the job, so the final images don't look all that impressive. However, the difference in terms of headlight efficiency at night is marked (I took the car for a bit of a spin once it had got properly dark).
All in all, an hour or so well spent.
Thread update... I still have the baby Jag!
Sadly, the reason I still have it is that the Range Rover was BER. A previous owner had cheaped out on oil, and it had suffered terminal sludge, culminating in the hydraulic timing chain tensioners gumming up, and giving horrific chain slap.
Flogged the RR as a non runner for just over £2k in 2018, and have spent about £500 of that maintaining the Jag since.
She's not looking as shiny as when I first bought her, but the old girl isn't doing too bad for a smoker that gets nothing between MoTs except petrol!
Sadly, the reason I still have it is that the Range Rover was BER. A previous owner had cheaped out on oil, and it had suffered terminal sludge, culminating in the hydraulic timing chain tensioners gumming up, and giving horrific chain slap.
Flogged the RR as a non runner for just over £2k in 2018, and have spent about £500 of that maintaining the Jag since.
She's not looking as shiny as when I first bought her, but the old girl isn't doing too bad for a smoker that gets nothing between MoTs except petrol!
manmaths said:
Would quite happily have one on the driveway!
Think the design has aged quite well personally.
Ran a 2001 S type V8 a good few years ago. Still have a soft spot for the brand.
Keep the updates coming
Oh go on then, since one person asked! Think the design has aged quite well personally.
Ran a 2001 S type V8 a good few years ago. Still have a soft spot for the brand.
Keep the updates coming
When I first bought the car, I listed a few gripes on this thread. Now seems as good a time as any to provide an update on how I'm getting on.
GRIPE 1: At some point, the standard Jaguar head unit has been pulled out, and replaced with an aftermarket stereo. This means the steering wheel controls for the radio don't work, and the 6-CD changer in the boot cannot be operated. I'm going to set up an eBay search to eMail me when Jag X-Type infotainment systems come up for sale. Should one present itself cheaply enough, I'll go for it.
WHAT I'VE DONE ABOUT IT: Absolutely nothing! I worked out pretty quickly the aftermarket stereo has Bluetooth capability, meaning I can use it for hands-free calling on the mobile. That alone makes it worth keeping in the car, despite it looking properly out of place in a car with such a traditional dashboard.
GRIPE 2: When pulling away, there's a brief metallic noise from under the bonnet, as the engine rocks back under acceleration. I'm hoping it's something trivial, like a loose heat shield. Doesn't sound any more serious than that (he says).
WHAT I'VE DONE ABOUT IT: I put my head under the bonnet, and removed the plastic engine cover, to see if there was anything obvious going on. Upon giving the engine a bootful of revs, it was obvious the inlet manifold was clonking against something else as the engine rocked on its mounts. A bit of doubled-over rubber with a dab of superglue on each surface, wedged into the gap, has solved the issue.
I did that two-odd years ago, and it's not given me any trouble since. Result!GRIPE 3: The gearlever lock-out release switch makes an overly loud clicking noise when the brake pedal is pressed. Every. Single. Time. It can be ignored by turning the radio up, but it's as loud as central locking engaging and disengaging, so I might have the gearlever assembly apart to see if I can quieten it down.
WHAT I'VE DONE ABOUT IT: I did indeed take the gearlever assembly apart, and observed a very noisy lock-out release switch. So I took it out. No, I'm not joking. Whilst the noise has gone, it does mean the gearlever can be moved through PRND234 without the brake pedal being depressed. As I'm not a complete idiot, and know how to use an automatic gearbox, I can live with this. As with gripe number 2, I did this a couple of years ago, and so far, it's not come back to bite me on the backside.
GRIPE 4: The paintwork will benefit from a good polish, as it's carrying many years of swirl marks and minor scratches. I've got all the kit for that - just need a good weekend of weather to tackle it.
WHAT I'VE DONE ABOUT IT: Not an awful lot... It's had a few half-arsed polishes, a smear of wax, and a bit of buffing, but nothing you'd put in the category of "paint correction". If I get bored enough during lockdown, this may change.
There was one other thing that needed doing, which at the time of starting this thread, wasn't apparent. A previous owner had clearly suffered a stone strike to the radiator, and had patched it up with a bit of liquid metal. Predictably, that failed in spectacular fashion, turning the car into a mobile kettle. Luckily, I had the presence of mind to pull over and switch it off at the ignition almost immediately, so didn't cause any damage to the engine. One new radiator later, and all was good. That was around two years ago, too.
CharlesdeGaulle said:
Great update. Good to hear it's still going well.
When are you going to fit a leaper...?
Thanks for re-visiting my little thread.When are you going to fit a leaper...?
As a fellow threadist, you know full well I won't be doing that anytime soon!
Well, not unless I can get a nice knitted jumper for the chrome cat.
manmaths said:
Lol at the lock out release switch fix. It sounds like something I would also do.
Good update
I'm properly shedding it with this car. If I can fix something for free, then I go for it. If the fix is going to cost money (and isn't safety-related), it waits until MoT time.Good update
The only real treat I gave the car was a set of four Michelin CrossClimate tyres, when it needed a full set for an MoT pass. I was toying with putting budget rubber on, but as the wheels are so small (16 inches), the CrossClimates were very reasonably priced. I justified the expense by telling myself I needed to put all-season tyres on a four wheel drive vehicle.
With a username like yours, I know you get what I mean.
Happy New Year, everyone! I had literally no requests to resurrect this thread, so in the face of irresistible public opinion, I have reluctantly decided to post here with what can only be described as an anti-climatic and singularly unimpressive update on the baby Jag.
What? You got anything else better to do? Thought not.
Had a bit of a "moment" with the X-Type a couple of months ago, driving it back from work. All was well for the first part of the journey, then as I got closer to home, the brake pedal went long. Very, very long. Luckily, I was about a mile from home at this point, so I drove back as slowly as I could manage without causing a pile-up behind me (local roads, so not terribly difficult).
Got home, and checked the brake fluid level. Empty. Oh dear. Had a look under the car. Dripping some sort of brake fluid-looking liquid just ahead of the rear axle. Oh dear. Got the car stretchered off to The Man, who confirmed one of my brake pipes had rusted through.
The Man then gave me a chilling warning, the likes of which I'd not experienced since I was told my Range Rover's engine was full of sludge... He may need to drop the fuel tank of my car, to replace the damaged brake pipe. Oh dear.
I meekly suggested he look for non-corroded pipe either side of the break, and splice a new bit of pipe into the gap. He agreed to "give it a go", and just like that, the baby Jag was back on the road!
Bullet very definitely dodged on that one. But! There's more peril to come! The windscreen has a 3ft crack in it, which will need to be replaced before the MoT in February, where other things may or may not be found wrong with the car.
I'll bet you lot can't wait for that update. You lucky, lucky people.
What? You got anything else better to do? Thought not.
Had a bit of a "moment" with the X-Type a couple of months ago, driving it back from work. All was well for the first part of the journey, then as I got closer to home, the brake pedal went long. Very, very long. Luckily, I was about a mile from home at this point, so I drove back as slowly as I could manage without causing a pile-up behind me (local roads, so not terribly difficult).
Got home, and checked the brake fluid level. Empty. Oh dear. Had a look under the car. Dripping some sort of brake fluid-looking liquid just ahead of the rear axle. Oh dear. Got the car stretchered off to The Man, who confirmed one of my brake pipes had rusted through.
The Man then gave me a chilling warning, the likes of which I'd not experienced since I was told my Range Rover's engine was full of sludge... He may need to drop the fuel tank of my car, to replace the damaged brake pipe. Oh dear.
I meekly suggested he look for non-corroded pipe either side of the break, and splice a new bit of pipe into the gap. He agreed to "give it a go", and just like that, the baby Jag was back on the road!
Bullet very definitely dodged on that one. But! There's more peril to come! The windscreen has a 3ft crack in it, which will need to be replaced before the MoT in February, where other things may or may not be found wrong with the car.
I'll bet you lot can't wait for that update. You lucky, lucky people.
stickleback123 said:
My X350 had one of the hard brake pipes split, it was very exciting!
I'm pretty sure that's what happened to mine, though I didn't actually see the damaged bit, or the subsequent repair (the ground is far too dirty to be crawling around on under the car!)Did yours let go when you were driving?
stickleback123 said:
MorganP104 said:
I'm pretty sure that's what happened to mine, though I didn't actually see the damaged bit, or the subsequent repair (the ground is far too dirty to be crawling around on under the car!)
Did yours let go when you were driving?
Yes, steaming up to a roundabout on a dual carriageway at a decent lick with a green light; when I went to shed some speed not a great deal happened, in the end I just had to get what little braking I could and tackle the roundabout at speed. A little smart car had a very, very lucky escape when he decided to chance pulling out in front of me and cleared me by about a foot.Did yours let go when you were driving?
mooseracer said:
Sorry:
Repair immediately (major defects):
Nearside Rear Lower Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength outer body sill (5.3.6 (a) (i))
Offside Rear Lower Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength outer body sill (5.3.6 (a) (i))
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Nearside Lower Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive outer body sill (7.1.1 (a) (i))
Offside Lower Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive outer body sill (7.1.1 (a) (i))
Where's this from?Repair immediately (major defects):
Nearside Rear Lower Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength outer body sill (5.3.6 (a) (i))
Offside Rear Lower Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength outer body sill (5.3.6 (a) (i))
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Nearside Lower Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive outer body sill (7.1.1 (a) (i))
Offside Lower Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive outer body sill (7.1.1 (a) (i))
mooseracer said:
Ah yes, I see now. I expect the phone call will come soon.
Oh crap.
bristolracer said:
A quick Google shows outer sills at £70 each
If your man can weld then it may be better the devil you know?
Getting into something else as tidy and reliable could be £2000 these days
If your man can weld then it may be better the devil you know?
Getting into something else as tidy and reliable could be £2000 these days
mooseracer said:
Yes agreed, keep the faith with it!
Thanks for the input, chaps. I've decided that the piffling matter of an MoT failure won't be the end of my Jag's story, and have booked it in for the requisite welding (and subsequent re-test) with The Man.
Not only is the car far too nice to scrap, I take bristolracer's point that getting into something similarly sized/equipped that won't let me down is going to be far more expensive than a bit of welding.
It may well have been a different story if the car was a basket case, but she really is a lovely old (mini) barge.
ETA: Not to mention the fact I had the windscreen replaced earlier in the week, as it had developed a large (MoT fail sized) crack. As I have no windscreen cover with my (very cheap) car insurance, that expense came out of my own pocket. Who scraps a car with a brand new windscreen?
Edited by MorganP104 on Thursday 4th February 15:35
Time for a thread update.
The baby Jag went off to The Man for a going over with the sparkly stick, then back to the local garage that originally did the MoT for a retest.
I now have a fresh 12 month ticket for the old girl, which will hopefully lead another year of trouble-free motoring.
The Man did warn me that the baby Jag's next MoT might be a little more costly, and that (in the nicest possible way) this year may be its last on the road, unless I wanted to throw some money at the problem.
Nevertheless, I'm happy with the result, and can relax for at least a while.
Thanks for reading - you can now go back to what you were doing before.
The baby Jag went off to The Man for a going over with the sparkly stick, then back to the local garage that originally did the MoT for a retest.
I now have a fresh 12 month ticket for the old girl, which will hopefully lead another year of trouble-free motoring.
The Man did warn me that the baby Jag's next MoT might be a little more costly, and that (in the nicest possible way) this year may be its last on the road, unless I wanted to throw some money at the problem.
Nevertheless, I'm happy with the result, and can relax for at least a while.
Thanks for reading - you can now go back to what you were doing before.
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