I've only had my XKR since April and I was feeling guilty for extending the mileage before changing the oil and filter to 5000. I have always tried to practice a 3000 mile interval for oil changes, but when I finally looked up the factory recommended maintenance intervals for oil changes and found 10000, I couldn't believe it.

So my questions to the forum members:

What's the common practice among the group?

Any ideas why the factory is recommending such a long interval?

And do you do your own oil changes or have the dealer or trusted mechanic do the work?

Thanks
mjw

 

There's no evidence I know of to indicate that 10K miles is not appropriate.

 

I take my 2001 XK8 to a local independant jag mechanic, and change the oil every 5000 miles.

 

I change the oil and filter myself every 3,000 miles. No one else is going to care for my car like I do.

 

I do it myself every 10,000 miles, but I use synthetic oil. If I was using regular oil I'd do it every 5000 miles, regardless of what the owner's manual says. It's not going to hurt the car to change the oil more frequently than necessary, and it doesn't cost much. I don't really think there's any advantage to doing it more frequently, but it would give me peace of mind.

 

10,000 might not be so bad.

Consider that the capacity is approximately double that of most cars. Then consider that contamination is measured in parts per volume. For example, parts per million(PPM).

So, if you have double the capacity, you can go double the distance and get the same level of contamination.

As for breakdown by shearing, it is much the same. The shearing happens as oil flows through the engine. Presuming that the same volume is pumped through per minute, then a double capacity sump will let the oil idle twice as long between pump cycles.

So, a 10,000 mile interval with 8 quarts is the equivalent of a 5,000 mile interval with 4 quarts. All other things being equal.

The advantage of a 8 quart sump + oil cooler is that the oil runs cooler and is less likely to shear due to elevated temperatures.

That may not be the reason Jaguar stipulates the change interval, but you can be more comfortable with 10,000 miles if you remember you are running with a double capacity sump.

Owners of cars with odometers in KM are lucky. 10,000KM seems like as good an interval as any, and it is a nice round number.

 

3000 miles is a bit often.
bear in mind that some build up of carbons in the oil is good instead of bad.

 

But all other things are not equal. The Jag has twice as many cylinders as most cars that use 4 quarts of oil. Most four-bangers use about 4 quarts of oil. Most V6s use 5-6 quarts of oil, and most V8s use about 8 quarts of oil. The oil in our V8s is going to circulate about as frequently as 4 quarts in a 4 cylinder. A V8 has twice as many cylinders as an I4 blowing burnt exhaust gasses past the rings and down into the crankcase. The oil is going to pick up twice as much soot as it would if it was in a 4 cylinder. In other words, if the sump only held 4 quarts the oil would wear out twice as fast and last half as long as if it was in a 4-banger.

 

Us souls with the metric system can change our oil at 16,000Km as per the owners manual.

 

GM Ford and Chrysler and other made a multi bazillion V8s, each of which takes 5 qts including filter. Jag is the odd one out in this case. The number of cylcinders has little to do with oil sump capacity or oil change frequency.

 

change mine when it looks murky after about 3K

 

3000 miles with today's oils and filters is a waste of money and oil. I extended to 5000 years ago, and with the newest formulas the 10000 seems more plausible. While I think Jag's claim of 10000 mi/1 year when the XK8's came here in 1997 was ridiculous, a lot of research shows it's now safer to go longer...and better for our environment. Just dip it and look closely after 5k. If you're not sure, use the EP oils and change the filter once during the longer period.

 

True, although my '05 Chebby Suburban with the 5.3L takes 6 qts. with filter like our XK8's. The only factory American V8 I have ever owned or worked on that took more was my '91 ZR-1 Corvette that used 10 Qts. so you could run it for hours at 175-190 mph like Lotus designed the engine.

I just changed the oil on my wife's Nissan Versa -- 4.1 qts with filter. I used the Mobil One EP with a M1 EP filter and hope to get at least 10K on the change. I fugure the extra cost is gonna be worth it for me to not have to crawl under and do it again for a year.

 

If you thought the convert. top discussion opened a can of worms.....check out Bobistheoilguy.com for thousands of opinions on oil change intervals, filter construction, etc. Makes your head spin. Bottom line seems to be an oil analysis can tell you when it's time to change the oil, and when you own a fleet of vehicles this can be an important money saver. Many members there do them to get a feel for how long they can comfortably go between oil changes. Without doing that, it's all guesswork, voodoo, or believing the car company's engineers. I'm just glad Jag didn't do a ZF and tell us the engines are sealed units with a lifetime lube. Personally, I change mine yearly (about 5,000mi.) with Pennzoil platinum and Wix filter. No particular reason on the products except they're good quality, and yearly to avoid a build-up of corrosive acids in the oil (but I never did an analysis to find out. Just guessing on my part.)

 

+1
A $25 oil analysis at Blackstone labs at 3000 or 5000 miles can save you money in the long run and give you peace of mind if you want to consider extending your intervals. Tell them what information you want (ie; can I go 10K miles between changes?), and they will give you a specific and informed answer.

 

Yes, but 4 bangers rev higher and their cylinders fire MORE than twice as often and run hotter.

Also, the 3000 mile myth was started by quick lube places, do your research and this will bear me out. Jiffy lube started making wild statements that were not true and people being gulible as we are, believed them and so like most myths, this one keeps getting passed around and people believe them.

I won't even go into how much oil Americans waste by doing this.

 

Huh? 4 stroke is 4 stroke irrespective of size or cylinders.

 

4 banger = 4 cylinders
4 banger is slang for 4 cylinder.

I never said 4 stroke, hope your not driving.

 

I change mine at 3,000 mostly because it is very easy, inexpensive and gives me a chance to look over the car

 

We don't change the oil on our trucks at work unless the oil test says so. Some engines are over 100k miles without an oil change. Just remembered my 2.5ltr pickup has 18,000 mile intervals and takes exactly the same oil in terms of grade and quantity as the XK.
Changing the filter more regularly would be a good move though.