Chesterfield

All the others got a price hike at the same time when the 458 came out. Every time a new revision of the "baby" Ferrari comes out, the price goes up. If Mclaren can start undercutting it in price and outperforming it; its going to be interesting what happens. I would not be shocked if the mclaren does outperform the 458, and it gets a few reviews pipping the 458, we start to see a few second hand 458's appearing sooner rather than later.

The only bit that I have any concerns over is the indicators on the steering wheel. Ive been out and conciously tried to make note of where my wheel is at the time I would put the indicators on. At staggered cross roads where you turn left and then almost immediatley right, the wheel would be upside down having just applied a fair ammount of left lock. I suppose its something you would get used to. As regards beating it, its going to be very interesting to see what the Mclaren comes up with. With a reported 0-60 of 2.8, it smashes the 458's 3.4, but to be fair when talking of 0-60 times in this region its splitting hairs anyway, as Id consider anything south of 4 to be chuffing quick. Mclaren pitch the mp4 12c as a Ultimate car for the core market. i.e. Veyron/zonda/koenigsegg performance and design into the 458 price band. Most drivers, myself very much included will get nowhere near the limits of either the 458 or the mclarens performance ability, so it comes down to design, looks, and how the car makes you feel. Another thing to consider is that for less than the upgrade cost of a 430 to a 458 you can get the novitec upgrade for a 430, adding twin superchargers. At 707bhp and over 700 ft/lb torque it makes it quite the monster, and will out drag an enzo, never mind a 458. Ill bet the clutch last about five minutes though!

Now, although turning a sock inside out and pairing it up with another is hardly the most difficult of tasks, there must be some serious robotic and computer engineering have been done to achieve that. Given the advanced engineering being displayed - why the chuff is the dowel stuck to the table with duck tape?

Depends on the 430. Id be looking at about £80k to upgrade. The upgrade differential will also close over time. It will probably widen for a while until the second hand 458's start to appear and then that will be the time I ask myself the question. The retail on a new 458 is about £170k before options. So call it £190 by the time youve added a few frilly bits.

For now yes. I could not possibly justify changing so soon, and I also could not justify the depreciation on a brand new car of that type, its ridiculous. Id guess at least two years or more before I consider changing. Unless of course it catches fire like the above Back to the 458, Ive heard of a technical update notification (posh way of saying recall I suppose) apparently connected to a breather pipe - but Ive not got any detail on what it is, but it appears there is not an actual recall, just a "fix it next time the customer can bring their car in" - so it doesnt sound urgent.

My advising Tracy that Ive been informed the 3 year waiting list on the 458 can now be ignored as you can get cars delivered mid 2011 has not gone down well

Its the 430, and no - I dont have a fire extinguisher. Though I have thought about getting one, if not for my car but just as its a useful thing to have in case you ever see a road accident happen and are first on the scene. Im thinking of geting one for all the cars to be honest for that very reason. Im more than happy to admit that I will run out of talent long before the car runs out of ability. The cars gauges take forever to say the oil is up to temp, and Im concious of never giving it the beans until its at least most of the way up to temp. The exhaust on the contrary gets very hot, very rapidly. Give it the beans when the oil is cold and the exhaust is hot and you will be causing massive pressure in the oil system - one popped seal and the exposed nature of the exhaust is very likely to end badly. Many that have been in the car will confirm just how much heat the engine gives off. Indeed we've installed a washing line in the garage to dry any clothes on if there is any washing needs drying on an evening Ive taken the car out for a blast. It kicks out considerable heat for several hours. I can only imagine how hot surface temps of the exhausts and other components are.

Absolute crap imho. Not the car, the reports of them having a fault which causes spontaneous combustion. Would the images put me off buying a 458. Nope. Just like these didnt put me of the 430: There are the same pictures for enzos, lambos, R8's etc etc.

Thats not too far adrift from the mclaren mp4 12c in terms of looks. The price tag is substantially different though.

Do you mean fibreglass? The grey one? I didnt take any photos myself, but I think the chap with the video camera on the day will have - or at least may be able to pull some high res stills from it?

Great to catch up with everyone again! Congratulations to several from here whom won awards for their cars Brilliant show. Thanks to Derek for some cracking organisation yet again, the shlters were brilliant for both rain and shine - really createda social ara for everyone. The cars from Nisan on the Satuday were great too. The ability for people to be able to get in and drive a 370 during the day was very well received. Some fantastic looking cars yet again too. Immaculate 240's & 260's to mention only a couple. To get a car of that age in such concourse condition is testament to some pretty hard work.

Bring them with you, there will be plenty of us there who can help you get them fitted over the weekend

Im really looking forward to this - a few beers is just what I need right now

If you do it right it will be expensive. If you do it wrong, it will be VERY expensive. Not that Ive TT'd my car, but Id guess at £12-15k upward for a propper job to be done.

Ill get you a bacon cob if you like Mark - Happy Birthday buddy!

You could contact the guys that are listed in the traders detailing section on here and enquire about either call outs, or if as you say you do not have the facilities locally, they may know of a mutually acceptable location that could be used?

I asked them if they would like me to come round and collect them, but they didnt see the funny side. Its in now for the technician to start disassembling the wiring loom and trying to find the short. That should be fun. When I get it back who wants to volunteer their time in helping me track down all the new rattles it will have from being taken apart

Ill be on the Jaguar database Im sure of it. or at least my car will be. Ill bet they have a file under "moaning bas**rd" with my registration on it He just probably wanted to be away quick before he got moaned at too To be fair todays technician seemed to acknowledge that was a dodgy fix and has referred it to the service centre for more thorough investigation.

Nothing shocks me about the whole "unique ownership experience" anymore Ive gone past the dissapointment and anger stages and have now entered the, this is just laughable stage. Have to admit, I didnt see the masking tape coming though! Ill try and get a pic before it goes in for repair. EDIT - just popped out and got these: Remember, this is a Jaguar repair, done by the man in his repair van with Jaguar Assistance plastered all over it, not a cowboy recovery van - this is a repair of Jaguar quality levels folks. This is just what the Jaguar MD was talking about when he said a unique ownership experience. Where else would you find such attention to detail carried out on such a minor item as the cars wiring loom. I especially like the way its A, not waterproof so as to allow the wire to breathe, and B, split open just in case there was not enough ventialtion for those exposed wires. Perhaps its done this way as to provide better nutritional value for that ficticious mouse?

Technician has been, its a wiring issue and there is some part of the circuit that is shorting to earth. Its not the area that the "mouse" has chewed, and the technician that visited today was amazed to find that the previous technician had repaired my chaffed wiring with, wait for it....... Masking tape. Kwality.

I wont be selling private, Ill be trading it in, and yes Ive been very open with the dealers Ive been to about my experience with the car. May affect the resale, but Im not passing on something that has issues without the buyer being aware of the history. Besides, dealers (if they have a Jaguar franchise) can check the history and the number of faults/warranty issues its had anyway.

I just know that lighting tunell wil give me far fetched ideas for the new garage

Pfft - unless they hold it within 5 miles, I wouldnt feel confident Id get there without it throwing errors. Hopefully my Wife, passengers or I will never have to rely on the airbags or other safety features of this car, as I have absolutely ZERO confidence they will work. In all seriousness I'd advise others to think about that too before buying any JLR product, ever.

Quick update - its just ticked over 5000 miles today, and to celebrate, its decided to start throwing the "water in fuel" and "oil level monitor system failure" yet again. This is the third time its decided to throw this same fit. Last time Jaguar Assist decided in their professional opinion that it was a mouse chewing cables. I was stunned and amazed just how incredibly expert this mouse must have been, as he had managed to chew the cables in just the same way as an engine cover would have chafed them. Well, it appears this mouse really is a talented fellow, as he has not only stowed away for a couple of weeks, but obviously managed to chew the wiring in just the right places yet again to throw the exact same combination of errors. It's either that or Jaguar simply build pieces of @*!# and try and pass them off as "prestige" cars. My moneys on the mouse. The day Jaguar go bust I shall throw a party at mine, all invited. Ill give Jaguar assist a call tomorrow and see what they have to say this time... Perhaps its a squirrel? An act of God? Supermouse returns? Or just yet another example of pathetic quality now being churned out under the Jaguar badge.

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