Jaguar Sweden and Denmark refused to do a transmission oil change, claiming that there is no need. The gearbox is sealed and has LIFELONG oil.

Now, thanks to this forum, I then proceeded to contact ZF Dusseldorf, and they said something completely different. Oil change is a must….. No later than after 140t km (87000miles), but preferably around 80t km (50t miles) .

So off I went.
It is about 800 km (500miles) from where I live in Sweden to the ZF shop deep in the fatherland.
Crushing through Denmark, there was barley any traffic and the first 200km passed in a jiff.

Across with the ferry and now onto German soil. Here all hell broke loose. I have forgotten just how much fun it is to drive on the Autobahn, it is so much different than the style we are used to here in Scandinavia. Here everybody was doing a minimum of 130km/h (80 mph) and they were all so well behaved, i.e. once you have overtaken, which you indicate you will, then you get back in you lane, giving way for who might be driving faster than you… Love it…

Now I am flying, testing the top speed, well near the top speed, pushing around 250km/h (155mph) for brief moments, but still being caught by various other drivers that all seem to process cars that are able not only to supersede 240km/h (145mph) but remain on the road while doing so.
Night fall is coming and now it gets real interesting, seems like we are all doing minimum 200km/h (125 mph), we are all weaving in and out (in a legal manner) of the lanes, effortlessly and in a very non aggressive and smooth fashion. Now while all this is taking place I am listing to the sound track for the movie ”Tron Legacy”, it was borderline surreal. Reminded me very much of the 24h race I do every year here, in the sense that everybody is driving real fast (on a race track) but since it a such a long race, you give space for whoever is faster than you and visa versa, all in a gentleman fashion.

But now the first hick up. Looking down at my navi screen I notice that the map is frozen, and I can’t get it to communicate with me. Pull off at the nearest gas station and try to reset the dam thing, switch off the car, take out the DVD, back and forth, but nothing works. At the same time my IPhone is telling me that it is low on battery, just to realize that I have forgotten the cigarette light mobile charger at home.

So now I do not know where I am, have no real clue to where it is that I am going, really can’t use my phone as a GPS since it will die before reaching my destination… So what does one do?

The phone had enough juice to give me the general driving instructions, all which I quickly wrote down, and then I had to drive the old fashion way. Looking at signs, and following my hand written list, all ok, but it meant that I had to slow down considerably.

Arrived at the hotel, some budget variant, no frills nor fun. Wake up and drive the ZF shop. Coincidently the navi had rest itself and was now working again.
The place was huge, very impressive. They took the car and lent me a piece of crap SMART car. Drove it to the city center had a lunch and a coffee, and drove back.

Before paying, the local technician went with me for test drive, explaining what it was they had done, and just how important it was/is to do a gearbox oil service.

The total bill came to 550 Euro. Not cheap, but nor is anything else for these cars.

Thanked him and headed back to Sweden.

So, does the car fell different? Yep it does, it is smoother… and dare I say so, faster…. But here comes the big surprise, my fuel economy has gotten better, 6% better, not much, but still. Makes sense, new fresh oil should make the shifts lighter and smoother, less tension etc., thus giving you better economy, and actually more hp… So to make up my investment for the 1000 euro (1400 USD)the whole ordeal has cost me, I just have to drive another 80000km, and those 6% better mpg will have been well spent.

Kidding aside, car feels better, and I feel better, plus it was a real great drive…

PS. Goddam Navi nearly messed up the return trip, twice trying to send me on a 400km (250miles) detour….Will never trust it again…

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Sounds fascinating. I've always wanted to have a run on the Autobahn. Curious though, why Jaguar would insist that the tranny did not require servicing if there was a possibility that it did at some interval. I mean, what would be in it for Jaguar? I can understand the ZF Shop's motivation for their viewpoint, but fail to see Jag's motivation.

 

So you are saying they recommend a transmission fluid change at 50,000 miles but no later then 80,000 miles. This needs to be done at a true ZF shop. Do we have these shops over here in the US? Does anyone have a link to their website?!?!?!

 

Sounded like almost a fun trip. I've had a lot of opportunities and fun driving the Autoban. It was always great to get out and let the cars run free even though they were rental MB's it was still fun up around 125MPH. Trips from Munich to Stuttgart and down to lake Como were a pleasure compared to the US interstates. Now back to the ZF fluid replacement. Is there anything unique to the fluid change other then getting the correct transmission fluid. Is it straight forward and just requires drain/ flush and refill or does it require a filter change which would need gaskets too. What i am getting to is it a DIY type of job or are there special tools required. Thanks for the memories by the way.

 

Great story. I do about 2,000 miles/year in my XKR. Let me see...I'll need transmission fluid change in 24 years.

 

Is there a Mr Transmission in Ottawa? You should put them on alert so they can order parts.

 

Hey, Thanks for bringing this to my attention. By the time I need a transmission fluid change there's likely to be no parts available because all of those ZF owners burning out their transmissions from not doing the ZF recommended fluid change. Let me think, again,...in 24 years there might be no more oil available. Hummmm, I guess I should get some oil too.

 

I will run my black XKR from 12k miles to 50k in the next few years.... wondering where I should get this transmission fluid change at in the states??

 

Any good transmission shop can change the fluid in the ZF transmission - they all have access to the manuals and to the fluid. I had this done on my XJ8 (same transmission) here in Victoria - no problem at all (done by removing the pan, not forcing fluid through). I will have it done on my XK at the same shop when I get to the equivalent of 40,000 miles. The filter is integral with the pan; when the fluid was done on my XJ8 the shop showed me the pan and the removed fluid - very clean, no debris at all. They cleaned the filter and reused the same pan. But new pan/filter units are easily available (ebay). While the ZF fluid is expensive there are other fluids that meet the Shell specification Jaguar stipulates. Don't fall prey to the notion that Jaguars are somehow odd and inserviceable...again, any decent shop should be able to do this fluid change - just ask if they have serviced ZF transmissions in the past.

 

Hello...The pan/fluid cost here in the states is about $275 ( E 350 ), probably less in Europe as little freight cost is involved. Sounds like the trip itself was worth the cost and the excellence of dealing with ZF directly. Glad it all went well.

 

I've had this service done on two Jags and am getting it done on our Range Rover soon. Any good indy can do it. You can buy the ZF pan filter kits online. I thought the local Jag dealer near me recommends changing it, but that is not the "party line". Lifetime fluid? Yes... Short lifespan? Yes again.

 

Those of us with BMW's (essentially the same ZF), having a much larger unit population in the 70-100 Kmi range, have painfully learned about regular fluid changes on ZF's. BMW claimed lifetime, and as the units age, it's clear that they were wrong.

The usual sign of wear caused by insufficient fluid changes is rough shifts as the actuators in the mechatronics wear prematurely. Good news is that the rest of the ZF holds up pretty well unless actively abused.

Most BMW owners here in the States source kits from thectsc.com. They have Jag parts and kits as well. Increasingly common for owners to change their own fluid/pan, as well as swapping out actuators sets in higher mileage units. Both can be done on jackstands, though a lift makes it a lot more comfortable. Other than the unlikely event of turbine damage, the ZF is (relatively) easy to repair.

Change kits are <$300, actuator sets around $500. Good luck.

 

How much did it run, if you don't mind me asking?


Found this kit on e-bay but it $175 sounds too good to be true...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/oem-ZF-Trans...65978f&vxp=mtr

 

Do jag dealerships not offer this service?

 

I have a hair over 60,000 miles. By the end of this year, I will probably be at 65,000. Am I at risk for causing a whole lot of damage by holding off on the service until then?

 

Yes, but it is really expensive. I was quoted over $1000 on my X350 and I do not think that included a new pan. Most of the cost was the fluid which Jag marks up to something like $70 a litre and they said it needed about 10 litres for flush and fill.

There are a number of threads on this subject in that forum but bottom line is any competent transmission service facility, preferably one with experience with sealed transmissions, can do as well as if not better than a Jag dealer.

The ZF is widely used by multiple manufacturers including Hyundai, Ford/Lincoln, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Maserati and others.

 

No problem. If your handy you may want to do it yourself. Really not hard.

 

That's a GREAT price and it's all OEM so no problem.

 

Just curious, but why in the world would you need a new pan?

 

I would if I had a lift or a garage!