0w20 oil for 2016 Volvo

[oil_film_movies]

As the post above of a Volvo Owner's Manual shows, Volvo says to use 0w20 in their 4-cylinder engines when "extreme conditions" exist. I assume they mean extreme cold, since higher viscosity 0w30 or 5w30 would maintain a thicker oil film for high heat conditions, not a 0w20.
This leaves the door open for a 2016 Volvo 2.0T owner to say "well, I don't have 'extreme conditions', not voiding the warranty, so I can use a 5w30 or 0w30".

 

[Dyusik]

Originally Posted By: NothingNew
Originally Posted By: Dyusik

I'd grab AFE M1 0W30 and be happy.


Why? The 0W-30 AFE doesn't meet the Volvo spec nor is it A5/B5. If you want to use Mobil 1 I'd suggest 5W-30 EP which is A1/B1 and A5/B5.

Or use 0W-20: Liqui Moly Special Tec V

Missed that, the site still suggests AFE for the 60. Either way, A5/B5 can not be too hard to find.

 

[tempnexus]

Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
skyactive, very cool you actually added a dipstick. Never heard of that one.

Ducati996 (the OP): See https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3978754/1 and in there bobbydavro has inside knowledge at Castrol.

It appears Volvo wants the HTHS viscosity to be greater than 2.75 which some 0w20's don't have.
I do think Mobil1 AFE 0w30 would be good though, since its got a little extra HTHS and KV100, but not much more (only 10% more is all), leaving some room for possible shearing and fuel dilution that might happen to an unkown extent. (Seal compatibility of M1 AFE 0w30 would be fine since they test dexos1 oils for a ton of different seals, those in SN plus extra ones for dexos1, and its a worldwide spec.)

Also, if you wanted to be absolutely sure you were keeping your warranty intact with THE right oil, there are several more expensive options.
Google either and/or:
1. Volvo Oil Change Kit 0W-20
and/or 2. RBS0-2AE 0w20 oil
and Amazon, eBay, euro parts websites, etc. have several different brands available.
NAPA autoparts can order LiquiMoly oil, one option.
Not super cheap like M1 walmart jugs, but OK.

Volvo probably runs an intelligent oil life monitor (OLM) algorithm like many engines these days.
It might not be exactly 10k miles. For short trip driving, I wouldn't go more than 6 months (any miles), but the OLM should alert you on the dash when to change it.
Nice thing about the no-dipstick situation is that it will tell you if your oil level is a tad low. Nice automatic feature really since it'll catch a small leak before it gets too low.
Just be sure not to overfill the sump. If you DIY, put in enough to get it to the lowest most level, and gradually add up to the full line over a month or two more after the oil change.

DIY oil changes should be easy on this Volvo. Look for a youtube video on your engine to be sure there aren't any weird-unusual steps to follow.

One DIY trick to nudge the viscosity up a little, adding some margin, is to put in the RBS0-2AE 0w20 oil, with one quart missing, and keep topping up with 0w40 of the same brand as your RBS0-2AE 0w20 oil you choose. That way your receipts would show Volvo you put in the right oil, but you added a small visc margin for hot weather, fuel dilution, VII shearing, and/or hard driving.



let me assure you that it's not intelligent....for one I drove from VA to AZ and back and the monitor just registered millage and months it did not take into account that 90% of my 5k miles were on a highway it just counted 5k miles. So yeah I know it's not intelligent but just a dumb number and month counter.

 

[tempnexus]

Originally Posted By: njohnson
Scotty Kilmer is not a fan of no dipsticks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGE6roEThig


Scotty Kilmer sold out a year ago and now is promoting whatever they pay him to promote which is too sad since it was a great channel.

 

[H_Tech]

Hi Ducati996,

Yes this is a very specific specific oil for your Volvo. As many have stated that the Volvo 2.0l turbo/supercharger takes a 0w20 (Volvo VCC RBS0-2AE). Many might think this is weird to see a 0w20 in a turbo/supercharged engine....however if it is factory approved oil. It is using additives and formulations that far out-way and outperform the popular 0w20 oils we are use to that sell here for under $10.00 a qt. Most oils sold for under $10.00 a qt are pretty basic products good for basic applications. My google/ebay/amazon search returned me with Ravenol EFS 0w20 with factory approvals. I use there oils in several of my vehicles and its great. They are very popular in Europe.

 

[seapea]

I have a 2015.5 Volvo XC60. Same engine as the op. I think 2015.5 might have been the first year for this engine. The manual reads the same as the one posted on the first page of this thread, although it's not clear to me what model year manual that came from. Basically 5w-30 A5/B5, or 0w-20 VCC RBS0-2AE for extreme driving conditions. The recommendation label affixed under the hood says 5w-30 A5/B5. However, yesterday in the mail, after owning this car for more than 5 years, I get a letter from Volvo stressing the importance of using the right motor oil, and stating that the 4 cylinder should use the 0w-20 for all driving conditions. It also included a new label to affix under the hood. Given that the OP says the recommended oil for his 2016 is 0w20, I wonder if this is what has been the correct recommendation for my 2015.5 all along, but they didn't get the manual or label updated in the 2015.5 model year, and Volvo finally clued in. Or is this being motivated by government pressure for better mileage?

BTW, the past 6 months I've noticed a very mild pining or knocking for the first 2-3 minutes of driving after a cold start. Note sure if this is oil related or not. I live in California. Most "cold" starts during this time have been in the 45-55F range. Hardly "extreme" enough to warrant 0w, but maybe it would help in this situation.

 

[kschachn]

I have a 2015.5 Volvo XC60. Same engine as the op. I think 2015.5 might have been the first year for this engine. The manual reads the same as the one posted on the first page of this thread, although it's not clear to me what model year manual that came from. Basically 5w-30 A5/B5, or 0w-20 VCC RBS0-2AE for extreme driving conditions. The recommendation label affixed under the hood says 5w-30 A5/B5. However, yesterday in the mail, after owning this car for more than 5 years, I get a letter from Volvo stressing the importance of using the right motor oil, and stating that the 4 cylinder should use the 0w-20 for all driving conditions. It also included a new label to affix under the hood. Given that the OP says the recommended oil for his 2016 is 0w20, I wonder if this is what has been the correct recommendation for my 2015.5 all along, but they didn't get the manual or label updated in the 2015.5 model year, and Volvo finally clued in. Or is this being motivated by government pressure for better mileage?

BTW, the past 6 months I've noticed a very mild pining or knocking for the first 2-3 minutes of driving after a cold start. Note sure if this is oil related or not. I live in California. Most "cold" starts during this time have been in the 45-55F range. Hardly "extreme" enough to warrant 0w, but maybe it would help in this situation.

What question are you asking exactly?

 

[seapea]

> What question are you asking exactly?

1. Why is Volvo telling me more than 5 years after buying my car to use 0w-20 instead of 5w-30?
2. Could 0w-20 possibly solve the mild pinging/knocking I hear for the first few minutes after a cold start?

 

[seapea]

I need to make one correction to my post. Apparently I do not have the exact same engine as the OP. My is only 240hp, not 302hp. Looks like I have what is called the T11 or T12 (they have the same specs so I'm not sure which) and the OP has the T9 or T10. The engine size specs look very much the same. I think his has a supercharger and mine does not, thus the HP difference.

 

[kschachn]

> What question are you asking exactly?

1. Why is Volvo telling me more than 5 years after buying my car to use 0w-20 instead of 5w-30?
2. Could 0w-20 possibly solve the mild pinging/knocking I hear for the first few minutes after a cold start?

Because manufacturers get additional CAFE credits for back-specifying thinner grades of oil.

And no. Unless your bearings are significantly worn most startup noise is due to the oil filter.

 

[seapea]

Because manufacturers get additional CAFE credits for back-specifying thinner grades of oil.

Hmm. So is this of any benefit to me? Is this one of those "better mileage" vs "longer engine life" tradeoffs?

 

[K20FA5]

I’ve been running the 0W-20 VCC RBS0-2AE spec oil in ours. The manual and the sticker under the hood call for a 5W-30 A5/B5. Over on the Volvo forums, the techs are saying that the oil was moved back to the VCC RBS0-2AE spec is due to oil burning on these engines. They also say that the piston/oil burning issue was fixed after MY 2016. Our 2017 doesn’t burn any, even with hard driving on the 0W-20. I do change it every 5,000 miles though. That ends up being about 6 months for us.

 

[seapea]

I’ve been running the 0W-20 VCC RBS0-2AE spec oil in ours. The manual and the sticker under the hood call for a 5W-30 A5/B5. Over on the Volvo forums, the techs are saying that the oil was moved back to the VCC RBS0-2AE spec is due to oil burning on these engines. They also say that the piston/oil burning issue was fixed after MY 2016. Our 2017 doesn’t burn any, even with hard driving on the 0W-20. I do change it every 5,000 miles though. That ends up being about 6 months for us.

The last two oil changes for us have been at 9,000 miles. The previous one I noticed just before I brought it in that the digital dipstick was at the "min" level. For this most recent oil change, I has had previously checked at around 7,500 miles, and it wasn't showing any reading. I was quite surprised it went below "min" without any warnings going off. It took 1qt to bring it up to full. In any case, I'm not sure if this is considered "burning oil" or just normal consumption. It seems most threads I read were the OP is concerned about burning oil, it's going through 1qt in less than 2000 miles.

Anyway, I brought the car in yesterday for the oil change and some other maintenance. I asked the service advisor about the change and she was aware of it. It took place about a year ago she said. I had spoken to a different service advisor on the phone the day before and he was completely suprised by the change and asked me to bring in the letter from Volvo. Glad I got a more knowledgeable advisor when I brought the car in. They ended up going with 0W-20. Hopefully I don't need to do any top offs this time around, because this oil is very hard to come by. Even the Volvo dealer doesn't sell it.

 

[Dyusik]

Originally Posted By: Dyusik

I'd grab AFE M1 0W30 and be happy.


Why? The 0W-30 AFE doesn't meet the Volvo spec nor is it A5/B5. If you want to use Mobil 1 I'd suggest 5W-30 EP which is A1/B1 and A5/B5.

Or use 0W-20: Liqui Moly Special Tec V

My mistake, I was thinking of the vanilla m1. Besides, scratch my comment altogether, I don't think they have the same stuff and/or certifications as before.