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Checking the Oil - 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited January 2015 in Jaguar
imageChecking the Oil - 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe Long-Term Road Test

Santa Claus has given me what I wanted for the holidays: our 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe. (Or, more accurately, our vehicle manager Mike Schmidt said it would be okay to take the F-Type for Edmunds' holiday break. Still, lucky me!) But I figured it'd be a good idea to check the car's oil since I'd be away from the office for a while.

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    ebeaudoinebeaudoin Member Posts: 509
    Has this thing had its first oil change yet?
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    fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    What a total PIA. So instead of raising the hood with the engine cold (like it probably would be if you were checking the car out for the duration), pulling out a dipstick and reading it, and checking other fluids, you have to go through this song and dance? Drive it to get it hot, shut it down...and then remember to come back and check the level after 10 minutes has passed, but before it has gotten cold again - who is going to do that, just like that, to check oil? Can I check coolant, washer fluid and brake fluid the same way? No? So I'm still opening the hood to check fluids anyway - so this just adds a step to my routine...

    Why is stuff like this considered a convenience?
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    mrrytemrryte Member Posts: 28
    fordson1 said:

    Why is stuff like this considered a convenience?

    Cause there are some vehicle owners who simply lack the time (and basic car care knowledge) to pop the hood and check the fluids on their own. This "convenience" was made for them.
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    misterfusionmisterfusion Member Posts: 471
    But aren't you supposed to check the oil level when warm, regardless of whether you are using a dipstick? I'm just saying, the inconvenience of driving the car to heat up the oil will always be a factor if you're doing it right.
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    bromansbromans Member Posts: 17
    The first service isn't until 16,000 miles. -- Brent
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    steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited January 2015
    Depending on how often I buy gas, I generally check the level when I fill-up, or at least every other time. That means the oil is warm when I check it. The real hassle is that when you get cheap gas like I tend to, there's often no paper towel dispenser handy. So welding the hood shut and giving me a digitial readout would be fine with me. Even better, have the car email me when the fluids need attention.
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    allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    edited January 2015
    It has an electronic sensor to monitor oil level that is checked with the computer because there is no dipstick but no warning was given to indicate it was low. My Mom had a 1994 Oldsmobile with an old fashioned dipstick but it also had an oil level sensor that would turn on a "Low Oil" warning light if it needed a quart added. My Acura has a dipstick but will also display "Check Engine Oil Level" in the information center if the oil level gets to low since it also has a oil level sensor. And any mechanic will tell you that it is OK to check the oil when the engine is cold. The only time you get inaccurate measurements with the dipstick is checking as soon as you turn off the engine. So somebody tell me why this new convenience feature is better than the dipstick?
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    fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    misterfusion said:

    But aren't you supposed to check the oil level when warm, regardless of whether you are using a dipstick? I'm just saying, the inconvenience of driving the car to heat up the oil will always be a factor if you're doing it right.

    Warm or cold is not the issue - doesn't matter to get an accurate reading on a dipstick.

    It's the fact that if the car has just been driven, all of the oil is still up inside the oil galleries - it has not drained down into the crankcase again, so if you check it too soon after running the engine, you'll get a false low reading. That's why checking oil when you buy gas is a BAD idea. With a dipstick, you get around this by checking oil after it has been sitting for say 10 minutes minimum...but you could also do it after it's been sitting overnight, or for a week or a month.

    But if you have this stupid system that wants the oil hot to do its measuring, then you have to have it hot, but not so recently run that oil is still draining back down. So you have to hit this dumb sweet spot time-wise. Ridiculous.

    The regimen has always been that you check tires and fluids first thing before driving the car...oil is all down in the crankcase. All fluid reservoirs are marked with a hot and cold fill level except the brake master cylinder, which doesn't really get hot at the reservoir. Also you could check your tires then, because tire pressure is checked cold. You could do it all at once, in other words. Now with systems like this one, you can check all those other things with the car cold...and then you have to come back and make a separate effort to check the oil.
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    steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited January 2015
    Way too much hassle; when I head out to the garage, I want to get in and go. And I bet you do too. :p So "automatic" dipsticks and TPMS are the way to go.
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    s197gts197gt Member Posts: 486
    why can't i have a dipstick for when the car is cold AND an electric sensor for when i am stopped at a light and wonder, "hmm... wonder how my oil level is..."

    why are they mutually exclusive???????
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    desmoliciousdesmolicious Member Posts: 671
    "our vehicle manager Mike Schmidt .."

    Isn't it his job to check this stuff? Oil, coolant, tyre pressures etc ? Or is he just the holder of keys?/
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    fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    desmolicious said:

    "our vehicle manager Mike Schmidt .."

    Isn't it his job to check this stuff? Oil, coolant, tyre pressures etc ? Or is he just the holder of keys?/

    Brother, I have been wondering this since I started posting here five years ago.
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    desmoliciousdesmolicious Member Posts: 671
    fordson1 said:

    desmolicious said:

    "our vehicle manager Mike Schmidt .."

    Isn't it his job to check this stuff? Oil, coolant, tyre pressures etc ? Or is he just the holder of keys?/

    Brother, I have been wondering this since I started posting here five years ago.
    Yeah, it seems very difficult to take this site seriously when no-one (apart from Dan) checks anything, and then comments about handling/ride quality etc.
    I've even come across one of the editors holding up traffic on Venice Blvd in the Fiat 500 long term car a few years ago as she was talking on her cell phone!
    I have used this site to buy my Mazda via the contact the dealer directly link. Which was a great experience, and interestingly the price I paid was much less than Edmnds' TMV...
    Shout out to Galpin Mazda!

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