How to Save Money on Volvo Maintenance
Volvo Oil Change
A Deadly Recipe For A Volvo Heart Attack
Feb 22nd
A friend of mine and a co-worker suffered a heart attack yesterday.
He was on his lunch break when he experienced a sharp pain in his chest. He had his right index finger pointing at the center of his ribcage, like when you have a really bad heartburn, and he was sweating profusely.
I was like, dude, you need to go to the hospital, don’t just sit there. So, John rushed him to the nearest hospital, Sibley in Bethesda.
About twenty minutes later he called me, he had suffered a heart attack and they were rushing him to Suburban Hospital. He asked me to call his wife and to have her meet him at Suburban Hospital. But not to tell her that he just had a heart attack, that just might frighten the poor lady to death as she had just had a surgical procedure herself, a few days before.
He also gave me his dad’s cell phone number. He sounded calm, but this scared me to death because it sounded like he wanted me to contact his family in case he did not make it.
In humans, clogged up arteries result in a heart attack as a result of eating foods high in cholesterol. But In your Volvo, a clogged up “breather box” also known as an oil separator in the PCV System — Positive Crankcase Ventilation – will result in a major oil leak from the engine seals.
This happens because there is a dangerously high build up of crank case pressure in the PCV system due to the clogged artery — breather box — because blow-by gases cannot be expelled. The high pressure will result in an oil leak when oil seals are blown out.
The breather box gets clogged up by sludge – thick oil that looks like a gel due to contamination — oil does not wear out, it only gets contaminated with residue from wear and tear in the engine. When additives or detergent cleaners in oil wear out, oil can no longer suspend particles, such as pieces of metal and dirt. Most often, this happens when you don’t change your oil on a regular basis. Volvo’s are especially susceptible to sludged up breather boxes. This will cost you about $800 to rectify.
Typically, cars that go for long periods of time between oil changes have sludge problems. The solution was full synthetic oils, but not so fast.
The recommended oil change interval for most Volvo’s is every 7500 miles or one year, whichever comes first. But the new 2013 Volvo’s call for 10,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first. The caveat here is that, full synthetic motor oil is recommended for Volvo’s with extended oil drains. In our case , we use Castrol Edge.
Factors that contribute to oil sludge formation:
Now, according to Mike Mavrigian, editor of the Auto Service Professional magazine, ” Nobody is pointing a gun at the consumer’s forehead, forcing them to change their oil at any specific mileage or time frame. If the vehicle owner wants to follow a longer schedule, that’s their decision.”
Mike further states that, “all engines don’t necessarily operate as designed or as intended. Clearances can vary. Tolerances are not always adhered to in mass production. Fuel injectors can leak and engine management systems can experience glitches resulting in overly rich fuel mixtures. A myriad of variables can result in oil contamination.”
The only way to reduce the risk of sludged up breather box or reduce the chances of contaminated oil due to engine wear is to pay extra and have an in-between or intermediate oil change. By this, I mean that if your 2013 Volvo calls for Volvo Scheduled Service and oil change every 10,000 miles, why not get a basic oil change at 5,000 miles. For a full synthetic basic oil change, it would cost you $69.99 plus tax at our Volvo Service Center. You can spend this money up-front as opposed to facing premature wear and tear on your new engine down the road.
My friend who suffered the heart attack is okay, he is admitted to Suburban Hospital for further test because they discovery a clogged up artery in his leg. He had angioplasty and had a stent inserted to hold up the arterial wall. I hope he will have a full recovery because he is still relatively young for a heart attack, at only 40 years old.
Volvo 2013 Model’s Now Require Full Synthetic Oil
Jul 26th
What’s new for 2013 Volvo’s XC90, XC60, C70, C30, S80, S60 And XC70
This call’s for a celebration. Break out the champagne guys.
2013 marks a NEW milestone because the service interval has now increase to 10,000 miles/16,000 km for new 2013 Models. This means that the service will now include Full Synthetic Castrol 5W 30 Oil.
According to Volvocars.com, the maintenance program covers the first five scheduled services at no charge on model year 2013 vehicles.
The service schedule is:
- First year or 10,000 miles, whichever comes first
- Second year of vehicle or 20,000 miles
- Third year of vehicle or 30,000 miles
- Fourth year of vehicle or 40,000 miles
- Fifth year of vehicle or 50,000 miles
Wear and Tear items included under The 5 Year Safe + Secure Coverage Plan include:
- Brake pads
- Brake Rotors
- Wiper Blades (inserts)
Conditions that you, as a customer must meet for Coverage:
Customers should not exceed (+/-) 1,500 miles for each service interval. For example, the first service is at 10,000 miles; hence, the earliest you can get the service is at 8,500 miles and the latest you can come in is at 11,500 miles. Failure to meet this guide-line may adversly afffect your warranty coverage for future related component failure. In other words, kiss your warranty good-bye.
Volvo recommends you bring your Volvo in for service at least once per year even if the current mileage falls below 8,500 miles in between services. Your Volvo is eligible as long as it’s serviced within 2 months of the annivesary date (month of purchase).
Volvo Oil Leak – How To Get A Very Expensive Oil Leak
Feb 9th
Blown out oil seals
This happens when the PCV System gets clogged up. The “check engine light” will be illuminated because the engine can’t breathe. Finally, pressure will build up in the crankcase and blow out your oil seals, the result is an expensive oil leak.
This sad oil sludge story begins with a poor history of oil changes and ends with blown out oil cam seals. For this leaky story don’t expect to see oil stains on your drive way, but rather bluish smoke — burning oil – coming out the exhaust and from the oil cap or oil-dip stick area. As oil seals age, they harden and start to crack. Blow by fumes build up pressure in the crankcase and blow out the old cracked cam seals. The result is an oil leak problem.
The tell tale sign of a clogged PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) system is a whistling sound coming from the engine. Some customers describe it as whining sound, like a belt in the engine. But this is not the case. A clogged up PCV system is an expensive affair.
The whistling sound is caused by built up pressure — from blow-by combustion fumes — pushing up and looking for an outlet, somewhere around the oil cap and oil dip-stick area. If you do a balloon test, place a balloon on the oil dip hole, you will notice that it will start to inflate with gases. This test confirms that the PCV system is clogged up with soot or oil sludge. The check engine light will also be triggered because the engine will combust a lean mixture (fuel:air ratio) at idle.
What does the PCV System do?
The PCV system lets the combustion blow-by gases escape from the crankcase through a valve.
Picture the piston moving down in the engine cylinder during the intake. The throttle, which is a valve that regulates or restricts the amount of air at atmospheric pressure entering the cylinder at a pre-determined fuel:ratio creates what is known as manifold vacuum. Manifold Vacuumis when the pressure in the intake drops below normal atmospheric pressure (low or negative pressure). The job of the piston rings is to prevent the combustion gases during intake from escaping the tight seal formed between the cylinder wall and the piston. But the reality is that some combustion gases do get past the old piston rings. These combustion gases or fumes are referred to as combustion blow-by. So, the PCV System helps the blow-by escape through the PCV valve and the manifold vacuum speeds up the process.
Volvo’s have a Breather Box
The Breather-Box or oil vapor separator is a box that captures the vapor/fumes and recycles the vapor back into the intake manifold, the excess oil drains down into the oil pan. Late model Volvo’s don’t have a PCV valve, just an outlet with a screen leading to the breather box. The Breather Box is attached to tubes, one which drains into the oil pan and another tube leading back to the intake manifold.
The PCV system was created in 1968 when only a valve served the purpose of expelling these blow-by emission back into the atmosphere, leading to pollution. This emissions device is not only more effective in getting rid of fumes, but it’s also crucial to keeping your motor oil clean.
Poor Maintenance leads to clogged up PCV System
Sludge will plug up the PCV system and do some serious damage to your engine. Sludge — gel like oil residue — forms when you go too long between oil changes or when you completely ignore oil changes. Just yesterday, a customer called to set up an appointment for service. When I checked his car’s service history on Reynolds, I was shocked to see that he last had an oil change for his Volvo in 2010.
Conclusion
Changing your engine oil frequently will prevent the PCV system from plugging up, The PCV System w ill thus remain clear for the life of the engine. However, since the PCV Valve works continuously, it will eventually fail over time. The Volvo Maintenance schedules will ensure that the PCV System is clean and working properly, as it should.
Volvo 5 Year Safe And Secure Program – Free Volvo Factory Scheduled Maintenance Program
Oct 28th
Did you just purchase a new Volvo? please make sure you know when to bring your Volvo in order to qualify for free factory service.
Volvo recommends to bring in your new Volvo for service every 7500 Miles or One year, whichever comes first.
In some cases the service reminder light may come on prematurely. On one occasion an angry customer called to complain that she had just purchased a new Volvo and within a week the service reminder light had come on. Why?
Like most of our customers, you probably dislike to see the service reminder light, notifying you, that it’s time for regular service. But it’s for good reason because we no longer use stickers on the windshield. You can simply have the service reminder light reset if it comes on prematurely.
With Volvo’s, the way it works is that when we receive a new Volvo from the factory we have to prep it for the potential retail buyer. We call this the pre-delivery inspection or PDI. This process involves waking up the car’s computers and in some cases adding extra features such as Park Assist, DVD Entertainment System etc.
So, when our accessories technician does the PDI, he also resets the service reminder light.
Now, if the PDI is done and the car sits on the sales lot for 11 months without moving an inch, the service reminder light will come on, automatically. This is not always the case but it does happen.
The service reminder light is activated either by time, every 11 months or by mileage, every 7500 miles.
By Time:
Most Volvo owners in the Washington DC Area do not drive much, so it makes sense to come in for service just once a year. Please do not go past one year or Volvo will not pay for the service.
Under the Safe and Secure Program, Volvo will pay for service for the first five years or 50,000 miles (2012 models) – you get Free Service and only pay for tire rotation. Volvo does not recommended tire rotation, I don’t know why. Personally, I rotate my tires so that they can wear evenly, and thus last longer as recommended by tire manufacturers. Volvo believes otherwise, but most of our customers request for tire rotation. Get your tires rotated at every service interval or every 7500 miles.
Tire mileage warranties – vehicle owners are required to prove that the tires were properly inflated, rotated and aligned.Please note that if the worn appearance indicates that tires weren’t properly maintained, the tire manufacturer will not be obligated to honor the tread life/mileage warranty.
By Mileage:
If you are a high mileage driver then it makes sense to come in for service every 7500 miles. Volvo gives you an allowance of plus or minus 1500 miles. So, if you come in for service with less than 6000 miles on your car and ask for the free Volvo scheduled maintenance service or over 9000 miles , guess who is paying for it. Yes, you.
Free Factory Scheduled Maintenance – Safe and Secure Coverage plan ( 5 year/ 50,000 miles for 2012 models and 5 year /60,000 miles for 2011 models)
- 5 year warranty/ 50,000 miles
- 5 year wear and tear/ 50,000 miles
- 5 year scheduled maintenance/ 50,000 miles
- 5 year road side assistance/ unlimited miles of road side assistance
- The maintenance program covers the first eight scheduled services at no charge on model year 2011 vehicles. The service schedule is 7,500, 15,000, 22,500, 30,000, 37,500, 45,000, 52,500 and 60,000 miles.
- The maintenance program covers the first six scheduled services at no charge on model year 2012 vehicles. The service schedule is 7,500, 15,000, 22,500, 30,000, 37,500 and 45,000 miles.
- Tire warranties are covered by the tire manufacturers, and not by Volvo. Tire tread life and mileage warranty only applies to the original owner and the original vehicle. according to most states’ laws, tires become legally worn out when they reach 2/32″ of remaining tread depth (identified when the tread blocks/ribs wear down to the bars molded across their tread pattern), all tire manufacturer tread life/mileage warranties that specify pro-rated replacement will only be consider when all four tires reach that point.
DANGER! Low Oil Pressure Is The Enemy Of Your Car
Jun 2nd
Low oil pressure is the enemy of your car.
Pull off the road safely and come to a complete dead stop if the oil warning lamp illuminates.
Low oil pressure will damage your vehicle’s engine. So, You must not take the oil pressure warning lamp lightly.
The oil warning lamp does not come on until the oil pressure is dangerously low. And this warning light let’s you know that the lubrication system cannot maintain adequate oil pressure.
Causes of low oil pressure
- A faulty oil pump.
- Clogged up oil strainer.
- Excessive wear on high mileage engines.
- Low oil volume.
- Burning oil due to worn out piston rings or valve seals.
Oil pressure system
The oil pressure system consists of:
- The oil pan
- Oil Pump
- Pressure relief valve
- Oil filter
- Dip stick
The oil pump’s job is to produce oil flow; and the resistance to oil flow is known as oil pressure. Oil pressure or resistance is created by oil being pumped through tiny oil holes in the engine block, this is similar to water pipes feeding water under pressure to your house. The Large pipes (mains) feed into smaller pipes, small pipes feed into yet smaller pipes leading to a build up in water pressure.
Oil feeds through the oil pump and on to the oil filter, the filter further screens out all the little particles that got through the strainer.
Full oil pressure is used to force oil through the main gallery, lubricating: the crankshaft main bearings, connecting rod bearings, camshaft, and hydraulic valve lifters.
Worn out bearings will increase the gap between the crankshaft and the bearings, allowing for more oil to pass through, the result is lower oil pressure. 1/1000 of an inch, worn off an engines main bearings will lead to a 20% loss in oil pressure.
Alternatively, if the clearance is too small, then oil can get stressed out from being forced into a tightly restricted space.
The flow of oil reduces as it continues to flow further and further away. But oil pressure is maintained as oil flows through smaller passages: oil holes, and oil jets.
Oil pan
The oil pan is a shallow holding tank at the bottom of the engine block. The oil pan also helps the oil cool down by discharging excess heat into the surrounding air.
Oil Pump
The oil pump draws the oil upwards from the oil pan, through the strainer, and into the oil filter.
As the oil flows through the strainer, debris: tiny pieces of plastics, rubber, gaskets, metal shaving and dirt are screened out.
A clogged up strainer can lead to low oil pressure because the flow of oil will be impeded.
The oil pump is mounted on the cylinder block and is driven by either the crankshaft or camshaft by use of a gear, belt, or a drive shaft.
Pressure relief valve
The pressure relief valve limits oil pressure from building up too high in the oil pump. The pressure valve opens at a preset limit and sends some of the oil straight back into the oil pan to be recirculated. Excessive oil pressure damages seals and gaskets and the result is an oil leak. High oil pressure heats up the oil, breaking it down to form a sludge or gel. Gel or sludge is bad news for the engine.
Oil filter
The oil filter traps small particles of metal, dirt, and other debris suspended in oil so that these particles do not circulate in the engine. The oil filter keeps the engine clean and reduces wear and tear.
Most oil filters are the full flow type and all the oil passes through the oil filter.
The filter contains a paper element that screens out particles in the oil. Oil flows from the oil pump and into the oil filter and through the outside material and into the center of the element.
Finally, the clean oil flows out free of debris and onto the main gallery through a tube in the center of the filter.
Your oil filter can easily get clogged up with debris if you don’t change your oil and oil filter on a regular basis or every 3500 miles. Clogged filters can lead to engine damage and to prevent this from happening use original manufacture (OEM) oil filters. OEM oil filters include a spring loaded bypass release valve. when the back pressure builds up, the spring on the bypass valve releases to let dirty unfiltered oil through.
Oil Dip stick
One way to determine if your engine oil needs changing is to pop open the hood, pull out the dip stick, and examine how dirty the oil looks. However, the main function of the dip stick is to measure the level of oil in the oil pan.
The best way to examine the level of oil in the oil pan is to pull out the dip stick, wipe it clean and dip it back into the oil reservoir.
The dip stick has a maximum and minimum oil level marking and it is important to keep the oil level ABOVE THE ‘MIN’ LINE at all times. Add oil immediately if the level falls below the ‘MIN’ level. Consult your owner’s manual for recommended oil grade.
Never overfill engine oil. Too much oil will allow the crankshaft to make contact with oil at the bottom and churn it into a foam. Now, the oil pump cannot pump foam and foam will not lubricate engine parts.
Therefore, the oil level will drop, creating dangerously high temperatures, which will lead to engine failure. Oil pressure that is too high or too low will increase oil consumption.
Consult your owners manaul for the correct oil capacity and recommended oil.
Volvo Engine Oil – How The Lubrication System Extends The Life of Your Car (Part 1)
May 27th
Engine oil cools down the engine by: reducing excess heat due to friction, and slowing down normal wear and tear. And as a result extending the life of your vehicle. A well maintained vehicle will last you at least 20 years.
So, how does the lubrication system provide a steady stream of pressurized oily goodness to moving parts of the engine.
Major Components of the Lubrication system:
- Oil pan
- Oil Strainer
- Oil Pump
- Oil Seals
- Dip Stick
- Oil Pressure Indicator
- Sealing Materials
Oil in Motion (Oil Circulation)
Oil starts it’s journey down below, at the bottom of the engine, some may call it the oil sump and other’s call it the oil pan, same thing.
So, while the oil is relaxing in the oil pan early in the morning, you get into your vehicle and crank the engine.
That is the most torturous moment for the engine because most of the oil is till way down, at the bottom of the engine, in the oil sump. Therefore, most engine wear and tear occurs at this crucial moment, when there is no oil in circulation.
The reason being that most people have regular mineral oil in their car, which is thicker or has a high viscosity at lower temperatures. Skinny oils (synthetic oil or synthetic blends) can quickly circulate but not thick viscous oils.
Now, the oil is quickly sucked upwards by the oil pump, it flows through the strainer in order to filter out those pesky little metal particles due to normal wear and tear.
From the strainer, oil flows directly to the oil filter, filtering out the tiny particles of dirt and metal shavings that escaped the strainer. This is why you have to change your oil filter every 3500 miles before it gets clogged up.
Through the oil filter and on towards the main gallery, the oil flows into the cylinder block and into tiny passages leading to the camshaft(s), pistons, crankshaft, and other moving parts of the engine. This lubrication action will prevent wear and tear in the crankshaft bearings, which hold the crankshaft in place as it rotates. Worn out bearing are likely to lead to low oil pressure.
Critical engine parts like bearings and pistons are in the direct path of oil through oil holes and oil jets. Oil is splashed onto the piston cylinders and then cleaned off by the piston oil rings to prevent oil and combustion gases coming together, otherwise known as blow-by.
Piston rings act as a seal between the cylinder walls and pistons, but if combustion gases blow-by, this is a recipe for oil contamination.
Effects of Blow-by
- Decrease in horsepower because the compression stroke is compromised by hot escaping air fuel mixture.
- Blow-by ‘blows’ lubrication right off the cylinder walls causing high wear and tear.
- Oil contamination. Oil dripping back into the oil sump or oil pan is compromised and cannot do its job.
As the oil lubricates the surfaces of moving parts it drips down into the oil pan and at this point the oil is really hot and has to be cooled down by an oil cooler. Once again the oil is drawn up to repeat the cycle.
Volvo Engine Oil – How The Lubrication System Extends The Life of Your Car (Part 2)
Volvo Oil Change – When To Get An Engine Oil Change
May 12th
Oil is the life blood of your vehicles engine: oil lubricates moving parts, oil cleans out your engine by suspending carbon particles and contaminants, and oil cools down your engine.
How do you determine when to get an oil change? there are three ways you can go about this;
- Mileage (every 3000 miles or 5000 km)
- Using an oil dipstick and observing if the oil looks dirty (dark color)
- Sending a quart of engine oil to an oil analysis laboratory
Mileage
The reason why we change oil at regular intervals is because the additives which gives oil it’s cleaning properties will get exhausted after a period of time depending on driving conditions.
For example, at our Volvo Service Center we encourage our customers to get an oil change every 3500 miles because of the driving conditions in the Washington DC Area.
These conditions are:
- Traffic jams
- Stop and go traffic with extensive idling
- Cold winters (10 degrees fahrenheit)
- Hot and humid summers (90 degrees fahrenheit)
- Driving short distances (5 to 10 miles)
- Towing trailers
So, most of our Volvo customers fall under the ‘severe’ driving category; therefore, require an oil change at regular intervals of 3500 miles. However, if you do not fall under the ‘severe’ category, then 7500 mile service intervals are recommended. But always check your car manual for recommended service intervals and what oil grades to use (We use 5W30 Castrol Syntec Blend oil).
Dirty oil
Dirty oil or ”suspended carbon particles” in the oil causes oil to turn dark in color over time. This means that oil is acting as a solvent by utilizing oil additives to clean out the engine. Oil over time also becomes contaminated with coolant, fuel and water moisture. So, when your oil turns dirty you know it’s time to clean out that mess or face huge repairs in the future.
Oil analysis
This used to be the most expensive and time consuming method of determining oil quality by means of lab testing. Similar to a blood test, you mail a quart of dirty oil to a lab and they do a chemical analysis test to tell you precisely how dirty the oil is. Unless you own a fleet of vehicles; this does not make any financial sense.
Now, Lubricheck is a inexpensive device the size of a credit card that acts like an oil analysis lab.
Simply place a few drops of dirty oil in the device’s sensor cup and it measures the capacitive and resistive properties of the oil sample. Lubricheck will determine the oil’s acidity, metal particle content, carbon particle content, and the total contaminants present (coolant and water). However, this analysis does not account for fuel contaminants (sulfur content).
According to the manufacturers ofLubricheck, an LED display will then let you know whether it is time to change the engine oil. Here, I am assuming that a green LED light is good, yellow LED light is caution and red LED light is GET AN OIL CHANGE NOW!
Advantages of Lubricheck
- Accurately measures quality of oil in service
- Shows total contamination of lubricant (does not show level of gasoline contaminants)
- Allows you to safely judge how long the oil can stay in service
- Determines safe and cost effective oil and filter change intervals
- Enables you to safely extend oil change intervals
Let me know what your thoughts are on this topic.
Volvo Oil Change – How To Determine If An Oil Changed is Necessary
May 11th
The question is, how do you determine when to drain your oil? do you go by mileage, how dark the oil looks or use an expensive chemical analysis lab test.
Lubricheck is a credit card size oil quality analyzer that analyzes the capacitive and resistive properties of engine oil samples, to determine if an oil change is needed.
Lubricheck can help you determine when to get your oil changed by analysing important oil quality factors such as ;
- Acidity
- Metal particles
- Carbon Particles
- Oil Contaminants (coolant and water moisture)
The key advantage of Lubricheck is that you can go longer between oil drains by getting an accurate assessment on the quality of your vehicles engine oil. Therefore, Lubricheck can save you money by enabling you to safely go longer between oil changes.
Volvo Oil Change – How To Avoid The Oil Sludge Disaster
Apr 28th
Oil sludge is a big problem.
I recently came across a 2002 USA TODAY article about a very expensive but preventable oil sludge disaster that affected Toyota engines.
Affected models included: 3.0-liter V-6 and 2.2-liter four-cylinder engines in more than 3.5 million 1997-2002 Toyota Camrys, Avalons, Highlanders and Siennas and Lexus ES and RX 300s
Expensive solution: A Complete Engine Rebuild.
The oil sludge problem affected not only Toyota but other makes and models as well.
Toyota, rightly claimed that the problem was caused by going too long between oil changes. To fix the problem, Toyota had to redesign the affected engines.
The oil sludge problem was worse in areas that experienced cold winters and hot humid summers, temperature extremes.
For example, the Washington DC area experiences cold winters and the summers are usually hot and sticky. 5W-30 motor oil is recommended because it provides execellent all season protection to solve this temperature variation problem (maintains it’s viscosity ‘flow-ability’ at both low and high temperatures). Mobile 1, 5W-30 full synthetic oil is a popular brand that is suitable for the latest vehicles with extended drain intervals. Other car makes affected by oil sludge build up between 1997 and 2004 included;Audi, Chrysler, Dodge, Hyundai, Lexus, Saab, and Volkswagen.
What is Oil Sludge?
This is when oil turns into a thick gel, caused by the breakdown of contaminated oil.
Oil will first turn to dark hue because of it’s solvent nature or cleaning properties. When you examine the oil dip stick, you will observe the dark engine oil deposits (suspended carbon particles or soot).
Dirty oil combined with moisture and sulfur contaminants begins to thicken into a oily stew. Left undrained, dirty oil will eventually turn into a thick gel that sticks onto engine parts.
The gel loses it’s lubricating properties and excess friction and wear begins to take place. As heat builds up in the engine, the gel begins chocking the life out of your poor engine. Finally, the poor engine gets starved off it’s life blood, kicks a couple times, rolls over and dies.
Service Advisories: Many companies such as Volkswagen, issued out technical bulletins to remedy the problem by switching out dinosaur juice (mineral oil) for fully synthetic oils.
Solutions
So, why did vehicles – 1996 and newer models suffer oil sludge disasters?.
Five reasons why;
- Financial challenges are forcing more and more people to ignore regular oil changes. Tight budgets, rising gasoline prices, auto loans, high unemployment, and the list goes on. I had one customer who schuduled a service appointment only because her radio was not working. Change my engine oil or fix my radio? hhmm.. let me think.
- Cheap mineral oil, cheap oil filters of suspicious quality, and inexperienced technicians is a recipe for disaster. Recently a young trainee – helper at our dealership changed the oil for a 2005 S40 Volvo but forgot to add new oil. The customer called us a few days later to let us know she had been driving with the oil warning light on. We came this close to replacing an entire engine. Mistakes do happen.
- Higher combustion temperatures contribute to sludge formation because of tougher federal emissions standards enacted in 1996. Car manufacturers have raised engine operating temperatures and increased exhaust gas recirculation (EGR).
- Fuel economy pressure for improved Miles Per Gallon (MPG) requirements by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has led to new engine designs. Modern engines with hydraulic lifters, tight tolerance bearings and miniature oil filters require active monitoring of oil pressure. Tighter bearing clearances for new engines favor lower viscosity motor oils to maintain oil pressure. As engines age the bearing clearance increase due to wear and tear and lose a certain amount of oil pressure. Synthetic oils can bear higher load pressure but regular low viscosity mineral oil will break down faster and turn into a sludge (consult your car manual for recommended oil). Mobil 1 High Mileage fully synthetic motor oil is designed especially for engines where conventional oil has been used, and where these conditions have been experienced; severe service, extended oil drains, poor maintenance, and multiple owners. Mobil 1 High Mileage 10W-30 has the following benefits; Reduces the sludge and deposits that conventional oils can leave behind, contains special seal conditioners to prevent oil leaks, extra anti-wear additive to protect critical engine parts.
- Worn-out coolant takes on an electrical charge that chemically acts like acid on engine parts promoting sludge formation. Rising engine temperatures can be a result of low coolant levels. So, watch out for the low coolant warning light, you may have a leak. A warning light comes on when the fluid levels are dangerously low. So, have your car fluids monitored at regular intervals.
Some cars like BMW do not have a sludge problem despite longer oil drain times (service intervals). BMW engines are designed take up to 7 or 8 quarts of oil, almost twice that of the average car and calls for the use of full synthetic oil.
Conclusion
Do some research on the next vehicle you intend to purchase, make sure it does not have sludge build up problems. Manufacturers struggle to build cars that meet stringent emissions and environmental standards at the lowest possible cost to them. Like all companies, they are ultimately responsible to their shareholders.
Following the BMW example we know that Full Synthetic Oil prevents sludge build up, if you cannot afford it then use a synthetic blend. Consult your car manual for recommended oil and drain intervals.
Our Volvo Service Center uses 5W-30 Castrol Syntec Blend Oil, at a cost of $49.95 for a basic oil change, and Full Synthetic Castrol Syntec oil change will cost you $69.95. Come see us soon.
Sources
Volvo Oil Change – 7 Reasons Why Synthetic Motor Oil is Good for Your Volvo
Mar 10th
Synthetic oils were originally used and are still used exclusively in aircraft jet engines.
The leading synthetic oil in the market, AMSOIL was first developed by Lieutenant Colonel Albert J. Amatuzio, the President and CEO of AMSOIL INC.
As a jet fighter squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel Albert J. Amatuzio had the opportunity to witness synthetic lubricants in action.
In Feb. 1994, Al Amatuzio was officially recognized for his outstanding developments by Lubricants World Magazine and was inducted into The Lubricants World Hall of Fame for his pioneering effort in introducing synthetic motor oil in automobile engines.
The key advantage of snythetic oil is it’s superior performance characteristics under duress.
In order to reduce friction and wear on engine components, synthetic oil has to function dependably at severely hot and cold temperature extremes and has the to withstand rigorous and lengthy engine operation without chemical breakdown.
Trucking Companies who log millions of miles on their Diesel engines trust synthetic oil to do the job.
For example, Diesel oil and filtration products are designed to deliver 1,000,000 miles for overland trucks before a complete engine overhaul.
For vehicles, pure synthetics have been known to give car engines a life span of between 300,000 to 400,00miles.
Seven major benefits of synthetic oils over conventional oils are:
- Extended engine life. AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oil has superior heat and oxidation resistance, controls sludge and extends engine life. Synthetic oil helps engines stay clean.
- Synthetics maximize fuel economy, reduce oil consumption and emissions. AMSOIL has been proven to improve gas mileage. Conventional oil gets thicker and heavier with time due to vaporization. This affects the engine by making it do more work. Thus, contributing to poor circulation, reduced fuel economy and increased oil consumption, wear and emission.
- Improves cold start up. The most wear on your car engine occurs on cold cranking early in the morning when it’s cold outside. The reason being that most of the oil is in the oil pan (sump) at the base of the engine. On cranking the oil is pumped up into the engine. Conventional oils are very thick or highly viscous at cold temperatures as opposed to synthetic oils which have low viscosity at cold tempertures. Synthetics also have a very low pour point, which means that synthetic oils flow freely until they get down to -58 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, the engine is able to circulate synthetic oil easily on a cold day, cutting down on wear and tear.
- Controls acid formation. Conventional oils contain contaminants such as sulfur. This is due to city driving (short trips of less than 10 miles and stop and go traffic patterns), which prevents the engine from operating at optimum operating temperatures. This means that complete combustion does not take place, and trace amounts of water that are present in the oil are not burned up. The trace amount of water present mixes up with sulfur to form sulfuric acid which corrodes the engine. Synthetic oil does not react with combustion by products and hence does not form into acids.
- Protects against wear. The Four-Ball wear test for evaluating the protection provided by engine oil, has proven than AMSOIL has better anti-wear performance than it’s competitors. Synthetic oil not only extends engine life, but reduces major wear and tear on engine components.
- Promotes engine cleanliness. Synthetic oil reduces engine deposits and as a result increase the engines efficiency. Conventional oil contains gunk (tars and waxes) that falls out of solution and builds up in the engine and reduces engine performance. Synthetics have excellent solvent properties which dissolve residues and combustion by products like carbon.
- Saves money. AMSOIL synthetic oil extends drainage intervals to 25,000 miles while competing conventional oils must be changed every 3000 miles. The argument here is that expensive synthetics save you money because you change your oil less often. However, if your car is still under warranty, and factory scheduled maintenance or under a lease, then synthetic oil is a waste of money in my opnion. Therefore, synthetic oil is only beneficial to high mileage drivers such as Salespeople or Realtors.
