We bought a 2011 xc60 a couple of years ago. Our guy that does the oil change has been doing the blended synthetic, he told us it was not necessary to do full synthetic. Now our new mechanic is telling us we will have a longer running engine by doing full synthetic.
The dealer told me 2011-2012 a bulletin went out to start using full synthetic on 2011 models. I've read you can ruin your engine by going to full synthetic from the blended synthetic.
Who do we trust?

 

whoa, time to tune into myth busters. First point about choice of oil - your best guide is the owners manual which details the correct weight to use for your driving conditions. That's 5W-30 for most climates with other recommendations for very cold or hot. Engine oil must meet the minimum ILSAC specification GF-4, API SL, or ACEA A1/B1 - which most premium oils meet, but have a look on the jug to be sure. Next is the factory has a recommended change interval - since your car was shipped with standard oil, you are fine with any oil type as long as you adhere to the change interval. Synthetic is always an option, and Volvo notes that, particularly for extreme driving conditions (pulling trailers, mountains, extreme ranges of temperature).

Changing oil types - that myth started with older engines which typically have high mileage hardened seals which may weep with synthetic vs dino. This is not typical of newer cars (to me, a newer car is something after 2000) which were manufactured to tighter tolerances, used better materials in seals and are well, newer with less wear and tear. Since you already are using a blend, you are half way there. If you have say 100K or more miles, you can consider going to a "high mileage" synthetic, which has seal softeners. Keep in mind, synthetic is still motor oil, its just that it was manufactured from natural gas vs crude oil, so it doesn't have the sulfer and other impurities which can cause the oil to break down. The only downside I see to synthetic is the cost - and even that has come down to $5 a quart (at least at Walmart) for premium brands.

Finally, Volvo TSBs (technical service bulletins) can be found on line - this one seems to be what you are referring to -
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...75704-2280.pdf this is for the 2012 S60s with the engine code = 62 (check your VIN to find the engine code - is the 6/7 digits).

Note, I personally use synthetic oil in my son's 2000 S40 and in my VW CC. My wife's Toyota gets dino (and that has 200K+ miles and never needs an add between its 5K changes). Hope this helps you decide.

 

Thank you, so much, I think we are going to go with the full synthetic. He drives a lot and is planning a trip from the west coast to the east coast. the mileage is over 100,000