New to the XC90 fold, bye XC70
 

Hi all,

due to the extremely valuable forum I have finally made the switch from a 55 plate XC70 to a 12 plate XC90 (won it on eBay of all places, bought from trader in Essex who specialises in 4x4s)
The XC70 was due a new 4C and rear pads/discs and with a mileage of 175K sadly only worth the value of a good Mac although much more valuable to me.

I am now the proud owner of a Caspian Blue (black interior) D5 200 SE G/T, ideally would have liked at least the SE Lux since missing Xenon but you have to start somewhere.

4th owner, in the first year (registered march 2012) it was a Volvo Rental which sounds ominous. Then a 2nd owner in the first year and he must have passed it on to his dad as their address and surnames were similar other than their first names and this chap owned it from December 2012 until last wednesday) Ideally it would have had less owners but the last one running it for 7 years must be good. Came with semi-full history (nothing before 2015 and 42K) since 42K it has been serviced through Marshalls in Bishops Stortford. Have requested Volvo UK if there is prior history available and since there is no service book (but all original invoices since 2015 including cam belt in January 2018 at 84K) I hope Marshalls is willing to stamp a replacement service book based on their own history.

Omissions from my perspective:
- no Bi-Xenon or Adaptive Xenon: could a Xenon conversion kit or buying complete Xenon headlight units solve this or would it require more than just that ? Driving a lot in rural West Sussex and on the continent in the forest and Alps so it is quite essential to me and miss it already
- no front parking sensors: is the XC90 SE pre wired already ?
- Can the RTI be connected to front and rear parking camera's ? Living in downtown Brighton where parking is at a premium
- Are there iPad holders/tablet holders available for the headrests ? I have 5 family members coming over from SE Asia and like all orientals they are hooked on all things electronic :-)
- Should I or should I not have the transmission flushed ? Seems to work excellent yet not sure with contradicting views here what I should do ?
- Castrol Edge Titanium 0W-30 the oil to keep in the boot ?
- What tyres do you all use ? Currently it has Continental Eco Contacts yet thinking about Michelin Cross Climate SUV, Goodyear All Seasons or Continental All Seasons as I regularly do some gallivanting to Germany and Switzerland and winter tyres being mandatory .....

I have ordered side steps, tracked a load cover, spare seat covers around the driver memory seat as broken (was the same with my XC70)

Was thinking about doing some research about VIDA (and what software I have to download to my lappie) assuming I can program a few functions on the car itself ?

Finally want to bring the car to either Dinnages in Worthing or Doves Horsham or Gatwick to keep it main dealer serviced during my keep (except for engine oil changes/transmission oil changes) to offset the 3 previous owner car.

Thank you in advance and a thank you to Odysseus and Tannaton for their valuable advice during the pre-purchase period !

ps Pictures from my iphone will probably be too large to upload ?

Congratulations on your purchase Alain and the car sounds great.

I’ve no idea on retrofitting xenon lights but sounds potentially complicated. Another cheaper option might be to upgrade the bulbs and/polish the headlight lenses.

I don’t have front parking sensors either and it annoys me. Why do I have massaging seats but no parking sensors?! I’ll be interested to hear if there’s a good/cheap/easy solution to this.

Gearbox oil change question is tricky. My firm instinct was to have mine changed but two trusted Volvo independents have cautioned against this, so who knows? High mileage not withstanding I think my XC90 has led a pretty easy life - no towing or drag racing - so maybe that’s a factor? Like I said, instinct said change, experts (who would make money off the oil change) said don’t. For now I haven’t touched it.

What side steps did you order?

I’m thinking Michelin Cross Climates for my next tyres.

You’ll pay a lot to keep that Volvo main dealer history intact. If I were you I’d find a good independent and use them instead. Anyone in the know will see their stamp as being just as good as a Volvo one and you’ll save hundreds of pounds, definitely offsetting any additional depreciation.

Do you have OneDrive? I link to my phone photos from OneDrive and you can choose the size to display.

Congratulations again on the car and hope it serves you and your family well. :regular_smile:

I fitted CrossClimate tyres to one of my cars a couple of years ago. I can't say I was impressed with them and certainly wouldn't buy them again. I found that at motorway speeds on more than one occasion when hitting standing water it felt like the car was starting to aquaplane. Not a nice feeling and didn't inspire confidence

You can’t fit Xenon headlights unfortunately, the guts are missing to operate the alignment systems (post 2007 MY had active bending lights) and the electrical switching method which is programmed into the CEM at manufacture is different so at best will generate dashboard messages and error codes, if they work at all without flickering.

Some of the better H7 retro fit HID kits do work well but they are not legal and an MOT fail.

Your best option is upgraded halogen bulbs such as Osram Nightbreaker Umlimited. Keep spares in the car though as they only last about 50% of the life of a normal lamp.

You should aim to change the gearbox oil around every 50-70k for normal driving, every 36k if you do heavy towing. There is no doubt about that, you will notice smoother changes and other improvements, it prolongs the life of the gearbox in most cases. It’s easy to do at home as a series of sump dumps, plenty of info on here as to how to do that and where to get the oil at reasonable cost (not Halfords.....). Other manufacturers that use the same gearbox schedule fluid changes - it’s used in some Jaguar, Land Rover, Vauxhall, Saab and even the BMW I8.

With regards to an all season tyre, I would say the Cross Climates are probably the highest regarded all season tyre by members on hear and you will notice improvements on the EcoContacts which last a long time but few other positives.

Welcome and enjoy!

I would also think about changing the transmission oil, especially if it has under 80K miles on it so it's about the right moment. Yes, garages have this old mentality to never change the fluid, but they also don't own the car and will not care if the transmission will start shifting poorly at 150K miles. I'm pretty sure the original fluid would be good for 100K-150K miles but these cars are often times driven much longer. What if the car gets to 150K miles, and the owner feels he could keep it for another 100K miles, but now the transmission started shifting weirdly ? By 150K miles on the original fluid it's already too late, fresh fluid won't clean those clogged solenoids and worn valve body components.

By the way, as mentioned, towing requires fluid flush every 30K miles or so (towing has the fluid heat up more, which degrades the fluid faster)

Use the exact type of oil specified, perhaps search on forums for your transmission model. But I would rather only change some 3 liters then repeat repeat the same after 10K miles or so. This should keep the fluid fresh enough. I'm a little nervous about replacing all fluid at once, especially if it was never replaced before for a long time. In particular if the car is seeing mostly motorway (this doesn't allow the transmission to do multiple gear changes, which is needed in order to 'adjust' it to new fluid)

Thanks to your advice and that of Tannaton I have come to the decision to get this one, it was £2000 under Autotrader, RegIt and Cazana.com valuations and so I thought it was a risk worth taking :-)

The local Volvo independent is actually not the cheapest around as I noticed for my XC70 so I am still in doubts but as most others on here I think regular servicing is essential and sadly not blessed with any technical capabilities other than changing bulbs, replacing a complete wheel or checking oil and tyre pressure.

As for the lights, given the advice also from Tannaton here, retrofitting complete Xenon headlight units is a no-go so it will be either the Xenon conversion kit and ensure for the next MoT I will put the H7 halogen bulbs in, as long as I am not blinding others. I read mixed reviews on the Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited and Nightbreaker Laser ones, for the XC70 the OEM Xenon lights did not need any changing for the 6 years and 65K miles I kept them although I kept a spare £100 Osram set in the boot. Hope there is anyone around here with experience on the conversion kits to hear their experiences.

Am wondering if these models are pre-wired for front parking sensors. According to a garage friend, if they have them fitting should be a doddle when they make the holes in the plastic. Would definitely reduce the need for front and rear parking cameras but that wish is still out there.

Gearbox oil: what is wisdom ? I read a remark somewhere from SwissXC90 who felt the gearbox oil change turned out to make the gearbox worse but I had a bad experience with my BMW 330 where the gearbox failed due to not having been supplied with new oil timely. That having said, the previous owner came from Hounslow and some people told me the population there care more for pulling away as fast as possible from a standstill than for caring for the engine and its components :-(

These are the sidesteps I ordered:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VOLVO-XC9...72.m2749.l2649
Definitely not OEM yet they looked pretty reliable and would definitely be worth the money to fit the mother-in-law box on the roof and getting particulars out of it as well as at 5'5" I am not the tallest :-) They arrived the next day, will keep you posted on those.

And I will look at One Drive, might be good to upload the pictures from my phone then !

p.s. Thanks to you my audio connection issues are a thing of the past with the Bluetooth streaming, it was you who pointed that out :-)

Thank you for sharing your experiences and I must admit that having had the first generation fitted under my XC70, MPG was great but like you, I experienced more aquaplaning that I would have liked. What brand did you choose, wonder what works best for you especially since I know from your post you have an extensive collection ? :-) ps I love the colour of your XC90 !

Thank you again for sharing all your knowledge, also during my quest !

Although I had hoped just retrofitting a pair of adaptive Xenon headlights from another XC90 would have solved the trick, experiences like yours make this forum so valuable as it appears the solution of someone as ignorant as me could only result in money wasted. What is a CEM ?

I will never do any towing but even then I feel changing the oil would be just a precaution. I read in a thread somewhere to get the Aisin Warner oil (is it a Aisin Warner or ZF gearbox ? ) and your suggestion about the sump dumps sounds like the best solution yet I live near to the seaside in the city center of Brighton so location is not ideal and besides, I need someone to give me directions on how to do this. Purchasing the right oil through eBay is easy, knowing how to do this under supervision is essential. My knowledge stretches only to financial governance and compliance :-(

Will check the thread on the EcoContacts and might use them as summer tyres if they have got enough life in them but still need the AllSeasons or winter tyres for my gallivanting in Germany and the Alps where winter tyres are mandatory ...... As above mentioned, I have mixed experiences with my 1st gen Michelin Cross Climates on my XC70 .... I read somewhere on Odysseus thread that someone had a good experience with Yokohama. Pirellis were not performing well in terms of endurance and economy and I am leaning towards either Michelin, Goodyear or Continental for their all seasons tyres ...

Was just wondering, are you able to tell me what the VIDA has in terms of functions and if someone as ignorant as me who wants to know more about the diagnostics of its car, has any use to own one ?

I'm running winter tyres at the moment some nice Vredestein Wintrac which I had on last winter and they were great. Towed a caravan from Stornoway to Glasgow last January and passed loads of vehicles stuck in the snow. Summer tyres are Continental ContiSportContact 5 which were on the car when I bought it. Never had a problem with any of these...

Magic Blue Pearl, it's one of these colours that unless the sun shines on it then it just looks like another black car

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attac...1&d=1576411926

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attac...1&d=1576411926


Black or Blue???
https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attac...1&d=1576412149

Thank you kindly for sharing your knowledge, to me it just does not make sense that you will expect technical components to look after themselves. And as Tannaton mentioned above, your suggestion of the sump dumps over time make more sense to clean the box bit by bit although I wonder how much oil I would need to purchase to undertake this task. Apart from needing to find an expert on here who is wiling to look over my shoulder !

And noooo ... no towing, I understood that if a car is used for towing, Volvo does advise to change the gearbox oil ....

Although I am Chinese, I was born in the Netherlands so the Vredestein brand being used in Scotland makes me proud :-) For you it feels like a definite improvement on the CrossClimates ? Fitted them on all of your cars ?
Do you keep two sets of alloys or do you swap the tyres on 1 set of alloys ? I was told it would not do favours to the life of the tyre but have no idea if that is a myth or not ....

And what an amazing colour your car has, arguably the best colour out there. I noticed in one of your pictures that you posted on your own thread the shadow of a (semi-)professional photographic setup and the quality of your pictures is amazing !

I have two sets of wheels and tyres so change them over when the weather changes, but here in Scotland 7°C (the temperature Winter tyres are of benefit) and lower temperatures last a long time so the Vredesteins are on from late October until April.

Not a professional photographer, if I was I wouldn't find it so difficult to make the XC90 look blue in my pictures. I like to take time to compose my pictures, move the clutter out the way and try to only have in the image what is important. Not always possible but a little time and effort hopefully pays off

A few of my efforts to try and capture the colour (mostly unsuccessfully)

This captures the colour perfectly on the bonnet edge

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attac...1&d=1576414082


Would never say for definite if the car was blue in these pictures
https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attac...1&d=1576414101

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attac...1&d=1576414082

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attac...1&d=1576414082

Yes the same car and that looks very black...

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attac...1&d=1576414101

There is a lot of sparkle in the paint which causes the light to reflect in different ways making it difficult to take a good photo

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attac...1&d=1576414082

It looks purplish blue in the light and not being a professional photographer you have done an amazing job taking these pictures ! Blue in the light, black in the dark, sounds excellent to me ! Dark interior for you ?

As for the tyres: just came across this test (Autobild is the German sister magazine of Auto Express I believe, read the test in German but this is a link to the English version:
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article...-Tyre-Test.htm
Bridgestone Allweather control A005 does pretty well too although the testers did not share our experience with Aquaplaning but this might be a newer version of the Michelin CC SUV than the one you had, I had the CC 1st generation.

My issue with the Vredestein is that they have not been rated as a winter legal tyre in Germany and Switzerland which is where I will do between 10-20% of my driving :-(

Have to research this any further.

You must get a good mpg out of a 185bhp manual D5, do you not ? My first check at the pump was 44 liters out of 316.0 mls, averaging 32mpg ......

Would have been almost 3 years ago I bought the Michelin tyres so no idea whether they were 1st get or not

According to the OBC the XC90 has averaged 35mpg since I bought it (I've never reset it) although it was up at over 36 until I towed the caravan. I manually checked several tanks and the OBC was just over 1 mpg out so close enough

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attac...1&d=1576429240

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attac...1&d=1576429240

Only 1mpg off is not too bad at all, in my old XC70 the difference was about 15-20%

And with the towing and all, even being a manual and a D5 185 that is a rather good score I would say ?

Any other improvements you made on yours ?

Front parking sensors ....is a XC90 pre-wired for this ?
 

Wondering if there is anyone here who has retrofitted front parking sensors and if so, if there it is pre-wired ? Think all come with rear fitted sensors but pre wired would hopefully mean less interference and no need for an additional speaker .....

OK....

I have seen and fitted some H7 HID conversions that have worked very well. However you should only convert the dipped beam, and leave the main beams as halogen - this is because HID's can take 4-5 seconds to strike up and reach full light output - which means they are not suitable for signalling (flashing your main beams). On cars with factory HID's - there is usually a halogen bulb to supplement the HID one for mean beam.

Many MOT testers at smaller garages will pass cars with HID conversions if the beam pattern is acceptable, but under the rules they should be failed.

The CEM is the Central Electronic Module which is the "master computer" for the car and controls many functions.

The gearbox is a Aisin Warner TF-80 (SC). Some people say it is sealed for life but the reality is the fluid does need changing every so often - but Volvo for some reason known only to them do not include a change in their service schedule ("arduous use" excepted when it is 36k). Everyone on here who has done it reports improvements, I think when SwissXC90 did it he had a clutch problem anyway. Changing the fluid will improve any gearbox, but it wont fix a broken one.

If you do a sump dump - the easiest method - just remove the drain plug and let the fluid come out into a bowl - when it's stopped coming out replace the drain plug and measure exactly what you have removed by pouring it into a measuring jug. Replace with exactly the same amount of new fluid. If you do this 3 times with a few hundred miles of driving between, you will have around 85-90% new fluid in the box. Each sump dump usually releases around 3.5 - 4 litres. You will need to buy the correct torx bits for the level plug and filler and a 17mm hex drive for the drain plug.

This video shows how to do it - though you don't need VIDA and you don't need to check the level if you replace exactly the quantity that you have removed. 99 times out of 100 you can reuse the washers as well.

With regard to tyres if you are prepared to run 2 sets then full winter tyres will be better than the Cross Contacts - Vredestein Wintrac and Nokian's are very popular on here, but I've just ordered a set of Cooper Discoverer Winter (235 60 18) from Tyreleader for just £335 - these will go on my XC60 but I have the tyre's predecessor (Cooper Discoverer MS2) on my XC90 and they have been absolutely brilliant - I've run them all year round for 5 years. If you go anywhere muddy then you might want to look at a winter tyre with a all terrain tread bias like the Cooper Weathermaster or General SnowGrabber.

Finally - VIDA - if you know what you are doing with a diagnostic tool then it is the must have software for a Volvo. It's what the dealers use and there is nothing you can't do at home apart from software upgrades and security related changes.

Thank you again, Tannaton, will let the mechanic know. Would it make sense to use the Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited or Laser as a main beam H7 bulb as it is supposed to be a xenon-effect'ish halogen bulb if I am told correctly ?
I have learned that I have to stock quite a few of these bulbs, unlike my old XC70 which had standard Xenon and from 110K - 175K in 6 years never needed any change so I carried a £95 worth of Osram Xenarc D2Rs in my boot for nothing ;-)

Is my assumption correct that the canbus is the cabling network that leads all components to the CEM ? And that if the CEM does not accept a new piece of hardware it will not work ? Almost like Windows ? :-) And Vida is a sort of Explorer that let me do diagnostics, read messages and with that I can set the mirrors on automatically folding when locking the car, switch on the lights after locking the car and all these little things ? Or do I have to be as advanced as members as Swiss XC90 to be able to adjust the personal settings ?

Sump Dump sounds great, the Volvo Indie in Southwick near Brighton alike all dealers and indies adviced not to touch it until I would encounter issues but I still feel I am leaning in your direction: to prevent issues that sump dump method might sound ideal. Might be best once I have returned from the Netherlands in a month.

Am leaning towards the same setup as 4x4 and yourself, the Conti Ecocontacts in summer (if there is sufficient thread on it) and winter tyres for the colder/wetter season, especially with the requirements for Germany and Switzerland. Would you know if the XC90 can have the 235 65 R17 108h alloys ? Used ones are on offer by the dozen in the Netherlands, apparently the size of choice for winteruse over there but I have not seen that here and was wondering if it would be good. They look like they are Camulus yet in 17" and I can buy a used set for as little as EUR 80 so for that I think I like to have a go to have two sets of tyres and wheels, Would not hurt me when reselling, I believe ......
Are the Cooper and General tyres more like semi off road with likewise profile ? I come across the occasional muddy and grass paths and fields around my girlfriend and with the Michelin Cross Climates on the XC70 (they were only a few months old) I got terribly stuck in a muddy field in Herefordshire somewhere in March and they needed a Ford F150 to tow me out. I just wanted to turn and these tyres were not helping at all :-(

Where do I get a VIDA ? And is there any requirement to the specifications of the lappie used or will any couple of year old one do ?

Re the front parking sensors: just went to Dinnages in Worthing to have my batteries in both fobs replaced (£120 and out of curiosity asked what front parking sensors would cost .......they quoted me around £821 and a bit so guess I will have to ask a electrician or so to help out there ....is there anyone who know if the 2012 XC90 comes pre-wired for the front sensors ?

Side steps fitted, pictures soon to follow .......

Will keep you updated, traveling over to Netherlands tonight, will get some quotes from Volvo main dealers there for the front parking sensors.

Will also visit this outfit for Xenon:
retrofitlab.com
Apparently one can order a complete set specifically to replace the H7 halogen headlights for EUR 246 excluding installation.

Are you honestly saying that you have paid £120 for someone to replace two CR batteries in the car's key fobs????:confused_smile:

Parking sensors for the fronts need a loom and the volvo sensors - the loom attaches to the control box in the rear and the sensors into the bumper.
Definitely not worth over £800!!!

There are independent companies who will come to you to fit front sensors - google Dolphin parking sensors as an example - or just generally google front parking sensors xc90 and a number of such companies pop up. You could also buy a wireless set built into a numberplate surround for under £50 ......wiring is simple and no bumper cuts needed - will help your tight parking in Brighton albeit not perfect and not OEM.........

You could call FRF in Swansea and ask for a price for the loom and sensors and get a decent indy to fit them? worth checking out the pricing if you want the OEM front sensors

I assume the £800 quote included a car attached to the front parking sensors? Seriously...that is complete madness. Shop around, as said above there are many companies who will fit sensors for you at a fraction of that price.

As for the lights, I have to say I am not impressed with the Xenon's fitted to my car and talking to my mechanic I get the same impression from him. He sees a lot of older cars coming in with Xenon headlights that simply do not work properly.

LED's are the future, if I was you I would be doing some research in that direction if you want to improve your headlights.

I remember when Halogens were the future.

Xenons were the future 10 years ago and now??

Where will LEDs be 10 years from now?

Replaced by lasers?

Honestly, align the lamps properly and they work well, Whether Halogen, Xenon, LED or Laser....

LED's are the future - one new cars - they will never be a upgrade for halogen as they needs specifically designed optics.

Sorry, that should have read £12,- Am not technical and willing to spend money to get everything in order yet indeed £120 would be sheer stupidity that even I could not justify ;-)

That is quite helpful and thank you so much for your input, Condor ! Not OEM is not a dealbreaker, not having front parking sensors would be. Will have to check with my local Volvo Indie if they are comfortable with this The wireless set in a numberplate surround sound just about right !

But just for my own understanding as me being a non-native English speaker is challenging at times: loom is a wiring loom ? Just 4 genuine Volvo parking sensors and they would then connect to the same system that works for the rear ones ?

When being over in the Netherlands one of the bulbs died and I set out to have a struggle with the headlights ... pleasantly surprised when I noticed that with removing the clips I could take out the whole headlight unit. Have replaced the with Osram Nightbreaker Laser and although I have a serious question mark over their claims of brightness and distance, the pattern is now evenly spread so happy with that for now. But on the bendy West Sussex and East Sussex roads I still find the performance of halogen a bit challenging ..... and from what I read before here, LED is not road legal in the UK or the EU, right ?

As Volvo is particularly popular in the Netherlands, I managed to source 4 Camulus 18" alloys with Michelin Lattitude tyres with a lot of thread on it and also have Continental Winter Contact tyres on the Camulus set that is under the car right now. Costed roughly £180 so quite a steal !

If you need to source a second set of wheels, do give www.marktplaats.nl a go (equivalent to Gumtree) for all kinds of 17" and 18" wheels.

Further managed to source a great set of Thule roof bars so that is another box ticked.

Also got in contact with Marshalls in Bishops' Stortford who were quite willing to stamp my newly acquired service book with the 8 services they have performed already. Since the last service was in January 2018 at around 90K (car has now done 100K) I will go there and have the car serviced at the same time bringing 8 liters of Castrol Edge 0W30 which they are willing to put in.
Just wondering now if I can have the lights programmed to stay on after locking the car, what other functions can be programmed on the remote fobs ?

Last but not least, has anyone got an idea if this might work on my car ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360-Full-...g/401324029497

I have an engineering friend who is quite handy and hoping to ask him if this could be fit to the car, perhaps even taking away the need for the parking sensors ..... :-) Come to think of it, he might be able to help me fitting the loom and sensors or the wireless kit in the numberplate surround CondorXC90 recommended !

Just wondering now if I can have the lights programmed to stay on after locking the car and what other functions can be programmed through the remote fobs ? Anyone who knows ?

Cheers !

Not sure about programming the lights to stay on, but do you know about the 'home safe' lights function, where you pull the left stalk towards you before leaving the car... this will leave lights on for 30 secs after you lock the vehicle.

Apologies if this is not what you were thinking of.

Sounds pretty good and helpful on the dark drive of my girlfriend in the countryside ! I was not aware of that at all.

One other thing I will ask at Marshall’s tomorrow if they can program my mirrors so they will fold automatically once locked !

Thanks again, Nick !

Does anyone know how to offer a car for sale ?
After my service at Marshall's in January, I have spent lockdown in the Netherlands and will probably not need a car in Henfield anytime soon. I will sin and drive a blue-white propeller driven estate car but would like to offer my car to one of the members here first before I try webuyanycar.com and the likes :-)

I must say, one of the most informative threads I’ve read. Covers everything from lights to gearbox to tyres.

Wanted to ask did you fit the side steps you purchased from eBay?
If so how did you find them in every day use?

Thanks

I am glad you found the thread helpful, the thread of Odysseus has helped me a lot too when I was finding everything.

The after-market side steps look sleeker than the factory ones and for around £110 it was a steal. If you PM me your email address or mobile number, I will send you a couple of pictures of how it looks now. There will be a visible gap between the underside of the body and the side steps but that is the price one has to pay for the sleaker look. Have utilised the side steps quite a bit since I have used the car for moving things and using a roofbox on top and it always did the trick. Can highly recommend it since I could not find decent priced factory side steps at the time !

p.s. Both UK and Dutch dealerships informed me I could not program anything regarding folding mirrors upon locking, adding LED daylight running lights and the works which was quite disappointing but apparently one needs to have the Modelyear 2013 for that

If anyone knows of anyone else interested in purchasing my 2012 XC90 with currently 107K on the clock, do let me know :-)

To get these functions (that are not only nice to have in a new car), you can simply use the CFE+ (Wifi). It has all these functions, just put it in your OBD2 socket and you are good to go. Very nice tool, just take a look around here in the forum (not only in the XC90 subforum), it is a well known and used tool. ;)

Here you go: https://www.swedesolutions.com/produ...c90-2007-2014/

Much appreciated, Paddy, that does sound very useful indeed, shame Marshalls and the Dutch dealership could not help me with that :-(
Will definitely take a look !

Another Plus vote for the CFE - if you want the folding mirrors, it does it quickly and easily. I love mine!!
Main dealers don't always know very much about enthusiast details, or indeed about the older cars. Always a good idea to ask on here!!

Absolutely, this is the proof again. I tried Volvo UK, Marshalls, Volvo Netherlands and a Dutch Volvo dealership but obviously I should have known to find the answer on here :-)
Despite wanting to sell the car, I will still obtain that tool, always nice to have in case I keep it a bit longer !

I find that they get caught up in the word "flush" when its not really the same thing that is required of them, they think its a flush like you would with an oil additive prior to an engine oil change, that sort of flush, when in fact its just really a drain and fill, or the gibbons method, this is why they advise against it. If you tell them its a drain and fill, they are then quite receptive, I was quoted £250 for doing that twice on my V70 just as an FYI

Thank you all for all your helpful advice.

Since putting the car on for sale on this forum, the next day half September I have been lucky enough to have found a buyer and the car has gone to a new warm home in Leeds where the car will be properly appreciated by a young family as it should be.

I will be away for the time being as I am an ex-Volvo owner and back to BMW but I hope in 2 years time to find a late 2006 or early 2007 XC90 in Executive trim since it will be very tax friendly to drive those as a company car in the Netherlands.

Good luck to you all,

Cheers,
Alain

Needing a new XC90 in my life :-)
 

After having left for almost 2 years, I am in search of a XC90 again and was hoping to pick up some useful tips.

Preferably looking for a XC90 Executive, alternatively a SE/Lux and not sure if I should have the 200bhp D5 or the 182bhp D5 ? I had the 2012 one and wondering if there is a lot of difference if I would go for the 182bph version in terms of reliability and performance ?
How about the 2.5 T Petrol and 3.2 Petrol versions ? Anyone any experience with it ?

I would like the most complete version, I would like the massaging seats but understood they only come with much newer modelyears than the 2007 onwards modelyears I am looking at.

Since LHD XC90s are almost impossible to find (I would like it initially on UK plates) any RHD would do but advice is really appreciated since I bought my last XC90 by accident on eBay.

Higher mileages will not put me off when the timing belt has been replaced timely and any advice will be appreciated !

Cheers,
Alain