Reasons Behind Jaguar Differential Problems From Certified Mechanics in Powell

Jaguars are a symbol of the rich, famous, and dedicated high-end car owners alike. They were first popularized by celebrities in the 60s and 70s and have since purred their way into the common tongue. These cars are well-designed, sleek, and offer powerful performance.

However, due to the finicky design and construction of a Jaguar, from engine to exhaust pipe, neglecting proper maintenance can lead to some major issues. Additionally, because every piece is so exceptionally constructed and fitted together, small and unnoticeable issues that build over time aren’t uncommon.

While providing proper maintenance can mitigate the risk of various parts failure in your Jaguar, not every issue can be caught soon enough to prevent a failure. One of the more common issues that Jaguar owners experience is issues in their rear differential.

Differential: The Down Low

Jaguars are well-known for their unique, smooth-riding suspension design, but when something goes wrong, it can go very wrong. Frequent maintenance is required in order to keep their suspension systems running at top-notch performance.

The differential is a mechanical component of your Jaguar’s suspension system. In short, your vehicle’s differential is responsible for monitoring how your wheels move and adjust while you turn. This is important in balancing your vehicle’s suspension to the changes in terrain and applying proper pressure across the inner and outer wheels of your car. It’s this differential that gives Jaguars their famously smooth performance, as the outer drive wheel is able to spin markedly faster than the inner drive wheel, which averages the rotational speed of the drive shaft to bring your vehicle effortlessly around the next curve.

Additionally, it’s the differential’s job to ensure that your tires maintain proper traction in the wheels and between the tires and the surface of the road. It’s this factor that makes a failed differential so dangerous to those inside and outside the vehicle, as losing traction around corners or at high speed is a recipe for disaster.

Causes of Jaguar Differential Issues

When things go wrong in your Jaguar, you probably know immediately due to the sudden decrease in performance. However, it’s important to know what to look for when checking your Jaguar for causes and symptoms of various failures so you can point your mechanic in the right direction.

There are 2 primary causes of differential issues in a Jaguar:

Dirty or Contaminated Differential Oil

Just like your vehicle’s engine requires proper lubrication to keep cool and function properly, so too does your Jaguar’s differential system. If your system’s differential oil is not topped off and changed frequently enough, this can lead to debris or sludge buildup. These issues in turn cause premature wear and tear, performance and handling problems, or even oil leakage.

A Bad Differential Gasket

A gasket, in short, is a rubberized seal that ensures your car’s fluids remain where they’re supposed to stay. Just as your engine oil has an oil pan gasket, your Jaguar’s differential system also has a gasket to maintain a seal. And, just like an oil pan gasket failure, if your differential gasket breaks, cracks, or wears thin, you will experience a leak. While this is typically a simple fix, it’s important to have an experienced Jaguar specialist examine the issue, as older or uncommon Jaguar models may have different standards and parts.

Symptoms of a Failed Differential

If you’re experiencing differential issues, you should be able to tell quickly due to:

• loud whining noises while driving
• tire slippage going around corners
• oily residue beneath your rear bumper

Auto Assets of Ohio Can Help

At Auto Assets in Ohio, we know that Jaguars require only top-notch maintenance for both the performance of the vehicle and the owner’s fanatical standards. As such, we are dedicated to proving only the best service to each and every Jaguar that passes through our garage. With over 30 years of Jaguar repair and maintenance experience, Auto Assets of Columbus, Dublin, New Albany, Worthington, and Powell, OH is your one-stop shop for every high-end vehicular need.

We offer a full line of Jaguar maintenance needs, from engine to exhaust and everything in between. Additionally, every service package comes with a 3-year, 36,000-mile warranty on all supplied parts, so you know that your Jaguar can purr safely out the road to new adventures for years to come.