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15W30/15W40 okay for S/V70 Turbo?[850/1995] posted by Chie Tse on
Sunday, 22 March 1998, at 1:20 a.m.
Hi,
I recently asked two local Volvo dealerships in Northern California for
recommendation on engine oil for my V70 T5; one said they use Castrol
15W40, and the other Castrol 15W30. When I looked up my owner's manual
I found that neither was recommended by Volvo for normal driving; in
fact, the manual specifically advised against using 15W40 for normal
driving. I do mostly highway driving and hardly have the chance to
drive the V70 at over 90mph due to traffic.
The reason I kind of care about what the dealer uses is because I got
scheduled maintenance covered as a result of a Volvo promotion when I
bought my V70, and I intend to take full advantage of the free
maintenance, which means I would need to take the car back to the same
dealership where I bought the V70 - they regularly use 15W40.
Do you believe that the dealerships are using 15W40 or 15W30 as a result
of things they've learned from servicing cars, or they simply got a
better deal on the oil? What do you normally use in your 850 Turbo or
S/V70 T5?
Chie
98 V70 T5M
Re: 15W30/15W40 okay for S/V70 Turbo?[850/1995] posted by Paul Elliott on
Monday, 23 March 1998, at 9:34 a.m.
Here's another Dealer/oil problem: I own a '95 854T, with a good deal of IPD modifications. At 10,000 mi service, I decided I wanted to switch to synthetic oil for the duration. And, my dealer obliged...When I asked what type they had installed, they said they used Quaker State Synquest in a 5W-50 viscosity...Because I recognized this viscosity was outside the Volvo recomendation, I called Volvo NA cust srvc for some advice...He looked up oils, and found that no Quaker State Synquest was on their 'recommended' list, let alone 5W-50!
So, it seems that dealers use whatever they get a deal on...If 5W-50 is the only oil which they can get in a 50 gal drum, then that's what they'll buy!
Since then, I've been doing all my own routine maintenance. Frankly, I became quite disillusioned by this...All the hype about factory trained technicians, and Volvo schooling, and here they are using NON REcommended oils!!!
Re: 15W30/15W40 okay for S/V70 Turbo?[850/1995] posted by pat on
Monday, 23 March 1998, at 6:41 p.m.
So what oil did you finally choose? I live in Boston,MA and based on all the other posts here, I'm now completely confused. I know this question gets beat to death. I have a V70T5 and asked the dealer about using synthetic and he had no problem. They don't carry any in stock, so he'd basically walk across the road and get it or I can bring it myself. I would do it myself, but for now, I rather let them and this way it's easily on record that I did routine maintenance.
Also, I had one of those magentic plugs installed. Should I actually be able to 'feel' metal particles if something is wrong?
Seems like the most common questions are what oil and performance mods.
We should ask jarrod to create some type of 'FAQ' page where we can post this stuff once and for all.
thanks
pat
Re: 15W30/15W40 okay for S/V70 Turbo?[850/1995] posted by Paul Elliott on
Tuesday, 24 March 1998, at 8:53 a.m.
AFter alot of research, I decided on Mobil1, and I either use 0W-30 or 5W-30. I'm convinced of the value of synthetics, particularly in our 'hi pressure' Turbo Volvos. And the 2 brands which seem to have the best 'Additive' packages are Mobil1 and Amsoil, but the former is alot easier for me to find, and I usually get for $3.99 although I've seen folks getting it for $3.49. And, if Mobil1 werent available, I'd have no qualms about using Castrol Syntec, or Quaker State Synquest either.
During my last oil change, I installed a magnetic plug from IPD also, but I wont see the results til 4000 miles when I do my next change.
To find more about oil, do an Internet search with one of the good search engines on Oil or Motor oil or Synthetic Oil. You'll find more info than you'll know what to do with....I found one called Oil.FAQ, which gave me alot of beginning info...good luck.
Re: 15W30/15W40 okay for S/V70 Turbo?[850/1995] posted by Chie Tse on
Monday, 23 March 1998, at 8:28 p.m.
It is certainly less than comforting to know that individual dealers
are free to use whatever oil they want...Volvo is not a cheap car,
and you'd think Volvo would impose some common standard.
I suppose I could bring my own oil, as long as the dealer shop doesn't
switch to using their own oil just for the convenience factor, after
all they are (well, Volvo is) not getting paid for the service in my
case. :-)
BTW, one of the dealerships I asked (the one using 15W40) said it would
be OK to use synthetic oil, while the other place simply said they never
had any engine problems from using regular oil.
I am thinking that a 10W30 synthetic oil will be a good choice for me
in Northern California. I am going to call up Volvo and see which
brand they recommend (I think I read somewhere Mobil-1 is on the list?)
Re: 15W30/15W40 okay for S/V70 Turbo?[850/1995] posted by Greg Coffeng on
Tuesday, 24 March 1998, at 4:13 a.m.
I am in Northern California as well. I did my first change with Mobil I full synthetic 10W30. Synthetics generally have a wider range than regular oils, but I think it is important that the range of the synthetic at least INCLUDES the full range of the manufacturers recommended oil type. For instance, I would not worry too much about using a 5W-40 full sythetic, when the manufacturer recommends 10W-30. But ONLY with FULL synthetics. In general, if the synthetic is available in the manufacturers recommended range, that's probably the best bet (except for the additional cost).
Regular oils with larger ranges, like 10W40 or 15W40 simply do not stand up as well over longer periods of time. I can't explain the specifics, but the jist of it is like this. The "stuff" they put in the regular oils to extend the range can eventually break down. The more of this "stuff" they put in the oil, like with 10W40, the more impurities you can have running around your engines lubricant. However, synthetics achieve larger temperature ranges in a completely different manner. They are chemically engineered at the molecular level to be stable at both the extremes of their ranges.
I know this is explained much more eloquently somewhere. I will be sure to forward the link once I find it.
-Greg Coffeng
'98 V70 T5
Re: 15W30/15W40 okay for S/V70 Turbo?[850/1995] posted by Paul Elliott on
Tuesday, 24 March 1998, at 8:56 a.m.
After my dealer filled my up with 5W-50, I called Volvo too. They gave me a list of recommended oils, and different brands are listed for regular and synthetic...I think its just a matter of which ones they've gotten around to testing, rather than 'not approving' one. Anyway, for synthetics, I remember Amsoil, Mobil1, and I think Castrol as 3 'approved' brands.