I've always run Castrol in my Jags.
I know nothing of the synthetic motor oils.
Years ago, I heard bad things about "switching" to synthetics.
Perhaps these are urban myths? Anyone have any experience with this ??? Thanks, Rj
Definitely urban myth, go to this website and reach your own conclusions.
LeepinCat,
I agree with Double Tap that what you have heard are definitely urban myths -- synthetic oil is a legitimate option.
However, I haven't been using synthetic oil in my 2001 VDP, opting instead for quality petroleum based oil and changes every 3000 miles. I discussed the issue with my indy mechanic when I purchased the car, and he says he recommends whatever is called for by the vehicle manufacturer which, in the case of Jaguar, is premium standard motor oil.
As you have probably found, there are tons of web pages devoted to discussion of the pros and cons. Here is another that provides those as well as background on synthetic oil and its development.
All I know is that on my last Jaguar service, a synthetic oil change cost me well over £100! Did I complain? You bet I did!
My 2002 XJ8 also uses synthetic (8L of it, IIRC), but I was quite surprised to see it is cheaper from my local main dealer than from Halfords...
Matt
"LeepinCat" skrev i en meddelelse news: snipped-for-privacy@e16g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
As far as I know, a synthetic oil is better, more stable and more homogen than a 'natural' oil. And it is more expensive to produce, therefore the higher price. I do not believe in the urban myths about be incompatible with mineral oil. I use a 5W-40 on my XJ40 3.2 (AJ6-motor) from 1992, no problems what so ever for the first 45.000 km I have done. My Citroën 2CV from 1975 is running on this oil as well, and this little high-revving, aircooled motor does crave a good oil.
Leo
I found this wonderful piece of humorous writing somewhere on the Internet. Written by someone called Luca-4.
----------------
Beware of synthetic oil, it can do terrible things to you and your beloved motorcycle. It will not only leak out of your engine faster than you can put it in, but it will also cause your oil filter to clog and implode, dumping debris and dirt into your lubrication system. It also will make every part of your bike permanently slippery because of its linear molecular chain dispersion action. Then it will leak onto your kickstand causing it to retract automatically, dropping your bike on the ground!
But that's not all...
Synthetic oil will round off your gears and spin your bearings. It will also splatter onto your seat causing your girlfriend to fall off in the apex of a turn and she'll never ride with you again. Synthetic oil coats your sight window and your timing window with a whitish pro-emulsification additive that is both non- removable and highly corrosive. Synthetic oil will completely leak onto the ground overnight and your dog will drink it and die.
Synthetic oil will wear out your tires and make your battery leak. It will give you the desperate need to urinate after you put your full leathers on and then jam your zippers shut. It will contaminate your gasoline causing your bike to stall on railroad tracks and accelerate uncontrollably near police cars. It will make it rain during rallies and on weekends.
It will lubricate your timing belts causing them to jump teeth and break your valves to bits. Synthetic oil chemically weakens desmodromic valves and causes the clearances to change every six miles. Then it melts the black soles of your riding boots right before you walk across your new carpeting.
While riding past groups of attractive women it will cause both of your handlebar grips to slip off at the same time so you smash your windscreen with the bridge of your nose. It also causes your swingarm to crack, your studs to break, and your rotors to warp, and then it voids your warranty by changing your odometer reading to 55,555. It also dries out your wetclutch and wets your dryclutch. It makes your clutch slave cylinder seal fail in the heaviest traffic on the hottest day of the year while putting an angry wasp in your helmet for good measure.
Synthetic oil hides your 13mm socket and puts superglue on your earplugs. Synthetic oil will scratch your faceshield and make your gloves shrink two sizes right before trackday. Synthetic oil stole your neutral and sold it to the Chinese for $1.25. Synthetic oil will make you grow a tail. Synthetic oil will write long crazy e-mails to your Internet friends and then sign your name at the bottom!
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.