Jaguar XF - Rear diff noise/leaking pinion seal replaced 2018 | Technical matters | Back Room Forum

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Fri 11 Mar 2022 16:30

Jaguar XF - Rear diff noise/leaking pinion seal replaced 2018 - hatman

My 2015 X250 XF 3.0D S had an advisory for a rear differential fluid leak on its first MoT in 2018 at 15,000 miles. A new seal was fitted by the Jaguar dealer in 2018 and I assumed the problem was fully resolved. However, I took the car in for a Jaguar dealer service today at 40,000 miles and was told there is a noise coming from the differential and that rear diff pinion seal is moist. The noise is very slight and I can only hear it from the passenger seat, it just sounds like the air conditioning fan is on at a very low setting speed. The car still drives 100% fine.

I've read lots of horror stories online about XF rear diffs failing and it costing a fortune to replace them. Can someone recommend the best course of action to take?

I've found a transmission/differential specialist not too far away and I was thinking they should be able change the diff oil and put a new seal on. However, if the diff is already making a noise is it already damaged to an extent that a diff oil change won't improve things?

Also, I've heard that changing the diff oil and seal involves rebalancing the diff and this is a tricky job and that the diff won't be as smooth afterwards. Am I best to take it to a transmission/diff specialist rather than the Jaguar main dealer? I can't imagine the Jaguar dealer has that much experience of changing diffs unlike the specialists that work on transmissions and diffs every day and the Jaguar dealer wants £132 just to look at the problem again!

Am I best to get the diff oil and seal changed at a specialist and hope that the noise is resolved by this. Which is the best type of diff oil to use and am I correct in saying 0.85 litres should be used?

In the very worst case scenario, if the diff fails in the future, I have seen a few second hand diffs on eBay for around £250 - how much would it cost to get a used diff fitted and is it possible to fit a used diff without losing the smoothness of power delivery associated with the XF? I've read online that it can cost several thousand pounds to replace the diff but as I say there are always quite a few used diffs on eBay and I can't imagine that the labour would be thousands of pounds at an independent garage.

Ideally, I'd like to keep this car for many years to come - aside from this diff issue, everything is 100% fine with it but I am worried that this rear diff issue will be a persistent pain.

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Fri 11 Mar 2022 16:34

Jaguar XF - Rear diff noise/leaking pinion seal replaced 2018 - Brit_in_Germany

There was a recent law case reported in Bailii where the supplier was suing a sub-contractor because the moulding was not within spec. This would indicate that there was a known product fault which has not been properly rectified.

www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/TCC/2021/1751.html

Edited by Brit_in_Germany on 11/03/2022 at 16:45

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Sat 12 Mar 2022 07:28

Jaguar XF - Rear diff noise/leaking pinion seal replaced 2018 - _

There was a recent law case reported in Bailii where the supplier was suing a sub-contractor because the moulding was not within spec. This would indicate that there was a known product fault which has not been properly rectified.

www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/TCC/2021/1751.html

Known fault, get rid of..

The issues with those powertrain rear axles go back a lot further than the case states.

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Sun 13 Mar 2022 10:18

Jaguar XF - Rear diff noise/leaking pinion seal replaced 2018 - Paulsxf

My 3.0D X250 had the same issue at around the same time. At that time the dealers were replacing the whole diff unit and not just the seal. I assume this was with a recon unit. I was convinced the new diff was not as quiet as the old one. I would think yours was replaced as well.

I would get a gearbox specialist to look at it and overhaul if needed.

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Sun 13 Mar 2022 12:12

Jaguar XF - Rear diff noise/leaking pinion seal replaced 2018 - Rerepo

Ideally, I'd like to keep this car for many years to come

Oops...JLR products are not for the long haul. Get rid and buy a Lexus, Toyota, Honda...

My son used to work as a development engineer at JLR, Gaydon. He told that if one of the engineers was driving a JLR product then you could be sure they were getting it on the company. If paying for their own motoring they'd be driving something like a Honda or Toyota. He drives a Toyota and a Subaru.

Edited by Rerepo on 13/03/2022 at 12:14

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