Help select the best oil for 2005 Volvo S60 R.

[Golfer1633]

Hey everyone, im new to the site, and have been really enjoying reading through the forums. I am looking for some guidance, and am sure a number of members can provide some good insight.

I just bought a 2005 Volvo S60 R, and am really loving the car. The car has 154,000 miles and runs very strong with no apparent leaks. Just did the timing belt, and the engine looked nice and dry.I am going to be doing my first oil change within the next couple days and need some advice on which oil to go with. The car has been serviced at the dealer every 7500 miles with Castrol GTX. I looked into the fill hole and can tell that the engine has some sludge. I dont know how much for certain. I also believe the engine is burning some oil, because after driving for a little bit, there is a slight burnt oil smell coming from the engine.

Cost is NOT a factor - What do you guys think would be the most ideal oil for me? And what OCI should I be doing. I am open to dino, semi synthetic, or full synthetic, and any brand. I am slightly fearful of full synthetic because of likely hood of leaks, but if you guys think its ideal, then let me know.

Thanks so much for your help.

 

[bdcardinal]

I used German Castrol or M1 0W40 the most in my R. I also used Pentosin 5W40 a couple times. Any of those will make the motor happy.

I changed my oil around 5k and almost always used a OE Volvo filter.

 

[dparm]

I'd be using a synthetic due to the turbo. The 'synthetics cause leaks' is a myth.

Volvo recommends a 5w30 or 0w40. Any name-brand synthetic 5w30 would work nicely. Pennzoil Ultra will get the nod from many people here for its outstanding cleaning abilities, which it sounds like you may need. It's also got the [strict] Honda HTO-06 approval, which means its well-suited for turbo motors. Mobil 1 5w30 also carries this spec. I'd run a 5-6,000 mile interval on either.

If you drive the car very hard, you could consider Mobil 1 0w40 (Volvo does say it's recommended for driving in extreme temperatures).

 

[Ayrton]

Congratulations on the Swedish car!

I'd recommend Mobil 1 0w40. It's truly one of the best in the category of European oils. You can get 5 quart jugs at Walmart for about $25.00 or find other sale prices if you don't want to buy it there. I don't recommend it for price, it just happens to often be a great price. I use it in three different cars.

Pennzoil Ultra Euro 5w40 is another popular choice as of late. You can get it at subscribe and save price on Amazon for about $37 right now for 6 quarts (remember to cancel if you did that).

Honestly, Mobil 1 0w40 is going to be right up there with anything you can buy, might even be the best, top Euro oils are hard to tell apart. It's easily available and good price, why not?

I think synthetics will be ok for you as with a turbo it's smart. Mobil 1 0w40 is also very rich in additives so you can clean out some of that gunk. I might do a 3000-5000 mile oil change interval to clean some of that out before going longer, if you ever want to go longer than 5000.

If it's not leaking now, it probably won't leak with synthetic. Synthetic can make a car that already has leaks get worse, but it should not cause leaks. It's possible the 0w40 Mobil 1 could slightly help with your oil consumption too but it depends on the cause of the consumption.

 

[Golfer1633]

Thanks for the write up Aryton. There is some good info to take to heart in there. I will look into synthetics more.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Golfer1633

Cost is NOT a factor


In that case, get you some Valvoline Synpower 5W-40 from NAPA at $9.00 a quart.

 

[Golfer1633]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: Golfer1633

Cost is NOT a factor


In that case, get you some Valvoline Synpower 5W-40 from NAPA at $9.00 a quart.

 

[dparm]

If cost truly is not a factor, you could consider something like Red Line 0w30. But I think the other oils suggested here will be sufficient.