London Jag specialist - any suggestions?

[ArthurDaley]

I need to get my 2002 XJ8 MOT'd and serviced. I normally use a chap up North who has been excellent but unfortunately don't have time to get the car to him before the MOT expires on this occasion. Does anyone have any experience of the London independent Jag specialists? Any recommendations/words of warning gratefully received!

[Shuvi McTupya]

when i lived down there i used this guy, who is based in Edgware.

http://www.jaguarrepairer.com/jaguar_services.html

Phone numbers can be found on the website, his name is Paul and he is very good.

[Jaguar steve]

Wyn Thomas in Epping offers fixed price servicing.

If you don't know anybody you can feel confident will be sympathetic and reasonable with an MOT on an older car I'd suggest you locate a council run MOT depot - they don't do repairs so have no interest in failing a car to get some work in - and go there.

[naki]

couple of well know ones here. not used them myself, but there will be lots of forum discussions on them if you search the web

in south woodford
http://www.lespaulsmotors.co.uk/jaguar//index.php?...

in croydon
http://www.surreyjag.co.uk/


Swallows Jaguar near South Ruislip, but i cant seem to find there web details (they have a branch near bristol too)

[P700DEE]

Trevor @ 59 Jasmine Grove, Penge London SE20 8JY 0208 7780948 www.Jagspares.net

[aide]

P700DEE said:

Trevor @ 59 Jasmine Grove, Penge London SE20 8JY 0208 7780948 www.Jagspares.net

have been over to Jasmine Grove a good few times and Trevor is dead sound.

[timolloyd]

naki said:

couple of well know ones here. not used them myself, but there will be lots of forum discussions on them if you search the web

in south woodford
http://www.lespaulsmotors.co.uk/jaguar//index.php?...

in croydon
http://www.surreyjag.co.uk/


Swallows Jaguar near South Ruislip, but i cant seem to find there web details (they have a branch near bristol too)

+1 for Surrey Jag. Excellent.

[ArthurDaley]

Cheers everyone - very helpful!

[putonghua73]

Shuvi McTupya said:

when i lived down there i used this guy, who is based in Edgware.

http://www.jaguarrepairer.com/jaguar_services.html

Phone numbers can be found on the website, his name is Paul and he is very good.

My girlfriend owns a 2004 Jaguar S-Type and has been experiencing low coolant problems and juddering at low speed [gears]. I performed a few google searches - restricting to JaguarForums and Pistonheads - for Jaguar specialists in London, and Paul @jaguarrepairer was recommended by a number of Jaguar owners.

Paul was very pleasant to deal with via our initial email conversation (obtaining a quote inc. parts if required, for annual service), and invited us over to his home to inspect the vehicle prior to the service next Monday. Once we navigated a couple of traffic jams, we eventually arrived at Paul's home and was greeted by various Jaguars parked along his road!

We spent just over an hour with Paul, going for a test drive to get a feel for the juddering issue, taking a look at the car to make sure everything is in working order, using Jaguar diagnostic equipment to run through the electrics, as well as chatting to Paul about his obvious love affair with Jaguars. Paul is an extremely friendly, knowledgable chap and I was impressed at his almost encyclopaedic knowledge of Jaguar vehicles and how generous he is with his time in talking about [Jaguar] cars, running through the diagnostics and explaining what each and every fault means, steps to rectify them, and what type of potential issues to look out for and what preventative maintenance to take to make sure that they do not become issues.

He explained that the juddering is more than likely caused by the makeshift tape around the air hose because the hissing of the escaping air is audible. The hose is a very cheap component and a quick and easy job. He also showed us the probable cause of the coolant leak: top hose pipe showed signs of corrosion and water [coolant] was dripping on the belt. Part quickly ordered from Jaguar in time for Monday's service.

Throughout our conversation, Paul's love and passion of Jaguar cars and cars in general, shone through. The fact that he personally owns 34 Jaguars speaks volumes! He gave us a lot of informative knowledge of Jaguar cars - particularly ours, identifying the precise model, engine, specs etc from visual inspection - which was enlightening, particularly the adaptive gearbox and the common issue in older Jaguar cars with airbags where the metallic Jaguar icon on the steering wheel often imprinted onto the owner's forehead (and was subsequently moved in later models) upon activation of the airbag. The sheer amount of electronics involved in the car (and modern cars in general) is staggering. Paul explained and showed just how much could be set through Jaguar's diagnostic equipment.

Paul also noted that the ride felt a little harsher than expected because of our tires (replaced a few months ago) were after-market (cannot remember exact phrase used). Nothing wrong with harder wearing compounds, but he recommend Pirelli P6 (P7 because the P6 has been discontinued) once our current tires require replacing. I did bring up the kicking that the P6 receives on Pistonheads, to which he laughed and mentioned that he regards them as one of the worst tires in the world - especially because most are ill-fitted - but perversely as the best for the Jaguar S-Stype (although Jaguar now uses Dunlop). He explained that the S-Type specification was set-up to be used in conjunction with the P6.

One of the reasons for writing such a gushing post is that if the threads on Pistonheads are anything to go by, the usual experience of finding someone competent to repair / service one's car without a bodge job and a financial bumming, appears to be the same rarity as finding a competent tradesmen. I'll also reply after the service next week.

[Roy C]

naki said:

Swallows Jaguar near South Ruislip, but i cant seem to find there web details

http://www.jaguar-specialist.org.uk/

[Kinky]

putonghua73 said:

... lots of stuff ....

Oh come on ... you could have at least said something positive

I have to say, that was a brilliant and personal write up. I look forward to your post-service review next week

[designXKR]

P700DEE said:

Trevor @ 59 Jasmine Grove, Penge London SE20 8JY 0208 7780948 www.Jagspares.net

We would also recommend Trevor. He has been working with Jags for over 30 years and is a top bloke (and this recommendation comes from another Jag indie)

[putonghua73]

Apologies are in order because I was supposed to post a review after the service from Paul @JaguarRepair. I've been busy with job applications, interview preparations and not winning the National Lottery. I did win, but not the main prize. £25 doesn't quite allow me to retire.

I arranged the service with Paul for the Jaguar [S-Type], to also include fitting a new top hose ("the Octopus") and a new air tube. We gave the car to Paul Monday morning, and it was ready mid-afternoon on Tuesday. Unfortunately, we couldn't avail ourselves of a free complementary courtesy Jaguar from Paul for the duration of the service, because we discovered that her [girlfriend] insurance policy is 3rd party, fire and theft - not comprehensive!

Paul phoned me on Tuesday to go through the service and the cost. The car was generally in good condition, the engine was purring nicely and he thought that the new air tube resolved most of the juddering issue with the gearbox between 1st and 2nd gear (the 'lurch'). He mentioned that the car did not need new brake-pads (which adds quite a bit of a cost to a service), but advised me that the filters he removed were in a poor state and were cheap, generic eBay rubbish. Hence, the air quality should be a noticeable improvement. He mentioned that when he changed the top hose, as soon as he touched it - he gave me a gentle tap with his finger to illustrate the point - the top hose burst! He mentioned that it was pure luck that it didn't burst sooner. As a bonus, he fixed the car boot sensor gratis and cleaned the outside of the car.

Paul mentioned that the juddering would hopefully resolve itself after 3/4 days due to the adaptive gearbox. If it didn't and/or got worse, then give him a call, and he'll try a couple of other options because it could require a reset (driving up to 70, then immediately braking to 60, then driving to 70, then immediately breaking to 50, etc), or the worst case scenario, a faulty solenoid.

Cost was c£520 inc. VAT for the service and top hose replacement and air tube.

My girlfriend mentioned that she could immediately notice the difference in how the car feels when she drives. The engine positively purrs, the car feels smoother, and the juddering is nowhere near as pronounced. She only notices it when she starts the car. Later, it disappears - especially since we started using super unleaded, once the unleaded had been fully used. She mentioned that she really noticed the difference with the latter [super unleaded].

I was expecting a lot worse considering the car hadn't had an annual service in over 2 years and had done over 148k miles. Now my girlfriend has noticed the difference, she's developed a better sense of pride of ownership - so the car will definitely be annual services going forward.

Update: boot sensor comes on intermittently. Not a big concern. The engine coolant warning is a concern because it indicates that there is a persistent slow leak somewhere independent of the top hose. I'll take a look in the morning, then give Paul a ring to take a look.

Edited by putonghua73 on Thursday 14th November 23:02

Edited by putonghua73 on Thursday 14th November 23:03

Edited by putonghua73 on Friday 15th November 00:52

[P700DEE]

OK, not the most glowing report. Why are you running Super ? All Jags run happily on standard and you gain little from the higher octane petrol. Small water leak on an S type , I'm surprised Paul did not automatically check the hose connection to the header tank, very prone to damage and a small leak. Easy DIY too Sounds a lot for a service but if it included plugs , filters, and extras ? Hope you get the last few bits sorted

[NormanD]

putonghua73 said:

Paul mentioned that the juddering would hopefully resolve itself after 3/4 days due to the adaptive gearbox. If it didn't and/or got worse, then give him a call, and he'll try a couple of other options because it could require a reset (driving up to 70, then immediately braking to 60, then driving to 70, then immediately breaking to 50, etc), or the worst case scenario, a faulty solenoid.

Cost was c£520 inc. VAT for the service and top hose replacement and air tube.

That's a load of Bull Sh 1 t
More likely requires an oil change

And releave you of another £520 by the sound of it

As P700 said, another wast of £££s running on 98ron. Sainsburys 95ron if fine and usually the cheapest in the area

Edited by NormanD on Friday 15th November 15:40

[designXKR]

NormanD said:

That's a load of Bull Sh 1 t
More likely requires an oil change

And releave you of another £520 by the sound of it

As P700 said, another wast of £££s running on 98ron. Sainsburys 95ron if fine and usually the cheapest in the area

Edited by NormanD on Friday 15th November 15:40

Have to agree with Norman. It sounds more like it needs a gearbox oil change.