Ola from a newbie. Recently got out of 22 years of Honda/Acura ownwership and bought a 2002 Volvo S60 AWD from a friend. Gray with charcoal interior. 62k miles, was a certified used Volvo, or whatever they call it. Still has a warranty for another 9k miles or until February 2008.

Wondering about oil changes. I see the manufacturer's recommended interval is 7,500 miles. Seems like a long time to me, synthetic or not, when a turbo is involved. 4k miles since last oil change. What is the board consensus here, change it on my own now, have the dealer do it now, or wait 'til 67.5k as the manual dictates? Thanks.

Thanks all, for your input.

Am gonna have it done next week, rather than wait for the next suggested interval of 67.5k. Cheap insurance. Gonna let the dealer do it so as to have no issues re: voiding the warranty.

To each his own, but there is a fine line between cheap insurance and wasting money.

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Jonathan Knauer - 94 945Ti - fun!

I change synthetic motor oil every 10K miles in my 98V70 T5, but replace the filter every 5000 miles. If I've done a lot of city driving or the oil looks really dirty, then I'll change it sooner. I also drain the oil cooler everytime I change the oil, as it holds about a quart.
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1998 V70 T5 138Kmi; Previous car: 1985 SAAB 900T, 254kmi

I do Mobil 1 changes on my 945T every 7500 miles. The car has almost 200K. No ill effects. On a newer engine design like the S60 (assuming highway driving & no oil consumption) I'd try for at least 10K with Mobil 1.
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Jonathan Knauer - 94 945Ti - fun!

It depends on your driving habits. A lot of stop and go dictates more frequent changes, about 5K for synthetic.
The oil filter has a replacement element, so make sure you get some for your garage.

Klaus
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Please answer, we need to know if the advice is good or bad. The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are 2 turbos :)

If you like doing your own and it does not void the warranty, do it. I go only 3K miles between changes. Use only genuine Volvo filters or Mann filters, the folks who supply Volvo filters. You will have more comments inbound.

Enjoy the Volvo experience!

Dick

I was doing changes every 5000 miles like the manual recommends -- but I was doing it to extend the longevity of the engine and turbo, not to save on oil changes. Since I now do mostly around town driving, I switching to a 3,333 mile cycle. The oil looked dirty last time. FWIW, the car still uses no oil between changes, and the last Blackstone labs oil analysis looked amazing.

-BTC

'98 V70 T5 5-speed, 173k mi, heated velour cloth comfy chairs, factory HD suspension, Bilstein HD, front IPD stabilizer bar, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, XC grill, C70 jewel E-Codes, V-1, Lidatek, IPD stuff, JB Weld, Original Duck tape, zip-ties, two '06 Honda license plate nut impressions in back bumper (gift from daughter), Mobil-1 since new.

"The two largest English-speaking countries in the world are India (350 million out of 1 billion) and the United States (300 million). By 2025 the number of English–speaking Chinese is likely to exceed the number of native English speakers in the rest of the world."

I figure it is inexpensive insurance for engine and turbo. Also gives me chance to check for other problems when I am under the car. Generally the oil is dirty when changed. Still get combustion biproducts. Perhaps I am a little nuts, but wife still thinks I am ok after 40 years.

dick