I wonder why that is ? I haven't really looked under the hood much so it may not have a transmission dip stick . If you can get a second service managers opinion that would be great .

Second (current) service manager and good tech think you’ve got more to lose than gain by changing the transmission oil, as the clean oil might free up whatever sludge is in there. Starting that process at 30k would have been advisable, so you’re not far away from making a good call, except with some risk.

They both disagree with my former service manager and for the same reasons would keep running non-synthetic oil.

Three opinions...

Interesting that they don't recommend synthetic engine oil , that seems to go against most conventional wisdom . And the internet research I did last night and this morning says unless towing leave the transmission fluid alone .

So now I am totally confused !!! It gets very hot here in the summer and I prefer the extra safety margin that synthetic oil provides . I guess I will find a 5W30 or 0W40 synthetic and try it . Thanks for the info you have provided .

I was thinking last night about the engine oil , and I have no way of knowing what type of oil is in the car currently . Which brings up the question when any of us buy a used vehicle unless we know the person or there are service records NONE of us know what is in there . So are all of us taking a " chance " doing our first baseline oil change with synthetic when we buy a used vehicle ? I'm making the assumption that most of us use synthetic oil which may or may not be a correct assumption .

This vehicle only has 42,000 miles on it , if I were to assume that every oil change has been done with conventional I also have to assume there can't be that much sludge in the engine . I base that on common sense of the mileage and looking at the oil fill cap ( clean ) and looking into the valve cover via the filler hole . Not scientific but it's all I have to go on . Volvo recommends Castrol 5W30 per the owners manual but doesn't specify conventional or synthetic . I think I will use Castrol Edge 5W30 synthetic and be done with it . I will run a few UOA's and if all looks good that will be the oil of choice .

On a whim this morning I sent a text to the salesman we dealt with at the dealership asking if he knew what type of oil is in the engine . He just replied that it is synthetic . Good enough for me so I'll be doing a baseline oil change with Castrol Edge 5W30 . End of oil discussion .............. for now :D

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