V70XC Oil Change Interval

[abscate]

Lets see if we can add that

"Synthetic sex change intervals"

Yep, sounds controversial...

[m96ag]

"Synthetic sex change intervals"
Yep, sounds controversial...

That's signature line material right there.

[polskamafia mjl]

To each his own but 3000 to 5000 miles or 3 to 5 months is a very safe regimen. An ex gf of mine had a new, at the time, BMW 128. I was always on her to get her oil changed. So finally one day she gave in and we went to the BMW dealer and asked for an oil change. The service guy was flabbergasted and said that she only needs to get the oil changed every 15K miles! The car was under warranty so she couldn't do much. I had no interest in working on it myself; the 128's don't even have a dip stick to check the oil level.

[MilehighV70XC]

For your driving, I would do it every 4-5k miles. In my opinion the reason for the 3000mi changes was for older cars. Cars now a days the tolerance and clearances are so much tighter, there is much less blow-by and the oil stays much cleaner longer. With the quality of oil and tight engine tolerances, changing oil everything 3000mi in my opinion is wasting oil and money. I check my oil all the time and after 5000mi it still looks and feels like new. I change every 5-6k just for peace of mind. Even then it still looks clean. The important part in the long interval changes I think is changing the filter every 3000mi. That is how I do it.

[m96ag]

Never thought of that. How much oil do you lose when you change just the filter?

[instarx]

What evidence is there that says running 10,000 mi. is okay? I am planning to do a used oil analysis though. If the results indicate that it's safe to extend to drain interval past 3,000mi. I 'll do so.

That's the best approach. Find out what an acceptable interval is for your oil and driving regimen, and then use that interval. You only have to do it once.

I think a lot of people change their oil every 3,000 miles as a hobby. That's fine except 247 million cars (in 2005) having the oil changed too soon wastes a lot of resources. (247 million cars x 5 qts = 1.25 BILLION quarts of oil wasted)!

I don't want to offend anyone, but changing oil every 3,000 miles seems closer to rubbing chicken bones together in the light of the full moon than a thoughtful approach for engine lubrication. Engines, oils, and even fuel have advanced a lot since 1950 when 3,000 miles was probably close to what was needed.

[xHeart]

Find out what an acceptable interval is for your oil and driving regimen, and then use that interval. You only have to do it once.

A frequent DIY oil change is indeed a therapy, and a good time to look over the aging car.

I have 2001 V70XC with 141k-mi which runs with Penzzoil standard 5w30. I have shortened from a 6-month interval to every 4-month due to our urban living. The last change in April was the 3rd since.

The last weekly check on dipstick showed coffee colored flakes, just few. Flossing, is it?
The engine sounds quieter, idling smoother, and the attached garage still odors, but not as sharp.

[jblackburn]

I don't want to offend anyone, but changing oil every 3,000 miles seems closer to rubbing chicken bones together in the light of the full moon than a thoughtful approach for engine lubrication. Engines, oils, and even fuel have advanced a lot since 1950 when 3,000 miles was probably close to what was needed.

I agree...HOWEVER, for his driving, where the oil is never given a chance to warm up, a time-frame of 3000 miles/6 months would be more appropriate. After that, the oil contains a lot of condensation and loses its lubricating properties , and we've all see what that "milkshake" looks like on the dipstick. That ain't good to be running through an engine.

Otherwise, with a good synthetic oil, I went with 5-6000 on the Volvo (200-400 miles of pretty hard driving a week) and will do 6500-8000 on my new cars. Those intervals have been determined for me based off UOA's.

[mikealder]

Another option is to fit an extended oil life filtration system (EOLS) to the engine, not difficult to fit and can extend normal oil changes out beyond the 5K figure as it boils off water content and cleans the oil down to 1 Micron which is way better than the stock Volvo cartridge filter see Here for one such system.
The idea being you simply change the EOLS filter every 5K but leave the oil for 12 months also worth considering for the autobox cooler lines where the 1 Micron is great although moisture removal from a closed loop system isn't as important (don't connect the heater element as it's not required for the autobox loop) - Mike

[m96ag]

On that note, would a magnetic drain plug be worthwhile?