F Type problems anyone?

Since the prices of these have come down to more affordable levels I have become more interested in getting one,so lets start talking about experiences with these cars.
I went to the dealer today to get info…salesman didn’t know much really…got a big fat manual to examine…
My thinking is that I want something that is usable daily…certainly don’t need 550 HP and think the center exhaust looks better anyway…

I have a 2014 F-Type S, with the 380 hp V6. The best thing about the car: How that engine loves to snarl and sing, but how it still has lots of grunt at low revs. Put the car in Dynamic mode, lower the convertible top, find an empty road, and you’ll soon sport a grin bigger than the car’s radiator grille. Seriously, I’ve had the car for 4 years, and this never gets old. In a bad mood? Take the car for a drive.

Worst thing about the car: Just niggles, really. The navigation system is crap, I never use it anymore. I’ve mounted my iPhone on the dash, connected it to the stereo via Bluetooth, and use the Waze app when I need help with navigation. By the way, I have the premium audio. It’s worth the extra $$.

I’ve had a recurring problem with the transmission, but it’s an electronics problem, not mechanical. If I turn the car off, then immediately turn it back on, sometimes I’ll get a “Gearbox fault” error on the instrument cluster. When this happens, the transmission will not shift out of Park. The fix is to turn the car off and leave it off for a few minutes. It’s actually at the dealer for this problem right now, for the third time. Hopefully they’ll fix it this time, as my warranty expires in a week.

Another niggle: I have a rattle coming from somewhere in the interior. Yes, I know, it’s a convertible. But still, that rattle drives me nuts. If the dealer can’t find it, I’ll hunt it down myself. I have to.

Other than that, solid car. Lots of fun to drive, but keep in mind that it’s a sports car, so even in comfort mode, it’s not as comfortable or quiet as a sedan. Very direct steering, ample brakes, and the car has more confidence and guts than I have. In other words, I’ve never dared take it all the way to the limit.

One final note: The dealer once gave me the exact same car, only AWD, as a loaner. When I drove the AWD car I kept thinking that it felt a little slower and the steering felt more fuzzy than my car. I told myself I was imagining things. However, when I got my own car back, that just confirmed what I’d been thinking. Mine is peppier, easier to throw into a corner, and has way more precise steering.

As always, YMMV.

Regards,
Gunnar

The only problem I have with my wife’s Salsa Red 2015 F-Type R is that it does not make enough noise or go fast enough. I was only able to hit 107 when passing a car on the interstate, and that was with the pipes wide open.


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Even more final note: Mine gets 23 mpg, mixed city and freeway. I’m not a feather-foot.

Regards,
Gunnar

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I have sold my early FTypeS and bought a Mercedes. I had nothing but trouble with the car, all under warranty. When that ran out, on came the “check engine” light and $500 later I had had enough. During my 5 years it had the heads replaced, supercharger replaced, entire exhaust replaced, water pump, battery, moving vents, on and on. I sold it with only 21,000 kms. I have had three new Jags since 2001, an XKR, an aluminum XK and the F. The XKR had a nicosil engine failure, The 2007 XK was perfect. The F was rubbish. I collect antique Jags and campaign an XK140, so leaving the faith was hard.

If it is any consolation, that’s nothing compared to my most recent BMW which I’m in the process of selling. Absolute garbage. Just fishing the defective VANOS bolt heads out of the oil pan and rebuilding the engine under safety recall took a BMW Master Technician almost a month. I had a new 2000 Z3 before this one, BMW told me it was a counterfeit car and took a month before they would even service it after the engine blew at 3300 miles while coasting at 25 mph on a city street. They ultimately ate crow and admitted the dealer employees were on planet Mars. The car was bought in europe under US military sales and BMW failed to enter the VIN in the American system even through the car was built in America. My new 1994 325 was a decent car, but I had to sell it with just a few thousand miles on it to move overseas.

In my experience BMW is the worst company on earth, they are in total chaos at all levels. Good luck with your Mercedes.

Sounds like it could be low battery voltage causing low system voltage. Have you tested if these symptoms appear/disappear after charging the battery to 100%, manually? If your battery will not fully charge, a new one might be the only solid test. My experience is that a weak battery/low voltage will trigger transmission faults, among others.