I have a manual. Do I need to do it? I don't actually know what a transfer case is.

I got my car wiith about 80k on it and I am just about to hit the 100k mark. I want to do some preventative maintenance. I hear about the transfer case oil, rear diff, and transmission oil (def. don't need this right?) changes as things that need to be done.

I've read the write up on the TC and it looks like it should be simple, but I have an irrational fear of jack stands. Could my local Goodyear do it, or would they try to charge me $300 or something stupid for what looks like a half hour of work? I know nothing about the rear diff.

Thanks for all of the help I have had on this board.

 

If you have the time and some mechanical skills it could be done yourself. I for one just took it to my local Jaguar mechanic and had him do it. Cost me less then $200 to get it all done and he does great work.

If you go to the dealer it will cost you 4X that much so stay away!!!

 

Elrod, doing the transfer case oil change isn't hard. The big thing is you need to make a small modification to the car. In short, you need to install a valve in the drain hole. There is a member here that has a kit that he is willing to sell to you (as I recall, it is like $60, but don't quote me on that) or you can get a reducing fitting and a radiator drain valve (talk to me if you are looking at going this route since you need a fairly specific one). Either way, you drain the transfer case fluid (75W-140 full synthetic oil) out, install the valve, and then you refill the case. I have it down to about 45 minutes. With the radiator valve, you are looking at $10 in parts and about $20 for a quart of fluid.

Now, you bring up the transfer case, transmission fluid, and rear differential fluid changes. There are two trains of thought with this:

1) these are "filled for life" per Jaguar. As long as fluid is not leaking out, the fluid will be good for the life of the car, so, don't worry about them.

2) any fluid has a limited lifetime and should be changed. Therefore, follow the appropriate procedure to replace the fluids.

Me, personally, I believe in option 2. If for nothing more than having clean fluid in the systems has to be better than old fluid due to lubricating properties. But, you decide what is your thought process.

If you want a step by step of how to do these fluid changes, let us know. They are not that hard.

As for your fear of jackstands, I have a simple test for you to do once you get the car up on the jackstands. It is very easy to do and I do it every time before I crawl under the car. Once you get the car up on the jackstands, give the car a decent push to the side. I'm not saying give it a 49'er full body tackle, but give the car a decent push. If the car is still on the jackstands, the likelihood of the car falling off is pretty low. If the car falls off, you have done something wrong. As long as you keep the car on level ground and give the jackstands something solid to rest on, you shouldn't have any issues. Where most people get into trouble is trying to use jackstands on gravel driveways. While they seem solid, they aren't. Keep the car on asphalt or concrete, you will be just fine.