2017 Owners Retrospective - What were your Volvo milestones in 2017?

[matthew1]

Did you hit another 100k miles increment?

New Volvo in the family?

100% uptime? Etc? Let’s hear what 2017 meant for your Volvo(s)!

[E Showell]

100% uptime, ha. Matt, you're in Colorado, right? That's explains it. . . .

[June]

My 2004 S80 T6 "Baby" hit 150K. Also I stopped using Castrol synthetic and now am using Redline synthetic. That might not sound like much of a change, but the difference is amazing! Other than that it's just another enjoyable year of ownership. June

[MadeInJapan]

Bought a fixer-upper Volvo for cheap and did just that and sold it. First and last time for that- but still a milestone and good experience. My family with 4 Volvo’s is enough to keep me busy beyond all my other hobbies! Bedides buying, fixing up and selling Volvo’s doesn’t net you much $.

[Teddy1975]

After a two months long period of having my '96 850 N/A at the garage waiting for a replacement engine, I finally got it back.
The "new" engine has only done 123K miles, perfect condition, with the rest of the car having done 185K miles. And as a bonus it came with a PS pump that doesn't whirr (yet).

2018 will be when I'll disconnect the groaning SAS air pump and replace the now leaking and quite noisy exhaust. Yes, there's always something to do, but the to-do list is finally getting shorter. Maybe I'll even have a chance of doing some bodywork on it and mending the tear in the driver's seat too

[E Showell]

June, What empirical differences do you note between Castrol and Redline synthetics?

[June]

June, What empirical differences do you note between Castrol and Redline synthetics?

My engine was quiet to begin with, but now the upper ares (camshafts) are silent now. With the hood open and a/c off the only sound is the fuel injectors clicking. With the hood closed it has always been a quiet engine. Every one of these 5 or 6 cylinder engines have always had noisy upper engine area with the hood open. 5w30 is what I am using which is the same weight as Dealer Castrol. I have been running the Redline 5w30 for 6K now.

Also according to the computer my mpg which normally ranges from 19.5 to 20.5 mpg now runs 20.5 to 23.5 mpg. So definitely a mileage slight increase. Also the engine runs noticeably smoother which I always thought was perfectly smooth until I drove away after the first oil change. My father asked if I had it tuned up the first time he rode in the car after the change. He now uses Redline in his car though I drive him mostly. The difference is simply amazing and if someone said what I just did I wouldn't believe it.

Redline is a group 5 100% synthetic oil, whereas the Castrol is a group 3 oil made from crude oil. Had I known all these years I paid all that extra money for synthetic, and I was not getting what I paid for. I now am getting what I pay for and I owe it all to MVS. I read about group 3, 4, and 5 oils as a result of many threads on here. June

[E Showell]

Cost of Redline?

[June]

Cost of Redline?

I buy mine on Amazon for $120.00 per case of 12 quarts. My engine holds 7.25 quarts so I bought two cases to cover 3 oil changes. My husband has a Prime membership so free shipping which puts the cost at $10.00 per quart. I carry it into Volvo and have them change it so my car is using genuine Volvo filter.

My advisor says she has a customer who carries in Amsoil. Unfortunately 14 years of using a petroleum based product has left varnish and possibly sludge in my engine even though I have changed it every 3K. I may as well have been using the GTX and saved a ton of money. By the way I asked what the cost of a brand new engine from Volvo would be if this one dies and it is a shocking $12,000.00!

Yes it cost more than buying 5 quart jugs at Wall Mart of whatever group 3 "full synthetic" oil you may currently use. Unless you are using European group 4 oils or Amsoil also a group 4 which is 100% synthetic as well and also will be higher priced. June

[PS78]

I can relate. I ran my other car on Castrol Syntec for over a decade and ended up with varnish throughout the valve train.
I can vouch for Redline. They produce some excellent products, especially their manual transmission fluids.