Discussion
Well a new car joined the fleet today and 2nd of this year. It follows in the footsteps of a 2014 C63 AMG 507 Edition and and 2012 Mk6 Golf GTI.
I've been keeping my eyes peeled for some good deals and nearly took the plunge on a crazily cheap SL500 R129. Whilst it would have been great fun to own, having a young family in tow, means garage tinkering time is sparse at the moment.
I wasn't actively looking for an XF-R, or really anything specific truth be told, but it looked too good to pass up. European owner for its entire time in the UAE, well cared for, good condition, good paperwork. This might sound like obvious stuff but here in the UAE cars aren't always that well cared for and anything of interest over 5yrs old is usually left for the enthusiasts.
Anyway the car. Its a 2010, XF-R 510bhp Supercharged 5.0 V8. White, black and tan interior with the optional B&W audio. It's covered around 57k miles since new and has a fully stamped service history.
Its standard apart from the black bonnet vents and other accents from what I can tell.
Car drives amazingly well, it's comfortable, quick and quality. Not as quick nor as exciting as the C63 (and alot less noisy), but alot more engaging than a Golf GTI! It definitely needs a bit more noise to it and the standard brakes feel pretty rubbish (might just be mine!).
Condition for Dubai is amazing but still needs some attention. Below is my list of things to do.
1. Wheels are scuffed up, being black they are immediately obvious.
2. R Badge on the back needs replacing, it's faded and not looking so fresh.
3. Headliner is coming away towards the back of the car. I had this with the Golf too, very common here.
4. Trim coming away just above the glovebox will need sticking back down.
5. One of the auto turning air vents sounds like it's sticking. Hopefully an easy fix
6. Some brake judder from higher speeds, probably will invest in some new discs and pads unless I can get away with a brake skim.
7. Figure out a way of getting bluetooth audio to work as seemlessly as possible.
Some snaps and I'll keep you all posted with the progress.
Now on the hunt for a pipe and some slippers!
I've been keeping my eyes peeled for some good deals and nearly took the plunge on a crazily cheap SL500 R129. Whilst it would have been great fun to own, having a young family in tow, means garage tinkering time is sparse at the moment.
I wasn't actively looking for an XF-R, or really anything specific truth be told, but it looked too good to pass up. European owner for its entire time in the UAE, well cared for, good condition, good paperwork. This might sound like obvious stuff but here in the UAE cars aren't always that well cared for and anything of interest over 5yrs old is usually left for the enthusiasts.
Anyway the car. Its a 2010, XF-R 510bhp Supercharged 5.0 V8. White, black and tan interior with the optional B&W audio. It's covered around 57k miles since new and has a fully stamped service history.
Its standard apart from the black bonnet vents and other accents from what I can tell.
Car drives amazingly well, it's comfortable, quick and quality. Not as quick nor as exciting as the C63 (and alot less noisy), but alot more engaging than a Golf GTI! It definitely needs a bit more noise to it and the standard brakes feel pretty rubbish (might just be mine!).
Condition for Dubai is amazing but still needs some attention. Below is my list of things to do.
1. Wheels are scuffed up, being black they are immediately obvious.
2. R Badge on the back needs replacing, it's faded and not looking so fresh.
3. Headliner is coming away towards the back of the car. I had this with the Golf too, very common here.
4. Trim coming away just above the glovebox will need sticking back down.
5. One of the auto turning air vents sounds like it's sticking. Hopefully an easy fix
6. Some brake judder from higher speeds, probably will invest in some new discs and pads unless I can get away with a brake skim.
7. Figure out a way of getting bluetooth audio to work as seemlessly as possible.
Some snaps and I'll keep you all posted with the progress.
Now on the hunt for a pipe and some slippers!
Couple of updates. The car is serving me well, it's like a comfier and larger version of the C63!
Observations / Suprises / Annoyances
Seats are not bolstered enough, and the leather is uber slippy. When cornering hard you feel like you're gonna be flung out!
Infotainment system is pretty bad. No Bluetooth streaming which is annoying but it does have USB which only reads storage devices, and won't play Spotify. I guess it's just around that age when things started changing. For now, I've got an aux bluetooth receiver which does a job, albeit annoying.
The car has the optional B&W speakers but it sounds terrible. Upon further inspection, the previous owner set the fader all the way to the front and treble all the way up. When I adjusted it, I found out why. The rear speakers are shot and the noise they make is frankly embarrassing!
The car actually handles really well and in dynamic mode, it corners really nicely (excusing the seats!).
Performance wise, I wouldn't say it's too far behind the C63. Midrange on 2/3's throttle feels relentless!
Wheels, are in desperate need of a change as see below.
Anyway some snaps now she's all cleaned up. I replaced the R badge which was on its last legs.
Observations / Suprises / Annoyances
Seats are not bolstered enough, and the leather is uber slippy. When cornering hard you feel like you're gonna be flung out!
Infotainment system is pretty bad. No Bluetooth streaming which is annoying but it does have USB which only reads storage devices, and won't play Spotify. I guess it's just around that age when things started changing. For now, I've got an aux bluetooth receiver which does a job, albeit annoying.
The car has the optional B&W speakers but it sounds terrible. Upon further inspection, the previous owner set the fader all the way to the front and treble all the way up. When I adjusted it, I found out why. The rear speakers are shot and the noise they make is frankly embarrassing!
The car actually handles really well and in dynamic mode, it corners really nicely (excusing the seats!).
Performance wise, I wouldn't say it's too far behind the C63. Midrange on 2/3's throttle feels relentless!
Wheels, are in desperate need of a change as see below.
Anyway some snaps now she's all cleaned up. I replaced the R badge which was on its last legs.
Edited by MTK1919 on Saturday 13th June 19:13
Edited by MTK1919 on Saturday 13th June 19:14
And now to further update.
I couldn't leave the wheels looking like they did, so they're currently being prepped and refurbished at a well renowned British garage here in Dubai.
I took this chance to get the tyres replaced as they were showing their age (on their 3rd year of the baking Dubai summer). I've gone for Michelin Pilot Sports this time around.
Also, whilst there I asked them to do the grill and intake ducts in black to complement the other black trim which was already done. I'm very happy with the way it's looking and should get it back tomorrow.
I also added 50% tints on the car, which is the legal limit here. They offer around 65% heat rejection and have made a solid impact.
Next on the list is the Headliner needs fixing and is annoying as & *£#! Very typical for here.
From a mechanical stand point it seems OK. I've got a few concerns creeping in about the gearbox which just feels a bit slack and lazy between changes but it could be just because of the other motors a drive having a superior gearbox. In any case, I'll get them to do a gearbox and diff fluid change.
The last thing that poses a concern is an rotational type noise coming when lifting off or putting on the throttle (only at this point, it's not constant). I'm no mechanic so it's going to take further diagnostics but propshaft donut was starting to look its age. No cracks but just looked really dry and brittle.
Thanks for looking.
I couldn't leave the wheels looking like they did, so they're currently being prepped and refurbished at a well renowned British garage here in Dubai.
I took this chance to get the tyres replaced as they were showing their age (on their 3rd year of the baking Dubai summer). I've gone for Michelin Pilot Sports this time around.
Also, whilst there I asked them to do the grill and intake ducts in black to complement the other black trim which was already done. I'm very happy with the way it's looking and should get it back tomorrow.
I also added 50% tints on the car, which is the legal limit here. They offer around 65% heat rejection and have made a solid impact.
Next on the list is the Headliner needs fixing and is annoying as & *£#! Very typical for here.
From a mechanical stand point it seems OK. I've got a few concerns creeping in about the gearbox which just feels a bit slack and lazy between changes but it could be just because of the other motors a drive having a superior gearbox. In any case, I'll get them to do a gearbox and diff fluid change.
The last thing that poses a concern is an rotational type noise coming when lifting off or putting on the throttle (only at this point, it's not constant). I'm no mechanic so it's going to take further diagnostics but propshaft donut was starting to look its age. No cracks but just looked really dry and brittle.
Thanks for looking.
Edited by MTK1919 on Saturday 13th June 19:17
Edited by MTK1919 on Saturday 13th June 19:20
Collected the car yesterday, and I'm pleased with the changes.
The wheels need to go back for further polishing and although I'm not a subject expert, I could tell there is a little more refinement needed in the finish. The other work though appear immaculate.
The new PS4's are a huge step up from the previous boots, very pleasant surprise.
I think I'm going to get the propshaft, alignment and fixings checked out. I'm not sure if it's the source of some of the issues I'm experiencing but I have a gut feeling about it. Reading some jag forums seems to yield similar stories.
Some car snaps
On the infotainment subject, I recently added a Echo Auto to the mix. Given this is an older stereo with bluetooth phone but not streaming, I thought this would be a nice compromise. It works in tandem with your phone (alexa app) and the aux socket (if you don't have bluetooth streaming like this doesn't). The end result is a great setup, where I don't need to rely on steering controls for audio or phone controls for anything else (navigation etc etc). I have to say it works faultlessly for me at any speed and the mic pickup is perfect. I still need to decide on its placement, because normally it would be on the air vents, but Jag in their wisdom got cocky with the twisting vents! For now I've put it on the rear air vents and routed the wires out the back of the armrest cubby. It's a bit Heath Robinson but it works for now!
https://www.amazon.com/Echo-Auto-Add-Alexa-your/dp...
The wheels need to go back for further polishing and although I'm not a subject expert, I could tell there is a little more refinement needed in the finish. The other work though appear immaculate.
The new PS4's are a huge step up from the previous boots, very pleasant surprise.
I think I'm going to get the propshaft, alignment and fixings checked out. I'm not sure if it's the source of some of the issues I'm experiencing but I have a gut feeling about it. Reading some jag forums seems to yield similar stories.
Some car snaps
On the infotainment subject, I recently added a Echo Auto to the mix. Given this is an older stereo with bluetooth phone but not streaming, I thought this would be a nice compromise. It works in tandem with your phone (alexa app) and the aux socket (if you don't have bluetooth streaming like this doesn't). The end result is a great setup, where I don't need to rely on steering controls for audio or phone controls for anything else (navigation etc etc). I have to say it works faultlessly for me at any speed and the mic pickup is perfect. I still need to decide on its placement, because normally it would be on the air vents, but Jag in their wisdom got cocky with the twisting vents! For now I've put it on the rear air vents and routed the wires out the back of the armrest cubby. It's a bit Heath Robinson but it works for now!
https://www.amazon.com/Echo-Auto-Add-Alexa-your/dp...
Edited by MTK1919 on Monday 15th June 17:33
Edited by MTK1919 on Monday 15th June 17:36
MTK1919 said:
idealstandard said:
looks great, hardly see any of those here. What's the cost of a fillup out there?
Don't see many here either to be honest. I've lived here 7yrs and I think I've seen about 2 in that time. Cost to fill with Super is around 130dhs (£30ish)
Really nice car btw
Radec said:
£30!! fs, would get half a tank here in my 2.0 diesel.
Really nice car btw
Thanks! Really nice car btw
The expense of other things definitely outweigh the cheap fuel, that's for sure.
One thing I do love here is we can order fuel to be delivered to the car, no matter where it is in Dubai, they rock up with a really small petrol tanker. The prices are all regulated, so the same as at the pumps and they offer super too. They do charge you a delivery fee of around £3 but most of the time it's free with the various offers they do.
Might sound lazy (and I suppose it is), however is super convenient in avoiding the busy petrol pumps.
All done on an app, super easy to use!
MTK1919 said:
Radec said:
£30!! fs, would get half a tank here in my 2.0 diesel.
Really nice car btw
Thanks! Really nice car btw
The expense of other things definitely outweigh the cheap fuel, that's for sure.
One thing I do love here is we can order fuel to be delivered to the car, no matter where it is in Dubai, they rock up with a really small petrol tanker. The prices are all regulated, so the same as at the pumps and they offer super too. They do charge you a delivery fee of around £3 but most of the time it's free with the various offers they do.
Might sound lazy (and I suppose it is), however is super convenient in avoiding the busy petrol pumps.
All done on an app, super easy to use!
Not sure if it would work here, can't even get a takeaway ordered in less than an hour, well around my way anyway lol.
Had a busy couple of hours on the car fixing an annoying issue.
I mentioned earlier about a rear speaker sounding past its best (in fact it was a whole lot worse than that)
Ealier this week, I went to Jaguar to price up the replacement speaker. It was working out around £120 for one 6cm B&W speaker. Anyway before taking that route I went to see an audio specialist and after he had a listen he said the distortion could be because of debris on the speaker coming from the failing headlining. His cost for replacement was much cheaper but the I figured I may as well set to and get it checked out.
Can't be too hard to whip out the speakers? Well no, not too hard but it's a pain in the ass job. Particularly when the temperature outside is 40+c and the car is a complete sweatbox.
In a nutshell
Lower rear seats
Remove rear seat side bolsters
Remove c pillar trim
Remove side seat belt trim
Remove various other clips and plastic trim where the back seats ajoin to the rear deck
Unbolt the electronic rear window blind
At this point, I was finally able to pull the rear deck forwards, flip it over, unclip some wires and reach the speakers. Not a job I enjoyed after being cramped up in the back of the car that felt like a sauna at this stage.
I undid the offending speaker first and found the center cap had completely come away from the speaker cone. I checked the other speaker to be sure, but all was fine with that. Other than the cap, neither speaker showed signs of perishing or any other damage (they were a bit dirty though).
So choices.
Replace one or both with original B&W parts at a cost of £120 per side. There was going to be a month or so lead time for delivery.
Replace them with some other aftermarket speakers (probably for less than £100 for both).
Do a dirty short term fix and mull it over.
The first option was going to mean the car was in its disassembled state for a good while, so I was reluctant. The second option, whilst saving money, might have been difficult to match up with the existing mounts and sound wise probably not the right thing to do.
So I went with the last option and implemented a dirty fix. I read a few geeky speaker forums about speaker repair and it seems that these caps can be put back in place using a hot glue gun. So I broke out the glue gun, reattached the cap and bobs your uncle!
I went back to the sweat box, put everything back together and tested.
I'm happy to say it works an absolute charm. No more distortion and having the entire rear set of speakers (doors and rear deck) has left me with a phenomenal sounding system as intended and I'm made up.
Time will tell if the glue holds up, it might not but for now it's another annoyance that's gone away.
Some snaps albeit not many. The trim removal tools were a godsend.
I mentioned earlier about a rear speaker sounding past its best (in fact it was a whole lot worse than that)
Ealier this week, I went to Jaguar to price up the replacement speaker. It was working out around £120 for one 6cm B&W speaker. Anyway before taking that route I went to see an audio specialist and after he had a listen he said the distortion could be because of debris on the speaker coming from the failing headlining. His cost for replacement was much cheaper but the I figured I may as well set to and get it checked out.
Can't be too hard to whip out the speakers? Well no, not too hard but it's a pain in the ass job. Particularly when the temperature outside is 40+c and the car is a complete sweatbox.
In a nutshell
Lower rear seats
Remove rear seat side bolsters
Remove c pillar trim
Remove side seat belt trim
Remove various other clips and plastic trim where the back seats ajoin to the rear deck
Unbolt the electronic rear window blind
At this point, I was finally able to pull the rear deck forwards, flip it over, unclip some wires and reach the speakers. Not a job I enjoyed after being cramped up in the back of the car that felt like a sauna at this stage.
I undid the offending speaker first and found the center cap had completely come away from the speaker cone. I checked the other speaker to be sure, but all was fine with that. Other than the cap, neither speaker showed signs of perishing or any other damage (they were a bit dirty though).
So choices.
Replace one or both with original B&W parts at a cost of £120 per side. There was going to be a month or so lead time for delivery.
Replace them with some other aftermarket speakers (probably for less than £100 for both).
Do a dirty short term fix and mull it over.
The first option was going to mean the car was in its disassembled state for a good while, so I was reluctant. The second option, whilst saving money, might have been difficult to match up with the existing mounts and sound wise probably not the right thing to do.
So I went with the last option and implemented a dirty fix. I read a few geeky speaker forums about speaker repair and it seems that these caps can be put back in place using a hot glue gun. So I broke out the glue gun, reattached the cap and bobs your uncle!
I went back to the sweat box, put everything back together and tested.
I'm happy to say it works an absolute charm. No more distortion and having the entire rear set of speakers (doors and rear deck) has left me with a phenomenal sounding system as intended and I'm made up.
Time will tell if the glue holds up, it might not but for now it's another annoyance that's gone away.
Some snaps albeit not many. The trim removal tools were a godsend.
Edited by MTK1919 on Saturday 20th June 13:16
MikeStroud said:
I would so love a XF-R, whilst I could afford the fuel it would grate on me spending so much on fuel all the time.
On my death bed I will regret not getting an XF-R or an Aston.
Thanks for sharing.
Yeah it's the only reason I can justify it, living somewhere where its this cheap. On my death bed I will regret not getting an XF-R or an Aston.
Thanks for sharing.
It's around 42p a litre of super this month
I would love an Aston next. We are preparing to leave the UAE in the next year or so with my company open to me relocating. I'm starting to think about getting something special as a long term keeper to take on with me.
I took a look at a V8 vantage a couple of weeks ago but the drive was really really disappointing. The engine was fine but the gearbox (sportshift I think) was an awful thing.
I'm going to look at a DBS next week which is a little bit spendy but cheap compared with alot of other places. I read the gearbox in these is much better, and it's very much a design I love. I'll soon see about that one.
Anyway thanks for your kind comments.
Edited by MTK1919 on Saturday 20th June 16:19
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