S Types on Forum

[rosemary]

Hello Folks
I'm a bit worried, the Forum (one of the only reasons I come on the site) is not populated with all sorts of things going wrong with S-Types. Does this mean that most S Type have been crushed and are no more and those remaining are actually and unbelievably "reliable" and nothing is going wrong with them. I must admit mine passed it's MOT this year with one advisory, quote, "rear offside brake pads a little low", first time in about 10 years. The X350 seems to have taken over.
Dave

[steve_m]

Maybe people are just too busy trying to keep them going to have time to go on the forum.
That's my experience with the X Type!

[J44EAG]

When the S-type was current, ie at the time I was Co-ordinator and documenting most of the repair and maintenance scenarios on this site under the S-type section under the various sub-sections, the vast majority of posts also included "how to fix it" images, together with "blow by blow" details of how to tackle those jobs. Those posts would also give me material for our magazine articles so again the model received a fair amount of exposure at that time. Over about ten years, there wasn`t much I didn`t cover. Input also came from other spanner swinging members. Between us, we got a handle on the car.

I like to think that people subsequently looking for answers might have found our now ancient threads useful and fairly complete in content. Could it be perhaps that we covered the car pretty thoroughly hence the fall off in recent questions? One also has to say that whilst these cars were something of a technical mystery in early years, the general knowledge pool has leveraged itself to higher levels and now far exceeds what we had at our disposal initially all those years ago.

I`d agree that many members may have moved on to own X350/358 models with the excellent reputation for long term reliability, resistance to corrosion, light weight, reasonable economy and ability to take the miles. In my opinion, whilst the S-type was a good car all be it that early models were plagued with weak Ford auto boxes, the cars biggest enemy has now got to be that of inner sill corrosion. That has sent many of them off to the crusher and ownership volume here has consequently dropped. Those of us who were long time S-type drivers suddenly found corrosion becoming an issue and moved onto the X350 which appears to offer a rather better investment proposition with less risk of the bottom dropping out of the car as you owned it. As my last S-type aged, it started to become a liability due to corrosion. In short, I `d eventually had enough of the model even though the R version still retained my interest.

Acquisition of an X350R gave me more internal space, an improved driving experience, better fuel economy and at last, apart from light corrosion covered sub-frames, a car that wasn`t rotting out as I sat in it. Nearly four years on since I moved over to the X350, I regret not a moment of it. Looking back to the S-type, my over-riding memories are the fraught moments on the MOT ramp as the inspector surveyed the marching tin worm around the rear sill locations. It was time to move on rapidly before the car fell into the ground and became impossible to sell on at a reasonable price. Sadly, I can only regard my exit from the model as a lucky escape.

Yes, there are still good examples out there. One of the best is clearly Doug Hunters show winning S-type R. That is a car which is pedantically maintained but is perhaps now only used for high days and dry holidays and on salt free roads. Look carefully and deeply at any prospective purchase and you will no doubt find the occasional jewel. That done, best advice would be to find a pristine example then keep it away from the wet. It might then stand some reasonable chance of survival. Its the same with steel XK and XJ models of the same time line.

Mike K.
Former S-type Co-ordinator.

[rosemary]

Hello Mike
Hope you are well. Just browsing the forum and thought I'd follow up on my post of May 2019. The S Type is still going, hasn't become one with nature yet, no rust anywhere, done 158,000 miles now, just run in. Haven't done many miles over the last two years. I must admit I have a little attachment to this car having replaced everything except body parts and the engine over the years, biggest item being the gearbox. Still prefer driving it to my XF. particularly over potholes, I don't use it to tow the caravan anymore, use the XF for that, although it did a good job at the time all over France. It still looks good parked next to other cars in car parks especially the new Porsche"s. One of the attendants at the local recycling centre also has a S type more or less the same as mine, I've suggested he join the club, perhaps he will, I've given him a few Magazines to browse, I've also seen a good few S types on the road in the local area , so they are still about . They all haven't been crushed, Mine is going to be part of the inheritance for my kids hopefully it will be worth something to them in a good few years time, more so than now, I couldn't buy a pedal cycle for what it's worth now.
Dave

[rosemary]

Well Mike
Things have moved on now , my youngest (42) son has changed his job in the Security Scene and is now working for himself laying and Restoring flooring and has returned his all Electric Kia to the group he worked for and now has a Mercedes Light van. His last job in his Security Job was interesting though, he lives near Corby and had to go to Sunderland. He had to stop at a services for 40 minutes to recharge the car then once he got to Sunderland he had to find a suitable charge point to recharge the car to get home. He couldn't find a high power charger in the local area unoccupied or working so he had to park on a service forecourt on a trickle charger and stay overnight in a Hotel before going home. For £76 he is now insured on my S Type and is taking it over to get around and visit his new clients. Except for a slow loss of tyre pressure on one wheel the car is brilliant. Dave

[steve_m]

I've done 350 miles since Wednesday and the car has been great; a mix of motorways and dual carriageways, A roads and country lanes and averaging around 25 mpg which isn't too bad considering.

[rosemary]

Great to hear the old car is still going well, as is mine although my son turned down the offer of taking it over because of the reputation of unreliability. The offer is still there however. He has bought a 2013 Vauxhall Zafira Design D, a right off, needing a bit of cosmetic work, (like a complete respray") awful car!!!! Still think he'll have the Jag though.
Still prefer to drive it against my XF though. It's smoother. Do notice the lower power in the 2.7d, over the XF, think the 3.0l engine is much better.
Dave

[steve_m]

Dang me, there is life here still!
I was about to phone Sir David to see if there was the possibility of a docudrama or something but the I went to the pub instead.

[rosemary]

Next trip for the S is up the dump. Whoa , not to dump car of course it still goes exceedingly peacefully and serenely just as a Jag should, just run in at 153K, saw another one yesterday with a leaping cat on the the bonnet, a chrome one of course not a real cat of course, but to dump all the spares I've accumulated over the years I don't need cos the car is brilliant and doesn't need anything doing to it, I might change the oil and filter to give it a treat Still think one of my son's will want it soon. The Vauxhall my youngest bought is absolutely awful more of a tractor than a car.

[steve_m]

Went somewhere yesterday.
Completely filled the car with a variety of stuff and came home again today.
No problems whatsoever.

Also, got it in Classic Car Weekly 'Value My Classic' section.
Deeply disappointed, even though it was double the Parkers valuation.

Don't understand it be honest, it's such a good, capable, comfortable car with shed loads of room to stuff stuff.
It's not the prettiest car in the world but then I'm not the prettiest bloke so who cares.
Sorry, are we allowed to say 'bloke' anymore?

I like it and that's good enough for me.
She hates it but then she has never driven it and it's her choice to sit in the passenger seat screaming all the time.
That's, just a joke.
She does like the exhaust noise though.

[Dave Eynon]

Hi Steve,
For most of us that's as good as it gets!
Your a winner! The S-type along with the X-type are affordable old Jags - same as it ever was!
Dave

[steve_m]

Yesterday it took 6 attempts to get her Freelander 2 going.
Today it took 8 attempts to get my Freelander 2 (we live in the country, what can I say) going.
Today it took 1 attempt to get the S Type going.

Ok, it's petrol and the Landys are diesel but, still.

[3.8etypephil]

If one takes the diesels out of the equation, and remembers that these are old steel bodied cars needing renewal of their rust protection every few years, what is there to talk about? All the petrol engines are pretty well bulletproof (surviving 4.0s by now must have have the timing chain tensioners updated), and everything else is very reliable simple to maintain, and to repair in the unlikely event that it does go wrong. I haven't owned an S-type for years, but if I needed yet another car, especially a cheapie, they would certainly be on the short list.

[steve_m]

MOT pass today, no advisories.
8 passes on the trot, result.
Good car.

[Andy P]

That's great news Steve.
Well done.
Pleased for you.
Take care.
Andy