Greetings Oil Experts: I've always used Mobil 1 10-30W in my 2001 Volvo V70 2.4T since I bought it as a used car in 2004 with 60,000 miles. However, now that it has 115,500 miles on it and it's due for an oil/filter change, I recently noticed a Mobil 1 High Mileage version and found the below info on the Mobil 1 Website about it. My vehicle's engine exceeds the 75,000 miles Mobil states as "high mileage" but certainly hasn't been abused or mistreated as their Website states but I do like the extra lubicating additive mentioned which may help to reduce engine wear. Also, I read some postings on this forum about problems from oil additives causing the engine sludge to become loose and the Mobil 1 High Mileage indicates something about removing sludge......don't need to cause that problem! My question is should I switch to this Mobil 1 High Mileage or just keep using the regular Mobil 1 10-30W I've been using? Also, does anyone recommend using some type of special additive to help further reduce engine wear when using Mobil 1? Below is the quote about the High Mileage Mobil 1 from their Website: http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...ge_10W-30.aspx

Mobil 1 High Mileage is designed especially for engines where conventional oil has been used, and where these conditions have been experienced:
Severe Service
Extended Oil Drains
Poor Maintenance
Multiple Owners
For engines where heavy deposits and sludging exist, we recommend short initial oil change drain intervals of 3,000 miles as cleanup progresses.

Mobil 1 High Mileage 10W-30 is designed for higher mileage vehicles and provides the following benefits:
Extra anti-wear additive helps protect critical engine parts.
Reduces the sludge and deposits that conventional oils can leave behind.
Contains a special seal conditioner to help recondition seals and prevent leaks.
Higher viscosity formula helps reduce oil burn-off and leakage.
Meets API SL/CF
ILSAC GF-3 quality
For more information, see the Mobil 1 High Mileage 10W-30 Product Data Sheet and Material Safety Data Sheet.

 

What a can of worms we can open by asking oil questions.
My opinion: Changing oil frequently is more important than the brand of oil.
That said, I started using oils with a higher phosphorous content in my motorcycles a few years ago to combat valve cam wear and pitting as recommended by the BMW Airhead riders. (Presently ride a Kawasaki.) Ran Spectra and a couple other brands until Mobil-1 High mileage became available. I use it in the bike, Volvo, Honda, lawnmower and snowblower.
It is a bit overkill in the lawnmower, but I buy in cases and do not need several different oils in the garage.

Regards,
Dennis

 

Well, glad to see someone endorses the Mobil 1 High Mileage product.........I'm leaning towards using it on my next week's oil change on my V70. I just had to add almost a quart of Mobil 1 10-30W to my V70 after operating the vehicle about 4 months/3300 miles.....I don't recall having to add that much oil before. So, I'm thinking the Mobil 1 High Mileage's touted benefits will help reduce the oil consumption:
Extra anti-wear additive helps protect critical engine parts.
Reduces the sludge and deposits that conventional oils can leave behind.
Contains a special seal conditioner to help recondition seals and prevent leaks.
Higher viscosity formula helps reduce oil burn-off and leakage.

 

Not overkill in lawnmower engine, really. I assume your lawnmower is air cooled and tends to run on warm or hot days. Overheating is a quick destroyer of conventional oil. Synthetic has a much higher "cooking temperature" and therefore is particularly well-suited to air cooled lawnmower engines. Now if your application were a four-stroke snowblower, I might agree with the overkill assertion.....

I use synthetics in all four stroke air cooled engines (several m/c's, a Briggs & Stratton push mower from 1988 that still doesn't burn oil, and a Honda rider that's now 14 years old and doesn't burn oil). Cheap insurance.

Now that I'm in charge of maintenance of a T5, its going to go the synthetic route, too. Turbo = heat = cooked or coked bearing if lube not maintained effectively. Cheap insurance.

 

That is what I swear by. Ever since I had my VW Passat 1.8T I used Mobil-1 0W-40. Works like a charm. Had nothing but good experiences. Now It's a little pricey at $6 a quart, but well worth it... I also run the oil for 4000 instead of 3000 miles, and still almost clear at change. Also, I only use the factory filter for volvo.

 

Mobil 1 will last 7500 miles easy in most conditions. The high mileage version is good if you have oil consumption/leaks, but M1, IMHO, tends to burn easier than just about any other synthetic oil. You might want to consider Valvoline Synpower, Quaker State Synthetic, or Pennzoil Platinum- these 3 are also excellent.

 

Mcleantmw, Since you have always run a synthetic, I doubt you have enough sludge where a higher dispersion agent (in the high mileage) would free up so much sludge to block things and cause problems. Pop the oil cap and look at the valve train. I too have only used synthetics, and mine has a light brown look (currently at 96K miles). If yours looks dark, then you might have enough sludge build up it do an early oil change if you use the product. A different forum recommends the use of a diesel oil to clean things up, and to change early. Do this a few times and perhaps you'll get the clean look (if not there already).

BTW, check out Bob the oil guy. I chech that forum on occasion, and the Pennzoil Platium comes highly recommended from that group.

Jerry

 

I've seen a couple "horror stories" posted on one of the other Volvo discussion forums where a non-Volvo repair shop put some type of additive into a Volvo customer's vehicle to clean up the engine which caused the engine sludge to become dislodged and ruined the engine. Perhaps some expert on Volvo engines can verify this but apparently it's perfectly normal to accumulate some engine sludge on these engines which doesn't harm anything unless it's disturbed. I haven't asked that question yet to my new independent Volvo mechanic, a Swedish guy originally from Sweden and who worked on Volvos there, but he did recommend to me to change my vehicle's oil every 4,000 miles/four months even with Mobil 1. On my Mercedes, which uses Mobil 1 at the get-go from the Factory, Mercedes Benz recommends changing oil every 12,000 miles but I do it every 5000-6000 miles.....I also belong to a Merceds Benz Discussion Forum and there are big disagreements there about when to change oil.......some strong believers that you should just go with the MB's longer service interval v. the 5,000 mileage advocates like me. Some say the MB vehicle engine is designed to handle the higher mileage changes especially since most of their newer vehicles like mine hold 8 quarts of oil and use Mobil 1. But for my Volvos, I'm now going with my new mechanic's recommendation to change the Mobil 1 every 4000/four months schedule to minimize the length of exposure to the normal engine operating contaminants that build up in the oil.

 

mcleantmw,

I too have read the horror stories. When working with a "sludged" engine, the recommendation was to change the filter and oil around 1000 miles if going with the real high detergents, and then later extend until the engine is clean. I think the real need to know data is "How much sludge" do I have now, which was why I suggested removing the filler cap, and looking inside. This should give you some idea as to the present condition of the engine, and you then go from there!

I had Blackstone Labs do the extended oil test on my Volvo when i had around 85K miles with 7500 miles on the oil change. The report came back that the engine was in excellent shape, and my oil could easily go another 2000 miles if I wished to extend the interval. I intend to stick to the 7.5K mile interval until I hit 100K. I then plan to go to 5K intervals.

I do believe it needs to be a balance between protecting your investment in your car, and the environment. I wish there was a cheaper way to know about what was happening inside the engine, but using Blackstone at $30+ a check is a bit rich for me. I'll probably do another check at 125K.

Any chance we can get you to look inside the filler cap and report what it looks like? Mine has a light brown look at 96K on synthetic oil. If I look through the slots in the filler, it actually looks pretty clean. How about all the rest of you who are following this thread? Could you post the "look", miles on the vehicle, and the oil used (dino or syn)? With more members reporting perhaps we'll learn something. Here is a photo of mine to get this started. Hope it's big enough to see the details.

Jerry

 

Hi,

I used only Castrol GTX (5W-30 in winter / 10W-30 in summer) in my previous vehicle and currently the same for the Volvo. I read somewhere that Castrol GTX is not good for the engine due to added cleaning agent in the oil but I haven't experience any problem with previous car of 14 years. I just wonder should I switch to Mobil 1 High Mileage Oil instead. I normally change the oil at end of each month (average around 2200 Km) and oil filter every 2 oil change (2 months interval) - this probably a little too excessive but I figure the cost of oil is still much, much cheaper than engine repair.

Would Mobil 1 High Mileage Oil offer much advantage over what I currently doing since it is much more expensive than Castrol (I still have 20 of 4L jugs of Castrol got them for $9 CAN each on sale).

 

Checksix: I know that the oil cap on my 2001 V70 2.4T, with 116,000 miles, isn't as clean as your's.......looks excellent. In fact, when I had the oil/filter changed at my new mechanics shop (the guy from Sweden who worked on Volvos there, too) two weeks ago, he told me that my engine was a little dirtier than he prefers and recommended I change the Mobil 1 every 4000 miles/four months instead of the 5000-6000 I'd been doing. I asked him how he could tell the condition of my engine and he said he looked down into the oil filler hole......I'll check with him if he meant he looked past the hash marks on the oil filler or just the surface of the oil filler.......I'm taking my S60 to him next Monday and ask. Not sure the cap alone is as accurate to assess the engine condition.......a cap can be cleaned in solvent or may even be a replacement cap from the original one. Right after an oil change, the oil is usually nice and clear, too, and that's what could be on someone's cap. We bought our V70 from a private party in 2004 with 60,000 miles on it and he had used regular oil but not sure at what mileage interval. When I check my oil with the dip stick, the Mobil 1 is so nicely clean.......but when I check it after 3000 miles, it starts getting darker and darker which is normal I think.

Phil_V70: Changing your oil every month does seem a little overkill unless you run 3000 or more miles in a month. If you go the synthetic route, like Mobil 1, it's more expensive but has better lubricating properties than natural oil and conserves our natural resources........you can read my original post on this thread where I quote the Mobil 1 Website's description of the High Mileage version and the benefits make sense to me.........some folks use an engine additive on top of their Mobil 1 but the additives are already built into Mobil 1 High Mileage. If you switch to Mobil 1 and do oil and filter changes at 3000-4000 miles (3-4 months), even with the higher cost of the synthetic, you'd probably save money from the monthly oil changes you're doing now.

 

My 2001 S60 now has 101,500 miles on it... I bought it used in May 2007 at 96,000 miles... Since buying it I have had the oil changed every 3000 miles... No problems... but now I'm thinking of either using Mobil 1 or Mobil 1 High Mileage on it.... This thread hasn't been updated in a while, so does anyone have any late experience since switching to Mobil 1? Any advice is appreciated....

 

No change on my original postings...........obviously there are various opinions on this topic!