MJG50

I've found that the coolant level varied quite a bit after fitting the new water pump. I've only been taking the car for short runs as I'm a bit afraid to go on a really long trip in case the car is using water. The level finally seemed to settle just above the max line over a couple of days so I thought it was ok. But this week, the water level seems to keep falling and after a short trip today, it is just below the minimum line! I'll have to top it up before I drive it again.I've only driven about 80 miles on very short trips in the 3 weeks or so since I've had the water pump replaced but is it normal for the water level to fluctuate so long after the new pump was fitted?I'm beginning to worry that there is something actually wrong with the headgasket again as the water level is low but as far as I can tell the car drives fine. There is still a vast amount of power available. I'm thinking that maybe I should top it up to the max and then take it for a longer run? But I'm worried that if it is using water, a longer run will use a lot of water!Maybe I should contact the garage who did the water pump to check the car out again?Many thanks again for all your help.

Many thanks for the info Mark - typically, the wife changed her mind about getting that BMW but it's good to know for future reference. I'm glad to hear it's simple to sort out.

I'm looking at buying a BMW for the wife from the block, it's a 65 plate car but it's on a naff looking 60 plate with the previous owner's initials. The car is being sold on this naff 60 plate and naturally the wife would rather have the 65 plate. It's a shame the local VRO offices closed years ago as they used to be pretty helpful with this type of stuff. Does anyone know the procedure to get the old 65 plate back and will it be the plate that car was first registered with when new or will it be a different 65 plate? What will happen to the naff 60 private plate - I can't imagine it's worth anything and I don't want it Also, how do I notify the road tax that the plate has changed? Many thanks in advance

I'm considering registering one of my own car sales cars in my own name to use as a daily driver. If I register the car in my own name, should I put the date of keeper change as today or when I bought the car at the block in January? One advantage of putting January is that if I end up selling the car to something like We Buy Any Car I'll have been the registered keeper for 6 months a lot quicker The car has been 'in trade' since January and has not been taxed since. I'm just worried that if I put January down for the keeper change, the DVLA might investigate why there has been a gap in the road tax between January and now and whether it will be ok to explain that I am a dealer and that the car was initially bought to sell and used on trade plates but now I've decided to tax and run the car as my own. Am I right in thinking that if a car is 'in trade' the DVLA do not expect it to be taxed during this period? I saw something online a while back showing a sample page of how to tax a car online and as there was a gap in the SORN date on the sample car, the message about the DVLA investigating a gap came up. It's not really a big deal if I have to put today's date rather than January but I would prefer to put January unless the gap in tax causes a headache.

It can be a bit alarming how hot modern engines run, I remember the temperature gauge on a petrol W203 Mercedes going up extremely high many years ago. It's probably just as well Jaguar gauges are preset to be stuck in the middle since the mid 1990s even if that doesn't reflect the true temperature! I'm sure all the 1990s Jaguar V8s I had run really hot too but back then I wasn't so paranoid! Don't get me started on Vauxhalls, I wouldn't touch one after a bad experience! I bet they are fantastic cars if you own a workshop though! I collected the XK yesterday and the workshop is pretty sure the head gaskets are fine, the psi check was ok and from running and having a good look at the car they can't see a head gasket issue. I've gone for a couple of short blasts since and the car goes very well. I did notice the water level was a bit higher the first time and a bit lower the second time but I'm hoping it is normal for the water level to take a while to settle down after a new pump is fitted? I've never actually had a water pump fitted before (even though in the past I've bought a few cars that were known for pump failure) The garage mentioned I should check the levels afterwards as there could be an airlock in the system. I'm not going to advertise the car for a while as I want to be 100% sure it's ok but I think the head gasket panic is finally over, I'll just keep a close eye on the water level for the next few weeks.

Thanks again for your help Dave, I must admit I was fearing the worst but it sounds like its just the pump Thankfully I didn't drive the car very far once I saw the leak. The engine does seem to run fairly hot in my opinion ever since I got the car but the temp gauge always stays in the middle. When I had the new injector fitted, the engine temp read out was 97 degrees and apparently that is normal for this engine.

Totally agree with this personally, I've never let anyone take the car before the payment shows in my account. It's not like we are selling £20 items and can take a risk.

Good news so far, I managed to get it looked today and the water is coming out of the water pump so it looks like it's just the pump 2 garages have now looked at the car and didn't think it was the head gasket so that main dealer that thought it was may have said it to get their px offer price down

I quite admire the nerve of the dealers who release the car before they see the money in their account - I must admit I'm the other extreme! Even when I see the money in the account I think I hope it's still there tomorrow! As I said earlier, I was told by Natwest years ago that transfers can be cancelled within 24 hours but I'm not sure this is still true with a Faster Payment. At the end of the day, the vast majority of buyers are not scammers but in my case, I do sometimes wonder if I'm too much of a worrier for car dealing!

I'm sure it will be ok, it's not as though the customer has vanished. Banks can be such a pain to deal with.

I'm sure it will be ok as the buyer is still in touch. I've always been a tad paranoid about bank transfers getting cancelled but it's no good being paranoid in this game! Personally, I've always made sure funds are clear before releasing cars but I've known dealers who release the car once they know the funds have left the buyer's account.

I had a buyer who supposedly paid by Faster Payments with Santander and it took a full 24 hours to come through. I'm not 100% sure she actually made a Faster Payments payment or whether it was a normal transfer though. About 15 years ago, a Natwest manager told me that any bank transfer can be cancelled within 24 hours so he advised me to get the transfer in 24 hours before selling the car. On the same day, another member of Natwest said that a BACS transfer was as good as cash! It's tricky enough selling cars without expecting the buyer to pay in full 24 hours before and if coming a long way, they natually want to pay after viewing the car. Is it still true that a Faster Payments payment can be cancelled afterwards? I'd never personally release a car until the funds are showing as cleared in my account but even then I'm a bit concerned there is potentially a 24 hour window period to cancel. In some ways, I prefer cash although it needs to be checked at the bank and it costs a lot to pay in and of course there is a limit to how much you can pay in.

I started up the car earlier and maybe I'm thinking the worst but I'm sure I could smell a whiff of coolant on the oil filler cap - I am starting to think it could be the head gasket again!

The only other thing I haven't mentioned is that when I got the wheels refurbed the painter had a lot of trouble getting the near side front wheel off. Apparently the nuts had been overtightened (more so than he'd ever come across before) so he had to do a lot of drilling and bashing to get them off. It's probably not relevant but maybe this could have loosened something? I drove the car about 20 miles or so after the wheel refurb though - it's not like the water poured out straight after the refurb. As I say, probably not relevant but that's the only other issue I've had with the car. Thanks again for all the input - much appreciated

I just thought that once you register a car in your name privately, the DVLA may get on your case as to why it wasn't taxed before? I'm sure that WBAC won't care if its taxed or not but the DVLA might be on the case.

Thanks David, that is so true about main dealers. It's 8 years old and has done 77k so it's possible the master tech wouldn't get involved with something so old. Totally agree about loving these cars, ironically when I was driving the car just before the water poured out, I was really enjoying it I've never driven an XFR but have heard they are awesome. I was a bit worried it could be the chain when the eml came on just out of the block but the engine sounds so smooth with no rattles at all. Apparently, the water pump and the crossover pipe attached under the inlet manifold is a known weak point of these engines and it's never been replaced on mine. I'm just hoping that the first main dealer is wrong about the heads. I'm dwelling on this far too much really, at least I didn't sell it like this as the buyer would have no doubt kept driving it and would have done a lot of damage with no water. At least I'm in control of the situation at the moment. Thanks again for asking your son, I can't get the car looked at til Friday so I'm in limbo til then.

Thanks again Dave, it is possible but I've done about 40 miles in the car since the new injector and it drove fine. As you say though, if it was left loose it may have taken a while to come lose. The main dealer who did the injector has done a fair bit of work for me in the past and I've always been pleased with them but it's a definite possibility. I know if I continue with prestige I need to take your advice and find a decent mechanic and stop using main dealers! Maybe I should mention to the workshop looking at the car this week it's just had a new injector fitted? I've just called in on the workshop (in a different Jag) and they can't look it til Friday! Probably a good sign they are busy but I need to stop worrying about this til then! Unfortunately, I'm no mechanic but I'm still hoping the fact that the water was literally pouring out fast points to something like a hose, pipe or waterpump. I'm sure I've said it before but even just before and just after the water came out, the engine was still running fine. It's not like there was a massive bang or smoke billowing out the car when the water poured out.

This seems to vary a great deal from dealer to dealer - I know of some dealers who don't valet anything they buy and you can even see light stains on the seats in their ad photos. Not good at all! Whereas others really go to town even if the car is immaculate and get everything done. Personally, I think it depends on the car. I have gone to extreme lengths in the past but I think a middle ground approach works well with most cars. If it's already immaculate, I'm reluctant to go too far with the valeting. I've had quite a few buyers even say they prefer to see a dirty engine bay! You can't win though with some, when I had a pitch all the engines were steam cleaned and I was accused of trying to cover up leaks! But personally I couldn't sell anything with an absolutely filthy engine bay.

I used to really like the W220 and couldn't get over how well the CDi drove. It was smoother to drive than an equivalent XJ which surprised me at the time. I got stung by a bad one though, instead of getting shot of it straight away I dithered about and lost a lot on it. I've never had a W221 but like the look of them. Maybe I should have a good look into Mercs, I've definitely gone right off Jags at the moment! I quite like the XF but have always found them quite hard to sell as there are so many of them about.

It's good to hear some trade insurance companies take private NCB over to trade, I was just wondering if any take trade NCB into a private policy?

I used to do quite well with Mercedes but got badly stung by an S-class ages ago and that really put me off! There are quite a few Mercedes specialists around who are willing to pay a fair bit more than me so I haven't bought a Merc at the block in a long while. I know of a couple of people who do really well with older Mercs up to about 15 years old but I'd find buying anything that old at the block pretty risky tbh. I've always liked BMWs and have done well on them in the past but again tend to find they make too much at auction to get a decent profit. Funnily enough, I've always done ok with VAG stuff but I've only ever bought the odd one - reading this forum has put me off them in the future! I will definitely keep more of an active eye on private ads in the future You are right about needing a decent mechanic if I persist in buying prestige pxs from the block. I'm seriously thinking about only buying ex-lease stuff in the future after my experience with this Jag with the possible head gasket question mark. I know ex-lease isn't always without its problems but I've only ever had 2 with headaches. I just like the fact that ex lease stuff is at auction simply because the lease has come to an end whereas with a px it's often there because the previous owner has had an issue. I sold one ex lease Jag to a friend and 8 years later he's only ever needed tyres, discs and pads!

Interesting to hear Chris managed to use his motor trade NCB to transfer to a private policy. I'm only part time now and I have considered retiring from the trade fully within the next few years. I always assumed that if I got private insurance, I'd have to start off with a zero NCB as all my NCB is on a trade policy. Does anyone know of any insurers who are willing to use motor trade NCB for a private policy? I guess one reason for me staying in the trade longer is to retain the trade policy - I'd imagine that if I retire and then decide I want to go back into the trade, it could be quite difficult to get a new trade policy.

Thanks for the advice tradex. I'll be very careful with the car and ensure it is fully topped up when taking it to the workshop up the road. According to the main dealer I took the car to, the injector was the only issue and the car drove fine once this was fixed. It seems strange that the new injector fixed the car at first if the heads had failed and there was no compression before. As far as I know, the water pump was fine when the previous owner had the car, the only issue was the misfire. I'll get the pressure check on the coolant system done and ask the mechanic to check all the pipes. I'm no expert on these later V8s but I'm hoping that such a rapid loss of water is more likely to be a water pump than a head but time will tell. I haven't ever heard of head failure causing water to pour out so fast but I'll just have to wait and see.

Thanks for the advice Dave - I like the bit about about not believing anything a main dealer tells me! I did wonder if the dealer told the last owner it needed new heads to get him to trade it in at a very low price! The nearby workshop I'm taking it too comes highly recommended and at least this is a mechanical rather than an electronic issue so any half decent mechanic should be able to confirm what's causing the massive water leak with a cooling system pressure test. I used to love all the 80s and 90s Jaguars, I was pretty lucky with those and never had one with a major problem. I had quite a few of the 4.0 litre V8s and they were all fine. The fact that water poured out so fast possibly suggests it is the water pump but I can't hear any noise from the pump - I thought if the pump fails it makes a racket but I have to just wait and see what the workshop says. If anything, the fact the water comes out so fast could make it easier to diagnose, it's not as though it's a very small leak. That's encouraging to hear a main dealer got it wrong about the Fiesta head gasket - I was hoping it might just be a split in the Jaguar water bottle but the level stays the same when the car is parked. A friend suggested getting a new cap so I'll try that first but I'm sure its not coming out of the cap. Tbh, I'll probably stick it back in the block if it needs new heads. It would be pretty tricky sourcing a 5.0 engine and I'm not sure who I'd trust to fit it! It's just frustrating as I check everything I possibly can at the auction - just makes me think I should go back to going for ex-lease stuff rather than pxs.

I bought a Jaguar XK 5.0 litre from the block. Soon afterwards, the dreaded engine management light and restricted performance limp mode came on. It felt as though there was some kind of misfire. I took to the main dealer who read the fault codes, there was only one and this was a seized injector. They replaced the injector, tested the car from hot and cold and it ran fine. I've driven the car since and all seemed fine. I did think it was getting quite hot but the temperature gauge has always been bang in the middle and the water and oil levels were all fine. The temp read out on the dealer diagnostics was 97 degrees which is meant to be about right as they are supposed to run hot. About a week later, I took the car for a short run to get a new set of tyres and to my surprise, I could see a massive puddle of pink coolant in front of the car! I opened the bonnet and the water level had dropped from the max to about 10% in no time at all! I've heard that water pump and crossover pipe failure is common on this engine so I assumed this was the problem. I've never seen a car lose so much water! I thought I'd do a bit of digging into the history of the car and the last owner who traded it in took it to their main dealer with the same misfire - this main dealer reckoned that the car needed new heads, hence the previous owner traded it in. Their diagnosis after reading the fault code was to test the cylinder block, they concluded there was no compression in the engine and that a coolant pressure test confirmed new heads were required!! It seems very strange to me that one dealer says a car needs new heads whereas the dealer I took it to diagnosed a new injector and the car ran fine afterwards. Is it possible that the massive water leak is due to needing new heads? It's not something I've come across before, the water was clean when it came out the car, the oil level is still at the max and there's no mayonaisse under the oil cap. I'm taking the car to a very local workshop for inspection as I'm afraid to drive it very far when losing water. I'll top it up to the max literally every couple of miles. This could possibly be a post that could be of interest to Dave You can see why prestige isn't exactly working for me at the moment..................I might start looking at Fiestas next!!