So here's my deal: I drive across the country and back every summer. Writing this from a bar in St George UT right now.
To make a very long story short: I end up using 2-3 quarts of oil on each of these cross country trips.
And I REALLY DON'T WANT TO GET STARTED on all the ways these "electronic dipsticks" are horrible, including that three days in (after having checked before I left) I decided to check and got the dreaded "SEE HANDBOOK" message. (In case you don't know, when you check the oil, you get one of five messages: OIL LEVEL OK, ADD 0.5 QTS, ADD 1 QT, ADD 1,5 QTS, and, finally, SEE HANDBOOK, with an icon that makes it seem like you have NO oil in the car when in fact you may only be 1.7 quarts low-- but who knows with this F***ING SETUP??)
But I digress.
And yes I check when I pull the car out each morning-- no telltale spots. No leaks.
A little very light cabrbon on the exhaust tips, but nothing out of the normal. And none of the telltale smoke puffs when I downshift and punch it, as happend on my beloved old Trans-Am.
Also, this seems not to be an issue in my daily driving in LA.
So.... is it possible that the 0-20 weight is so "slippery" that, during hours of steady fast (90MPH+) driving in hot desert temps, it somehow "slips through?"

Second question: so THANK GOD there was a NAPA parts store in the tiny town where I spent the night-- and they had an AMSOIL stand in the store. The surprisingly knowledgeable kid at the counter (he had smart questions about XK vs XKR) said I'd be "crazy" not to use AMSOIL in the car.
Thoughts?

 

I also find that i do not get a true reading from the "Electronic " Dipstick . It is very Erratic , I check mine around 4 times weekly , Some times it is showing up half full , Other times it is full . Regarding the oil you are using 0 W 20 ? . All my service records show that only 5 W 20 has been used in my car , And that is what i use for any top ups , Never had a problem

 

First off, which direction you heading from St George? Up 15? East to all the parks? South to Vegas?
I also digress............ The way I figure, since 5w30 was at first recommended by Jaguar and then changed a few years ago to 0w30, 5w30 isn't horrible, and it WAS Jaguar, in Coventry, who came up with both weights.... where it is cold and miserable all year 'round. I drive my XKR in Utah during the Spring, Summer and Fall, where at worst it is probably 55F with highs over 100F quite often.
THEREFORE, I don't see anything wrong with sticking to the 5w30 due to the higher temps. Yeah, normal operating temp is still a tick over 200F, but mine does get up near 210-215 sometimes. Winter in Coventry is what.......... -25C sometimes?

 

Why are you loosing 2-3 quarts on 2000 miles- but only when on the highway.
It could be blowby. Just keep an important thing in mind, oil consumption increases when overfilled.
To ensure you are not overfilling, I would just drain the oil completely, even if you put it right back in there. This way you will know for sure.

Since you are on the road, any small shop should be able to do this for you and charge what they charge for an oil change. ($50 or so)

 

Cee Jay - was heading west (south) on 15. In CA right now. Last pit stop til home. Shoulda checked in with you sooner.

George 05 - I have had the same experience with the e-dipstick. It's awful. I ALWAYS add less than it seems to recommend and see where that leaves me after a few days. Sometimes the "gauge" indicates full and says LEVEL OK and sometimes that little "oil level indicator bar" looks half full and still reads LEVEL OK and sometimes the bar looks half full and it reads ADD 0.5 QTS. I'd give up on it except there are no other options.

Q&C - good idea. But I'm about 100 miles from home and haven't had it changed since I left LA so there's 7500 miles on that filter and oil (except for what I've added....) so I'm just gonna get it changed. Treat the engine right and have the dealer do it with their fancy Castrol Edge PROFESSIONAL....

And.... it's due for the 60K service. Deep breath and we'll see what they say. Touch screen fried out this AM and am hoping that's a warranty item. (Thank God that climate control works manually as one is driving through the desert...)

 

Yep, you may have driven past my house, about a mile off Interstate 15.

 

PK,
On your next trip stop by my place which is on your route and midpoint, I will change your oil in 15mins.
I will measure exactly how much oil you are burning. Just give me a couple of day's heads up.

 

Look for me in May...

 

Change the oil to 5W 20 . Readings are Erratic I carry a 1l bottle of oil in trunk just in case the oil warning light comes on .

 

Oh, there are, I believe, about 790 threads on this topic on the forum. JLR switched the spec for our 5.0 liter SC engines to 0-20. Everyone whose opinion I trust seems to be in agreement on this. Here's a screen grab courtesy of Q&C (look for 5.0litre SC petrol):
https://topix.jaguar.jlrext.com/topi...50a34ec&page=1

But yes, couldn't hurt (I don't think) to do a change to 5-20 if I know I'm doing that drive again...

 

Thanks man will have a look at that tread

 

I will stick with the 5 W 20 but thanks