Hi All,

I have a 1991, 940GLE, B234F and it has done over 250,000 km. Recently (about 2 months ago) I did major works on this lemon, engine top overhaul and gearbox overhaul and its running great again although it is now suffering from power steering oil leaks. I got lucky about two weeks ago. The A/C cooling coil gave in with few holes. The mechanic said cannot be patched. But since the one year warranty was valid until 29th March 2002, he gave a brand new coil and charged a nominal sum for labour though no warranty on this coil.

Anyway, I am now at the edge of bankruptcy (thanks to my car), I have been thinking ways to reduce the maintenance cost. The lub. change is coming up in about 1,500 km more. I have always serviced at the recommended intervals i.e 8000km and flush the engine every year. The coming service interval is due for an engine flush. Now, what oil should I use?

Q1. I have heard that synthetic oil lasts longer than the mineral based. If so at what intervals should I change if I switch to synthetic.

Q2. I have also heard that I cannot change to synthetic overnight and enjoy a longer service interval. If I am not wrong, I have heared about specific short intervals of few oil changes before changing to synthetic. Have anyone heard of this?

Q3. I hate oil leaks. Will my car suffer from oil leaks after switching to synthetic oil?

Q4. On assumption that this car had always used mineral oil since the day it rolled out of the factory, is it a good idea to switch to synthetic, after more than 11 years? What synthetic specification should I use? I have only owned this lemon for about 2 years now.

Q5. Should I change the auto trans fluid (ATF) to synthetic as well. Is there any side effect. I don't intend to have the gearbox overhauled again in less than two months of the first overhauled. If there are no side effects, what is the procedure to change to synthetic. From FAQ, flushing the auto trans. sounds easy although I have never done it myself. What is the synthetic specification of the ATF.

Or should I just forget about the whole thing and get a Volvo 850. I am thinking about the 850 T-5 1996 wagon model. It has depreciated more than 50% of its original sale value.

Thank you.

velan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.