2006 V70R head gasket leak -- weighing options

[E Showell]

Got the rocket sled back from local mechanic this week after engine swap. It had a few teething problems after initial completion of the work that were promptly addressed. Running smooth as silk. I zeroed out the average MPG this morning before leaving for work -- they had idled it a bit at the mechanic post engine swap which dragged the mileage down. 33.7 MPG average on 91 octane fuel, mixed City/Highway with a 70/30 bias toward highway and driving for mileage, not fun. I also switched to Red Line 5W30 full synthetic oil. Pretty happy with that mileage given the performance potential of the car and the weight, AWD and auto trans aspects of things as well.

So on the evening commute home (not the identical route to the morning commute mind you) with fewer trucks/busses to draft and higher average speeds, the average MPG is at a more reasonable 30.6. Still not bad.