Hi All,

I need some advice with regard to engine oil.

I have a 2010 Volvo S40 T5, the manufacturer recommends 5W30. I would like to know if I can change this to 5W40, fully synthetic Castrol?

Any advice would be highly appreciated. I don't drive the car hard, would just like it to be maintained properly.

thanks,
Bash

 

Yes you can change over but should have an understanding of what and why. The oil weight numbers refer to the relative viscosity at a given temperature. The top number refers to the warm engine viscosity and the bottom refers to viscosity when cold. The Volvo owners manual provides a table that recommends oil weight to your typical driving temperature range. 5W30 is "recommended" as its the best compromise between protection and fuel economy for most driving conditions but if you live in Arizona or Dallas etc where you see 100+ temps, 5W40 is recommended -- similarly if you are winter driving in Minnesota, 0W30 is recommended. Synthetic oils like Castrol cost 2X but have the benefit of being more slippery (economy) and doesn't break down as quickly (lasts longer) and for cars with set ups like VVT with small oil ports, synthetics can keep the parts cleaner, longer. My two cents is treat your car to synthetic, use OEM (ie Mann) filters not after markets, and match the oil weight to the local conditions as noted in the owners manual.

 

Hi, thanks,

Actually live in Durban South Africa, it does get quite hot here, and I've used 5W40 before, but its winter now, and I'm driving the car up to a colder environment.

 

sorry I didn't notice your location! Considering you rarely see below 0C, 5W40 should be a good choice and a high quality synthetic is a step up. On my 2012 VW CC 2.0T, the factory recommends Castrol EDGE Syntec 5-40 year round as a point of comparison.