New 2010 Jaguar XJ starting to growl

I ran across an online brochure of the new 2010 Jaguar XJ. It's quite a looker, with clean exterior lines and a hi-tech interior.

The new cat will be powered by a 5.0 liter V8 and I think I spotted 240 mph on the speedometer in the dash. You'll have a choice of three sound systems, with the top choice being a Bowers & Wilkins 1200W premium system with 20 speakers.

The panoramic glass roof shown on earlier images seems to be a reality. It'll have electric blinds to keep the sun out when needed. The new XJ will use hues of blue throughtout the interior, including a blue illumination on the Jaguar sill plates by the doors.

I can't wait to see the 2010 XJ at the local Jaguar dealership. Check out the new XJ brouchure below.

A new Jaguar XJ sedan is coming soon

The folks at Tata Motors are designing a new Jaguar XJ. We only have a curious top view at this point of what the new Jaguar sedan will look like. But based on the clues, it going to have a full moon roof and bulging fenders, along with what looks like a shorter boot and bonnet.

Tata Motors acquired the Jaguar and Land Rover brands from Ford Motor Company in June 2008 for $2.3 billion. Ford had previously paid $2.5 billion for Jaguar in 1989and $2.7 billion for Land Rover in 2000.

Although Tata Motors is based in Mumbai, India and is the country's largest automobile company, the Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing facilities are in the United Kingdom.

Tata Motors has announced that it will bring some of the Jaguar and Land Rover models to India in June.

Vintage Jaguars stalk auto museum

The Tupelo Automobile Museum, located in Tupelo, Miss, opened in 2002 and features 120,000 square feet of display space and additional bays for vehicles that are under restoration. In addition to a couple of vintage Jaguars, you'll also find other classic cars, trucks and tractors, along with other auto-related antiques and memorabilia.

A really nice Jaguar XJSC with a V-12

I photographed this really nice 1986 Jaguar XJSC in the church parking lot. It belongs to a friend of mine, who purchased the car from it's original owner.

According to the owner, aside from a few common Jaguar mechanical issues, the car has been a joy to own and drive. I can just imagine the power the V12 engine has and the smoothness of it all. On top of that, it's a convertible.

This particular model of the Jaguar is desirable and worth purchasing if you can find one that has been cared for.

A 2006 Jaguar S-Type joins the stable

We have a new Jag in the family. It's a 2006 S-Type with the 3.0 liter V6 engine, which is rated in 245 hp. I also like the 17-inch alloy wheels and navigation system.

This S-Type joins a 1998 XJ8, and it's unfortunate that I got rid of the 1982 XJ6 that was around for a while. Maybe another 1980s Jaguar will show up at some point as a show car for my antique car club activities.

The S-Type will be a daily driver for my wife, who is fast becoming a Jag fan. She has already purchased a Jaguar chrome front license plate. It was kind of pricey at around $60, but it's Jaguary original equipment and not a third-party brand. The chrome finish looks good on the silver exterior with chrome accents.

I'm looking forward to getting to know the S-Type better and it's behavior. I can already tell that the navigational/bluetooth phone system is going to be a challenge.

But that's Jag life.

Click here to view more S-Type photos

Jaguar Fix: Water Pump going bad

I had been noticing a whinning noise coming from the front of the engine for a few days. It sounded like a fan bearing going bad and would increase along with the engine speed.

The noise was diagnosed by my Jaguar mechanic as a failing Water Pump and Idler Pulley. He said had I let the problem linger on, the pump and pulley would probably have broken apart and damaged more engine components.

So I was lucky and my wallet is about $380 lighter for parts and labor. But I'm pleased with getting around 145,000 miles out of the original Jaguar Water Pump.

I'm back on the road and Jag is running a lot quieter.

Actron diagnostic code reader a handy tool

The Jaguar has been running poorly lately and I decided to invest in a Code Reader to help troubleshoot the problems.

I choose the Actron CP9125 on Amazon.com for around $62. The code reader will hook up to vehicles for model years 1996 and above.

As the above photo shows, it was simple to hook into my 1998 Jaguar's onboard computer via a connector located alongside the transmission hump near the accelerator pedal.

After starting the engine, the code reader went to work and returned several codes that I was able to lookup using the included software, such as the "P0171" code shown on the display in the photo. My problems include a lean mixture on engine cylinder banks 1 and 2. It also returned a transmission error that I need to get checked out right away.

So it looks like I'm headed to my local Jaguar mechanic in a few days and I'll already have an idea of what my problems are.

That's always valuable information for a Jaguar owner.