looked at an XJ X350 today

[dieselnutjob]

I am starting to think about what to replace the 607 with.

It's a bit slow and the suspension can be a little on the hard side.

It has done nearly 180,000 miles now and the head gasket has gone.  I have to refill the coolant each time I fill with diesel.

 

I need something with as much room in the back as as the 607.  The XJ is exactly the same width across the back between arm rests, 53".  I have three kids you see.

 

I didn't get to actually drive the X350 and was a V8 (I would need the diesel), but I still got some idea.

 

It has all the toys that the 607 has, except type pressure monitors.

Electric front demisting (like a Mondeo) looks like an excellent feature.

The ride quality is really fantastic.

I like the looks.

The dash is a bit high and claustrophobic compared with the 607

The boot is really small, as in small enough to be a real problem.

 

According to the used car finder sites I should also be looking at the XC90, but the fuel economy looks terrible, and the Volvo S80 which I guess makes sense.

 

I also wonder if a Freelander2 might fit my requirements.

 

hmm

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

The S80 isn't a bad shout, 2.4 diesel manual. They're worth the square root of fuck all now but are a decent tough old barge. The S60 is too small inside, boot ditto. The V70 is an estate version of the S60, not the S80.

 

X350's werre horrid when new imho, but are lovely now they're £3000 and petrol. Alloy panel corrosion is becoming a problem, as is the trick suspension when that goes tits up. Really they are now a 'run it till it breaks, then break it' car.

 

V6 JLR diesel - absolutely awful, turbo failure (engine out?), broken cranks etc. The V8 is the one worth having.

 

Another 607 perhaps? Big, comfy, worthless but pretty reliable and very rust resistant -  a fine combination.

 

Freeloader is a LR product. The only space I would give any product of Solihull is the space it takes up on a weighbridge. 'Shudders'.

[dollywobbler]

Freelander 2s seem an awful lot better than Freelander 1s in terms of just working. There's pretty much nothing the same about the two.

 

As for V6 diesel, it's the PSA lump isn't it? Certainly not an engine without its problems. Typical modern diesel. Lovely when they're lovely though.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

PSA indeed. Twin turbos, same lump as in the Discovery - well known for snapped cranks and nonsense like that. PSA just seem to be an industry manufacturing junk now. The horror stories of the petrol engines in Minis.....jesus. 

[Crusty Sills]

Our XC90 D5 returns 28-32MPG. You should take a look they are lovely but the steering is heavy with a shit turning circle.

[MarvinsMom]

the X350 big jag is one that i on my watch list, certainly if anything major was to fail on the Rover 75 that is what i would like to replace it with.

 

i've not driven one, just had a sit in it and loved it, on the road i'd hope they were even more pleasant. but as i like a Jaguar that isn't really a surprise....

 

things that put me off, the ones in my price range currently have done 100 billion miles or there about's, and the gearboxes that are made out of sealed for life chocolate.

 

that is common on the germans too, those sealed for life XF gearboxes seem to give up the ghost at 100,000 miles (does the chocolate go bad, or just melt?). there is a company who market a kit though which add a filter and drain plug to the gearbox. if (when?) i get one of these, then that well be the first thing i'd be doing to it.

 

incidentally the folks i know who have run a Disco 3 diesels reckon that they were getting mid-20's to the gallon too, but it is the same engine?

[DVee8]

If you are thinking about a freelander,have a look at a x-trail. I have had my 2.0 dci for 4 years and 60k miles with out any concerns. The manual is 171bhp the auto 150bhp.

Apart from servicing it has needed a track rod end and a pair of drop links, my mate who replaced them blamed our lasses inability to drive around potholes and speed humps.

 

It has heated leather,a full length sunroof all the toys needed.

 

I get around 38-44 mpg.

[dieselnutjob]

Did they do a diesel auto? This is an absolute requirement.

 

My boss has an x trail but manual

[DVee8]

Yeah they do a auto dci

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-X-Trail-2-0dCi-148-auto-2008MY-Aventura-Explorer-/131770334375?hash=item1eae1fbca7:g:-ncAAOSwLN5Wk8H7

 

[Tayne]

 

that is common on the germans too, those sealed for life XF gearboxes seem to give up the ghost at 100,000 miles (does the chocolate go bad, or just melt?). there is a company who market a kit though which add a filter and drain plug to the gearbox.

A company supplying filters and plugs for ZF gearboxes?

 

That would be ZF themselves. They don't make "sealed for life" gearboxes, it's only car manufacturers chasing cheaper servicing costs for lease deals that do that.

[cort16]

I really like these Jags, I wouldn't go near a diesel one though.  I think the 3.0 petrol has decent mpg's (as in high 20's) and is pretty quick.

[dieselnutjob]

The 607 has a zf "sealed for life" gearbox, but it really isn't a problem. You just ignore the idiotic advice and change the fluid anyway. That's how I got mine to 180000 miles without trouble.

[dieselnutjob]

Interesting post

http://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/diesel-variants-all-models-52/serious-warning-about-2-7-diesel-engine-49261/

 

Not too much of a problem for me because I do regular motorway miles

[Guest Lord Sward]

The X350 is a stonker, but if its a big diesel Volvo, then I know where one maybe coming up for sale.

[Pete-M]

The only issue with the lovely lovely X350 is, annoyingly, the alloy body.

 

In some places they used (coated) steel rivets.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

My brother had an X350 Super V8 about ten years ago. He was really pleased with it.

[Dead_E23]

The Citroen C6 rear seat is 59" wide and a quick look on Ebay suggests the prices are becoming more sensible.  (Ooh. Suits you, sir!)

 

Alternatively, the Skoda Superb is reported to be absolutely enormous in the back and a refined drive.  

[MarvinsMom]

^saw a young (well younger than me) driving a C6 in Redcar last weekend, they look proper lush.

 

ok the Jaguar is nicer IMHO but the C6 is a fine looking motor car, every inch a proper Citroen.

[Lacquer Peel]

PSA indeed. Twin turbos, same lump as in the Discovery - well known for snapped cranks and nonsense like that. PSA just seem to be an industry manufacturing junk now. The horror stories of the petrol engines in Minis.....jesus.

What's the story with Mini petrol engines? My sister's fiance has a new petrol Paceman or whatever that pointless coupe one is called.

[dieselnutjob]

what actually seems to happen first is that the paint bubbles up on the doors and the bootlid.

Is that due to the rivets?

Are airplane bodies built with steel rivets as well?

is there anything that you can do to stop the corrosion? like fill the box sections with waxoil etc?

 

I filled the sills and the bottoms of the pillars with wax on the 607.  It really didn't take long to do.

[Dead_E23]

Aircraft are built with (very expensive) aluminium rivets, as far as I know. Each bag comes with a certificate, which makes them pricey.

 

From what I hear, the Jaguars have a problem with electrolytic corrosion like the doors on Defenders. The fix there is to take them apart and reassemble with insulation in place to stop the 'corrosion battery' working. I haven't heard of anyone using Waxoyl, but I suppose it might help if it prevents water acting as an electrolyte in there. Bet you would need gallons.

 

Anyway. How about a Mondeo? They are big, and good value. Or maybe a Peugeot 508?

[Urko]

 

incidentally the folks i know who have run a Disco 3 diesels reckon that they were getting mid-20's to the gallon too, but it is the same engine?

 

I had one of the very early pre-production diesel X350s (according to my VIN my car shouldn't have been a diesel or the slight facelift without rubbing strips and the quiet glazing etc - but it was).  It's comfortably the least reliable car I've ever owned (and I've had some stinkers).  

 

I now own a Disco 3 with the same lump in it - the Disco weighs around 2 tonnes - the Jag about the same as a Mondeo.  Also the Jag is twin turbos and the Disco only has one.  My Disco does mid/high 20s.  The Jag did mid/high 30s - where it really really scored was long motorway trips - at 80ish it was still doing high 30s - on the (I know, I know) fuel computer I could get an instant consumption display of 40 with the cruise set at 90 on a level motorway.  It was lovely when it worked which was almost never, despite having 2 owners and a full Jag history.  I will never touch another X350 - or S-Type with that engine, and I'd think twice about a pez one too - maybe the V6 at a push.  The electrics are worse than an XM, possibly worse than a Laguna 2.

 

Oh, and the suspension bushes are made of cheese/chocolate too.

 

and the tyres are stupid prices

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

What's the story with Mini petrol engines? My sister's fiance has a new petrol Paceman or whatever that pointless coupe one is called.

No idea on latest gurning big mouth ones, but the R56 petrol has major issues with timing chains and clogged inlet ports due rot direct injection.

[Urko]

DI pez with EGR valves is not a happy combo - ALDI had issues with it too -

 

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/336352-Audi-FSI-Engine-Carbon-Build-up-Megathread

 

Edited to add - All modern contraptions are shit etc

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I've looked at X350s and XFs in the past and bottled out and gone for the default Germans. The stupid little boots and my fear of the 2.7 diesel have outweighed my desire for the looks and supposed driving pleasure.

I've driven Disco 3s and RR Sports with the TDV6 and they've all felt better than a C6 I test drove last September, just before buying another Kraut- inevitably.

Mrs N has had a Freelander 2 for 3 years and it's the most reliable LR since the Disco Tdi .

The downside is economy . It never shows better than 32mpg on the trip even on long gentle motorway journies.

You can sit 3 adults comfortably across the back ,but the driving position is cramped for me, last summer on holiday in France I ended up with a bruised left knee from being wedged against the centre console, so if you're much over 6' make sure you go on a long test drive.

We're looking to change it for something a bit bigger this year and it'll probably be an R Class Merc (guaranteed Futureshite) or an XC90.

[dieselnutjob]

Aircraft are built with (very expensive) aluminium rivets, as far as I know. Each bag comes with a certificate, which makes them pricey.

 

From what I hear, the Jaguars have a problem with electrolytic corrosion like the doors on Defenders. The fix there is to take them apart and reassemble with insulation in place to stop the 'corrosion battery' working. I haven't heard of anyone using Waxoyl, but I suppose it might help if it prevents water acting as an electrolyte in there. Bet you would need gallons.

 

Anyway. How about a Mondeo? They are big, and good value. Or maybe a Peugeot 508?

 

There are thousands of the rivets holding the panels together, you can't insulate between the rivet and the sheet ali that it has been punched through.  They are zinc coated but if the coating fails....

 

Mondeo / 508 are too small. The C6 suggestion was a better one, it just isn't as pretty as an XJ.

[xtriple]

All ali bodied cars have the dreaded electrolytic corrosion.... even new Bentleys, Porsches, Astons etc, oh and ageing Bentleys as well. Just spent money on the doors.bonnet etc that all had it to a greater or lesser degree.

[Urko]

R Class Merc has a reputation like a Laguna 2 for faults despite being an ML in drag.  It's also surprisingly cramped inside given its size.

 

ALi corrosion caused a lot (but not all) of my electrics issues with the X350.  Various earthing points - especially the ones behind the headlights expired.  After one particularly bad FTP, the AA took it to the local Jag stealer, who despite being a franchised dealer in a major city, charged me £100 for a "temporary fix", told me they couldn't sort it properly as it was ali - and advised me they could take it to a specialist ali welder to have the earth points sorted out for >£600.  At that point it was still under six years old so I asked if the corrosion warranty might apply and neither they nor Jag (who I complained to) were the least bit interested.

 

One problem is until you know to suspect the earths, you get a lot of unhelpful warning lights/messages and if they don't know what they are doing (eg Jag main stealer) the garage can waste a lot of time of diagnostics trying to chase down error codes that aren't telling the truth.

[MarvinsMom]

on balance, bollocks to it, i'll just keep hold of the steel, X306 Jaguar instead....

[Honey Badger]

2.2 Cdti CR-V would be a good fit size wise, if not look and should be a sight more reliable than any JLR tat.

 

I looked at buying an S-Type facelift version with the 3.0 V6 or the 2.7 diseasal, none of the cars felt well screwed together, all had some suspension issues that made them clunk like fook and they were all rusty, i mean scabs on the wheel arches rusty, all at less than 10 years old.

 

The electric hand brakes were shit as well  75% of the cars had issues with the motors releasing.