12400 miles

It has been a long time since I last posted. I have been too busy with my baby boy, Ian. For obvious reason, the Jag has to take on its own back seat.

The car is now approaching the all important 12500 miles mark, where the "adjustments" period will expire. Therefore, it means that my wheel alignment and the tire balance issue will no longer be covered. I have totally given up on the local Jaguar dealership, Byers Imports. Under any circumstances, I will not buy another vehicle from them. In fact, I have talked to enough people that I am sure the dealership has lost a few sales.

The car still has a slight steering wheel vibration. It doesn't really bother me much anymore but it is not perfect. I have kind of grown accustomed to it for the time being. It will definitely require a tire balance and a wheel alignment soon. I shall have that taken care of soon. Other than that, the car has been running fine. Though, with premium gas hitting $3.19 in central Ohio due to Hurrican Katrina, a better mileage will be of much help. Just 2 days ago, I had my first $50 fill up at the station. It sure was painful...

3400 miles

A few more things that may need attention has sprung up:

1. Driver side windshield nozzle does not spray as design. One nozzle outle must be blocked- fixed?
2. Gas mileage has improved to ~ 24 mpg on the highway. It is still much lower than what I expected from a 2.5 litre engine.
3. Squeaking noise from the center console during the drive back from Cleveland. Neither Michelle nor I was able to pin-point the location.
4. The car failed to start a few times, regardless of outside temperature.

1900 miles

Took the car back to have the paint chip fixed. Originally, the saleman proposed that the paint chip be touched up, instead of having the whole panel re-painted. Of course, it was totally unacceptable to me. After about a month of scheduling, re-scheduling, and re-re-scheduling, I finally took the car in on Tuesday. The sales manager took care of the fix and provided me with a loaner car to drive. As I have discussed with him, the panel will be sanded down and repainted.

I pick up the car on Friday 11/11/04. The paint chip is fixed. The car now looks brand new...:-)

1000 miles

Took the car out for the first "road trip" to Cleveland to attend my cousin's wedding. It was only a short 150 miles trip but our family decided to stop by Mr. and Mrs. Hrusch house in North Ridgeville. Mr. Hrusch has just endured surgery for his prostate cancer. I hope all is well and wish him quick recovery.

The car was fine for long journey. Lots of space and very little wind noise. I took it to ~ 100mph and it was as stable as anything can be. I am fairly impressed. The only gripe I have regarding the vehicle is the mileage. With premium gas hitting $2.30 a gallon, the car is running about 24 mpg on the highway. I really hope that the mileage will increase as the car aged.

850 miles

Got a call from the service director, Steve, at the dealership. He didn't admit any theft issue in his department. However, he was willing to reimburse me with the camera. I told him that it was ~$399 PLUS a $89 memory card. He agreed to it.

The dealership handled my mishap admirably. I have nothing but praises.

600 miles

Took the car in for service yesterday at 10/12/2004. The manager was there so I spoke with him regarding my "outdated" 2004 X-type issue. Of course, he denied the fact that he sold me an outdated vehicle and was not interested in pursuing the issue any further. Therefore, I left disgruntled. Seriously, I didn't expect much from the conversation anyway. At least, I let them know that I was not happy about the purchase. Oh well...

I also wrote up a service for the following:
1) Fix hood alignment
2) Check the "check engine light"
3) Wheel alignment - car pull to the right slightly
4) Humming noise from the steering wheel prior to car start
5) Paint chip at the lower left rear door

Everything was fixed except for the paint chip. It will be handled separately and I have to make another appointment with the dealership. When I drove the car off the lot, however, I noticed that my digital camera is gone!!!!!! I headed back to the dealership and talked to the service manager Duane Thomas. He will look into it. More to follow...