If Nothing Else: Change Your Volvo's Oil!

Car care is our thing. It’s our job, and it’s what we talk about on our days off too. It probably isn’t your thing, and that’s fine. That’s what a mechanic is for.

We get that it can be hard to know what your car needs and when. So here’s the one piece of advice we’d give anyone, even someone who’s going to put off everything else: if nothing else, change your oil.

What oil does

Engine oil has four jobs. It cools, it cleans, it seals and it lubricates. It does all of that inside the most important, and most expensive, part of your car.

Why it has to be changed

Oil picks up contaminants as it works. Soot, tiny metal particles, moisture and unburned fuel all end up in it. The filter catches some of that, but over time the oil itself breaks down and stops protecting the way it should.

Leave it long enough and it thickens into sludge. Sludge blocks the small passages that feed oil to the parts that need it most. On a turbocharged Volvo, the turbo is often the first thing to suffer.

Why topping off isn’t the same thing

Plenty of engines use a little oil between changes, and adding some to keep the level right is the correct thing to do. But adding fresh oil to dirty oil doesn’t remove what’s already in there. You still need the change.

An oil change is also when someone looks at everything else: the other fluids, the tires, the brakes, any stored codes. That’s half the value of the visit.

What we see in the shop

People often bring us a Volvo they bought cheaply, or one that was handed down in the family, and ask us to help fix it up. We love those projects.

Here’s what’s interesting. Most of a neglected car can be brought back. Brakes, suspension, cooling and electrical systems can be put right, often at a reasonable cost, even after years of being ignored.

The engine is the exception. If the oil changes were skipped, the wear is already done, and there’s usually not much anyone can do to undo it.

How often?

Follow the interval in your owner’s manual. Older Volvos, high-mileage Volvos and cars that mostly make short trips do better with oil changes a bit more often. If you’re not sure what yours needs, ask us and we’ll tell you what we’d do.

That’s our simplest advice for Volvo owners, and for owners of any car at all. If nothing else, change your oil.