Hi guys i have a 2005 Jaguar X-Type 3.0 with 17,100 miles on it. It still has about 11 months or 33,000 miles left on the factory warranty. I see they recommend 5W 30 Castrol Synthetic motor oil. I was wondering if i use Mobil 1 5W 30 and a Mobil 1 oil filter will i void my factory warranty? I would rather just use that since i can pick it up close to my house. But if i have to use a Jag Filter and Oil to maintain my warranty i will.

 

Go and get it..it won't bother the warranty one bit...

I'm glad to hear that they finally got the OM fixed..

 

What do you mean OM?

 

Owner's Manual

 

Oh ok, what was wrong with it? I see it shows 0W 30 as an oil you can use. I was thinking Mobil 1 has that new formula that is a 0W 30 that meets the warranty specs of a 5W 30 and 10W 30 but claims you get better gas mileage. What do you think?

 

Ithink the low Weights are for colder climates..But what I meant was, that the OM use to not stipulate Synthetic oils in the earlierX modelswith basically the same engines..lots of controversy around that subject..

 

Ok, this brings up an interesting question for me. Looking at my service CD (I didn't get an owner's manual with my car as I bought it used), it only states to use 5W-30 oil (specs: ILSAC GF3, API SJ). To me, that seems to be a standard (non-synthetic) oil. So, what says that we should be using full synthetic oil. This is more for my information (and others here) so I make sure to take care of this car. Im not against spending a few extra dollars on an oil change, but at the same time, if there is no difference between the two in the way of mileage/engine life, why spend the extra money.

Along these same lines, I am thinking about doing a complete fluid change on this car just so I know where everything sits. With the differentials, I am planning on running full synthetic there. What about the transfer case and tranny? Is it ok to put full synthetics in there? Required to be full synthetic? Sounds like there is some mis-information out there and even getting a "per TSB #####" (or other reference material) is all that I am looking for.

Chris "Thermo" Coleman

 

Your questions are valid, but extremely discussed before..but I will go ahead and give you my opinion backed up with much research with the dealers and on-line investigations...Not to mention over 35 years of DIY maintenance on all my cars.

In the not so distance past, engine/car manufacturers put the engine right in the cars after assemblyand sent them to the dealers..These engines were not broke in yet...back then, they put in what was known as break-in oils..the car owner was encouraged to drive slower at varying speeds and light accelerations to help break the engine in properly, then they were also encouraged to drain that oil after a short bit of miles, i.e., 1000 to 2000 miles..then replace it with the proper spec'd conventional oil...Also recommending that you change this oil hereafter every 3000 miles or 90 days, whichever came first...Reason being was that conventional oils are prone to sludging and chemical break down due to heat, moisture and combustion by-products...Now a days a lot of engines are pre-broke in before they ever go in a car and the makers are putting in Synthetic oils...If you used a synthetic oil in an engine that was not pre-broke in, it would never break in properly, piston rings wouldn't seat, bearing wouldn't seat, etc., because synthetic oil is too damn slippery molecularly speakingcompared to conventional oils...Also Synthetic oils take forever to break down or degrade..Think of conventional oil molecules as like grains of sand (exaggerated for illustration) and synthetic oil moleculesas marbles. They also do not attract moisture and therefore the issue of oil sludge is minimized...

So my rule of thumb in todays modern engines..Is I drive the car for at least 1000 miles and then drain whatever came in it from the factory, then refill with Synthetic and change that every 5000 to 6000 miles thereafter (my brew of choice and has been for all my cars is Castrol Syntec (see wear chart below)..Most synthetic oils can go to 10,000 to 12,000 miles before a change is required, but I'm old school and prefer the peace of mind with a more frequent change...

So bottom line, if you use conventional oil, change it at least every 3000 miles, and if you use synthetics you can go twice as long if not more.....

As to why some dealers put in conventional oil..COST to them... My Jaguar dealer offered a free every 10,000 mile oil change up to 40,000 miles and also recommended one in between every 10,000 mile change (not free)..a lot of people can't, or do not want to change their own oil..and let the dealer do it..My dealer was more than happy to put in synthetic, as long as I provided it for them, otherwise they only put in conventional oil....Hope this explains it for you.

This chart shows which oils has the best wear protection:

 

Dennis, thanks for the explaination about the oil wear. But, reading parts of this post, it makes it sound like jaguar is mandating the use of synthetic oil, not saying that you can use either. That is why I was asking the question of whether synthetic oil is required or not.

I am like you. I have been changing my oil for the last 25 years (I'm a younger pup than you) and have stuck with the "every 3000 mile" rule with the conventional oils. But, I also know that some modern day motors have much tighter tolerances and the use of a conventional oil will dramatically shorten the life of the engine because of these tight tolerances as the conventional oil molecule can't fit everywhere it needs to. But, at the same time, there are pieces like the tranny that if you stick synthetic in there, it can also lead to problems as the tranny needs a certain amount of friction in the fluid to make it work properly. So, the use of a conventional fluid would then be mandated. I'm just trying to figure out what is needed where as my service CD just states a Jaguar part number and finding out what it is on the internet is about next to impossilbe. If there is a site that states Jaguar part number is XXXXX type fluid, I would love to see that. All my Cd gives me in the way of description is a bunch of standards that the fluid has to meet. So, unless one likes looking at the engineering side of stuff (which I am not against as I am a nuclear reactor operator and have to deal with this stuff all day long), it can get pretty tedious.

Chris "Thermo" Coleman

 

Okay..I see...For me it would be simple..stay with synthetic..But I think Jaguar is finally coming up to the age of synthetics with their engines and thinking,as DINO OILS are getting to be a issue as a resource...But I'm sure a quality conventional oil will work just fine, but plan on changing it by the old rules..main thing is, ithas to be of the correct specs......The Auto tranny uses a high dollar syntheticfluid that is yet to be proven 100%compatible (at least in my mind) with any other spec'd Fluids..Still searching for more concrete facts about it..right now, Valvoline Maxlife ATF and Royal Purple Multi-spec ATF are in the running for choices..They are synthetic tooBTW.,





The Transfer Case and Rear Differentialare synthetic lubesand Redline orRoyal Purple 75w140 will work fine.

 

I looked in my OM (I have an 05) and it does not say synthetic anywhere.

 

my 02 manual definately silent on synthetics, so I wont use any.A mechanic once told me that the seals and stuff on the older cars are not the same as todays and may decay with synthetic oils. Who knows if he's right. All I know is my maual says conventional, so I'm using conventional, lol.

 

i think the synthetic is better but not required.

 

Dennis, thanks, that is what I was looking for. I am slowly doing a few things to the car to ensure longevity. Granted, today was spent dressing up the car. I'm painting some of the plastic pieces under the hood and am blacking out the side marker lights. Should look good with the british racing green. I just layed the final layer of clear. I will be posting pics of this once I reassemble the car tomorrow.

Chris "Thermo" Coleman

 

Hmm? This has me thinking i might use either Castrol Syntec 5W 30 or Amsoil ASL SAE 5W 30, not sure if that is as good as the ATM 10W 30 Amsoil shows on that chart. But do you think Amsoil is worth the extra money? Also do you think the Mobil 1 oil filter is ok to use? or is there a better filter out there to use for the oil filter?

 

Al..please don't let anything I said or say,make your mind up for you..I was only offering my opinions and experiences..You do what you feelis right for you..

If it were me, I'd go with Castrol Syntec forone fact, thatit is easy to find at any auto parts store...Amsoil, there is so much hassle finding a distributer..Personally, I don't think there is a nickle worth of major difference in the lube quality between them....The Mobil 1 filter is an excellent filter, and I think I remember reading somewhere, that if their filter screws up your engine, they will fix or replace your engine..

 

i am not letting anything you said make my mind up for me. i just want to treat my jag right and want to use the best i can. my oil change isn't due for another 1500 miles i am just doing some research. i bought the mobil 1 filter the other day so i had it. so ordering amsoil direct from amsoil is not a big problem for me. i just value the opinions of others that may have used it, and also others that have owned this car longer than i have. i mean it is only like a $10 difference between Mobil 1, Castrol Syntec, and Amsoil 5W 30 motor oil. so like i said it isn't really about the price or availability it is basically what is thought to be the better choice. i see amsoil seems to do the best consistently on tests.

also at what intervals is it recommended to get the ATM fluid, Diff Fluid, and Transfer Case Fluid changed? should it be brought to the dealer for that? how much would i be looking at spending to have the ATM, Diff, and Transfer Case fluids changed? my car only has 17k miles on it so not sure if it is needed yet.

 

I think you are in good shape for now..Ibelieve changing out all the lubes and fluidsevery 30,000 miles is a prudent time frame for good preventitive maintenance..also Did the coolant and brake fluid and P/S fluid as well....you may have heard the expression ...Filled for life regarding the tranny, transfer case and Differential..I wouldn't live by that ever, total BS..but that is me and my opinion..

 

Al, I have to agree with Dennis on the "lubed for life" bit. I don't know of anyone that drive's their vehicles like the "lubed for life" needs the car to be driven. The service CD that I have states that under "severe" conditions (defined as numerous short trips of less than 5 miles on a routine basis or living in a dusty area), you should change out the fluids at 30,000 miles (50,000 KM). I personally think the 30,000 miles bit is probably a bit excessive for the average driver though too. So, I normally fall somewhere in between. I tend to pick 50,000 miles as my point to do the major fluid changes. That in my mind makes for a point where the fluids are still good but they will have lived a "full life".

As for doing the service yourself or at the dealership, that is a matter of how much are you willing to spend. As long as you have basic mechanical skills, doing the fluid changes yourself is not a big problem. For me, doing it myself gives me piece of mind as I can see how the vehicle is doing and I know what was put into the car and how much. Most dealerships just give you the "Sir, all is done" bit.

Chris "Thermo" Coleman

 

Alarsen77, great to hear you want to treat your Jag right.
I found this link to be useful for determing fluids needed: http://jagmotorproject.blogspot.com/...al-fluids.html

I chose the Amsoil 5w-30 mainly because I have had success for years with thier products in previous cars. I think it is importantyou stick with a 5w-30 or maybe 0w-30oil as stated in the linkabove dueto the variable cam timing pump is sensitive to viscosity weights.
I had also went with a Mobil 1 filter as well. I have run Amsoil's Ea series oil filters and like them but they do not make them for all vehicles.
For the Transfer case and differential I ran Amsoil's 75w-140 Sever Gear oil, and in my 5spd manual tranny I put in Redline MTL.
They are somewhat involved to change but if you have a fluid evacuator/dispenser it makes life much easier.

It is rare to find Owners Manuals specifing Synthetic oil ONLY. They may have a reccomendation like Porsche; which reccomends Mobil1, or Ferrari for thier Enzo which must only use Shell Helix 10w-60 at ~$60/qt or it voids warranty! I know that even turbocharged Subarus do not specify synthetics in the owners manual but dealers highly recommend it due to the extra heat and stress.