Jaguar XJ12 1975 FAQs

Check out real-world situations relating to the Jaguar here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• How can I be sure I'm buying a Jaguar XE with the Ingenium engine not the Ford EcoBoost one?

  Jaguar began the switch from the EcoBoost engine to the Ingenium unit in its cars late in 2015. In the XE model, however, that change didn’t occur until late 2017, so a car with a build date after that should have the newer unit. The problem is that a car sold in 2018 (by the time it arrived in Australia) could easily have been built sometime in 2017 and, therefore, could carry either engine. For the definitive answer on what engine a particular car has, the best idea is to check the car’s VIN with Jaguar Australia or a Jaguar dealership.

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• Unknown alarm ringing in my 2005 Jaguar S

  You’ve probably hit the nail on the head, and it is a seat-belt warning you’re hearing. Even though you may have the belt properly fastened, if the sensor that is supposed to detect the seat-belt being latched is not working, then the car will think you’re driving around unrestrained.

  Jaguars of this era were not universally known for the quality of their electronics, so it’s very possible that this is precisely the problem. The catch then is that you need to check each seat-belt for a dud sensor, and there are five of them in the S Type. Other things that could trigger the same sort of alarm could be that the park-brake is not fully released or that there’s a door or bootlid ajar. Check it all and rule things out one by one.

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• Is it worthwhile bringing my Jaguar to Australia?

  This will all come down to how much you love that particular car. Because the economics of privately importing and then getting the car legal to drive on the road here probably don't add up.

  You'll spend at least a few thousand dollars (and possibly a lot more) to ship the car here, then it needs to be cleared by customs and the import authorities, fumigated, then inspected and any changes carried out. At every stage of this process, somebody will be taking their cut, too, so be prepared to spend plenty. And that's if nobody finds anything wrong with the car that requires big, expensive engineering changes to put right.

  Looking at it dispassionately, you'd almost certainly be better off buying the same make and model here. Aside from anything else, an Australia-delivered Jaguar will probably have less rust in it than one that's spent its life on the UK's salted/gritted winter roads. The exception would be if the particular model you want wasn't' sold here or, as we suspect, there's an emotional attachment to that very car. At which point you have no choice but to take the plunge and privately import it.

  If that's the way you go, be sure to consult a shipping agency at both ends of the journey who will be able to guide you through the process and help take some of the stress out of it.

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