XF X260 (2016 On)

The second iteration of the Jaguar XF codenamed X260 has a similar exterior design to the original car but uses a modern, aluminium construction with more than 80% of the parts being all-new. As with many cars these days, their complexity means specialist equipment is required to communicate with the onboard systems and it is unlikely that your local garage will have this in their shop.

The XF uses a platform that is also found on the XE and the Range Rover Velar so at K Motors, we are able to leverage our experience as an independent specialist working on these vehicles to find and fix any problem that rears its head.

Below we have made a small list of the most common issues affecting the Jaguar XF (X260) with symptoms and solutions.

Water pumps on 3.0 Supercharged XF models are prone to failure, sometimes they won’t even make it to 20,000 miles. This is because coolant gets inside the bearing housing corroding the water pump bearing. This stops the impeller shaft from being supported properly causing excessive wear of the mechanical flat face seal of the pump allowing water to escape.

Symptoms of water pump failure will likely be a low coolant level warning message and traces of a coolant leak around the water pump pulley. Luckily the water pump on the V6 XF is fairly easy to access as it is at the front of the engine. We also recommend replacing the small coolant pipe that connects to the pump at the same time as it needs to be removed to replace the pump and has very fragile plastic connections that will likely break upon removal.

Sadly, the water pump is not the only part of the cooling system that can fail on these engines, many of the hoses and pipes used for coolant delivery are of a plastic design, unfortunately with age these can crack and fail. Replacing them one at a time as and when they fail is not a particularly efficient approach and could result in you being in and out of the garage, and as such we recommend that all plastic coolant hoses are replaced if one has failed.

Whilst less common than on other Jaguar models, the 3.0 V6 diesel engines in the XF can suffer from crankshaft failure, this can range from spun main bearings starving the bottom end of oil to the crankshaft actually snapping.

Symptoms vary from a knocking bottom end to a completely seized engine. Unfortunately, in either case, it is not advised to attempt an engine repair as extensive damage will have occurred. A replacement engine from Jaguar will be required.

The 2.0 diesel engine used in the XF is the same Ingenium unit that is fitted to vehicles across the Jaguar Land Rover range and timing chain issues are unfortunately very common on this engine. The timing chains stretch over time and if not replaced can cause irreparable engine failure.

In November 2019 JLR introduced an upgraded design chain that eliminates this problem. If you hear an engine rattle on start up then this is the sign of wear. We replace all the chains, guides, tensioners etc using genuine parts. For more information please see our full article on this issue.

Whilst the second iteration of the Jaguar XF has had less problems so far in comparison to its predecessor, there have been quite a few reports of alternator faults. These generally manifest with a “CHARGING SYSTEM FAULT” message, red battery light and red warning triangle light displayed on the dash. It is always necessary to check the other usual suspects as well in these circumstances, the auxiliary drive belt may have slipped off stopping the alternator from turning or the battery itself may be failing to hold a charge, but if the car is running and the aux belt is where it should be, verifying the alternator’s functionality is as simple as connecting a voltmeter to the battery terminals, the reading should be between 13.9 and 14.8 volts (ideally somewhere in the middle), if it is not, the alternator has likely failed.

The 2^nd generation XF up until the 2021 model year uses a similar rising circular gear selector to its predecessor and Jaguar have managed to make the mechanism much more reliable, although they can still get stuck down occasionally or sometimes just get stuck in park.

The fix for this fault if it is not a weak battery playing havoc with the electrics or a faulty brake switch (if the selector is just stuck in park) is to fit and program a new selector unit and this is not a cheap part.

Customers sometimes complain of a weird howling noise resembling an owl at low engine speeds, if you have noticed this noise and your XF is equipped with an 8 Speed automatic transmission, there is a good chance this howling noise is actually the sound of oil flowing through the automatic transmission oil cooler pipes running by the subframe.

The solution to this issue is to fit revised foam pads inside of the oil cooler bracket.