Transmissional period

I have a 1998 XJ8 with 73,600 miles. Although Jaguar has said the auto transmission is sealed for life, and a main dealer has told me not to have the oil in it changed as there are no problems, there seems to be a lot of discussion on Jaguar forums that it should be changed regularly. On the one hand, I think if it ain’t broke then don't fix it, but on the other hand, changing the oil would be cheaper than replacing the gearbox. What do you think? I intend to keep the car long term. I have also been told it can cause wear to keep it in drive at traffic lights, that it is better to put it in neutral, and also it is better for the box to keep it in sports mode on short stop start journeys.

Asked on 12 June 2010 by SS, Oxton, Wirral

Answered by Honest John

Changing the ATF is a complicated dialysis process involving pumping the old fluid out and the new fluid in at precisely the right temperature and pressure. But even Mercedes is now advising this, having previously denied any need for ATF changes for the 'life' of the transmission. By 'life' they mean 7 - 8 years, of course, not the 12 years you have already had. Try www.fedfauto.co.uk Yes, better to put it in neutral if stopped for more than a few seconds. Running at slightly higher revs in Sport from a cold start will help the engine to get to operating temperature faster.

Tags: automatics technical issues owning

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