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Lumpy when cold

1.6K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  TheGerman  
#1 ·
Hi all, I'm new here with my first post being a problem!

I have a 2011, XFs which I purchased from Stratstone in Bolton in November. Whenever the temperature got below 0c the car has a wobble that feels like an unbalanced wheel but it goes away after about 1/2 to 1 mile of driving. At first I thought it could just be cold diesel and maybe a fuel pump issue.

So I took the car to my local dealer Rybrook in Warrington, but it was above 0c and they couldn't find anything but balanced the wheels anyway. A week later, following a re-fuel from almost empty I left the car overnight as the temps were down. The following day Rybrook called with suspected contaminated fuel and offered either ÂŁ5,500 for repair or a fuel flush (~ÂŁ300) and restricted warranty. The dealership showed me the fuel, other than being slightly greener in colour to the dealership's sample there was nothing to suggest to me that it was anything but diesel (same smell and viscosity). As the dealership hadn't tested the fuel, I didn't agree with either option as there wasn't evidence to back this up nor would it explain the problem from I had for the previous months!

I picked up my car and took it back to Stratstone in Bolton for a second opinion (same tank of fuel), they found some minor scoring on the rear discs and that my pads would need replacing in a few months, but nothing else and stated they had no concerns over the fuel. The did alert me to the fact my car is on restricted warranty and that I should call Jag Customer Services.

I have had a few calls back and forth with Jag and they simply state that Rybrook won't remove the Warranty restriction unless the fuel is tested and returns a negative, despite Stratstone giving it the all clear.

Has anyone suffered this kind of thing?

I'm close to going through the route of returning the car as the terms of sale have been altered.
 
#2 ·
Welcome to the forum. :)
sorry to read of your difficulties. It is a requirement by Jaguar that the restriction is placed on your warranty for the reason given by Ryebrook. I suspect that you will have to work with them to resolve this because the restriction can't be removed untill the fuel issue is resolved.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Hi all, I'm new here with my first post being a problem! Whenever the temperature got below 0c the car has a wobble that feels like an unbalanced wheel but it goes away after about 1/2 to 1 mile of driving. At first I thought it could just be cold diesel and maybe a fuel pump issue.
Hi Goober. Are you sure this isn't just the well-known cold tyre 'flat-spotting' issue? If the car has been parked up, especially in the cold, the tyres are prone to flattening out at the bottom which results in wheel wobble until the tyres have warmed up and resumed their shape.
 
#4 ·
Welcome Goober,
Sorry to hear of your problem, would not wish this to happen to anyone, however your Warranty may already be past the point of no return. The only hope is that Ryebrook kept a sample of the fuel and they will send this to be tested at your expense which may be the cheapest option in the long run.
This is only my opinion, not advice, and if you are worried about the restriction on your Warranty a visit to a Solicitor for real advice would be beneficial if it were me.
 
#5 ·
.... I have a 2011, XFs which I purchased from Stratstone in Bolton in November. Whenever the temperature got below 0c the car has a wobble that feels like an unbalanced wheel but it goes away after about 1/2 to 1 mile of driving. ....
As Bronco said, it does sound like flat spotting ... although going away after only 1/2 mile of driving is maybe too quick. You could test if it gets better by increasing the pressure in tires. If it does get better it has to do with flat spotting.


... The dealership showed me the fuel, other than being slightly greener in colour to the dealership's sample there was nothing to suggest to me that it was anything but diesel (same smell and viscosity). As the dealership hadn't tested the fuel, I didn't agree with either option as there wasn't evidence to back this up nor would it explain the problem from I had for the previous months!

I have had a few calls back and forth with Jag and they simply state that Rybrook won't remove the Warranty restriction unless the fuel is tested and returns a negative, despite Stratstone giving it the all clear.
Sorry to hear about that. Did Stratstone check the filter? If contaminated there must have been something there ... but Bernard´s advice (to get real advice from a professional) probably is the best way to proceed.
 
#6 ·
My XF also suffers from a "flat spot" on the tires after having been parked over night, when it's cold. It disappears after a short while of driving. I have never had that on other cars. Normally, I have only heard of it on cars imported from e.g. Japan, where they have been parked on a ship for weeks. I have concluded, that the XF is extremely sensitive in that area, and there is nothing to do about it.
 
#7 ·
Good to see that others see the problem, never experienced this on a car before (even on a 325ci with rubber bands for tyres).

As for the warranty, I can't believe that the advice from Jaguar is to restrict on the suspicion of fuel rather than proof and that another dealer looking at the same fuel don't have any concern but can't fix the warranty. Madness!

Ah well, off to the finance company to discuss the finer points of the Supply of Goods Act 1973...
 
#8 ·
HI gobber its sounds to me as if Rybrook were looking for work and because they did not get any they reported it to Jaguar therefore restricting your warranty,did they send a sample of your fuel off to a lab ? I think not if Stratstone say its ok you need to get Strastone to talk to Jaguar CRC.It is not upto Rybrook to take away or restrict your warranty your warranty is with Jaguar cars.
 
#9 ·
What's a restricted warranty? Never heard of such a thing. A warranty is a warranty, the defect is either covered or it's not. I agree that dealers have absolutely no say in this as the new car warranty contract is between the current owner and Jaguar directly.

Also contaminated fuel would cause engine trouble all the time any of the so called contaminated fuel was flowing through the combustion chambers. It wouldn't matter whether the engine was warm or not. As far as I know diesel can be contaminated by water, as for petrol, or microorganism growth which is prevented in cars by the oak lack of any light as well as the biocides in the fuel. One assumes you're not using chip fat (sometimes called bio diesel for marketing, though I'm not sure what the difference is since it all comes from dead microorganisms, just some have been deader for longer). Diesel fuel conditioner can be added to the tank if you suspect but don't know if there's any contamination. Diesel engines are very robust and not much troubled by fuel quality or lack thereof. Water is bad as are any clumps of stuff likely to clog the fuel filter but apart from that if it will compression ignite your diesel will run. Petrol engines are freakin prima donnas compared to diesels.

On a helpful note, I too have noticed tire flat spotting in cold weather, which resolves and disappears quite quickly. Jaguar suspension and steering transmit a lot of road feel and sensitivity to tire shape is just a consequence of excellent road feel. For truly alarming road feel drive a Porsche 911.
 
#10 ·
What's a restricted warranty? Never heard of such a thing. A warranty is a warranty, the defect is either covered or it's not. I agree that dealers have absolutely no say in this as the new car warranty contract is between the current owner and Jaguar directly.
All explained in the bulletin below which is quite old now but no doubt still relevant :)

Technical Service Bulletin
No.JTB00101
02 May 2008
This bulletin supersedes TSB S310-05/2004 dated 11 November, which should either be destroyed or clearly marked to show it is no longer valid (e.g. with a line across the page).

Subject/Concern: Accidentally Filling the Fuel Tank with Gasoline Instead of Diesel

Models:
S-TYPE 2.7L Diesel Only 2.7L Diesel Only VIN-range: N14071 Onwards
XF 2.7L Diesel Only 2.7L Diesel Only VIN-range: R00019 Onwards
XJ Range 2.7L Diesel Only 2.7L Diesel Only VIN-range: H00332 Onwards

Service Instruction
NOTE: The cost of this repair work is not Jaguar's responsibility. If the customer does not have all of the appropriate work carried out, warranty may be refused on all affected components.

1 . Vehicle incorrectly fuelled and Ignition switch has not been turned to Ignition 'on' position.
1 . Referring to relevant section in the workshop manual, drain the fuel tank.
2 . Remove fuel pump module and fuel level sensor.
3 . Remove all traces of residual fuel within the tank using clean absorbent cloth/paper.
4 . Invert the fuel pump module and fuel level sensor to remove all traces of residual fuel.
5 . Reassemble fuel pump module and fuel level sensor to the fuel tank.
6 . The fuel tank must be filled with fresh diesel fuel.
7 . Road test vehicle.
8 . Return vehicle to customer.


2 . Vehicle incorrectly fuelled and Ignition switch has been turned to Ignition 'on' position.
1 . Referring to relevant section in the workshop manual, drain the fuel tank.
2 . Remove fuel pump module and fuel level sensor.
3 . Remove all traces of residual fuel within the tank using clean absorbent cloth/paper.
4 . Invert the fuel pump module and fuel level sensor to remove all traces of residual fuel.
5 . Remove fuel filter and discard.
6 . Disconnect fuel feed to high-pressure pump.
7 . Flush all fuel lines with clean diesel.
8 . Reassemble fuel pump module and fuel level sensor to the fuel tank.
9 . Install new fuel filter.
10 . The fuel tank must be filled with fresh diesel fuel.
11 . Road test vehicle checking for normal engine operation and no stored fault codes.
12 . Return vehicle to customer

3 . Vehicle has run for less than two minutes.
1 . Referring to relevant section in the workshop manual, drain the fuel tank.
2 . The residual fuel from all parts removed needs to be checked for metal particles using a magnet.
3 . Remove fuel pump module and fuel level sensor.
4 . Remove all traces of residual fuel within the tank using clean absorbent cloth/paper.
5 . Invert the fuel pump module and fuel level sensor to remove all traces of residual fuel.
6 . Remove fuel filter and discard.
7 . Disconnect fuel feed to high-pressure pump.
8 . Flush all fuel lines with clean diesel.
9 . If no metal particles are detected, carry on from step 11.
10 . If metal particles are present, carry out procedure 4 from step 3 to step 8.
11 . Reassemble fuel pump module and fuel level sensor to the fuel tank.
12 . Install new fuel filter.
13 . The fuel tank must be filled with fresh diesel fuel.
14 . Road test vehicle for at least 10 miles, checking for normal engine operation and no stored fault codes.
15 . Return vehicle to customer.

4 . Vehicle has been driven until it stops or over two minutes. The entire fuel system will need reworking as follows:
1 . Referring to the relevant section in the workshop manual, drain the fuel tank.
2 . Clean and flush all low pressure pipes.
3 . Replace the fuel filter.
4 . Replace the high pressure fuel pump.
5 . Replace all high pressure fuel pipes.
6 . Replace the diverter pipe and both fuel rails.
7 . Replace the fuel cooler (part of oil cooler/filter assembly in middle of vee).
8 . Replace all six fuel injectors.
9 . Remove fuel pump module and fuel level sensor.
10 . Remove all traces of residual fuel within the tank using clean absorbent cloth/paper.
11 . Invert the fuel pump module and fuel level sensor to remove all traces of residual fuel.
12 . Reassemble fuel pump module and fuel level sensor to the fuel tank.
13 . The tank must be filled with fresh diesel fuel.
14 . Road test vehicle for at least 10 miles, checking for normal engine operation and no stored fault codes.
15 . Return vehicle to customer.

In order for Jaguar to keep a record of all instances of gasoline being added to diesel derivative vehicles, dealers and Importers must complete the relevant section and return Appendix 1 of this Technical Bulletin to the address detailed on the form.

Appendix 1
Vehicle Incident Report Form
This form should be filled out every time a mis-fuel is reported.


Vehicle mis-fuelling will not result in a formal warranty restriction if the approved repair has been carried out.

 
#11 ·
The frustration here is that my car hasn't been mis-fueled. Rybrook have simply placed my car on restricted warranty based on a suspicion and the symtoms of flat spots explains my issue which existed through all cold winter weather rather than 2 day old fuel.

I can't believe that a second dealer have stated there's no problem with the fuel but Jag can't fix the warranty issue. Ah well, Supply of Goods Act....
 
#12 ·
I can understand your frustration goober and as I said earlier I am sorry that you are having to deal with this but sadly the law and lawyers may not be the remedy until you have had, as Bernard suggested, a report on a sample of the fuel which is said to be suspect.
You may recall a few years ago that there was an issue with a brand of supermarket fuel which was shown to be contaminated and so misfuelling as described above need not be the cause of the restriction, rather simple contamination.
 
#13 ·
All sorted, Jag Customer services paid for my diesel to be tested and shockingly it's diesel. They are processing the return of warranty tonight.

Still rather annoying to have a dealer remove warranty without any proof.