Got a service required message today in the center of my dash. Two years ago and 2,000 miles ago I had all the fluids replaced, oil and filter air filters, brake fluid replaced, power steering fluid flushed. So why am I getting a service engine message? Do I really need to change my oil and filter after 2,000 miles? The message is amber so far. Owners manual says it will turn red after 2000 more miles. I could understand it if I had 8,000 miles since the last service but 2,000 miles!! So what am I to do? I'll call the dealer next week and ask them. Should be interesting.

 

The service required message is based on miles, and lights up when there's less than 2,000 miles to go before the next service is due. Some services should be done at specific time intervals, such as brake fluid changes every 2 years.

When in doubt,

 

My Service Required light comes on every year, one year after I reset it. Therefore I do service every year.

 

I did have a chuckle at this, an excuse if it's your first car and you're a teen, but car servicing has always been (on every car I've owned in the last 38yrs)

'XXXX miles or every 12 months, whichever comes first'

The exception being Audi/VW (VAG) which have long-life servicing, specifically for high mileage drivers which states:

Audi Longlife Servicing

The Audi Long Life Service is so called because there are no fixed service intervals and depending on how you drive your Audi, a service will be required anywhere between 10,000 miles or 1 year (whichever occurs first), up to a maximum of 20,000 miles or 2 years (whichever occurs first).

I have an Audi A6 with 130k miles on the clock an and have it serviced annually, regardless of mileage (which is low as have two other cars to drive). Count yourself lucky that you you didn't see the warning sooner!
Would suggest that you

a) Drive it more
b) Get it serviced every year

As to my way of thinking, in the unlikely event of you selling the car, you'll have no takers as it has no discernable service history.

 

Yeah, I have my cars serviced once a year, regardless of how many miles I gave driven them (it's never more than 10,000 a year for any of the cars we have). Aside from peace of mind, the reason you mention is always at the back of my mind. I would never buy a car without a proper service history* so I wouldn't expect anyone else to.

* - Disclaimer - I did buy my X-Type 'runabout' with a sketchy service history but it had only covered a couple of thousand miles in 6 years and I got it for peanuts. After I'd run it for a few weeks to see if any problems showed up (they didn't) I took it in for a full service and once-over, which went well. It also passed its MOT (annual vehicle inspection) without any advisories, which surprised the tester as much as it did me!). But for any 'proper' car, service history is a total must,

 

Is there any way to reset it (I feel like I read it's one of those Jaguar "tap the stalk three times, hold your breath, pat your head while looking at the moon" type of things...)?
I just hit 75K and sure enough it's on, but recently had an oil change and I don't think 75 K is a major service interval and nothing needs attending.
Also it seemed to come on after a hard reset? Would that trigger it or "erase" anything the dealer did on an oil change?

 

Service Required Reset Sticky
A hard reset does NOT reset the counter.
This is not a difficult thing to do, once you practice a few times.
The Service reminder will display one year after last reset, or at a specific mileage if less than one year, I can't remember the figure.

 

Is the service interval reset and oil monitor reset process the same or are they separate processes as listed at the bottom of the XKR maintenance checklist?

 

D A, to my limited knowledge they are one and the same thing...and have been on all cars I've owned..but that's only been for 38yrs/20 vehicles. But you write like this is your first car.

If so good choice!

 

Not my first car or Jag, but curious about the deliberate individual listing of both processes on the actual Jaguar service checklist posted in the stickies on this forum. I guess Jaguar thought spelling out both processes separately mattered.