S-type Reliability
Discussion
I have an S-type 3ltr V6, on a 2000 plate. Had it for years now but thinking of replacing it. Basically sick of replacing Drop links ( X4 in its history ), ropey bushes( x3 , bearings, power stearing pumps, windscreen wiper motor and linkage etc. I dont know if I have had a bad one but enough is enough 
But even after all that has went wrong I still cant say I dislike it or wouldnt consider buying another Jag.
Can anybody out there tell me are the newer ones any better ??? I heard that there was a re-design in 2002 ??? I mean ( touch wood ) its not like the engine has fell out or anything really bad has happened, its just niggles, kind of reminds me of my TVR
I know for the first year the warrenty covers most stuff, mine was great, and the Jag garage I use In Pearth Scotland have been great. But when the renewal for the warrenty, which is normally about £1500 lands on the doorstep, kind of makes you think how much is going to go wrong ?
Anyone got any good ideas
But even after all that has went wrong I still cant say I dislike it or wouldnt consider buying another Jag.
Can anybody out there tell me are the newer ones any better ??? I heard that there was a re-design in 2002 ??? I mean ( touch wood ) its not like the engine has fell out or anything really bad has happened, its just niggles, kind of reminds me of my TVR
I know for the first year the warrenty covers most stuff, mine was great, and the Jag garage I use In Pearth Scotland have been great. But when the renewal for the warrenty, which is normally about £1500 lands on the doorstep, kind of makes you think how much is going to go wrong ?
Anyone got any good ideas
The S-Type got redesigned for the 2002.5 MY, The front suspension was changed to a modular sub-frame design like that on the XJ and it took care of alot of the older cars suspension and handling woes.
The engine becomes the 4.2L which has turned out to be a great engine. The transmission used is now a ZF 6 speed instead of the Ford 5R55N 5 speed which increased torque capacity, fuel economy and decreased weight. With the drivetrain changes came a separate ECM and TCM making the S-Type like the other Jags, the 2 separate computers are able to control the drivetrain better.
The interior was redone to include some new safety features like side curtain airbags, occupancy sensing and rear belt pretensioners. Anti whiplash front seats and a break away brake pedal were also added. Headliner, seats, dashboard and center/ roof consoles were redesigned. The interior was greatly improved.
The electrical system was brought up to X-Type standards (2 years newer in design) and this allowed an optional touch screen for climate controls and telematics (CD, Phone and Navigation)
From 2002.5 on it feels like a different (better) car.
The engine becomes the 4.2L which has turned out to be a great engine. The transmission used is now a ZF 6 speed instead of the Ford 5R55N 5 speed which increased torque capacity, fuel economy and decreased weight. With the drivetrain changes came a separate ECM and TCM making the S-Type like the other Jags, the 2 separate computers are able to control the drivetrain better.
The interior was redone to include some new safety features like side curtain airbags, occupancy sensing and rear belt pretensioners. Anti whiplash front seats and a break away brake pedal were also added. Headliner, seats, dashboard and center/ roof consoles were redesigned. The interior was greatly improved.
The electrical system was brought up to X-Type standards (2 years newer in design) and this allowed an optional touch screen for climate controls and telematics (CD, Phone and Navigation)
From 2002.5 on it feels like a different (better) car.
Have run my 2.7V6 diesel sport auto now for 18months and covered 52000 miles.Apart from a problem with autobox which Jaguar replaced without fuss and normal wear items car has been very good.It drives like a proper sports saloon and gives reasonable econmy for performance 33 mpg. Have now also purchased last of old model XKR s (because it has proper boot for holidays unlike new model) Again minor issues but Jag seem to manage ride handling compromise so well and 4.2 supercharged engine is just fabulous.
Unless you have money to spare try S type diesel it is a very good car
Unless you have money to spare try S type diesel it is a very good car
Auto gearbox on my 2.5 (2002.5) was always a nightmare, every 10k miles it was in at least once to the dealer. On saying that, the last time they forgot to secure it properly to the car which caused me to throw a fit, now thinking back, all the problems could have been related to the poor dealer, hmmmm
Paul, I ran a S-Type 4.0 V8 SE for three years (the original model) and was so pleased with it I bought a 4.2L V8 SE (the newer model) in January 2004. All the prior info on this thread is relevant, particularly that from the Trooper.
The suspension reliability is vastly improved, the 6 speed gearbox is much better, and the interior is far more Jaguar-esque. All in all a far better car. It is also a bit more economical than the old 4.0L
I have had some major problems with the gearbox. It's fitted to BMWs and Mercedes too and they have the same problems. Basically, occasionally there is a "whoosh" sound on changedown (not via kickdown), which means an oil seal is knackered. This happened after 20,000 miles or so. It does not affect performance but needs attention. Jaguar used to replace the gearbox and did so on my car, with a modified version. That lasted another 20,000 or so miles when the problem returned to the changed box. Jaguar UK requested the box be returned to them as it was the first of the modified versions with a problem that they had heard of, and so I got a second replacement new gearbox. All this was under warranty. Note that replacements are only warrantied until the warranty on the car expires, not for a further three years, so I have now extended my warranty for another two years at a cost of around £2200. A new box is around £3500 and another £1000 or so to fit, so I'm told, and I do not want to take the risk. So if you go ahead and buy a second hand S-Type, see if there's any 'box history and listen for the whoosh!
Recently I have also had a problem with the fuel gauge sticking occasionally. I was told this is really a rare problem. Amazingly, the parts cost £660, and the work £500, so I'm glad I had extended the warranty and got the work done at no cost to me.
By the way there's some fab deals around at Jag main dealers at the moment on nearly new S-Types due to the run out of the model ahead of XF. Something similar was going on when I got my second S-Type. I got it at a main dealer, it was their demonstrator, it was 2 weeks old, had 14 miles on the clock. It was fully loaded and had a full price of £39,500. The dealer offered it to me for £30,000 cash and I negotiated one or two other bits and got it for around £28,500, about 25% off. I was well pleased! Maybe you can have similar success; good luck. R.
The suspension reliability is vastly improved, the 6 speed gearbox is much better, and the interior is far more Jaguar-esque. All in all a far better car. It is also a bit more economical than the old 4.0L
I have had some major problems with the gearbox. It's fitted to BMWs and Mercedes too and they have the same problems. Basically, occasionally there is a "whoosh" sound on changedown (not via kickdown), which means an oil seal is knackered. This happened after 20,000 miles or so. It does not affect performance but needs attention. Jaguar used to replace the gearbox and did so on my car, with a modified version. That lasted another 20,000 or so miles when the problem returned to the changed box. Jaguar UK requested the box be returned to them as it was the first of the modified versions with a problem that they had heard of, and so I got a second replacement new gearbox. All this was under warranty. Note that replacements are only warrantied until the warranty on the car expires, not for a further three years, so I have now extended my warranty for another two years at a cost of around £2200. A new box is around £3500 and another £1000 or so to fit, so I'm told, and I do not want to take the risk. So if you go ahead and buy a second hand S-Type, see if there's any 'box history and listen for the whoosh!
Recently I have also had a problem with the fuel gauge sticking occasionally. I was told this is really a rare problem. Amazingly, the parts cost £660, and the work £500, so I'm glad I had extended the warranty and got the work done at no cost to me.
By the way there's some fab deals around at Jag main dealers at the moment on nearly new S-Types due to the run out of the model ahead of XF. Something similar was going on when I got my second S-Type. I got it at a main dealer, it was their demonstrator, it was 2 weeks old, had 14 miles on the clock. It was fully loaded and had a full price of £39,500. The dealer offered it to me for £30,000 cash and I negotiated one or two other bits and got it for around £28,500, about 25% off. I was well pleased! Maybe you can have similar success; good luck. R.
Thanks everyone for the replys. Its good to know that Jaguar have taken on board all the suspension problems that they had with the S-Type, and made an effort to re-design the suspension and running gear.
I went to have a look at a couple of S-Types today, and wow the difference is remarkable. I mean even the seats for arguments sake are so much better, the ash tray no longer looks like it has been removed from a Trabant, and the radio is not the same one thats in my Works Ford Transit with a different badge ( And I am NOT joking! )
But seriousley they doo seem much better, problem is I am looking at a 2004 S-Type R. Could be a problem explaining it to my other half
But even the newer 3ltr ones are tempting, and will certainly look out for the gearbox Whoosh noise.
Looked at a Jaguar racing green s type, the salesman comes over and says " You want to test drive it, it will be sold tommorrow if you dont !" The lying scroat, its been there 9 weeks I know of!
Even considered a Merc, E class or S class, but been speaking to some colleagues at work, who have E class mercs, they are never out the workshops. One lad has had it in 5 times in 12 months, with rust and paint coming off! Hes even had 2 new wings, on a Merc
And his story isnt unique. Think I will stick to Jags.
Now off to convince the better half the benefits of S-Type R's, anyone got any ideas how to convince a women who thinks a Fiesta is a perfectly viable option to a Jag
I went to have a look at a couple of S-Types today, and wow the difference is remarkable. I mean even the seats for arguments sake are so much better, the ash tray no longer looks like it has been removed from a Trabant, and the radio is not the same one thats in my Works Ford Transit with a different badge ( And I am NOT joking! )
But seriousley they doo seem much better, problem is I am looking at a 2004 S-Type R. Could be a problem explaining it to my other half
But even the newer 3ltr ones are tempting, and will certainly look out for the gearbox Whoosh noise.
Looked at a Jaguar racing green s type, the salesman comes over and says " You want to test drive it, it will be sold tommorrow if you dont !" The lying scroat, its been there 9 weeks I know of!
Even considered a Merc, E class or S class, but been speaking to some colleagues at work, who have E class mercs, they are never out the workshops. One lad has had it in 5 times in 12 months, with rust and paint coming off! Hes even had 2 new wings, on a Merc
And his story isnt unique. Think I will stick to Jags.
Now off to convince the better half the benefits of S-Type R's, anyone got any ideas how to convince a women who thinks a Fiesta is a perfectly viable option to a Jag
I am thinking of going down the S type R route again around 2004 
Can anyone add any other advice to the very usefull comments above and can some kind person give me an idea on fuel economy both in town and on a long run.
As a Griff 500 owner i am use to poor economy so do not be put off telling me how it is.
Cheers in advance
Pasco
Can anyone add any other advice to the very usefull comments above and can some kind person give me an idea on fuel economy both in town and on a long run.
As a Griff 500 owner i am use to poor economy so do not be put off telling me how it is.
Cheers in advance
Pasco
Pasco, I do not have the R. I have the 4.2L V8. Without thinking about mpg as I drive I reckon to get around 22-24 to the gallon. The best I have achieved is 34 mpg with the cruise control set at 70 mph on a motorway, an infrequent event! Mpg is a lot less when gunning it, of course.
I think a minor annoyance with the S Type is that the tank is only 65 litres so the range is really quite modest.
R.
I think a minor annoyance with the S Type is that the tank is only 65 litres so the range is really quite modest.
R.
Pasco,
The 6 speed box is excellent and a major improvement over the 5 speed in the first S-Type model. However, it is known to be troublesome in some cases. It seems the problems arise round about 20,000 miles. The first time this happened in my case, Jaguar's recommended fix was to change the oil (it's a sealed for life box usually). This worked for maybe 5,000 miles but the problem returned, so Jaguar replaced the box with a new one with the modification designed to solve the problem. At around 45,000 miles (kind of on schedule!)this second box had the same problem. Jaguar UK actually requested this box back: I was told it was the first of the modified versions to have the problem reappear and they wanted to check it out, so I had another box fitted. This box seems OK so far...I'm up to 57,000 or so, so someway off the next 20,000 step which will be around 65,000 miles. I have to say the Jaguar dealer and Jaguar UK dealt with these issues without any adverse reactions whatsoever. The prices of the box and labour if you need to pay is as set out above in my earlier post.
So, if you're after a used S Type I would strongly recommend you check out the full service record and check if there has been any gearbox issues. Also, note that a replacement box is warranted by Jaguar only for so long as the general warranty on the car is in place, meaning that it's not covered by a new three year warranty just for the new gearbox. This also means that if the warranty has expired before a new box is fitted, the new box has no warranty. In these circumstances I would think a convincing argument could be put to Jaguar if the replacement box has a problem after a reasonable mileage. For this reason I have extended my warranty to 5 years (my car is 3 1/2 years old now) in case of future gearbox problems. I am planning to keep this car indefinitely..shows how much I like it!
The problem with the gearbox, so I'm told, is poor quality seals in the gearbox. They wear and allow oil to pass through under pressure. This gives a "whoosh" noise on changedown, not usually when using kickdown. Sorry I cannot be more technical but other PHers may be able to give "the knowledge". Performance is not affected.
If you need more information send a post and I'll try and respond with more.
By the way, I gather that the same box is used by BMW and Mercedes and they have the same problems.
R.
The 6 speed box is excellent and a major improvement over the 5 speed in the first S-Type model. However, it is known to be troublesome in some cases. It seems the problems arise round about 20,000 miles. The first time this happened in my case, Jaguar's recommended fix was to change the oil (it's a sealed for life box usually). This worked for maybe 5,000 miles but the problem returned, so Jaguar replaced the box with a new one with the modification designed to solve the problem. At around 45,000 miles (kind of on schedule!)this second box had the same problem. Jaguar UK actually requested this box back: I was told it was the first of the modified versions to have the problem reappear and they wanted to check it out, so I had another box fitted. This box seems OK so far...I'm up to 57,000 or so, so someway off the next 20,000 step which will be around 65,000 miles. I have to say the Jaguar dealer and Jaguar UK dealt with these issues without any adverse reactions whatsoever. The prices of the box and labour if you need to pay is as set out above in my earlier post.
So, if you're after a used S Type I would strongly recommend you check out the full service record and check if there has been any gearbox issues. Also, note that a replacement box is warranted by Jaguar only for so long as the general warranty on the car is in place, meaning that it's not covered by a new three year warranty just for the new gearbox. This also means that if the warranty has expired before a new box is fitted, the new box has no warranty. In these circumstances I would think a convincing argument could be put to Jaguar if the replacement box has a problem after a reasonable mileage. For this reason I have extended my warranty to 5 years (my car is 3 1/2 years old now) in case of future gearbox problems. I am planning to keep this car indefinitely..shows how much I like it!
The problem with the gearbox, so I'm told, is poor quality seals in the gearbox. They wear and allow oil to pass through under pressure. This gives a "whoosh" noise on changedown, not usually when using kickdown. Sorry I cannot be more technical but other PHers may be able to give "the knowledge". Performance is not affected.
If you need more information send a post and I'll try and respond with more.
By the way, I gather that the same box is used by BMW and Mercedes and they have the same problems.
R.
Roger thank you for the time you have spent replying to my questions,most kind,
I wonder to what frequency this type of problem with the ZF occurs
is it one in twenty boxes for instance
Not sure how i can find this out but it has put me off them a little i have to say
I will try to find out some stats to restore my faith
Thanks again R
Pasco
I wonder to what frequency this type of problem with the ZF occurs
is it one in twenty boxes for instance Not sure how i can find this out but it has put me off them a little i have to say
I will try to find out some stats to restore my faith
Thanks again R
Pasco
Pasco,
I do not know how often the ZF has had the problem. Maybe you could ask a main dealer. There is also one or two Jaguar UK bulletins about this problem and maybe you could ask to have a look at these.
The bottom line is that you will need to check out the service history in detail and consider the unexpired period of the warranty before you buy anything used.
All I can say knowing what I know now is that it would not stop me getting another 4.2L V8 (after a thorough check, of course) !!
R
I do not know how often the ZF has had the problem. Maybe you could ask a main dealer. There is also one or two Jaguar UK bulletins about this problem and maybe you could ask to have a look at these.
The bottom line is that you will need to check out the service history in detail and consider the unexpired period of the warranty before you buy anything used.
All I can say knowing what I know now is that it would not stop me getting another 4.2L V8 (after a thorough check, of course) !!
R
Pasco, Jag's have won the USA's, JD Power Associates award for reliability for the past few years. So if the gearboxes are such a problem it wouldn't make it to the top slot. Don't buy a 1st generation S-Type, but a cars with the ZF box which is also fitted to the XK, XJ and they don't have problems. So quit worrying and go buy yourself a lovely Jag.
G
G
Gassing Station | Jaguar | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff