My service light came on yesterday, it is booked in for a service on the due date of 24/10 as 12 months have passed and 11k miles (service due every 16k).

I checked the oil by starting the ignition, not the engine and cycling through the display, it shows the bar but it's almost empty! My car is parked faced forwards on a upwards slope, not sure if this effects it?

I have some 10w40 Castrol GTX that I could top it up with, is this ok to use?

 

I would buy yourself a few quarts/liters of 5W20, brand is really up to you. 10W oil may be too viscous in colder temperatures, but I don't have any anecdotal evidence to back this up. Somebody else may have more useful input, but in my general experience its worth shelling out some dough to use the right tools in the first place.

Don't know if you have the original manual or not, but if not, for your reference

 

As for oil spec, your owner's manual states

Diesel engines 5W-30 engine oil, meeting Jaguar specification WSS M2C934-B only.

So the Castrol GTX is out on two counts.

I believe the change interval is 10K miles or annually, not 16K.

 

Thanks guys, I won't drive it until the oil is topped up with the correct veloicity stuff.

Service is due every 16k on my engine, not 10k, says so in the manual plus every 10k on diesel engne?? Think about it.

 

It is not just viscosity that must be correct. This engine requires full synthetic oil of the very highest quality which must meet the printed spec. GTX does not. Also, don't "top off" until you have checked the oil level using the correct procedure. The engine must have been running long enough for the oil to be fully hot, and then shut off for ten minutes to fully drain down. And yes, the car must be parked on a completely flat surface, any slope will affect (not effect) the sensors and give a false reading. Being too full is much worse than being somewhat low and can make your engine a very expensive paperweight. Oil change interval is 1 year or 15000 (in some markets 16000) miles.

 

Thanks! I didn't warm the car up before I checked, it had been off for 30 hours or more so I will test it tomorrow and if I do need to buy oil, I'll make sure it's right stuff the manual recommends of the highest quality.

 

Odds on you got a false reading due to being parked on a slope.
Try it again parked nice and level.

 

Thanks. Will do.