Recomend oil for Volvo S40

[zerocover]

hi,
I've been doing some reading and some searching so now im just posting up my question to make sure I've come to the right conclusion.

I've got a 2007 volvo s40. The recommended OCI is 7,500 miles and the recommended brand is castrol. I know the dealer pumps in castrol GTX and expects it to last the entire 7,500 (I dont buy it). You can also get the semi synth or the syntech which I believe to be the German one for an amazingly expensive oil change.

Im thinking of just running the US spec syntec, and changing ever 5,000 miles.

Heres the twist. I also have a 2000 mazda protege I plan on running both cars on 5w-30. (its in both manuals, recommended for the volvo optional for the mazda) The mazda takes 3 quarts to fill and the volvo 6 qts so it works out to me buying 2 jugs. I know some Japanese cars (the mazda was actually made in japan) have problems with castrol. Now I know the mazda runs fine on mobile 1 some vale train tick but its not an issue for me. I know that mobil 1 isn't ideal for euro cars.

So basicly its mobil 1 vs castrol syntec. Where the volvo flat out recommends the castrol. 5000 miles OCI for both high performance large capacity v6 oil filter on the mazda volvo oil filter on the volvo. Both cars are driven fairly hard with a good deal of short (sometimes very short) trips.

Opinions?

 

[tsmay51]

I would just do 5k mile changes with castrol, pennzoil, quaker state or any name brand conventional and be done with the worrying. Unless synthetic is recommended on the cars anyway and it doesn't sound like thats the case. It's cheap enough and good insurance.

 

[Dr_No]

You will be fine with M1 nomatter what some will tell you.

 

[Merkava_4]

Quote:

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Now I know the mazda runs fine on mobile 1 some vale train tick but its not an issue for me.

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In that case, the Mobil 1 5W-30 will be perfect for you.

 

[Lonnie]

"some Japanese cars (the mazda was actually made in japan) have problems with castrol"

Do you have some examples?

 

[The Critic]

I see no reason why GTX or the correct SM conventional oil cannot last 7500 miles or six months, as recommended by Volvo. It's very unlikely that you'll notice a benefit from the synthetic oil, aside from peace of mind. The cost of synthetic oil greatly outweighs the benefit.

 

[artificialist]

I have never heard that before.

During the 1970s, dad used Castrol exclusively in his Toyotas, as it was the first oil to brag about being tested in compact cars.

 

[Volvohead]

Which S40 model? The T5 and the base engines are very different lubrication environments. That determines everything about your oil selection.

The Castrol recommendation is merely crossmarketing; there is nothing inherently better about using one particular brand in any Volvo.

Welcome. BTW, it's MOBIL 1.

 

[02zx9r]

Welcome Aboard!

I would say like the others, A good SM dino will certainly get you 5K easily. If need be, once a week get on the highway and set the cruise at 65 or 70mph and go 15 miles one way, turn around and 15 miles back. Should burn off any moisture and neutralize any acid build up.

On my girlfriends acura rsx type s, if I am not mistaking the oci according to the manual is 10K. I am pretty sure the dealer (she got it used 2006 24K on car) put dino in it.

If need be, penzoil patinum has shown great results here lately. But what one person gets for numbers may be differsnt than what you get. Just have to experiment and see what works best for your cars/

 

[02zx9r]

Castrol syntec at 7500 mile oci's would probably work well too.

Mobil 1 at 7500 mile oci's would probably work well too.

Valvoline synpower at 7500 mile oci's etc, etc,,,,,

 

[Pablo]

Just drop Amsoil XLF 5W-30 in and you'll be all set.

Or you could step it up a notch with:

Amsoil ASL 5W-30

Or two notches with: Amsoil SSO 0W-30

 

[Jethro]

If you don't have a turbo, you don't need the synthetic. Volvo wouldn't say dino oil was okay if it was going to ruin the engine.

 

[Pablo]

Quote:

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Volvo wouldn't say dino oil was okay if it was going to ruin the engine.

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Just as MB, SAAB, VW, Toyota, Dodge said.......

 

[Kestas]

I own a 2002 Volvo S40 with the 1.9L turbo B4204T engine. The owners manual specifies regular 5W-30 oil changed every 7500 miles. I don't buy that either. Though the sump holds 5.7 qts, I think this specified regimen of oil maintenance is too tough on the oil and engine.

Because it's a turbo, I use synthetic 5W-30 or 5W-40 (whatever is on sale, usually Shell Rotella T). Since I change the oil myself, I change it every 6K.

 

[Jethro]

Quote:

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I own a 2002 Volvo S40 with the 1.9L turbo B4204T engine. The owners manual specifies regular 5W-30 oil changed every 7500 miles. I don't buy that either. Though the sump holds 5.7 qts, I think this specified regimen of oil maintenance is too tough on the oil and engine.

Because it's a turbo, I use synthetic 5W-30 or 5W-40 (whatever is on sale, usually Shell Rotella T). Since I change the oil myself, I change it every 6K.

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I have the 01 model of the same car. The manual says that Volvo DOES recommend 10w30 synthetic oil for the turbocharged engine when driving in extreme temperatures (hot or cold) or while driving on hilly roads. I just wanted to point this out because you made it sound like it wasn't mentioned at all in the manual.

I use 10w30 synthetic.

 

[Lonnie]

If you keep your S40 for the average 3 years (or less) and trade it in you are Volvo's target customer and making service complicated is not what that customer wants to deal with. If you are that customer then conventional oil will work for you but may be a problem for the person that gets your used car. If you do a lot of stop and go driving with short trips you might want synthetic oil. If you keep the car for more than three years synthetic oil is a useful option. If you can avoid a turbo rebuild and extend the time that you don't have to open up the engine you will benefit from the investment in synthetic oil as long as you step up the other maintenance as well. You should consider coolant, trans fluid and brake fluid exchanges on a stepped up schedule and consider doing some of the maintenance yourself, the things that are practical for you to take on. There is one other argument that might apply here. If you are a BITOG member and can not sleep at nigh knowing you should have synthetic oil in your vehicle then that alone is reason enough. If you admit you are one of us then the arguments against synthetic oil will carry little meaning when you are not going to listen anyhow. I am as much in that group as anyone and I also do as much maintenance as I can and drive 'em till they drop. There are some good engine oils on the market and now all you have to do is pick one. One way would be to PM one of our Amsoil guys for a suggestion. Another is to look for PP on sale, or try the new guy on the block, RLI for a different kind of lubrication solution. I used Red Line for almost 20 years and have recently switched to RLI's BioSyn. A friend of mine is waiting impatiently for Amsoil's new 0w-30 oil. Another is chasing PP with coupons and sometimes pays less that two bucks a quart. You're doing the right thing, getting involved and figuring out what to do. What you lean might be useful now and for any car you buy in the future. Knowing something about cars can save you a lot of grief. There are lots of shops and dealers that will take you for a ride on your credit card.

 

[Volvohead]

Volvo fails to recommend many things that perhaps they should. They have generally been far more lax than the Germans in their lubrication requirements. That doesn't make it right, as any Volvo owner just out of warranty with a sludge problem will tell you.

The recommended 7.5k warranty OCI is a "me-too" marketing decision applied to all models. But Volvo's engines do not have 12 qt sumps and their turbos are not necessarily easy on oil. In combination with their less than precise oil requirements, the warranty interval is not always a prudent guide.

Anyway, the turbo plant in the '07 S40 T5 is slightly detuned, so that any good full synthetic 5w-30 will be fine at a 5k oci, or higher with confirming UOA. In the NA model, you can run a conventional for 5k or perhaps 7.5k with a confirming UOA. A full synthetic should easily go 7.5k in the NA. I would caution against a conventional at 7.5k in the T5 without a UOA or two to be sure. A full synthetic should also put up with excessive short trips a little better than a conventional will.

The '07 runs a white block, so the recommendations and comparisons to the 1.9 I4 used in the earlier gen S40s are not necessarily applicable.

 

[The Critic]

Quote:

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If you keep your S40 for the average 3 years (or less) and trade it in you are Volvo's target customer and making service complicated is not what that customer wants to deal with. If you are that customer then conventional oil will work for you but may be a problem for the person that gets your used car. If you do a lot of stop and go driving with short trips you might want synthetic oil. If you keep the car for more than three years synthetic oil is a useful option. If you can avoid a turbo rebuild and extend the time that you don't have to open up the engine you will benefit from the investment in synthetic oil as long as you step up the other maintenance as well. You should consider coolant, trans fluid and brake fluid exchanges on a stepped up schedule and consider doing some of the maintenance yourself, the things that are practical for you to take on. There is one other argument that might apply here. If you are a BITOG member and can not sleep at nigh knowing you should have synthetic oil in your vehicle then that alone is reason enough. If you admit you are one of us then the arguments against synthetic oil will carry little meaning when you are not going to listen anyhow. I am as much in that group as anyone and I also do as much maintenance as I can and drive 'em till they drop. There are some good engine oils on the market and now all you have to do is pick one. One way would be to PM one of our Amsoil guys for a suggestion. Another is to look for PP on sale, or try the new guy on the block, RLI for a different kind of lubrication solution. I used Red Line for almost 20 years and have recently switched to RLI's BioSyn. A friend of mine is waiting impatiently for Amsoil's new 0w-30 oil. Another is chasing PP with coupons and sometimes pays less that two bucks a quart. You're doing the right thing, getting involved and figuring out what to do. What you lean might be useful now and for any car you buy in the future. Knowing something about cars can save you a lot of grief. There are lots of shops and dealers that will take you for a ride on your credit card.

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I have a few friends who have turbocharged Volvos running 10w-30 Chevron from the local dealership at 7500 mile intervals. They all have over 100k miles on the clock without any engine or turbo-related problems.

 

[Lonnie]

Chevron is a very good underrated oil. The trick it to avoid a turbo replacement until the engine needs other internal work. I have an 850 Turbo, a 96 wagon with about 180k and have hopes for a lot more miles before a rebuild and want the turbo to make the trip too. An engine with 100k miles is now broken in (lol).