My dealership that sold me a 2013 last week, - which I picked up today - uses Catrol 05w30

Is another brand superior re performance? Ie Mobil 1? etc etc? Or is catstrol perfectly fine for a 2013 Volvo S60 T5 5 Cylinder AWD?

 

I keep cars a long time, here's what I can I can remember ;
Had a 98 S70 - 300,000 miles used no oil and ran like a bat outta Hell.
Have a 05 S80, 105,000, no oil loss, runs great also.

Both never had anything but Castrol synth.

Had a 98 Infiniti we drove to 160,000, had Mobil 1 for 80,000 miles then my eldest drove it the next 80,000 on whatever the closest Quickee Lube put in it. Used no oil.

Wife had a 06 MDX, 115,000, used no oil, always had the Acura dealer do oil changes, who knows what they put in it.

The only common denominator- I changeed oil every 3,000 miles. I'm old school (Hell, I'm just plain old), I know modern schedules call for lots more mileage but what I do seems to work. I never put cheap filters on a car either (like Fram).Additive? Once in a while I might throgh some Marvel Mystery oil in. Let the Tahoe sit for almost 5 years so I did run 1/3 can of Seafoam and drain two times. That's it. Pretty much keep fresh, clean oil in your car and you can use anything.

Also have a 99 Tahoe- 170,000 miles on QuakerState dino oil. Has used 1 qt/3000 miles since brand new (those old Vortecs all did). Runs great though.

 

Awesome. Thanks!

 

I also still change my oil every 3k miles or so, even when my car is good for 5k. I like liquimoly products and I get my oil from FCP which comes with a lifetime warranty. So free oil changes for life of the car while you own it. Liquimoly additives are also good.

Not saying its the only good product out there, but I am very happy with it.

 

if you want to learn more, check out the bobistheoilguy.com forum. Lots of personal opinions from the posters but there's also some honest science.

Some generalizations 1) newer cars are designed to tighter tolerances and have better seals so synthetic oil is a must 2) Check your owners manual for factory recommended weight and oil specifications. The owners manual will list a standard duty and a "severe" conditions recommendation so you can choose what fits your interests. Volvo likes to recommend Castrol but most premium brands meet the factory specs. 3) changing oil every 3000 miles is not as important as it used to be. I did that with my 850 but my 2012 VW CC goes about 7500 and the oil is still clean when replaced (VW also recommends Castrol Edge ). 4) Not all filters are created equal! Shop and choose wisely. Personally I use OEM Mann filters (purchased in bulk). 5) Don't forget to service all the other fluids! Brake fluid, power steering, coolant, transmissions also should be on your maintenance schedule.