Have you changed your diff fluid?
 

If not, you should. It's easy. Drain and refill. Diffs are expensive to replace -- a lot more than the fluid, even though the fluid is expensive. However, I bought more of the OEM fluid than I needed, so you can change your diff fluid at a substantial discount here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/233111401734

Is there any DIY around here saying how to replace the oil on the X250?
I have a feeling is something I will most probably do in the spring... plus the transmission oil.

It couldn't be easier. There is a plug on the bottom that you remove to drain the old fluid, and a plug on the side that you put in .9 liters of new OEM Castrol fluid, and that's it.

Remember though, the fill plug on the side can be a bear to get at and undo and sometimes it is stuck real tight, so make sure you can get it off BEFORE you undo the drain plug on the bottom.

Oh well... that doesn't sound that bad then :D - thanks!

That is a good call - thanks! Knowing myself, I would of probably drained it first :D.

+1 definitely worth doing.

was hearing a strange noise from my car around 35k miles....when turning 90 degrees from a stop. replaced the fluid and the noise went away. cost approx $100

I think it's the same story as the auto trans fluid - "sealed for life" according to JLR but according to the manufacturer it should be changed every once in a while, 100,000 miles IIRC for the diff fluid.

I'm going to be changing mine soon, as well as dropping the diff and changing the seals and mount bushings.

It bugs the shit out of me that JLR say this. For what it's worth, I've read articles and countless forum posts and opinions on both sides of the aisle about this, but a disappointingly large number of people telling you specifically NOT to change the fluid, with plenty of references to manufacturers claiming their transmission fluid is "sealed for life" and all too often, some mystical tales of woo about dealer technicians saying that it's "bad" for transmissions etc to change the fluid, with some occasionally hilarious reasons given, but usually no rational reason given at all. It's all complete bullshit, and every single one of these people is talking out their ass because statistically most of them (and I certainly include myself here) really have no idea when it comes down to the finer points of metallurgy and fluid dynamics.

But here's what I do know: if it's oil being used for lubrication and cooling of rotating bits of metal, what possible harm can come from returning the fluid to the same properties it had when the transmission was built? Is there some mystical reason that oil, which breaks down and gets objectively less effective over time with heat cycles and use, should never be removed from a transmission or a diff case case, like smoke from a genie's bottle? There are plenty of legitimate situations (e.g. oil cooler/pipes/pan damage) that would necessitate a fluid change. Are they saying at that point the transmission's toast and you need a new one? It's nonsense. There's no reason not to change it. Also, ZF - the people who make the f**king thing - agree: "ZF therefore recommends a transmission oil change every 100,000 km or after 8 years at the latest"

The only thing I will mention is that (at least with transmission fluid) it's worth resetting the transmission "memory" which adjusts solenoid rates etc for smoother shifts as it can then re-learn with the new viscosity of the new oil - this can be done with the jag software/cable, by a dealer, or some of the better code readers can also do this too.

Getting off topic, but I have changed the transmission filter and fluid in both of my XF's and my current RRS (similar transmission but uses the 8 fluid instead of the 6), with all of them having around 50K-60K miles on them.

I didn't reset any computers (the Jag shop manual doesn't say to do that, and neither did the manual for my current RR), and the transmissions all shifted very nicely afterwards. On my gray XF, it made a very noticeable improvement in the shifting quality to change the fluid.

Back to the diff, It seems much better to change the diff fluid every 50K miles, especially since it's so much easier than any other fluid in the car to change.

>I have changed the transmission filter and fluid in...
Yup, did that with my S-Type 4.2 at 60K miles. Will do that with my XF when it gets to that mileage. Bought a kit with the correct amount of fluid, a filter, a replacement pan, and a special electrical connector that had to be changed when the pan was removed.

I had the S-Type done at an indi Jaguar shop. It's quite the bitch of a job to do. You have to add ATF through the drain hole while the car is running and the transmission is up to temperature and the drain hole is within inches of an exhaust down pipe, which is super hot... :-0
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Jaguar - it's not an automobile, it's a Motorcar
Current: '15 XF (X250) Portfolio AWD 3.0 (it's aubergine...)
Past B: '08 S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 whp / 259.67 torque)
Past A: '05 X-Type 3.0/auto Jaguar Racing Green

Not to start a war out here but...

In my opinion, when it comes to mechanics, there is no such thing as sealed for life (note that nowhere they say what is that life expectancy to begin with... so for the life of what!?).

When it comes to the transmission, to me things are very simple... I go with what the actual manufacturer of the part recommends; and in this case, our German "friends" from ZF - and they DO recommend to change it.
Their word, for me, trumps any Jag technician alive out there. Is not their transmission, they just use it in their cars. They don't know all the ins and outs of it. Also is hard to trust them when they take shortcuts with their own manufactured parts :/.

Considering that I am basically the third owner for this car and is high millage, to me is even more worrying to hear that Jag recommends such a non-sense. Now I have the feeling that my transmission has never seen an oil change... and this is the first thing I will be doing as soon spring comes, along with the rear diff. I usually baby my cars in winter time anyway, so she should be safe until then.

Maybe they do this on purpose?
They can't make money out of used, out of warranty cars... so if they break and forces users out of their car or to fix it, the better for them.

I'm definitely down for war when it comes to bullshit "sealed for life" old wives tales :icon_biggrin:

In all honesty I think the answer's even simpler than that: they know that the transmission is fine without a fluid change for the standard warranty period, so it's a process that they can leave off the "scheduled service" list. That means they don't have to be set up and trained to do otherwise somewhat regular fluid changes. Don't forget that the process of filling and checking the oil level is kind of a pain in the ass on these ZF boxes, and with a reasonably long initial service life, it seems they figure they can get away with not bothering.

I also did some digging last night to try and find some sort of tangible reason as to why you shouldn't change transmission fluid. The best I could find (and in my mind it's still not a great reason) is that on very high mileage transmissions there can be sludge built up on components and a new, presumably thinner transmission oil could lift the sludge but also somehow (???) pull up friction material with it, which could then get circulated around the transmission and cause damage.

This again sounds like pretty unsubstantiated bullshit, but even if this was a concern it could be easily (although admittedly not particularly cheaply) mitigated by doing another fluid change 100 miles later or whatever. I'm still standing firm that there's absolutely no good reason to avoid changing the transmission or diff fluid whatever the mileage, and it can only do good. Someone prove me wrong :icon_biggrin:

You could definitely be right on the reasoning... but on the other side, personally I don't think the process is that bad.
If I can do this job in my garage, without a lift and just some ramps, a dealer with specialty tools and a lift could do it even more easier than me.

Actually, that IS a good reason and is only viable for high mileage automatic transmissions that have never seen an oil change in their life.

Very short explanation of the case...
Clutch plates will eventually wear out and the residue from them will flow within the transmission fluid, making thicker but still provide some friction because of the residue that floats in the fluid.
Once you start replacing the fluid, your remove that stuff and eventually (sometimes right away), you will have no grip between the clutches and you barely go; or in extreme cases, not go anywhere :D.
This has happened... is not a wife's tale.

Now, I don't know specifically for the ZF transmissions if this is true... but as far as I know they still use some clutches... and they do wear out... so... I don't know what to say.
I will stand corrected if I am wrong. I'm more than happy to learn about these things more.

Sorry @lotusespritse - looks like this has became a transmission related thread :D (kind of related I guess since they are connected :D).

You guys are welcome to talk about anything you want on this thread as long as someone buys my dealer-purchased Castrol fluid. Here's the link again:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/233111401734

A lot of people stating they plan to change their diff fluid on here, but there can only be one that is going to save big on the factory-recommended fluid! Who's it going be? Once it's gone, it's gone!

If you want to buy it direct from me using PayPal instead of going through eBay, PM me.

I would love to buy the oil from you, but I am in Canada... the shipping costs will be as high as the oil bottle itself :(.

For you guys that changed the rear end fluid. How did the old stuff look?
When I did my old STR it was pretty bad the first time at 90K miles so I did again after driving another 5K miles.
Did not notice any difference but seems like a good thing to do!

With only 35K on my 2014 XJR I will probably wait some more but this is the first E-diff I have ever owned and I imagine it's an expensive piece.
Noticed the fill plug on the XJ is not easy to get to so I hope I can do it without more disassembly.
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Yep, changed the diff fluid on my '09 XFSC at 50k. My VIN was in the range that MAY have been subject to the diff factory contamination. What came out was not at all dirty and had no discernible metal shavings. I used royal purple for the re-fill. My car is currently at 66k and I plan to change it at 70K, so in about 2 years., based on current driving habits (I have 2 other cars that are daily drivers).....

FYI, the BOT 750B is the dealer verified fluid for my year/options XF. I do not have an e-diff. Please make sure it's the right fluid for your XF before purchasing.