Originally Posted by Steeroid

Further update:

Also started switching off the traction control and keeping the 'S' button on at all times.
Steer always knew how to have fun
Brakes are rather noisy and this is irritating. Coupled with is the enormous amount of brakedust that this car seems to generate - the alloys need cleaning every now and then as the black dust really spoils the look.

people in the know will realise that you are having a good time.
leave the brake dust there. I have great admiration for people with expensive cars who dont hesitate to give them a good workout, but thats just me

Under hard acceleration, there is a hint of tyre squeal at EVERY gear shift. This is a bit disturbing - it cannot be wheelspinning at every change! This phenomenon disappears when DSC (Dynamic Stability Control - Traction Control in simple terms) is engaged.

too much power or not enough rubber? what is it?? its always the latter isnt it?

Mileage seems to be around the same as the Lumina, but the fuel tank is smaller at about 55 litres (75 on the Lumina) which means more frequent visits to the gas station. Still its pretty good when you consider the fact that the driving style is mostly pedal-to-metal accompanied by a silly grin.
BHPian style driving

Pictures will hopefully be up tomorow (oops - Today!). Thats the last of the initial driving impresisons here - it does seem like a very good choice at the moment.

I'll never get to drive a car like this will I? not on an indian paycheck atleast. when are the new pics coming?

[Steeroid]

UPDATE

Brake Discs (Rotors) completely worn out

Original Jaguar S Type R brake discs from Authorized Dealer - Dhs.8,000
Labour charges for fitment and 'testing' - set of 4 rotors - Dhs.1,000
Waiting period - 4 days for service 'appointment', 1 day for 'estimate', 2 days for fitment

Total cost - approx Rs.1 lakh ++

The look on my face - Priceless

Original Jaguar S Type R brake discs from friendly neighbourhood Mallu spare parts vendor - Dhs.2,400
(Complete with home delivery of all 4 rotors - today)
Labour charges for fitment at friendly neighbourhood Mallu garage - Dhs.100
(approx 1/2 an hour)

Total cost - approx Rs.30,000

EDIT: I've already spent a packet on brakes so far. First the brake pads got worn out, now the rotors!

[srijit]

Steer, you should have asked the Authorized dealer for the Tata price

[Steeroid]

UPDATE

While fitting the new rotors, also found the following issues:

1. Front wheel bearings shot. Dhs.2,200

2. Steering Ball Joint loose. Dhs.1,200

This is becoming a substantial bill without going to the Authorized Service Centre.

[srijit]

Steer, you said that this car has a supercharger. How does that differ from a turbo? Is there no lag when you press the accelerator?
Does that mean you have power whenever you want it (no waiting for the turbo to kick in)? Is this massively more expensive than a turbo?

[kuttapan]

Originally Posted by srijit

Steer, you said that this car has a supercharger. How does that differ from a turbo? Is there no lag when you press the accelerator?
Does that mean you have power whenever you want it (no waiting for the turbo to kick in)? Is this massively more expensive than a turbo?

Srijit, no offence, but before asking mundane questions like this, one wishes that you use that wonderful tool, google or at least search on t-BHP. For all future questions, please go to auto.howstuffworks.com.

In a nutshell the answer to your question is, the supercharger is driven directly by the engine, hence no lag, while turbo is driven by the exhaust gases, hence a lag before it produces power.

[nitrous]

My my! No wonder Tata bought off Jaguar.
Nice to see you're paying for Tata spares in Dubai too.

[Raj1008]

I have heard that Jags are bad to maintain. The old joke use to be..... name the two happiest day of a jag owners life. The day he gets the car and the day he sells it! But looks like you doing ok, I guess, btw any other issues you have had?

[aah78]

Originally Posted by Raj1008

I have heard that Jags are bad to maintain. The old joke use to be..... name the two happiest day of a jag owners life. The day he gets the car and the day he sells it!

Jaguars are expensive to maintain. Can't deny that. But then, which premium European automobile isn't?

However, their bad days are over - those were during the 80's and the early-mid 90's. Quality and reliability have improved since - check out the difference in the JD Power surveys of those years and recent years.

Another joke during that time was- always buy two Jaguars, but only one garage to park-in (because one of them, in all probability, would always be in the repair shop).

[srijit]

thanks for that link, kuttapan

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Raj1008

But looks like you doing ok, I guess, btw any other issues you have had?

I dont know if I'm doing okay - while the 2nd hand Jag has in 6 months not caused me even a fraction of the trouble that my brand-new-from-showroom Alfa Romeo did about 4 years ago, I was concerned about the dealer's reputation for being a rip-off on spares and service.

Sure enough, his prices for most spares are AT LEAST double (in most cases 3 times) those of the prices for the same spare in the UK (which includes VAT there!) and his service quality is appaling - I had complained about a slight squeak from the front wheels about 3 months ago when I took the car for the first service. Trouble was, those squeaks happened only after driving through heavy traffic. Since I already knew there were issues with the brakes, I assumed it had something to do with the brakes overheating.

Turns out the front wheel bearings were shot - and the buggers never picked it up in the two official service visits that I have done till date.

Nor did they diagnose the issue with the steering rod end - every time I have complained about slight jerks on the steering wheel, they have chosen to do wheel alignment and wheel balancing.

This is the agency that has a super hi-tech facility that services (in the same facility) Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati and Ferrari. If I had a Ferrari, I wouldnt want them to touch it!

It finally took 2 guys from Kunnamkulam and Kottayam in Kerala about 20 minutes to figure this out - in an independent, slightly disorganized garage that works on all sorts of vehicles from Toyota Hiace vans to Chevrolets to a 1942 Dodge.

I'm getting the deja vu feeling here - it reminds me a lot about my ill-fated Landmaster Project with the similarities of a super-expensive incompetent garage and a very competent roadside workshop.

And it took Riyaz from Al Noor Auto Parts (Sharjah) to get me original spares at less than half the price to do the work.

Where is the incentive to service the vehicle at the Authorized Dealer? The problem in this case is not the vehicle, but the dealer. In the case of my Alfa, it was the vehicle and not the dealer - the dealer tried his best to help me out, but even the owner of the dealership personally couldnt get spares in time from Italy.

[Sideways]

Steer, I am in complete agreement with you. The Jag dealership / service agency in Dubai are the biggest cheats.

You remember the trouble I had with my Jag's aircon. The dealership quoted AED 18,000. The guys you introduced me to did it for AED 150. It only turned out to be a small leak. The service agency wanted me to change the entire aircon system. Many thanks my dear friend.

Hope your cars back on the road soon.

Cheers.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Sideways

Hope your cars back on the road soon.

Thanks for the wishes, Farhaan but the car was never off the road - all the work was done in about 3 hours by another (and slightly more organized) branch of the same garage I introduced you to.

[Jr Godzilla]

its best to go to the dealer only when its related to complicated or special tools required in the mechanicals removal / replacement. also the person driving should have some idea as to whats going on with the machine and be able to decide whether it will require dealer or roadside fix.

the roadside fix is good as long as you are there to inspect and see what the buggers do. As with no proper tools they use the screwdriver, weird welded box spanner and hammer to open fittings and sometimes even damage some other parts in the process.

good luck to your drive.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Jr Godzilla

its best to go to the dealer only when its related to complicated or special tools required in the mechanicals removal / replacement. also the person driving should have some idea as to whats going on with the machine and be able to decide whether it will require dealer or roadside fix.

the roadside fix is good as long as you are there to inspect and see what the buggers do. As with no proper tools they use the screwdriver, weird welded box spanner and hammer to open fittings and sometimes even damage some other parts in the process.

When I say refer to "disorganized private garage" here, they're usually fitted out much better than authorized dealers in India.

As for special tools and knowledge, many of the specialized local garages here have much more knowledgeable and competent resources than the dealer himself. Some of them also charge more for labour than the dealer, but they source parts independently therefore your total cost would still be significantly lower. I have already located one such specialized garage in addition to the friendly neighbourhood local garage (which is also pretty good), and the good thing is that our friendly neighbourhood fellow also tells you when a certain job is beyond is capabilities.