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[Webby the Bear]

hi all,

mum and dad considering getting an S Type. i really like the look of them and they look very comfy inside. so far one problem i can see is that models up to 2001 are radio/cassette. is it easy to change to a jaguar cd player? (they would want the car to look original and not have one of those rude boy stereo panels)

anyone know of any known faults? any rust issues? expensive repairs? expensive sericing etc?

any info you could furnish me with would be great.

ps theyve seen a few on the trader and theres a lot with over 100k on clock. now in a miggy that wouldnt concern me but with the jag should it be a concern?

cheers all 

[mantahatch]

I have heard the diff can be noisy and quite pricey to repair. Also if they ever intend carrying passengers in it check rear leg room. To me there is more rear leg room in an Astra with me driving and I am 6' 4"

Apart from than those two I have allways loved the look lof the S type.

[sticka_v8_init]

Hiya fella,

As far as i know the petrols are a lot more reliable than the 2.7D lumps. I seem to remember that pre 2000 V8s had a similar issue to the BMW Nickasil problem -some cylinder coating that wore and then shagged the engine. Agree with the rear legroom issues. Over 100K miles i see you're concern but like most cars, if its stamped up it shouldn't really be an issue. S Types would normally have been driven by reserved drivers so i doubt very much the vast majority have been thrashed at all. Lovely cars and I'd have one tomorrow. Just make sure you check ALL interior electrics.

Good luck

[Carfix]

As well as my Omega's I also run a 1999, S Type (3.0 V6 SE automatic). It's currently on 95K miles and I have had it for the last 8 years.   

I have been very impressed with it and apart from some out of service issues it has been reasonable to service and run (except the petrol costs).

There are a few well known problem areas. On mine i have done work on:

The battery lives in the boot (it's a big one and expensive) and they don't appear to last that long. Even though the car will start if the battery is on it's way out or below capacity you can get a host of dash warning messages predicting doom and gloom with just about every system in the car!! Don't panic, a new battery clears everything. Budget for a new one evey 2-3 years especially if the car doeas not get used every day.

There are individual coils attached to each spark plug. Due to poor water sealing around the windscsreen/scuttle area water gets channelled onto the rear coils and they fail. Individually, they are not very expensive (£35 ish) but if you have to change all six or eight then ouch.

The windscreen wiper assembly seized up due to rust and lack of use!! Simply DIY job once the assembly is out of the car or a complete assembly replacement from the jaguar dealership. Reasonably cheap.

The radiator reservoir spung a leak and was replaced (very common problem), About £100

The suspension bushes at the front have a hard life and have been replaced 3 times to-date. These use to be extremely expensive but prices from dealears have fallen quite a bit over the past few years.

Front wheel bearing failure. Replaced mine twice to-date. Bugger to get bearing assembly out due to corrosion.

Rear suspension bushes also fail. Use to have to buy the complete assemblies which were very, very expensive but now you can just buy the bushes.

Some people have reported gearbox problems (especially on the facelift ZF boxes). Extremely expensive and can make the car an economic write-off.

Rear exhaust hangers rust thru leaving rear exhaust boxes unsupported. Easy and cheap fix if caught early.

Problems with the aircon. Some pipes fail due to rust where the pipe is attached to the body.

Problems with heater system. A valve assembly hidden in the engine bay can stick/fail. Very common problem but a reasonably easy fix.

Check for rust behind the plastic sill covers. Some horror stories reported there but mine have been ok. The rust proofing is not that good on these early cars. When I bought mine I spent quite some time adding additional rustproofing. Well worth it.

Generally, service items have been very reasonable and it is quite DIY friendly. I think both egines (2.5/3.0 V6 and 4.0 V8)use a timing chain rather than a timing belt for its engine system so no snapped belts to destroy the engine. Unfortunately, there is no Haynes manual but you can get hold of Jaguar Technical Service manuals and bulletins via the internet.

I would also try the Jaguar dealership first for parts as you can be pleasantly supprised at the low prices (Ford legacy) on service parts and there is a good after market suppliers which can also help to keep the costs down.

There are also a couple of good S type forums which offer plenty of good advice and "Jaguar" magazines which often have useful articles on the S type and gives you addresses of parts suppliers.

Hope this helps.

[Del Boy]

I had a 3.0 V6 Manual for a while, it went really well actually, and sounded excellent  However heater problems are quite common, they're big cars, but they're little inside, and to be honest I found it rather cramped in the back and I'm not a person to test for leg room either. The boot is also quite small, it's long enough but it's very shallow. Electric Window mechanisms can be quite weak (tell tale sign is the windows won't go all the way up the door).

[ZacVegas]

My dad replaced the diff on his S Type, cost £450 fitted. I had a look at quite a few with him before he bought this one and all of them had a CD changer fitted.

[Del Boy]

That's another point to mention, I think they all have CD changers 

[Webby the Bear]

thanks all especially carfix. thatrs loads of info to be getting on with

do you kno w what the mpg would be on worstcase scenario 4.0 v8? 

[sticka_v8_init]

thanks all especially carfix. thatrs loads of info to be getting on with

do you kno w what the mpg would be on worstcase scenario 4.0 v8? 

MPG......Im sure TB would be more than willing to test drive and provide you with a realistic summary - reckon he'd get about 7mpg

[dbug]

As above -

Check for rust behind the plastic sill covers. Some horror stories reported there but mine have been ok. The rust proofing is not that good on these early cars

Its a Mondeo floorpan & this is a known & expensive issue to fix

[Andy H]

As above -

Check for rust behind the plastic sill covers. Some horror stories reported there but mine have been ok. The rust proofing is not that good on these early cars

Its a Mondeo floorpan & this is a known & expensive issue to fix

X type was Mondeo based. I thought S type was based on a Lincoln

[Vamps]

As above -

Check for rust behind the plastic sill covers. Some horror stories reported there but mine have been ok. The rust proofing is not that good on these early cars

Its a Mondeo floorpan & this is a known & expensive issue to fix

X type was Mondeo based. I thought S type was based on a Lincoln

[/highlight]

I believe you are right in this......

[henryd]

As above -

Check for rust behind the plastic sill covers. Some horror stories reported there but mine have been ok. The rust proofing is not that good on these early cars

Its a Mondeo floorpan & this is a known & expensive issue to fix

X type was Mondeo based. I thought S type was based on a Lincoln

[/highlight]

I believe you are right in this......

yes it is right, Lincoln LS based

[Webby the Bear]

As above -

Check for rust behind the plastic sill covers. Some horror stories reported there but mine have been ok. The rust proofing is not that good on these early cars

Its a Mondeo floorpan & this is a known & expensive issue to fix

X type was Mondeo based. I thought S type was based on a Lincoln

[/highlight]

I believe you are right in this......

yes it is right, Lincoln LS based

what a\m i checking for rust behind plastic sill covers. where are sill covers? lol 

[henryd]

As above -

Check for rust behind the plastic sill covers. Some horror stories reported there but mine have been ok. The rust proofing is not that good on these early cars

Its a Mondeo floorpan & this is a known & expensive issue to fix

X type was Mondeo based. I thought S type was based on a Lincoln

[/highlight]

I believe you are right in this......

yes it is right, Lincoln LS based

what a\m i checking for rust behind plastic sill covers. where are sill covers? lol 

Sill covers run along under the front and rear doors covering the er...... sills