XC90 200k miles
 

Hey guys new to the forum. I have been offered a XC90 2006 it has a lot of history 200k miles on the clock. Water pump timing belts changed etc. I am fairly new to Volvos but I do know they are probably the most reliable safest cars on the road. My question is should I be expecting issues with the engine/gearbox with the car as it is at 200k miles or is this still the running in period for these tanks. What would you suggest I do to keep the engine running well and same with gearbox?

Thanks guys in advance looking forward to getting stuck in to all things Volvo.

Hello and welcome to the forums.

A well maintained volvo will probably outlive the human race in all fairness. If the history is good and everything works and runs sweet then it should be okay.

The gearbox is a good unit too, but despite what volvo say, they do need oil changes and more regularly as the mileage increases. Some people incorporate a gearbox oil change into their yearly servicing to keep things running smoothly. Don't be put off by this as it's really simple to do yourself and fairly inexpensive also.

There's tons of guides and help available on these forums should you have any issues, we are a friendly bunch 😉


Also take a look at this chart of high mileage Volvo's. Its pretty impressive:

https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/hmc/

Properly looked after, and at the right price, its a viable purchase.

Be suspicious of those maintained on the cheap though. You can trim bills to a certain degree, but there are some corners that should never be cut. For example, is that new water pump genuine Volvo? Anything but OE pumps have a poor record on the D5.

Engine is capable of big miles, as is the transmission is the fluid is kept fresh.

The thing I would add, is the engine tapping as in the lifters depending on what engine it is, mine was and it snapped a rocker off and took the engine out but there were a bad batch fitted to a certain number of 185 engines.

If it is quiet I would say happy days and as others have mentioned plenty of history and budget a bit just incase.

CAREFUL!!!!!

These are expensive cars with alot of technology in them back when they were new. Yes they will last for ever if they are well looked after but you must watch out for cars that have been neglected by their last owner; that have basically been driven and not serviced.

Preventative maintaince and servicing is key else you could just be buying somone elses problem. For me, these are the things that I would check to get a story about the car you are lloking at buying:

1) Check the MOT history here: https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history - look for the fails and see what it failed on. Hanbreak will always be listed but check for other items such as poor tyres, bulbs etc for fails. Also check the mileage matches each MOT.
2) Look at the brand of tryes on the vehicle - Pirelli = suggestion that money has been spend on quality - cheap brands suggest low value spend on maintainence.
3) Check the service hictory with the car: if the car is on 200k miles then the timing belt will be very much due - any evidence this has been changed? If there isnt then remove the timing belt top cover and look for writing on the back of the belt to see the wear.
4) Look at the number plates, do they match? Are they origional? This will tell you about front / rear accident damage.
5) Checkl the dipsticks and smell the oil.
6) Check, the coolant tank for any unwanted residue.
7) Look underneath for any obisous clean areas on components like drop links, lower arms etc as this suggests maintainence.
9) Look at the interior wear on the drivers seat - - if high wear from getting in/out of the car then its likely that the car has done lots of low mileage trips - its not a warning but tells you about the car.
10) check for messages on the dashboard... Obvious I know!
11) Check the break pads and disks for wear

Most importantly, take the car for a good test drive in auto mode. Drive it very softly and look for clean gearbox changes with no judderinbg or "snappy" changes. The car should float about and be very smooth.

Lastly, forget the colour, wheels, interior or anything else. Buy with your gut listening to the story BUT make sure that when and if you shake hands you keep £1,000 in your back pocket from the deal for repairs in the 1st year of ownership. This is probably the most important part here.

These cars need to be loved and maintained so make sure that this is the case else make sure you buy it for a very good price with a view to spend to bring it up to standard. This could just mean servicing but will likely mean component changes and an unknown spend to get the car sorted.

Remember, if the gearbox is dead then its probably not worth spending money to buy the car as its a HUGE job to swap out a gear box on these.

Hope this helps.

Nigel.

Mine is at 120,000 and has never missed a beat. I spent £2,500 on everything in 5 years. Other than fuel and insurance. That however includes 9 Tyres etc etc.

The vehicle, If maintained won’t suffer bore wear etc.

However…. All fluids are now finished and need replacing. Bearing and such like, bushings and mountings will fail. All of these are low cost if you are a mechanic. If you are not you will need to budget £1,500 a year to swap out all these things.

As a home mechanic look at it. If you intend to go to a dealer or mechanic to repair then walk away and buy one with half the age and miles as it will be cheaper than constant maintenance.

At 200K miles you can realistically expect problems- possibly major in the next year or two. Some people get above that mileage with no problems. I have often bought 8-10 year old cars at 150k miles and put another 100K miles on them over a few years- I'd be hesitant to try that with a 14 year old XC90 though.

As well as already good advice mentioned by other posters I'd check for-

1. Rust on rear subframes and general underbody. More than a few XC90s are failing MOTs on this. Very expensive to fix if subframe as you will probably need a new one.
2. Rear shock absorbers are self levelling- £3-400 approx each new- they last 10-12 years normally.
3. Handbrake should be working on just 2 or 3 clicks. Otherwise expect a garage bill for £200-300 in the next year or 2. Far more if you have to change the rusted cover plates behind the discs. (they last 10-12 years)
4. Oil under radiators- probably the intercooler.

Personally I wouldn't buy it even if you are good with the spanners. I'd go for one around 100K miles and minimal rust underneath. Check if core plug (behind flywheel I think) has been done on older 163 hp models(more knowledgeable members may know the exact years affected) -very expensive to fix. Newer 185hp models can have DPF issues I believe. I'll be replacing my wife's 2003 D5 in the next year or so-I'll be going for a 200hp model(post 20011 I think)
Good luck.

The other angle to this is there are a lot of 12+ year old XC90's on the market now for reasonable money, the older model doesn't seem to have been badly impacted by inflation, so there is lots of choice. Take your time, do your checks, wait for the right one to come along and I'm guessing it wont have 200k on it.