I live in the Lake Tahoe area and the nearest dealer is 125 miles away. Add to this, there are no independent foreign car repair facilities close by as well.

This said, I am prepared to take my 2008 XK to a local established repair facility, unless, any of you out there are of the opinion that this is a bad idea.

While I have you, I can only obtain a NAPA (Gold) oil filter, I believe that they are okay and meet the OE specs.

 

Why not just take it to the dealer? How much money do you expect to save?

Around here, the Jaguar dealers almost always have a $65 oil change coupon.

 

250 miles is a long way to drive for an oil change...

I'll be buying an oil extractor and doing my own changes from here on out for the same reason. I'm far from any dealership and the service interval covered by the "free service" plan with the '11 model year is too spread out for what I like. Personally, I don't think I'd worry too much about bringing it to a local place, as long as it was a nice garage and there were other nice cars being worked on. I imagine there are others here that would disagree though...

 

It's not at all about the money, the nearest dealer is 125 miles from here.

 

I don't see any reason why a local garage can't change the oil. I'd buy a few oil filters from Jaguar online before going and use only an OEM filter.

Just make sure you and garage are on the same page on how much oil is required.

 

Absolutely, and with some owners being obsessive/compulsive about the frequency of oil changes, they'd want another oil change as soon as they got home.

If there's a competent corner garage in town, I wouldn't hesitate using them.

 

Apart from the distance from dealer / local garage competence question, another consideration is whether you want the dealer stamp in the Service Record book.

I don't know how much importance is placed on this in the US but it can make a considerable difference in the UK when it comes to selling.

Graham

 

By all means, use the local garage. Save your receipts, in case you still have warranty on the car. On my '08 XK as well as on my previous '05 XK I changed the oil and filter myself as well as performed all other routine maintenance. I'm closer to the dealer than you are, being in the Sierra foothills, still it takes me minutes to do the service, vs. an hour drive (each way), plus waiting at the nearest dealer in Sacramento.

There are no tricks to changing the oil and filter on the '08 so, there is hardly a thing that requires dealer expertize. Remove the rear belly pan shield and from there, easy access to the drain plug and the filter. The NAPA oil filters are fine, that is what I have been using.

Albert

 

I'm not sure dealers here in the colonies even have stamps- mine was dealer serviced by the first owner and there's no stamps in any book. Never seen one on any other car either.

 

Me neither, but dealer servicing typically shows up on Carfax reports.

Sorry guys, didn't realize you were out in the boonies! I guess I get spoiled having so many Jag dealerships in a 50 mile radius!

I would definitely recommend using the OEM oil filter, especially on a high performance luxury car. Just how much money do you expect fo save with a NAPA oil filter?

 

Hi Dave,

Both options have pluses. Part of the decision hinges on where you will go when you have a service issue. If you plan on using that dealer it might make sense to get to know them on something simple like an oil change. (As I recall you did not like/trust the dealer you bought the car from.) On the one hand, finding someone local who can work on the car, especially for minor issues/state inspections etc will be very beneficial.

I had the oil drain out of my Saab some years ago after having the oil changed at a local gas station. I was at a family reunion, doing a night time spin with the top down with a few cousins. We were just a few blocks away when the car died. And while pushing the car back by hand was certainly a bonding experience, I've tried to use dealers after that. But that was probably a one in a million.

 

Historically, AI have always changed the oil in every vehicle either leased or owned every 5k miles. My last Jag was an 08vert. Just before I traded it, my service writer at the dealer told me I was wasting my time and money and just to follow the intervals as recommended by Jaguar. That is what I intend to do from now on. Reason - if an employee of the dealer tells me that it is a waste of money and time, then I will take his advice as he just "cost" his employer some money.

 

Mikey and Alan,

Thank you both for explaining this.

Interesting how service history gets mentioned so much on the forum and everyone agrees how important it is yet you don't have dealer stamps in Canada or the US. On the plus side you have Carfax.

In the UK, I wouldn't buy a used vehicle without full history and that includes dealer stamped service book and a file full of bills to back this up.

This is the dealer stamp page from my XK8 Service Portfolio. Supplied and serviced by the same Jaguar Dealer from new:



The Portfolio also includes details of all the schedules.

As well as this paper record it's also computerised. Any Jaguar Dealer can pull up service information and records of warranty work for any Jaguar using the online 'Direct Dealer Warranty' system.

Combine this with Carfax and it would make some comprehensive vehicle history system!

Graham

 

You go to Ayr for your service Graham?
I went to Butlins there once. ;-)

 

I went to Ayr to buy the car. Second time north of the Border in twenty years. It's hard work going uphill!

Graham

 

Certified Pre-owned Warranties reduced the need for concern about service histories. They still matter but for me, if a dealer is providing a 3 year warranty, it means the car is in pretty good shape. Cars with poor histories are usually sold to an auction dealer.

 

Is the 'Certified Pre-owned Warranty' an automatic dealer inclusion in the US or a chargeable extra?

Graham

 

Usually chargeable extra.

 

I need some better reading comprehension skills.

 

We can buy a similar product over here. It doesn't imply anything about vehicle condition other than the warrantor pays up in the event of component failure.

The advantage to the dealer (apart from sales commission) is one of the conditions is almost always that the vehicle must be serviced by them throughout the period of cover.

Graham