We recently got my daughter a 2008 Volvo C30 T5. She is needing an oil change and jiffy Lube said it’s a euro blend oil that is required but everywhere I’ve read said it’s should be a full synthetic or semi synthetic oil that should be used. Can someone please help me figure out what type to use? Thanks!

 

It does not require synthetic. See your owner's manual.

 

euro blend? havent heard that one. it is better to use full syn since it is a better overall oil, however in higher mileage motors that used dino oil for its entire life, you can see oil consumption increase or gaskets start to leak.

 

Switching to synthetic will not cause leaks. It also won't increase oil consumption if you use the correct viscosity.

 

the reasoning behind synthetic causing leaks after years of dino oil, is it cleans the carbon deposits that once clogged such openings in gaskets. thats why you tend to notice more valve covers leaks after running syn then before. have yet to have a vehicle to not increase oil residue in the engine compartment after going to syn. lets also face, most my vehicles i have owned and abused, had 180k-312k miles when purchased, and 15+ years old. so it was a risk i was willing to take for better performance.

 

my suggestions are to 1) follow the recommendations in the owners manual, which does note oil weights by local climate with the option to go synthetic where there's harsh conditions (ie towing, mountain driving, extreme temp ranges etc). 2) given the car is 12 years old, consider using a high mileage oil which contains seal softeners. These can be found in dino, blend and full synthetic 3) check the oil specifications recommended in the owners manual. Generally premium brand name oils meet all specs for these cars but its easy enough to look. Bobistheoilguy.com is a good blog resource if you're curious about myth-busting on engine oils. Euro-blend? lol, in fact Volvo "recommends" premium oils and names Castrol in their lit :-)

 

Hi Jodi,

We've owned our 2008 Volvo C30 T5 (130K now) going on 2 years. My folks purchased this 6 speed manual to make sure my kids learn to use a clutch. It has defaulted to one of the boys and most recently we've started to put on some aftermarket performance parts.

Pertaining to the motor oil we are using LiquiMoly & Additive from FCP for the first time in the C30. The engine is uber quiet while having more power but it is on the expensive side. Time will tell if we'll keep using it exclusively for the C30.
5W40 Leichtlauf High Tech Engine Oil
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/5w-...ro-moly-lm3864
MoS2 Anti-Friction Engine Treatment
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/mos...ui-moly-lm2009

In the mid 90's Mobile 1 caused headgasket leaks in 4 cars I worked on (my Acura and Toyota, mom's Mercedes, friend's Mitsubishi). This was in a span of about 10 years so I didn't connect the dots. Recently tried Mobile again when Costco had a sale and the cars don't like it when you need to do some quick passing. I believe our Volvos are not prone to headgasket oil leaks but usually from overheating so switching to synthetic should not be a problem. As for European blend all that means is EU has their own set of guidelines and ratings but many oils are compatible especially going back 2008.

One thing and many may not agree here is that I've used Premium in all my cars, vans and trucks over the years and never had a problem with the Catalytic Convertor. There are many articles out there which says that changing from Dino to Synth will create blowby initially meaning motor oil consumption into the exhaust stream, which is another debate. Either way using premium will improve mileage and make for a cleaner, peppier running car. Better for everything including the spark plugs. The cost in the long run is a wash in terms maintenance. Have had many friends come to me with Catalytic Converter issues and by switching early the codes have reset themselves.

In the last twenty years or more I have not sent a car to a shop for repairs and probably have owned and worked on more variety of cars than my fingers and toes combined so I've done a few oil changes. I still do my own alignments.

Since the late 70's when I started to work on cars (for fun) I've tried most of motor oils and to make a long story short this is what I would recommend for yours and my Volvo at this time. Lastly, whatever you do find a local shop rather than the quick lube places. It will take some work to find a good one, cost a little more but it's well worth it in the long run. Change your oil every 5K miles if you go with a synthetic or every six months which ever is first.

I discover this when I accidentally purchased it due to being half price and was thinking it was DINO. Been using this for 7 years.
Shell Rotella T6 Full Synthetic 5W-40 Diesel Engine Oil

Most recently Costco's 0W-30 in our 03Odyssey and 19Atlas. Runs super quiet and only $25 for two 5Quart Jugs. They are giving it away! Will see if it's a keeper after more miles. Same people who co-packs Amazon and Walmart
Kirkland Signature 5W-30 Full Synthetic
https://www.costco.com/kirkland-sign...100527865.html

This is Volvo's Official Motor Oil - About to go into the 03S80T6. This might be the oil going forward due to the Viscosity Range 0W-40 and price.
Castrol 03101 EDGE 0W-40 A3/B4 Advanced Full Synthetic Motor Oil

Lastly, since Rotella has worked so well I may use this instead of Costco's even though it's double the price. This and Costco both have the latest rating for the 19Atlas.
Shell Rotella Gas Truck Full Synthetic 5W-30 Motor Oil

If you live where the summers are hot and humid go with a 0W-40 or 5W-40 otherwise the 0W-30 should be fine. All the oils should exceed Volvo's rating back in 2008 for the C30.

 

Volvo's owner manual refers to the oil standards recommended for the car. Most premium brands (Castrol, Mobil, Shell, Quaker, Pennzoil etc) show the specs on their web site and containers and from what I've seen all the synthetics meet those standards. Also, check out bobistheoilguy.com for a blog with tons of late night reading on the topic. As to shopping, Walmart carries a good selection at a good price, I'm sure Sam's and Costco have a few brands that meet the required specs and weight as well. Also pay attention to the choice of filters as not all after market filters have the same permissivity of OEM. I buy Mann filters (OEM) in bulk from FCP (but they are also 20 miles from here so I get next day delivery). Even if you go synthetic you want to change oil by mileage or calendar (if you don't drive a ton of miles).