Recent content by 240_Ed

My mother's Skoda Citigo, 40,000 miles Out: Petronas Syntium 3000E 5w40 In: Fuchs Titan GT1 Pro C3 5w30 Mann W712/95 filter does two OCIs on this lightly driven car.

'LL III' (Longlife 3) as printed on that bottle generally means it's a VW 504/507 rated oil. This is an excellent specification, including 3.5< HTHS, and will go happily in almost anything that requires a 5w30. It's an even harder spec to meet in 0w30, as I understand, since it has strict...

1l of oil and some screenwash. Neither of my Volvos use any oil, it's a habit from several turbocharged VWs that used to suddenly eat oil at high temperatures on long journeys. I used to carry ATF in my 240 before I had the gearbox overhauled. If I've repaired something involving fluid (e.g...

I have a generic el cheapo WiFi one that pairs up nicely with an app called FourStroke on my iPhone - much more reliably, in fact, than the Bluetooth one I used to use with an Android phone. Have used it to get data readouts and to read fault codes, then clear them once I had rectified the issue.

To the extent of my knowledge and where there's not a risk of either me or the other party being hurt I'm generally happy to help people if I see them in need - others have done the same for me and I am incredibly grateful for it.

Only engine I've ever had real trouble getting wires off was a Ford Zetec-E in a Focus. I too ended up just getting a new set and cutting the old boots, which may be your best plan of action here. At 55,000 miles if you're going to go to the trouble of taking them out I'd probably get some new...

Most cars I work on have the plug at the back of the sump, so they drain nicely on the ramps. The 240's is dead centre but I'm really not worried about the extra 100ml or whatever that I might leave in. Having the car parked with the tyres fully on nice solid ramps, handbrake on and the rear...

One or two of each of the Mann filters my Volvos take, so that I'm not caught short and I can just get on with the change when a nice day comes around. Same principle with keeping oil in stock.

I've always found TRW stuff very reliable. As FordBroncoVWJetta noted above, they are an OEM supplier. It's usually pretty good value too, probably since they do enough OEM business not to have to splurge on marketing for the aftermarket.

Vaico is a big automotive parts supplier in Europe - this is likely an oil that they buy in and rebottle to sell under their brand. It's likely to be OK, but nothing special. https://vaico.de/?lang=en

1992 Volvo 240, 155000 miles Out: Castrol GTX Ultraclean 10w40 In: Castrol Edge 5w30 LL, Mann W917 filter

2001 Volvo V70 2.4, 119000 miles Out: Shell Helix HX8 ECT 5w40 In: Eneos Premium Plus 10w30, Mann HU819X filter

I had a tiny stone rattling around in the vanes of a vented brake disc once, sounded absolutely horrific. I disassembled the whole brake assembly twice, and on the second attempt the thing just fell out of the disc. One of those days when you don't know whether to laugh because the terrible...

I use the Fuchs CHFIIS in my V70, no problems. No need to overthink it and start playing around with ATF substitutes - if Volvo wanted you to use ATF they'd have put it in the manual and be hawking it to you for the same price as CHFIIS in a Volvo branded bottle.

+1 for a VW 504 specification 5w30, that is a really tough spec. The best thing you could do, since you have a uniquely modified engine, is to try a good quality oil like that and have it analysed when you've used it, then seek advice based on the results.