need to change my oil for the first time on my 2003 s60 turbo awd. do i use synthetic or non synthetic.
and what brands work the best. any input would help.

 

I personally believe this is a personal choice (synthetic v conventional). You can use either. The benefit of synthetic is that it wont break down at high heat quite like a conventional. But you pay a little extra for it. Is it worth it? There's where its preference. As long as you stick with the recommended weight and dont buy 'bottom shelf' fluid you're okay. Keeping to a regular change interval is far more important than whether its conventional or synthetic.

 

hard to argue with that statement about using either oil type.

With the turbo however, I think running Mobil 1 5/7000 miles beats changing every 3/5000 miles with a dino oil like Castrol GTX.

 

I suggest full synthetic. Also right now your probably running a synthetic blend. As that is what I was running when I got my 1999 s70 awd. Then I moved to full synthetic. I wont go back nor can you really go back to regular oil once you go to full synthetic.

 

There is absolutely no evidence that you can't move from synthetic to dino oil and back again at any time. Old wives tale, and the myth has been repeated over and over again. "my mechanic told me to ...."

From the "oil bible"

Mixing Mineral and Synthetic oils - the new hotness
That's the thing with progress - stuff becomes out-of-date. Fortunately for you, dear reader, the web is a great place to keep things up-to-date, so here's the current thinking on the subject of mixing mineral and synthetic oils. This information is based on the answer to a technical question posed on the Shell Oil website.
There is no scientific data to support the idea that mixing mineral and synthetic oils will damage your engine. When switching from a mineral oil to a synthetic, or vice versa, you will potentially leave a small amount of residual oil in the engine. That's perfectly okay because synthetic oil and mineral-based motor oil are, for the most part, compatible with each other. (The exception is pure synetics. Polyglycols don't mix with normal mineral oils.)
There is also no problem with switching back and forth between synthetic and mineral based oils. In fact, people who are "in the know" and who operate engines in areas where temperature fluctuations can be especially extreme, switch from mineral oil to synthetic oil for the colder months. They then switch back to mineral oil during the warmer months.
There was a time, years ago, when switching between synthetic oils and mineral oils was not recommended if you had used one product or the other for a long period of time. People experienced problems with seals leaking and high oil consumption but changes in additive chemistry and seal material have taken care of those issues. And that's an important caveat. New seal technology is great, but if you're still driving around in a car from the 80's with its original seals, then this argument becomes a bit of a moot point - your seals are still going to be subject to the old leakage problems no matter what newfangled additives the oil companies are putting in their products.

 

Very controversial! I am an advocate of synthetic...........either Mobil or Syntec. I use BMW 5/30 that is specially blended for BMW by Castrol. Truly not necessary............I'm just picky. I use synthetic in all of my autos since Mobil brought it out in the 70's. In fact, I use it in a 1965 Austin Healey after having used conventional oil for years. Synthetic has been proven not to "coke" in a turbo engine such as conventional oil will.

r.

 

Synthetic.
Brand is irrelevant … I use Amsoil for example.(I just think that amsoil is a good oil and I will try to keep it for 1 year or 12000)
Synthetic will have better parameters therefore more protection for your engine. You can go back … is it really needed?
Price of oils comparable … compare to engine replacement plus with good synthetic you can cut one oil change(if you are not street racer)
Go Synthetic!

 

Is it safe to switch to synthetic oil at 40K miles? I just bought this car and don't really know if the previous owner used regular or synthetic. What do you think?

Thank you.

 

Had you read three threads above you have your answer

 

2004 Volvos60 2.5T 60,000 mi = Castrol synth blend 5W30

 

I just bought a '06 AWD with 45K miles and the dealerserviced with dino oil and expects me back in 3K ... not a chance. I will convert to Mobil 1. Here's my question, can I push the mileage to 10K between oil changes? I know on the Audi you must use synthethic and cannot exceed 5K or major problems. Does the volve have any issues in this regard? Thanks.

 

ok,if you have turbocharged engine you must!!! use synthetic oil,because turbocharged engines work with higher temperatures,then non.and do it every 5000-6000 kmiles,if you plan to drive it for a while.switching to conventional from synthetic and backwards not gonna do anything harmful.but it's better to use synthetic oil in any car!and it's gonna be cheaper with time.it's like going to burger king and a fine cuisine restaraunt .you not gonna die from burgers....please,it's a VOLVO,not some toyota.be proud of your car and trit it the same way and it will serve for many miles!good luck!

 

Thanks apol...

I am a big believer in synthetic, I do have a turbo, and I am proud of my vehicle. That said, I just wasn't sure of the frequency of the oil change. I own a Sprinter and everyone runs the oil 10k+ ... even the manufacturer recommends oil changes at 10K and it has a turbo. Lots of people on the Sprinter forum send their oil in for analysis and keep uping the frequency since the oil is in such good shape. Has anyone sent their oil in for analysis on this forum? Come spring time I will change this oil out ... my neighbor has a late model volvo SUV that has twin turbos and has had to change both now with less than 80K miles. I wasn't sure what the failure mode was but it made me think about the oil.

 

The owner's manual states that synthetic is not needed if changes are done at the normal intervals of 7500mi, unless you are towing or operating in a harsh environment. So far Castrol GTX 5W-30 has been working fine for me, but I am considering a synthetic blend or one of those "high mileage" oils since 91k is just around the corner...

 

i don't know,what kind of manual you have,but in mine says to use synthetic oil,even in manual of my another car-audi a4 nonturbo they say to use only synthetic oil.every bmw uses only synthetic oil.i think volvo is from the same category of vehicles.and 75000 is just okey for synthetic oil.and about VOLVO SUV TWIN TURBO WITH ONLY 80K,SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY OPERATE TURBOCHARGED CARS.GIVE ME NEW CAR AND IN ONE DAY I CAN KILL TURBOS ON IT.IF SOMEBODY WANTS A LITTLE ADVICE ON TIS,CAN ASK ME ANY TIME.

 

True. Most poepleI see that drive turbo cars, never let them warm up properly, or let the engine run long enough after driving the car.
I am surprised most of their turbos haven't seized up already.

It would take you one day? Try a few secounds of not thinking and say good bye to the motor/turbo.

 

Please educate me why the turbo is not very robust? It makes sence to let the car properly warm up before whaling on it and who turbos up the road and then immediately turns into their driveway and shuts the car off? Other than these two modes, how could one quickly destroy their turbo ... not being a "wise guy" but want to learn and avoid this problem. thanks.

 

2005 S60 2.5T 35k

Castrol Syntec 5W30

[:@]

 

I have seen plenty of people turn their turbo cars off after turning into a parking lot or their homes.

I am no expert, and I am sure some could give a better explanation of what happens.

Turbosare very robust. They operate at very high speeds, but theyneed plenty of lubrication and they need to be taken care of. That is why you need to regularly change the oil, because if you didnt, it would be more likely to clog up inone of the oil lines to the turbo.If you turn the car off withoutletting the turbo cool down,you can end up in trouble.when the car is on, it pumps the oil through the lines to the turboto lubricate it, andto cool itdown. So, if you turn off the car after driving the turbo, it would get really, really hot, and metal expands when itis hot, so theblades would probably scrape theinside of the compressor housings.And since the car is off and not providing lubrication, it would cause the turbo to fail really quickly.

 

Per the owner's manual...

http://new.volvocars.com/ownersdocs/..._11a.htm#pg141