I’m seeing a lot of information that should be updated about oil specifications in Jaguar. I am not a mechanic I do not profess to be an expert but I have owned quite a few vehicles in my lifetime (As I am close to retirement age.) as well as a half dozen Jaguar sedans.

Since there are so many choices in oil products these days I found it inundating and with the X app that I owned from the first year they came out, I decided to educate myself as much as possible about oil. The reason I thought it necessary is I found it odd that the specifications in my owners manual were outdated up just a few years. I wanted to know more about it.

Turns out manufacturers are typically the driving force behind the changing of oil specifications when I first started driving there was primarily SAE 30 and then there started to be multi viscosity oil‘s 20W-50! And with my Tata owned Jaguar XJ we’re now looking at 5W–20. And now even specifications for these oils are becoming outdated from his early as last year.

The new gold standard is GF-6 since my XJ is a few years older it was seen as compatible with GF-3 which was superseded by GF-5.

GF6-A is designed to be backwards compatible so it will cover all the superseded specifications which are done on a regular basis in auto manufacturing.



GF-6A can be used to meet GF-5 oil recommendations and earlier. GF-6A products will display the “Starburst” API mark. GF-6A is backwards compatible, meaning it encompasses GF1-5 standards as well and is designed for SAE grades 0W-20, 5W-20, 5W-30, and 10W-30.

 

I’ve found that after a certain amount of time, these posts cannot be edited; Therefore, I am updating this post as a reply…

I’m seeing a lot of misinformation about oil specifications in Jaguar cars. I am not a mechanic I do not profess to be an expert but I have owned quite a few vehicles in my lifetime (I am retirement age.) as well as over a half dozen Jaguar sedans.

Since there are so many choices in oil products these days, I found it inundating and with the first year XF that I (Previously) owned, I decided to educate myself as much as possible about oil. The reason I thought it necessary is I found it odd that the specifications in my owners manual didn’t match what was being sold on the market so I wanted to know more about it.

Please, you do not need to ONLY use the specification of the year your car was manufactured. It may be out of date now. You wouldn’t use gas that’s several years old would you?

It turns out (Oil) manufacturers are typically the driving force behind the changing of oil specifications. (As well as standards for increased fuel efficiency, etc.)

When I first started driving, there was primarily single weights like SAE 30 (Or SAE 50 for high performance & racing) and then (A few years later) there started to be multi viscosity oil like SAE 20W-50! And with my Tata manufactured Jaguar XJL we’re now looking at 5W–20. And even specifications for these oils are becoming outdated.

The new Ilsac standard (Applicable to us) is GF-6A. Since my XJL is older, it was listed as compatible with GF-3 which then was superseded by GF-5.

GF6-A is designed to be backwards compatible so it will cover all the superseded specifications which are done on a periodic basis in their manufacture.

In later years Jaguar has began recommending fully synthetic oil. However, any oil that meeds (Or exceeds) the recommended standard is fine. The difference being, synthetic is of a superior quality & therefore lasts longer. My XJL (Owner’s Manuals) recommend 15,000 miles between oil changes. Every owner’s conditions vary but even for high mileage driving, that works for me. With synthetic blends I’d suggest more frequency. Standard oil is suggested changing even more often.

In my opinion (From having driven dozen’s of vehicles—beat up station wagons to $100K Jag’s or Mercedes’) Changing the oil more frequently then needed is unnecessary & wasteful. (Plus harmful to our environment.) But you must make your own determination what ‘necessary’ is.

 

Jaguar changed from 5W-20 to 0W-20 several years ago. Your oil filler cap might be marked with the old spec of 5W-20 as my 2014 oil cap is.
Here is the 2018 Jaguar document when they made the change across the board. Not sure why the reduction in viscosity but we had several explanations mainly concerning the VVT and other timing components. But it was all just guesses as Jaguar statements were pretty general in nature.

As you know oil is always a fight and you do what you want to do. I use the properly rated oil and am using Mobil 1 ESP X2 0W-20 that meets Jaguar spec. This is not a common or easy to find spec either. But many people have fine running cars using oil that does NOT meet that spec too. The best one was an old member Bigg Will that had one of the early 2010 XFR's. He used Walmart synthetic oil of the correct weight and changed it every 2000 miles! He sold the car with over 100K miles and all original timing gear too.

DO NOT use the long change intervals! This is a mistake. I change at 6K-8K range not Jaguar's silly 15K recommendation.
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Just because Jaguar uses a different specification on a newer vehicle, doesn’t mean one should use the same oil on older models. And if you look through one of the older, JLR books on specifications of Jaguars, you will see that different regions of the world require different specifications. Use your manual for the correct viscosity designed for your vehicle. I don’t think you have to use an oil spec that could be a decade or older. Newer oil specs always supersede the older. Not the viscosity weight, but the oil specs themselves.

 

clubairth, my understanding for using thinner and thinner oils is actually 2 fold. Newer engines (especially when compared to engines even from the early 2000's or older) have much tighter tolerances for bearings and whatnot inside the engine. So, to help get the oil where it needs to be, they use a thinner oil to get it there. Granted, drive up the pressure, you can get just about any oil there. This leads me to the second (and probably more real reason) that they use the thinner oil is to simply cut down on the parasitic losses in the engine. If you can move the same amount of oil at 20 psi as compared to say 60 psi all because you use a thinner oil, that is less work the oil pump has to do and since almost all oil pumps are run off the front of the engine via a chain/belt, this means less energy is stolen from the engine. This is the same reason why some people put under-drive pulleys on their race cars. Keep the accessories from robbing the engine of vital power.

I know part of the reason for the last gen of XJs that such a specific oil was needed was simply for controlling the VVT solenoids in the engine with their extreme tolerances, high heat, and not cooking the oil in the VVTs and destroying them. This is where just going after the "GF-6A" standard may not be good enough. Should it work, most likely. Especially if you are doing routine oil changes at say 5K mile intervals. You push it to say 10K miles, what works at 5K changes, may not that way. This is where the properties of oil are so critical and you don't know you made a mistake until it is too late.

 

So I thought I should update once again when someone was curious about what they should put in there XF with a diesel V6. Since our cars in the US are mostly gasoline/petrol my advice is not universal because it seems Europe has your own spec and they say it’s specifically designed to help keep your DPF clean. So with that, I would recommend what I told the person asking the question was perhaps do your own comparison of what synthetic oils (5W-30) are best for diesel engines. As a starting point either do a search for a PDF on Google or download from JLR’s TOPIX because they did publish “

JLR’s Jaguar Publication Part No. JLR 15 96 10_3E
Vehicle specifications” in a PDF that can be downloaded and it has lots of useful information. I’ll go I am now driving a Land Rover and they no longer seem to publish that book. (They NOW want people to access information via TOPIX and more specified information like what a mechanic would want you have to pay for.)

This was simply what came up with when I put in the European Ford oil spec on Google.


The Ford WSS-M2C934-B specification is for a 5W-30, ACEA C1 low-SAPS (low sulphated ash) engine oil used in specific Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Mazda diesel engines to protect diesel particulate filters (DPFs) and maintain high engine performance in modern, tightly toleranced engines. Oils meeting this specification are designed to reduce deposits, improve engine efficiency, and provide protection at various operating temperatures.

Key characteristics of WSS-M2C934-B oils:

• SAE Viscosity: 5W-30.
• ACEA C1: This classification indicates a fuel-economy oil with low ash, phosphorus, and sulfur (Low SAPS) content.
• Low SAPS: The reduced levels of ash, phosphorus, and sulfur are crucial for extending the life of diesel particulate filters and maintaining the efficiency of catalytic converters.
• Synthetic: These are typically fully synthetic oils.
• Engine Protection: They are formulated to reduce engine deposits, wear, and friction, which helps maximize engine performance, response, and fuel economy.

Why this specification is important:

• Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Protection:
  The Low SAPS formulation is essential for preventing the DPF from becoming clogged with ash, ensuring it functions correctly and extends its service life.
• High-Performance Engines:
  WSS-M2C934-B oils are designed for modern engines that operate with tighter tolerances, requiring high levels of protection and performance from a low-viscosity oil.
• Specific Applications:
  This specification is often required for certain Mazda diesel engines (excluding those that require ACEA C3) and Jaguar Land Rover vehicles from 2009 onwards equipped with a 3.0L V6 Diesel engine, notes Mobil.

 

For 2.7 or 3.0 diesels (non-DPF) it looks like the spec for ROW in that 2012 PDF is 5W–30 meeting Jaguar WSS–M2C913–B or C

(and yes for 2.7 or 3.0 diesels with DPF 5W–30 meeting Jaguar WSS–M2C934–B)