I recently reached 5000 mile mark, since purchasing the car in March. The first thing I did at the time was change oil and filter - I used Mobile 1 synthetic. 5K miles down the road, Im thinking to do the same service again. The Jaguar dealer that replaced the brake fluid on my car is quoting me $85.00 for the oil change. Hm, i'm thinking - I paid over $100 for the same at an Indy shop. How can a dealer charge less? I ask him if they use synthetic oil. The rep replies that Jaguar recommends regular, petroleum based oil for my XKR. Now i am really confused. But the owner manual states that oil and filter service must be performed every 10K miles, I say to him. How can a manufacturer make such recommendation for regular, non-synthetic oil?
He then continues to tell me that if I'm using synthetic oil, I can easily drive past the 10K miles before needing an oil change, as long as its within 1 year period.
I know better than that. I'd never go more than 10k miles, even on synthetic oil. Can someone verify though, if Jaguar really recommends a 10K mile interval between oil service on regular petroleum oil, or is the Jaguar service rep really confused?

 

The Jaguar recommended service interval on the XK8/XKR is every 10K Miles OR 12 Months - whichever comes first. An oil and filter change is on each of the schedules.

Regardless of whether it's due or not, the first thing I do on any new (to me) Jaguar is an oil and filter change so I know exactly what grade and brand is in it.

Graham

 

Nope. He's right. That's been standard on Jags and most other cars for at least a decade. New Jags using synthetic go 15K between changes I believe.

You can change it more often or use synthetic if it makes you happy.

 

An advantage to the synthetic is its lower viscosity than dino when cold = less engine wear. Probably your car will die from some other cause than oil if you are the type of person who changes it on a regular basis, no matter what type is used. I'm a DIY'er, so the extra $ for synth is not a factor, and my once-a-year change for all my stuff is easier to keep track of. Right now Mobil 1 0-30 in everything. Only because I have XM stock. And don't forget, frequent short trips in cold weather are severe service and would shorten your change interval, especially with dino oil.

 

Guys,
I appreciate your comments, but my question still remains: does Jaguar recommend REGULAR, non-synthetic oil for the Xkr's and if so, is it ok to drive 10K miles on NON-Synthetic oil?

 

Yes, Jaguar recommends conventional oil. In fact, their oil provider relationship has been with Castrol for longer than I can remember. You may use any decent brand of oil that you prefer. I stick with Castrol in our two Jaguars (it's good stuff), and I run conventional 5W-30 in both of them as our manuals specify....

Yes, you can drive 10,000 miles between conventional oil & filter changes if you so choose. That is indeed Jaguar's published schedule. I prefer oil & filter changes every 6,000 miles on all of our vehicles, so that's what I've been doing for decades. I do it myself, I stock up on Castrol when it is on sale by watching the sales flyers for Pep Boys, Advanced Auto Parts, and Autozone, same with the oil filters, so the cost is minimal to me. Never had any oil-related issues in any of our vehicles going back to my first new car in 1974....

The bottom line is that if you use a decent oil and filter and change them at generally-accepted intervals, you'll be fine. As many say here, just do what helps you sleep better at night. Works for me....

 

Yes.

Yes.


Hope that's clear.

 

Thanks Jon89 and Mikey. Being that I have synthetic oil in there now, I can probably delay the oil change for another 3K miles or so. This is why I like this forum - it saves me time and money

 

My .$02 is I would never go 10k between oil changes, a combustion engine is subject to blow by in the crankcase which in turn adds impurities, soot and makes the oil acidic, I don't care what manufactures say, yes they have improved oil but not the blow by during the combustion process. Your far better off at least changing out the filter at 5k if your going to run the oil to 10k. I run synthetic in all my cars and the last one I sold was a 99 Explorer Limited with 195k on the clock, oil changed at 6k intervals and still going strong a year after the sale. Ford also recommended standard oil (I ran synth)but then again Jaguar always recommended "bars" leaks in it's cooling systems on the 5.3 litre V-12 (BAD IDEA) so I sometimes don't listen to manufactures When blow by and it's contaminates aren't being filtered anymore then they are in the oil and in your bearings and on your ring surfaces (which contributes to more blow by), cars today run thinner oils due to tighter tolerances between the mains and con bearings, I don't want blow by contaminates running through those smaller spaces and on the bearing faces. Always buy the best filter for your application, here's an old but good filter comparison/study

Engine Oil Filter Study

 

That got fixed 20-25 years ago or more. Engines are manufactured from much better materials and to far tighter tolerances/clearances than the bad old days of the 3-5K mile oil changes.

Your local oil change garage will tell you different and predict all sorts of gloom and doom. My dad has an Explorer with 250K on the clock. Regular dino oil changed at factory specified intervals and not an inch or minute before. Runs perfectly.

 

I don't normally comment on the semi-annual oil change discussion but will tonight . . . just to see how much discussion this never-ending subject can produce.

Some years ago I got involved with oil testing vs changing on a mileage basis and had my oil tested several times. The results I got back and from discussions with the testing lab was that full synthetic oil does not reach its full protection capabilities until about 13k miles and doesn't begin to taper off in protection until 18k miles plus.

So, if information from a commercial testing facility serving major fleets that change oil based on testing rather than miles carries any weight most people change even full synthetic before it even reaches its full protection potential.

One year? Think the oil spoils?

 

[QUOTE=test point;845603]I don't normally comment on the semi-annual oil change discussion but will tonight . . . just to see how much discussion this never-ending subject can produce.

Some years ago I got involved with oil testing vs changing on a mileage basis and had my oil tested several times. The results I got back and from discussions with the testing lab was that full synthetic oil does not reach its full protection capabilities until about 13k miles and doesn't begin to taper off in protection until 18k miles plus.

So, if information from a commercial testing facility serving major fleets that change oil based on testing rather than miles carries any weight most people change even full synthetic before it even reaches its full protection potential.






i agree does the oil go bad after one year ,I think not , Yes I have been doing the one year service on my XKR to cover my ext. warranty and with only 2k mls per year,when my warranty is over i will go by the millage not the time , I have a 1997 honda CRV that a purchased new to tow behind my M/H it is now my winter beater and has 240k mls and uses no oil which is changed every 3500 mls and remember a much higher rev engine. BL.

 

Really???? I don't think it's feasibly possible to eliminate the combustion process from entering into the crankcase or to "fix" it, improve it some,,,eh, a little. Eliminate it ...NO WAY, physically impossible with heat, expansion, combustion, ring gap etc, etc. Harsh driving conditions, outside heat/cold cycling, starts, stops, sorry, completely disagree with you on this one. The whole reason your trans fluid holds up w/o regular changes is it's sealed and not exposed to the combustion process....engines have improved but not that much. Plenty of old cars out there that have done the 300k plus with old dino and regular intervals but I'm not about to sit here and pretend 10k is a solid decision to make let alone run your car 3 to 4k more. Heck, your car do as you see fit, I'll stick to 6k intervals and premium filter changes. And guy's oil doesn't "spoil" in a year but it does build up condensation and that has to be regularly boiled off by running your car up to full temp regularly for a period. That condensation can sit and form corrosion...in most cases engines are tough beasts and will survive just fine, BUT oil/filter is cheap insurance and quick and easy to do in most cases which befuddles me why people try to "s-t-r-e-a-c-h" it out for what it cost and what it's protecting...as the old commercial said..."you can pay me now, or you can pay me later" this will drag on to the eternal oil discussion, I've said my peace on the subject, "Cheers!"

 

Here's the Jaguar recommendation for engine oil:



(click on the image to enlarge it)

The identical recommendation appears in both US and UK Driver's Handbooks for your Model Year. Jaguar used to recommend brands in earlier handbooks but now only quotes specifications.

I've highlighted the relevant information.

The recommendation is for REGULAR oil to API SJ/EC and ILSAC GF-3 (boxed in red) or SYNTHETIC meeting this specification may be used (boxed in blue).

Additionally 5W -30 is the preferred weight (boxed in orange).

A Jaguar Dealer will use REGULAR oil for the 10K Mile / 12 Month scheduled service.

Graham

 

Thanks Graham,
We can always count on you for technical specs. The specs state that oil must be added if it falls below the dipstick level. I understand that unless there's an oil leak in the system, the Synthetic oil should not burn, thus requiring adding. Am I correct?

 

Way back when, in the 1950s and 1960s, my daddy would change oil about every 1,000 miles just like a lot of other car owners back then.

Then in 1985 the Feds in the USA banned lead in the fuel and immediately the car manufacturers nearly doubled (or more) the recommended mileage between changes. Oil suddenly had fewer contaminates to deal with + today oils have gotten better + engines are made w closer tolerances + fuel injection & computers helps them run cleaner.

If the manufacturer says 10,000 miles under normal conditions, then trust them. They know more than we do.

It will take a couple of generations for the old-timers to get over the frequent changes of the bad old days.

 

Not eliminate, reduce to a level that permits longer oil change intervals. Crankcase contaminants are a mere fraction of what they used to be.

False, synthetic is no different than regular dino when it comes to consumption/burning. Still have to check oil levels regularly irrespective of which type is used..

I'd guess a few more than that. There's many that still believe that leaded gas is somehow better than today's fuel and go through back flips trying to get ahold of it, even though they were too young to have used it back when it was legal. They 'heard' that it's better.

I also hear the flat earth society has no trouble recruiting new members.

 

Assuming DIY labor, 10 year/150,000 mile ownersip, and roughing-out (dino) oil and filter prices......

6000 mile interval you'll do 25 oil changes and spend $950 or $95/year
10000 mile interval you'll do 15 oil changes and spend $570 or $57/year

With synthetic oil the figures are $1300 vs. $780

In the grand scheme of things, considering depreciation, repairs, gasoline, insurance, annual licensing, etc the additional expense is indeed minimal from a cheap insurance/peace of mind/feel good perspective.

Like all insurance and feel good things, though, it's hard to say if the extra expense truly "pencils out". But, hey, we're car enthusiasts. Not insurance actuaries

By the standards of many here I'm a gross over-maintainer. I change oil at 5000 miles intervals. That's *my* feel good level. However I'll confess to being utterly non-chalant about what oil I use.

FTR, my XJR has 150k miles, runs very well, and consumes but one quart of oil every 4000 miles

<shrug>

As I write all this, and since we're talking about "cheap insurance", I'm reminded of a period of my life when I was seriously over-insured. I had so much coverage for so many things I couldn't keep it all straight. In some cases I had insurance for my insurance. Good grief. I don't know what I was thinking.








Which, when you think about, was a pretty lame notion. The "pay me now" part is a given but it assumes that the "pay me later" part .....an engine failure or severe wear within the typical ownership period....will positively occur. We all know that the odds are in favor of these things NOT occuring. Heck, visit the boneyards in whatever town you live in and you'll be seeing hundreds of cars put out to pasture even though their engines had tons of useful life left in 'em. And, in most those cases, they probably were subject to rather indifferent care.


Ramble switch turned "off"

Cheers
DD

 

Doug- many car enthusiasts are unknowingly double over-maintainers. The factory interval is not a magic threshold that if passed ensures immediate and total destruction. It's more of a conservative lowest common denominator whereby even the worst of the production engines driven by the worst drivers in the worst conditions can expect little or no problems. This excludes 'harsh environment' which is a different topic.

If an OEM states 10K oil changes, it's more likely that the majority of engines would survive a 15K or even 20K interval. The time limit of one year also falls under the same conservative approach.

By cutting the OEM interval in half, this is essentially redoubling what the OEM has already done. Belts, braces, etc, etc.

As always- owners should ultimately do what makes them the happiest.

 

Double over maintainers = 50% of your maintenance is caused by 50% of your maintenance.


I'll stand by my statement that the manufacture (Jaguar) stated to use "bars leaks" during coolant service intervals = I DON'T always trust they know better for your car.

I'll also stand by my statement that oil changes are a cheap, easy way to prolong the life of your car and it's internal engine components, so why wouldn't you?

Why don't we change the diff gear lube more often? Simple it isn't expose to a combustion process and therefore doesn't get as contaminated or dirty. Newer isn't always better, just somewhat. Oil will last along time today against viscosity/shear breakdown but you will still gain contaminants and as your car ages and limits expand in components and those contaminates become more prevalent. I 'might" keep to 10k for a couple 10k then switch to lower as miles go up...se I told you I was done with this

Aren't oil threads fun!