I am considering doing my own oil change on my Xtype awd 3.0v6 petrol
The dealership wants $150.00 to do it and I'm cheap…..besides I'm saving to do some really nice mods in the spring and would like to save that money toward new rims for her…..

1st. I have a few questions before I attempt it. It says Castrol 5-30 on the oil cap, is that GTX or is there a specific type of castrol 5-30 needed?

2nd. I also was curious on the best brand of oil filter for my cat??

3rd. Is the oil filter in a really easy spot to get to or do I have to remove a bunch of different parts on the engine to reach it?

Thank you all in advance,

 

Steve, must you use Castol, NO!!! I haven't used Castol in my car for a long time. The big thing is making sure that it meets the oil spec (written in the owners manual). Most major brands are going to meet this requirement. Now you get into the synthetic, blend, or dyno oil argument. The best advice that I can tell you is that you get what you think is best based on your situation. People will argue why one is better than the other and there is no clear winner here with our cars.

As for good filters, I recommend some reading at - Bob is the Oil Guy. There are sections there that will clear up what filter is better than another filter. This guy has no ties to any oil or filter company, so, he calls it as he sees it. I will let you take away what you want there.

As for accessing the oil filter, it is fairly easy to access. If you look near the center of the car in the protective plate under the bumper, you will see a 5x5" opening. If you look up there, you will see the oil filter positioned at a 45. Reach up, spin off the filter and drop it down through the hole. Putting the filter back on is a little tricky, but once you figure out what you need to do, not that bad.

 

This is my Opinion and practice.

I always used Castrol, either Syntec when that was all there was for Synthetic and at last when it came out, their Edge synthetic and change it every 5000 miles...The oil filter was either a Royal Purple or Mobil 1..and that is not all there is...Perhaps my method is overkill and some will say conventional Oil is just as good and cheaper..I suppose it is...But if Jaguar went to bed with Castrol, I will go along with them as I have been using Castrol for 30 years..but again, that's just me..

 

6.5 quarts of Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic (117,000 miles on mine, oil is supposed to help with old seals) & a Motorcraft FL400S Filter $25.00 & i get to crawl under the car for a good look around...
A word of caution... when removing the filter oil runs onto the exhaust, very smokey & smelly as it burns off
HTH

 

Very good Kota I like how you also explore the underside for possibly problems...That's how you catch something early before it may turn major.

As far as getting the oil filter off without drenching the exhaust pipe...Some use the oil filter carton and slpit it open...I use a sheet of aluminum foil to cover the pipe and oil just slides on by..


And just a service note that may or may not need mentioning...Always pre-fill your new oil filter before you put it on.

 

Kota is right, even after draining every drop of oil thru the drain plug, oil still come a falling down when you unscrew the oil filter; and it gets everywhere. This is more than annoying. It makes a big mess.

What I do now is use a screw driver and a hammer to pop a small hole on the old oil filter near its low point and let the oil filter drain. After the filter has drained, then I unscrew the oil filter and I have much less spill.

Btw, I use 6 Qts plus of 5-30 Mobile1 full synthetic and a Mobile1 filter. Do not use a Fram filter. Also, be sure to have the oil cap on top of the motor off, to let air in so all the oil can drain. Oil changes are very important.

 

Once again gentlemen, Thank you for all the useful tips and knowledge. I will take all of your advice and use it wisely when I change the oil this weekend.

 

Be sure to come back and keep us all updated

Good luck