A couple of weeks ago, I found a yellow warning sign when I checked the oil level on the instruments panel (with a message the oil level was low). I had my local garage check it out and he added one quart. He did not want to overfill with the 1.6 quarts recommended as the oil level was still one tick above the red zone... the oil went back up to 2 ticks above the red zone (still below the middle of the OK zone).

Two weeks later, the oil level has declined again, and is back to just 1 tick above the red zone... is this normal?

I don't think my car is leaking (no mark on the floor of my garage)... The car is 6 months old, with just 5,000 miles on it.

Thanks for your input.

 

Mine car has remained at full since I changed the oil last May, so no, I don't think what you are experiencing is close to normal....

 

+1.
My car has never lost any oil between changes, it has always read the same level (and I check it weekly), smack on the "Max" mark.

 

Oil loss/low oil level is a concern, but readings fluctuating by 1 bar/tick is not.

Keep in mind, there is no low oil level sensor/warning on your R. People have run these engines into the ground by never checking oil level.

How old is your oil? Keep in mind, oil consumption is higher older your oil is.

 

So, what was the low oil warning light that Brock was referring to?

+2 or 3 regarding abnormal oil consumption. I dropped just 1 tick after a rigorous 6000 mile road trip. Have never needed to top up the oil. (currently 30k miles on the car)

 

I've never had to top up the oil between services on any Jaguar I've had (XK8, x100 XKR, x150 XKR and current F-Type). No, I did have to top up the x100 XKR (at 90,000 miles) when it burst an oil hose and dumped the lot on the road outside my home. But it was fine after a new hose and refill, much to my local independent's surprise.

 

If you go into instruments display and check out the Oil Level, there will be a warning sign if you have either an overfill or low level... but you have to be in the "Check Oil Level" part of your display to see it, it does not seem to show automatically while you drive.

I am wondering whether this has anything to do with the following fact: every time I go out for a 30mn "spirited drive" on the local highway, my car smells like "burnt" as I park it in my garage. I always thought this was normal and never tried to pinpoint the source of the smell, but it may not be normal. I am going to top up the oil and if it declines again, I will take it to the dealer to get it checked.

Thanks guys. Hope to see some of you at the British car gathering in PA on June 9.

 

Ok... that makes sense. I wish that warning would automatically appear on startup rather that waiting to be asked. Cats don't ordinarily stink (they're very fastidious). If they do emanate any kind of odors, they are sick.

 

Ok... that makes sense. I wish that warning would automatically appear on startup rather that waiting to be asked. Cats don't ordinarily stink (they're very fastidious). If they do emanate any kind of odors, they are sick. Fortunately for you, it sounds like the smell (and oil loss) is due to a leak rather than due to something internal to the engine.

 

I just saw the same thing, Checked my Oil last about a month ago, left for a week long trip, drove it, just checked it again last night and its right above the low mark, still says okay, but last month it was full. No oil on the ground, or leaking. But the month when I checked in, I checked the Menu and said Low oil level, went with a friend to buy oil, came back checked it, and it was full, Idk if my meter is broken. Gonna add oil when I get home tonight.

 

Problem solved.
I took my F-type to my local gas station, and asked him to do an oil change without mentioning the potential leak. When he returned the car, he said the oil was leaking because a bolt (?) was not tight. He fixed it... my oil level now shows the level just below overfill, perfect.

 

Glad you got the leak fixed, but are you sure your local gas station used the correct oil???

 

This post is terrifying.

 

I have used this guy for 20 years and trust him more to do things right than I do the local dealers and their service people around here, the latter having clearly demonstrated over time that they are all a bunch of crooks (at least the Audi guys, my previous car brand). And yes, the oil he told me was needed based on his computer printout was the one in the JLR service manual...

Nati, do you only use JLR to change your oil?

 

I'm glad this discussion has come about because I've been thinking about this recently, or more succinctly, wondering how accurate the electronic oil gauge is.

I picked up my car last July and I know the oil level was right on full on the electronic dip stick because the salesman went through the menus with me and I saw the level at that time. Since then, I have put on about 8,500 miles on the car and the electronic dip stick says that it is still right at full. Now, I know that synthetic oil is good and I am not complaining, but that just seems a little bit too good to be true for a 6 cylinder engine.

From what I have read here it sounds like others have had similar experiences and there's no reason to question it. If true, that is a very good statement about these 3.0 engines.

 

You probably don’t run it near redline very often.With easy driving (22-25mpg) I get no perceptible oil loss. With heavy foot (14-16 mpg), I need a quart every 6k miles.

 

Just caught my eye. If I go out for a spirited drive and then park in the garage I do get a "burnt" smell and I believe its my brake pads.

 

I change it myself if it's between warranty service intervals. I have no problem with using independent shops. What was troubling about your post is that there is an extremely low probability that your guy had the proper oil on hand. So what's in your engine right now? The JLR spec castrol has a UV-fluorescent additive. Some have speculated that if your engine goes belly up, JLR will look for this. If they can't find it, it may be up to you to prove that the oil used carried the proper spec. Just being the right weight is not enough.

 

JLR Spec Castrol Edge Professional OE that is called for in our cars has a different formulation from the castrol edge sold at typical auto supply stores. I'd be very surprised if your local gas station was able to source the correct oil. I would not risk my engine to an oil that didn't meet the JLR Spec. Fortunately there are some other companies making an oil now that meets the JLR spec, if it were my car I'd make certain it has the correct spec oil - even if that means changing the oil again.

 

You're right about that, about the most excitement I get is going from the entrance ramp onto the highway from about 30 to 90 mph twice a day. The saga of the daily driver.