Hi Folks

Just bought a Crossfire and loving it. I bought a late 2007 Black Coupe. 1 owner. Only 12k miles on the clock. The condition of the car shows it was obviously loved. The previous owner has even left his business card with contact details in the car! I flew down from Aberdeen last Saturday to London, saw the car and drove it home! What a great journey I had. 620 miles of smiles!

I already have it booked in for a TLC service and check up next week.

Only a few minor niggles so far that I hope you friendly bunch can help me with.

- I'm getting the condensation in the headlights that I see others talking about. What can be done about it?

- When I turn the steering wheel as I'm pulling away from being parked I hear a slight creak coming from somewhere in front? What can that be?

- I'm getting the notchy 1st to 2nd gear change as others are. Is this really nothing to worry about?

Apart from that the car drives great and was a real bargain. It's actually the cheapest car I've ever had so I can't complain!

Any answer to my questions above and any other advice about the car would be very much appreciated.

Cheers
Peter

 

I'm the original owner of an 07 6 spd Limited. Now have > 75,000 miles on it. The 1-2 is not super smooth......unless you really up the revs.

That goes for all shifts....keep the revs up.

 

Welcome to the forum! Most of your questions can be answered here by searching yourself, however that being said most here will gladly help as much as they can. I have an '04 with 59,000 on it and I have no problems with the tranny (6 speed).

 

Congrats and welcome! Hope you get to love your XF as much as the first owner and make sure you come here often. This site will literally save you THOUSANDS on the maintenence and repair. My 08 also creaks/groans a little sometimes on turns (low speed/stops) but I just iggy it. This is a great site and a helluva bunch of nice folks that'll help as much as possible. Just be sure to try the search button first, you'll find a lot that way and get to know a whole lot about your car!

 

Glad you found us. The notchy shifting goes away as you become acquainted with the car. The squeak could be your tire rubbing on the inside wheel well. Lots of current chat about condensation. Very nice finding a low miler.

 

I tend to rarely use 1st gear, unless i'm stopped on an incline. I usually start out in 2nd, go directly to 4th, and will use 5th if I'm cruising in a 35-45mph area, but otherwise move from 4th to 6th when entering a freeway. This gives me nice smooth shifts without having to rev it up.

 

It is so funny how we all shift so different. I think that is why I have always preferred a stick. I can shift how I like to shift. I start in 1st hit 3 grand, shift to 3rd, 4th to 5th in town and 4th to 6 on the freeway. I start out in second only if I am rolling up to a stop or going downhill.

 

My 2005 roadster shifter often catches a little going from 1-2, although there are some days it (I) shifts perfectly. I have driven my son's 2007 and it is less notchy than the 2005. I would not worry about it and would try and find the sweet spot that lets it enter 2nd perfectly.

If you look under the front (and rear) you will see lots of rubber bushings. As metal moves in these, it could creak. I remove and clean the rims annually, and before putting them back I douse the bushing heavily with silicone spray. Do not use WD-40.

Otherwise, enjoy it. You be right -- for the performance, looks, and price...it is a bargain.

 

Exactly. The reason I don't start in 1st is because it reaches 3 grand so fast. I find that by starting in 2nd, it gives me a lot more road before I have to change gears.

 

I also have a 2007, and I must say that the forward gears are smooth as silk.

Maybe the earlier year models were more suspect to the 1-2 shift issue...???

That said, on my car I do experience roughness when only shifting to Reverse. Although it feels like it's positioned correctly, when I lift off the Clutch, it ain't fully engaged. I just re-engage, double pump the Clutch, and Reverse works fine.

It's almost like you can hear that noise when the throw-out bearing is going south.

It's been doing this from day one and it only happens once in a while, and I consider it a non-issue....