I’ve been fortunate enough to drive company cars over the last 25 years. I say fortunate, the tax man takes a chunk out of you as big as if you’d been paid the value of the car in salary but thats a grumble for another post. Anyway, done 30,000+ miles a year, every year, for as long as I can remember. Most have been Audis but a couple of Vauxhalls and one BMW. Apart from a few minor niggles, all performed admirably, generally good service from the various dealership networks and never letting me down apart from maybe a couple of punctures.
Then in 2015 Jaguar launched the XE. All new, built in Birmingham, policy of employing ex-servicemen, rave reviews and something a bit different. So I ordered one and on 9th October 2015 I took delivery of a brand new Jaguar XE R-Sport 2.0 diesel in Ammonite Grey. Initial impressions were good and for a couple of days I enjoyed it but it has all been downhill from there both with the car and the dealership network. Problems have ranged form minor annoyances to a new engine and 3 turbo chargers, the two main dealers I have dealt with in Swansea and Reading don’t appear to give a monkey’s and frankly neither do Jaguar UK.
I may go into more detail of some of the problems in other posts but in summary:
- The auto engine start/stop (when stopped at lights etc) function stopped working after a few weeks. Jaguar have been unable, or more likely unwilling, to fix it after 3 years and 84,000 miles. Probably a simple thing like the system reading the voltage to be too low or something, jeeze, if Dacia can get this right surely Jaguar can.
- The traffic function on the SatNav is actually dangerous – 7 button presses to see traffic detail. No clue as to where “Avoid” will take you or how much time it will save. If I’d developed the system and then had a look at what a £150 TomTom could do I’d have sacked myself!
- Little mudguard things in front of the rear wheels come loose and hang off. Took them off in the end an put them in the boot. Mentioned it at a couple of services but Jaguar did nothing
- The folding rear seat actuation is a joke, a couple of old Morris Minor choke cables that keep unattaching themselves from the roof of the boot. I guess they gave the designers the day off and gave the accountants a crack at it. Has anyone at Jaguar actually lowered themselves to look at the mechanisms BMW/Audi/Mercedes use for this?
- When the air temperature is below about 4C the windows just randomly steam up while driving along. For those that were around, a bit like driving a car in the 60’s and 70’s
- Random “incorrect diesel exhaust fluid quality detected”, or sometimes “incorrect diesel exhaust fluid dosing detected”. This then limits you to no restarts after 500 miles or so until you get it seen to, charming!! Usually just needs a reset but some owners have reported that the injectors need changing or that the tank sensor was faulty. Fortunately my car went back after 3 visits from Jaguar Assist to reset, I could take any more pain at the dealership!
- ABS system sometimes doesn’t initialise. This is apparently due to water ingress in the hub and a fix is available (they basically drill a hole in your hubs) but the fault causes all connected systems not to work ie autonomous emergency braking, emergency brake assist, forward alert, electronic stability control, dynamic modes, cruise control, auto handbrake release and, of course, the ABS. At least you get some pretty lights on the dashboard.
- In November last year the car suddenly went into limp mode. Turned out the turbo charger had failed big time at 64,000 miles, parts inhaled by the engine so the whole lot needed replacing under warranty, new turbo and new engine. This was actually handled pretty well, car was recovered to Stratstone Jaguar in Swansea and I had a free 3.0l Jag XF courtesy car, all sorted very efficiently by Jaguar Assist
- Some time after the engine replacement got an check engine light, due a service so booked it in to Lancaster Jaguar in Reading
- Prior to the service the air conditioning packed up
- Got a call from the dealership to say they had found a problem while investigating the CEL, all a bit vague. Long and short of it, after much backwards and forwards and pressing for information, turns out there were still bits of the original turbo charger in the intake system, namely the spindle bolt, which had now knackered the new turbo charger
- Now this isn’t a warranty job anymore because it isn’t Jaguar UK’s fault, it is the fault of an independent dealer. Lancaster Reading took over a week to get any response out of Stratstone Swansea who denied all knowledge or responsibility.
- The whole saga was complicated by the fact that Lancaster Jaguar Reading service department only answer the phone 50% of the time and if you leave a message, either with a seemingly live person or on the answer phone, it doesn’t get to the person you are trying to reach.
- Eventually Jaguar UK told them just to fix it but it still took 5 weeks with NO courtesy car
- When I did pick the car up, arriving a little later than arranged I was told the car was just being dried. No it’s not I said, it’s in the car park filthier than it’s ever been and covered in bird shit! Unbelievable.
So, 5 weeks I was without a car through the direct actions and incompetence of a Jaguar main dealer, having to fund a replacement vehicle myself. No apology, no acknowledgement or acceptance of responsibilty, even Jaguar UK refused point blank to talk directly with with me despite several emails. Just downright bloody awful and look at the state it came back in when it was eventually fixed! I will never touch another Jaguar if you paid me and Jaguar Landrover are now very firmly crossed off the company’s car list.
Please leave any comments or personal experiences below.
Thanks.
I am having g similar problems. A complete nightmare of a car.
Just sold my 5-plate XE for parts, after the turbo imploded and took out both itself and the engine. Main dealers seem unable to support these vehicles, even when they’re taken in time after time for issues that should be simple to diagnose. Hint; if the computer doesn’t identify the fault, even if the engine is banging, there apparently is no fault. After years of driving Jaguar’s, won’t be buying another.
probably one of the best cars ive ever owned tbh…
apart from a slight issue with the air con unit its been solid.
Jaguar XE 2.0d 2016 model.
Here’s a list of what’s wrong after 4 years and 30k miles, following the 4 year service & MOT.
Transmission
NSR diff seal leak (MOT advisory)
£210.00
Transmission – 2
gearbox oil leak from grub screw req grub screw mod cant see any mod for this grub screw, do you have a service action number ?
£63.00
Electrical
stop/start not working req charge battery and GWM update
£84.00
Engine Oil
Oil leak near the Turbo (MOT advisory) leaking from turbo to charge cooler pipe Turbo whistles at high rev. – balance shafts whining req new balance shafts and check turbo balance shafts 13 hours check turbo when doing these charge cooler pipe no labour if balance shafts done part only otherwise .20 CHARGER COOLER PIPE PLITS IN HALF .. HAVE LISTED BOTH REF W2
£3,391.50
Exhaust
Exhaust vibrations from rear damper due to engine mounts go weak req engine moutns and rear exhaust damper REF W3
£754.59
Front Brakes
brake discs pitted (MOT advisory)
£315.00
Turbo has always whined since day 1. I guess it’s only worth worrying about once the warranty period has passed.
Blimey, glad mine’s long gone. Got a BMW 3 series now, bullet proof in comparison, after 60,000 miles not so much as a squeak.
To be honest, it wasn’t so much the car problems I had the real issue with, it was Jaguar PLC and Stratstone (now Sinclair) Swansea’s total unwillingness to accept responsibilty for cocking up a new turbo fitting that resulted in me having to fork out for multiple week’s car hire when the car was still under warranty. Disgraceful, would never ever touch them again. They have been removed from our company car policy and I’ve talked at least half a dozen people out of thinking in that direction.
Have recently bought a new Jaguar XF and traded in a 2011 XF with 53000 miles on the clock. Having driven this new 2.0l for 1000 miles I have concluded that I gave the Jaguar dealer a better car than they gave me in exchange. This latest XF is a tin version. The quality is just not in a Jaguar any more. It is also the first car I have had in over 25 years which doesn’t have rear folding seats!!
Yep, rear folding seats were an optional extra. See photo above for the worst implementation of seat releases since 1975, couple of old choke cables!! Had these guys never seen inside an Audi, BMW or an older Jaguar?
Got my Xe for 6 months now. Alle these bad stories making me worry al lot.
Had 2 BMWs 3 series (2011,2013) they had problems too.
Next car will be Lexus if the Xe disappoint me
Do not buy one of these it will be the costliest mistake you may ever make.
My son in law announced he and my daughter were going to buy one of these just over 2 years ago. I did everything I could to dissuade them based on what I had read about poor build quality and spectacularly poor reliability.
They bought it. On finance.
For the money, in terms of quality and practicality it is beyond awful. It is astonishing how little can be fitted in to a car so big. The panel fit is very poor, bits of trim kept coming off and the headlights are permanently full of condensation. I contrast this with my 2005 Subaru which is by no means a luxury car but it is incredibly well put together and at 170,000 miles is a faithful friend.
Whilst they were on the way to a well deserved holiday in the summer, with our 2 little grandsons in the Jaguar, I received a text message from my daughter. There was a strange noise from the engine, the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree, the car stopped and there was a cloud of impenetrable white smoke behind them. The car would not start again and had to come back home on a break down lorry. The driver said he rescues ‘loads’ of these Jaguars mostly with blown engines. On contacting our local independent garage whom we trust with all our cars, he told us this: ‘The turbo has disintegrated and bits of it have gone in to the engine and wrecked it. This happens all the time and it will need to go to a Jaguar garage’ He had not even seen the car.
The car was 5 years old and had done 60,000 miles. They have a warranty with the car with Warranty wise.
So the car was taken to a Jaguar garage locally, at the breakdown service expense, and they waited weeks for anything to happen.
Jaguar diagnosed a failed turbo. That was eventually replaced. Then they said it required a DPF filter. That was replaced. The car apparently still would not go. So after many weeks it was diagnosed that a new engine would be required. Warranty wise, who have been awful throughout authorised their maximum claim settlement which covers the cost of the turbo and DPF just about. So they have a car that is still at the garage after 4 months, Jaguar could not diagnose the problem at the outset, a problem which is beyond common and they must know about, and our local garage diagnosed without even seeing the car. Under the terms of the finance agreement they cannot just walk away from the car which is what they want to do now, and face a possible repair bill which is about the current value of the car.
It is now with a legal agency.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
I’ve had three XE’s for 2015. The first a AWD diesel, then the P250 and now a diesel 2.0 HSE.
The only issue I’ve had is on the original a sensor went, didn’t affect the car, just a warning light
So I’ve had over 9 years of superb motoring with the XE.
Sorry some appear to have had lemons but that unfortunately is what you get with any manufacturer,
I’ve had Audi, bmw, Mazda, fords etc. good and bad can come from any one of them. The XE is a superb motor car, in its class no better handling car on the market.
The main issues if there any is entry into the vehicle is a little cramped especially for rear seated passengers.
I agree the mechanism for the folding seats is low tech and frankly un Jaguar like, ridiculously poor.