Getting ready to do an oil change on my 2006 X350 which just turned 55,000 miles.

Two questions:

1. What oil do you recommend? I asked my mechanic and he said to just go with the recommended 5w40. He added that as long as you change it every 3,000 to 4,000 mkles, there is no benefit in using synthics or special oils.

2. What are your thoughts on oil afditives? I was told not to use them in this car and, in fact, additives will actually harm the engine.

Any thoughts??

 

The oil change interval like most modern cars is 10,000 miles not 3K. It's not the '60s anymore . The recommended viscosity is 5W30.

If you feel better by using synthetics, go ahead but your car couldn't care less.

There is no need for additives in modern fuels or oils in any car. Again- the '60s were long ago.

 

The best oil is one that says it conforms to Ford M2C-913-B (or -C, or -D). Change at 10,000mi or one year, whichever comes first.

 

Here's what the owners manual actually says:

"Oil specification API Sl/EC and ILSAC GF-3 When topping-up between oil changes, make sure that you use oil that has the correct quality level (API service) and viscosity grade. Caution: Your vehicle’s warranty may be invalidated if damage is caused by use of improper engine oil. Failure to use an oil that meets specification API SL/EC and ILSAC GF-3 may cause excessive engine wear, a build-up of sludge and deposits and increased pollution. It could also lead to engine failure. Low quality or obsolete oils (such as those with a specification of API SA) do NOT provide the protection required by modern, high-performance engines. For maximum fuel economy, 5W-30 oil is recommended. SAE viscosity rating For climates ranging from –30°C (–22°F) and +50°C (+122°F), the following oil viscosities may be used: 0W–30 5W–30 (preferred) 0W–40 5W–40"

No mention of the Ford M2C-913-B spec.

 

Do you:

1. do your own oil changes?
OR
2. pay the mechanic who is recommending a change every 3,000 to 4,000 miles?

If the answer is (1), then it's just bad information. If the answer is (2) then find another mechanic who isn't funding his lavish lifestyle from your bank account.

Jaguar have always advised against the use of additives.

Graham

 

Well, in my handbook (2008, European market) it says:

"An oil of 5W-30 viscosity to Jaguar specification WSS M2C913 - B must be used in all vehicles with a petrol engine.
For top up purposes only, where the WSS M2C913 - B specification cannot be found, ACEA A3/B3 or ACEA A1/B1 specification oils may be used."

 

I have several cars with 10,000 mile service intervals. Anymore I do not put 10,000 miles a year on them.
I am now changing at 5,000 miles. Use 0-w40 Castrol European oil for BMW, Audi, and Jaguar.
I would not go 10,000 miles on my XJR even if driven more. The oil change takes me an hour at most. The oil is about 30.00. The filters run about 3.00. The peace of mind is worth the hassle of changing more frequently.
Changed plugs at 107,000. I think these either had been in a long time or were originals. Looked fine, all eight. But car runs smoother and kicks off a little quicker when starting cold.
With vehicles this age a little extra maintenance is valuable. It might identify an issue before it gets to be a major problem.
That is one of the reasons I changed to plugs. Wanted to look for wet plugs, oil residue, burnt insulator, or other indicators of issues. Felt really to see them all look normal. I get the same feeling while vacuuming the oil out the dipstick tube. Good to see normal oil.

 

Workshop manual:

"Engine oil (EUROPE), SAE 5W-30 WSS-M2C-913A or B
Engine oil (US), SAE 5W-30 ILSAC GF3, API SJ"

 

Since you're in Los Angeles like me, I suspect your driving may involve a lot of severe stop-and-go traffic. If this is sounds like your daily commute (as mine is), then I would definitely change your oil at least every 5k miles or so. I've been using Castrol High Mileage Synthetic 5w-30.

I used to listen to the yearly/10k oil change recommendation and ended up developing a nasty VVT issue, which incidentally is caused by infrequent oil changes. Go figure.

People should take their own unique circumstances into consideration when deciding how often to change oil, not just blindly follow recommendations.

 

Thanks. I've often seen different spec oils for different markets. No idea why.

 

Yeh, I merrily thought that M2C-etc being a Ford standard would be world-wide ... Doh !

 

What did you change from?

 

API is USA, ILSAC likewise I think, so Europe uses something else (or in practice any of these unless you're quite, er, fussy? an@l?, about oil).

A bit like Europe tends to use ISO not SAE etc.

 

True- if there's some evidence that the factory recommendation is not appropriate. Blindly pulling numbers out of the ether like the OP's mechanic apparently did makes no sense.

Overwhelming evidence around here is that 10K miles is not inappropriate.

 

Most interesting that 10,000 miles between oil changes is recommended (guess I am stuck in the 60s!).

It reminded me of a conversation I had during a cross-country flight about 15-20 years ago. The person I was sitting next to was in charge of all the vehicles for the U.S. government. During our conversation, he told me that they NEVER change the oil in any other vehicles.

According to him, they have seen in study after study that there is no need or benefit to changing the oil. As a result, they were under a directive not to do oil changes.

I recall the conversation very well because it shocked me. Since that time I have never had anyone confirm this, but maybe it is not so crazy after all. Of course, the government doesn't maintain Jags, Mercedes, BMWs or other "exotic" cars, so this may not apply to such vehicles. Still, it can give credibility to changing the oil every 10,000 miles.

However, I would tend to agree with XJ8JR who noted some "nasty" VVT problems developed when leaving the old oil in too long.

 

. My phone changes posts. I replaced OEM with same. IRF510.

 

I'm familiar with that study but the missing bit is that the oil is being sampled and analyzed at regular intervals to see if everything is still within spec. If not, appropriate action is taken whether it be attend to a sick engine or renew some or all of the oil.

Such procedures are common in commercial airlines, sea shipping and over the road trucking where there's great savings to be had. For a modest private fleets of cars, it's more trouble that it's worth.