Gearbox service

The six-speed ZF automatic gearbox fitted to our XF has been fitted to a number of Jaguars and non-Jaguars, and there are a few differences across the range. For instance, earlier ’boxes had a removable filter inside the sump pan, whereas later ones have a combined sump pan and filter. What this means for servicing is less hassle because the pan and filter can be quickly swapped, unlike earlier ones where the pan was retained.

We did, however, discover a more awkward job on our XF when compared to earlier ZF autoboxes, especially when it comes to refilling. There’s so little space around the filler plug that the gearbox needs to be lowered to be able to extract the plug and fully tighten it at the end of the job. Undoing the mounting bolts for the gearbox crossmember is all it takes to lower the gearbox, but this needs to be tightened back up before refilling the gearbox, then slackened again to fit and tighten the filler plug.

Tell-tale signs

We suspect someone has worked