The end of 10W/40 engine oil?
 

Castrol have stopped making GTX 10W/40 semi-synthetic oil and it now recommends EDGE 0W-40 A3/B4 synthetic oil rather than Magnetec 10W/40 which was previously recommended - why?

Volvo manufacturers recommendation is 10W/40. If anyone puts the thin 0W-40 in the engine and it seizes, who is liable?

It used to recommend Magnatec 10W/40. Has it found to cause problems in our S40/V40 cars?

I have always used the recommended engine oil, but finding GTX 10W/40 nowadays is becoming a real challenge, and even supermarkets have stopped stocking it. And I'm not convinced to use 0W-40.

Any ideas?

In the `60`s / 70`s Castrol GTX was a reconstituted oil........where i worked my friends brother was a Rep. for Castrol so i do know this to be true.

Then, sold in a 5 litre Tin Can it was a light grey horrible smelling oil which was recommended as it was Castrol.

I cannot see that it was that different in this modern era so pleased it is now none existant.

Perhaps with all this used synthetic oil nothing could be done to reconstitute it properly.

Volvo always recommended 10W 40 for the older pre VVT engines but not the ones with VVT as it clogs and plays havoc with that VVT system.

My 2001 S40 1.8 Sport was on it`s THIRD VVT items in 57,000mls because of it.

Good info 960kg. I found one new GTX 10W/40 in a shop this afternoon when I walked into town. But it has changed to being "synthetic oil" rather than semi-synthetic and it was £29.99 - ouch! The former semi-synthetic GTX was only £21.99

I was told Granville Hyperlube is pretty good and was only £18.99 so may go for that on the next service.

I used GTX 10-40 for years in my Volvo's and all of them had a drink problem, using a good 2 litres of top up between oil changes at 5-7000mls.

My current V40 used about the same until I changed to Shell Helix Ultra 5-40, now she doesn't use a drop. Same driving conditions and oil changed around 5-7000mls. 'er indoors Mini Cooper drank oil as if it was going out of fashion, only 55,000mls with full Mini service history. She now runs on Helix 5-30 and only uses a negligible amount between changes. Mini's do have a reputation for excessive oil consumption, but Helix has cured it of that.

The C70 is now on Helix 5-40 and again no oil used between changes. I changed to Helix after being recommended on here by oil guru and have been well pleased with the result.

All cars are fastidiously maintained to the manufacturers schedule and want for nothing, so the only difference is the brand of oil used.

I use cheap-as-chips supermarket own brand (was ASDA but I'm boycotting them, so the next service will be Tesco's oil which I bought for half price during a sale) 10/40 semi-synthetic.

For seven years the schedule has been the same: I replace it once in a blue moon (like yearly, sometimes longer), and top up once or twice a year. Our car has no VVT, it's a 1600cc straight-four. I've changed the oil filter once, I think, although even I will admit it's overdue now and will be replaced very soon.

Oh, and it runs beautifully.

I am notorious for checking the oil, almost paranoic. If I've got a few minutes waiting for someone to get their shoes on, I check it. It takes only seconds to do. If you dip it before starting the engine you don't even need a cloth! Make it a habit for life.

It doesn't matter how much you spend, nor how fancy your oil is, if you drive around with an engine which has lost it's oil and you don't know because you're relying on the idiot light, then the light lives up to it's colloquial namesake and your money has been wasted. Dipping the oil is the only sure way, and the modern idea of electronics replacing the traditional dipstick makes me very nervous. Any oil is better than none, and the oil light lies. It is possible (in all overhead cam engines) to starve the camshafts of oil even with the light remaining unlit. Don't use it. And what if the bulb has blown? Do you actually check the oil lamp lights before starting? If it didn't, would you even notice amongst that christmas tree of lights in the instrument cluster? Or do you just jump in and throw on they starter?

Dip your oil. Or get ready for walking.

Volvo only recommended Magnetec 10w40 when the V40 was first developed. They changed that recommendation when Castrol Edge was developed, although many UK dealers continued to use Magnatec for cost reasons.

Can't think why you think an 0W oil is too thin, as most normal oils are too thick when a cold engine is started.

Using an 0W oil reduces the load on the battery and starter during cold starts and in very cold temperatures it will reduce cold start wear factors. If you short trip a lot in winter it will even reduce the fuel consumption slightly,

Castrol and Mobil both seem to be rather expensive and in technical terms Shell Helix Ultra is a better oil anyway, as it's made from natural gas, so does not contain any type of contamination which all dinosaur oils do. It also seems to be the cheapest major brand full synthetic oil available.

I really would not put any supermarket or non major brand oil in any engine that has a turbo, as they often lack anti wear, friction modifying or extreme pressure additives that are very important at protecting the turbo bearings in particular. Some of them even lack enough detergent additives, so should not be used for long oil change intervals.

No it doesn't. It's not 0W when cold.

Maybe offtopic, but when it comes to the winter you could use a different oil type , 5W, this will make the oil pumped a little bit faster to the engine components.

Check this website and the video at the bottom where they show comparison with other oils

https://mobiloil.com/en/article/why-...n-cold-weather

In conclusion: In the winter time you want to run the lighter weight oil in the summer you want to run the higher weight oil

Correct me if I'm wrong

The thinnest oils when cold are nearly always an 0WX rather than a 5WX, BUT those numbers define a range, so there may not be much difference between an oil that is at the bottom of the 5W range and one that is at the top of the 0W range. There are other factors that effect the actual pour point of the oil, such as the type of base stock. In general terms full synthetics have a slightly lower pour point.
The difference between a 5W and an 0W is not enough to be worth considering in the UK, it's only important in real cold places.

If you do 2 oil changes a year it does make sense to use an 0W in the winter and a thicker oil during the summer. Volvo even recommend using a 15W40 in hot desert conditions, although Amsoil are the only company making a full synthetic 15W40 at present.

Just to confuse things, SAE group numbers are for defined set temperatures and the relationship between the 2 figures is not linear, so an 0W30 will normally be thinner when very cold than an 0W40.

Whilst I don't own a S/V 40 both my cars[a P1 V70 2.4 n'a petrol and a V6 Omega]both run 10/40 semi synthetic oil.The V70 uses no discernible amount of oil[if any at all]between changes and the Omega[once I'd cured the leaks from the cam cover gaskets that these engines are prone to]is the same in regard to oil usage.I use Triple QX from eurocarparts and buy it in when they have one of their regular sales/promos on.I'm not one for changing between summer and winter grades and I'm not into paying the extra for fully synthetic oil for 17yr old cars either.bangernomics rule here.