Just got a CPO F-Type S Coupe about a month ago. Boy do I love this car! As someone said, I'm considering a couch for the garage so I can stare at it. I have a few questions, and pardon me in advance if they seem obvious.

1) Regarding oil and oil changes. Has anyone performed their own oil changes and if so, how difficult is it? I don't mind taking it to the dealer, but I'm a DIY kind of person, so if it isn't too much hassle, I'd like to attempt it. I've run a search but found nothing. Also...I am aware that Jaguar requires a specific oil in their cars or the warranty can be voided. My question is, what happens when you're out of warranty? Do you plan on using the same oil or will you go with another high quality synthetic? Any link or advice is welcome.

2) I've had the car just over a month. As stated, it is a CPO. I took it into a Jaguar dealer that is closer to my home to have a few minor issues addressed (molding loose, etc.). The service writer said that they'll perform a 30 point check on the car. OK, great. I get a call back the next day and he says the inside of the tires are wearing uneven and they recommend an alignment, rotate and balance for the low, low price of nearly $300. Uh...no. I called my selling dealer and spoke to the salesman (I have bought a few cars from him before) and he said he's be very skeptical about that. He said that an alignment and balance is an easy moneymaker for dealers and they throw that out there to customers quite often. He also said that if there was a problem, to bring it to him and he'd make it right. Shouldn't a CPO car have all that checked before hand?

I should also mention that there are about 23,000 miles on the P-Zeros, so it probably won't be long before they need replacing anyway.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

There is a YouTube video of a guy doing his own, he uses a recovery pump system rather than draining from below, looks pretty simple. Look up his page - DriveMango or google YouTube F-type oil change and it will pop up. I would heavily document the oil changes though and keep all your receipts incase you need proof for warranty.
As to the tires, can you see the wear, that will tell you which dealer to trust. Jag CPO says there must be at least 50% life left for wear items such as tires, at least here in Canada.

 

Thank you Tayls77...I haven't seen any wear but they said it was on the inside of the tire. I'll check it out when I pick up the car tomorrow. Being a CPO, I assumed (I know, I know...) that it would be looked at. I'll look up the video.

Now...if we could only find the oil...

 

Can't help with oil change question, but as regards the CPO, the car should have had the jaguar CPO inspection and they should have provided you a copy of the document / checklist. It's a 3 page document with technician's sign off, date and mileage. There are 165 items but not all are applicable to a particular f type, but it does document the tread depths on the inside, center and outside of each tire as of the date of inspection.

 

For DIY oil changes you will need to order the oil online. There are a few threads discussing this topic (namely identifying the few available obscure oils that you have to choose from) - you might be able to buy the oil from the parts counter if the dealer has it available by the quart.

Depending on the year of your F-Type your owners manual may permit you to use the Ford spec oil which would be more readily available. For warranty purposes I would stick as close to the wording in the manual as possible on your oil choice. Mobil 1 and others probably (?) do exceed the Jag requirements but I wouldn’t want to be having that fight if an issue came up.

 

 

 

The extraction pump method is the easy way to do an oil change but you can still do it the old-fashioned "remove the sump plug" way, I did it that way at the last oil change two months ago (too stingy to buy a pump yet!).
The only/main hassle is you need to remove the rear/mid under-tray first to access the sump plug but it's not that hard, just six bolts to remove and no need to remove the front under-tray which takes a lot longer to remove.
23,000 miles on a set of P-Zeros is good going and they do tend to wear on the inside edges, I would be looking to replace them with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S pronto.

 

Wow 23k miles on PZeros? Grandma must have owned that car prior. Definitely get the MPS4S tires on there asap. You'll find a massive improvement in grip and wear. Congrats and welcome to the fun!

 

Thanks to everyone for all the input...most helpful! I'm going to go over all my CPO paperwork tonight, but some of this might be a moot point since I need to replace the tires anyway. And yes I'll be changing over to MPS4S fairly soon. So when I do that, I'll probably just take it over to a reputable alignment place here locally and have them do a 4-wheel alignment (I will NOT be letting Jaguar charge me $190 for an alignment. Absurd.).

Mercedes also uses a vacuum pump method for their oil changes, and I've heard it's very easy. Might be something to look into. Then again, for a once a year oil change, it might not be worth it.

OzXFR: When you removed the drain plug, did you have to replace it (or maybe a washer?). The reason I ask is that I heard my service writer talk about an oil change and replacing the plug, so not sure what he meant by that.

I didn't see anyone comment on this: While under warranty I have no plans to deviate fron the Jaguar spec oil, but do you folks plan to stay with the Jaguar spec oil when you're out of warranty, or will you move to another brand of high end synthetic? Or does it really depend on the availability?

 

I don’t know enough about the JLR spec to feel comfortable deviating from it. It seems like Motul can be bought at a reasonable price online.

Id like to see Mobil 1 meet this spec so I can resume buying it from Costco..... Mobil does have a JLR qualified oil but only in Europe.

 

Agree. I'm 100% certain our cars would come to no harm if we used Mobil 1. It's great oil. But just in case something goes wonky under warranty, I don't want to give JLR any excuse to deny a claim. Can't tell you how many cases of Mobil 1 I've wheeled out of Costco.

 

The car almost certainly needs an alignment. I had to replace my front tires at less than 10k for this reason.

 

Also you can't "rotate" this problem away as the dealer suggested. The tires are asymmetrical so you can't run them inside out (or at least you shouldn't).

 

When I took the sump/drain plug off the F-Type it had clear silicon sealant around the base, which I have never seen before on a sump plug. The previous oil change was done by an independent garage and I don't know what method they used, remove plug or suction pump, so I don't know who put the sealant on the sump plug, it may have come that way from the factory.
The JLR manual says you should replace the sump plug with a new one once you remove it but I very much doubt this is really necessary unless the original seal is damaged.
There is a small black plastic/rubber seal/washer on the end of the plug.
Thing is, in my case, I still had the original sump plug from my old XFR on hand, it is identical to the F-Type plug (same sump) and it looked good as new, and after peeling the old silicone off the OEM F-Type plug the rubber seal on the XFR plug looked slightly better so I used that plug instead!
The reason I still had the XFR plug is that I had replaced it with a generic magnetic plug years ago, plenty out there on Fleabay for not many $, and if I were you I would buy one of those as a back-up. They are much cheaper than the OEM plug and they use a copper crush washer rather than a rubber seal.

 

Welcome to the group! Check the "How To" sticky for some good insight and pointers.

I recommend using a pump, rather than worry over the plug & seal. I'm out of warranty and have stayed with the approved oil. You can find it on-line without much trouble. I'd also suggest staying with an OEM filter, even if you have to get it from the dealer. It's getting to where filters aren't a simple as they were when I got my Doctor of Motors.

If the car has 23,000 miles and the P-Zero's have 50% tread remaining, they aren't original. If there isn't a blatant wear problem, I'd let the P-Zero's run and get an alignment done when you make the Michelin switch (highly recommended). When the time comes, check Costco. They didn't show up on the internet configurator, but my store could get them. The price was right and they have recent, proper equipment.

 

I've had several Corvettes so I know the asymmetrical thing all too well. Just haven't delved into the car enough to know if the F-Type was the same.

Thanks...that's a great idea. I've put a quick release drain plug on my son's truck which works fantastic. That might be another option if they make one for the Jag.

I'm going to let these things wear down and replace as you suggested. I'm also going to find an independent alignment shop in my area so I don't have to pay JLR's ridiculous price. I haven't bought tires at Costco in a long time...always bought from Discount Tire. But I'll definitely compare prices this time.

 

I sit and stare at mine. I’d love to sit and and listen to the stereo but it cuts off after a few minutes.

 

Ya one of those things that are a PITA but are suppose to make us feel special because its quirky and that's what you get from Special low volume cars. I am sure the real fact is they know if the radio stays on for half an hour the electrical system would be too weak to start the car. LOL

 

I hope you got a great price on the 2015, because a 2016 would have paid for your next several oil changes. Those were the first Jags to offer five-year/60,000-mile scheduled maintenance and warranty. I think it's the best deal out there among all luxury brands.