Hi guys,

I just bough a 2016 F-Type S AWD 380hp - 50.000km. The car is running smoth, looks like there are no issues.

Would you recomend any preventive measures?

Ps.: I took the car to a dealer for a check-up and they said everithing was ok, but I don’t trust them 100%.

I would apreciate if you let me know your opinions.

Thanks!

 

The main thing is to change the oil and oil filter at least twice as often as scheduled, so six months or 13,000 km instead of 12 months or 26,000 km, and make sure it is the correct spec oil. These days look for oil which meets ILSAC GF6A spec in either 0W-20 or 5W-20.
Also add some fuel system/injector cleaner to the fuel once every six months or so, most recommend those with a high PEA content and the highest PEA content I have found so far is Redline SI-1. Or else BG 44K which is good but doesn't have any PEA.
Check your oil and coolant levels often, at least once a week, and if low top up immediately and find out why the level is dropping.
Get and use a battery tender/maintainer.
Double lock the car at all times.
Get some fob batteries - CR2032 - and learn how to change them (in the Owner Handbook).
Don't trust the brake pad wear sensors, instead manually inspect the pads and rotors every few months.
Clean and condition your leather seats and other leather surfaces regularly, plain water to clean and quality products such as Gliptone and Autoglym Leather Balm to condition.
Protect the dash and door tops from sun damage, I use Aerospace 303 protectant.

 

How do you prefer to apply the 303?
I don't think the inner sections of the seats are real suede, do you have a recommendation for cleaning that?

 

The 303 I generally just spray on then spread and buff with a microfibre cloth. For the door tops I put the windows down first.
Except for the far end of the dash up by the windscreen where spraying would get it on the glass, here I spray a bit on the edge of a MF cloth then carefully wipe it on.
My seats - "performance" - are leather fronts and sides all over, vinyl backs and only a few small bits of cloth in out of the way areas. I clean the whole lot with clean water and a MF cloth then treat all the leather bits with leather conditioner - dribble it on, wipe it all over, let it sit for a while then come back and buff it down with another MF cloth.

 

Congratulations on your new Jaguar. I have been using 303 Aerospace protectant for years and have been very pleased with the results. I also use it on all the rubber seals like for the doors, hood and hatch.
A good tip for applying it is to use those cheap cellulose kitchen sponges (WITHOUT the scrubbing side !) and cut them in half. Dip the sponge in water and wring it out well and blot any excess to soften it up if needed, and then spray the 303 on the sponge. Spread the 303 around on the surfaces that you wish to protect, let it soak in for a few minutes and wipe off with a microfiber towel. It leaves a nice matte finish.

 

Check the oil every 6 months? Why?

 

Don't just check it, CHANGE it!
Heaps of threads and posts around here and elsewhere explaining why the AJ133 and AJ126 really NEED the oil changed much more often than 12 months / 16,000 miles, search is your friend.

 

I admit that was a bit of a brain fart, obviously nothing wrong with CHECKING oil however often. But yeah, CHANGING oil every 6 months? Depends on the mileage and whatnot, no?

 

The recommendation to change the oil frequently based on time rather than distance assumes that the car is being driven frequently but for very short distances and at slow speed (as in city traffic) and that leads to oil contamination.
If the car is used infrequently but only for substantial distances, then the time issue is irrelevant.

My use of the F-Type is a perfect example. The car was serviced, including an oil change, last November. It is now 6 months since that oil change. In that time I have driven the car less than 400 kms, but each time it has gone out it has been on the highway for sufficient time, distance and speed to thoroughly exercise the mechanical bits. So, do I need to change the oil because it has been six months since the last service? Clearly not.

 

Short answer: To compensate for design issues.

Long answer: Engine oil, as it degrades, loses additives that prevent sludge formation. Both AJ133 V8 and AJ126 V6 engines in F-type use direct injection (DI). DI means these engines are prone to developing sludge on intake valves, as fuel bypasses heads in DI setups. These engines also use oil pressure to control variable timing, meaning there are many small oil passages. All of this means that things go really bad very quickly when engine oil gets dirty. Fortunately, frequent oil changes using spec oil shown to largely mitigate such issues. It is very crucial that you stay on top of oil changes and use spec synthetic oil with specified additives. Also keep in mind AJ133 V8 doesn't have low oil pressure sensor (yes, you read it right), this means you can run the car dry and it will not warn you. All of this means that you have to be religious about changing oil and monitoring engine oil level. Do it often, do it early.