Auto gearbox oil.
 

Hi all, is my 2006 C70 2.4i auto gearbox sealed? Does the oil need to be changed at any point?

Transmission fluid should be changed. It doesn't have to be changed every single year, but definitely something that you should do every so often throughout your ownership to prolong the life of the transmission.

Volvo & other manufacturers claim the transmission's in their vehicles are "sealed" or "sealed for life", yet they have drain plugs... :shocked:

The fluid can be drained, as there's a drain plug... so "sealed" is a load of rubbish. There isn't an interval as such for changing the fluid, as Volvo (and other companies) don't suggest changing it at all. This is misleading, as servicing your transmission will definitely help it. You wouldn't own a car & never change the engine oil... why they think its okay with the transmission is beyond me.

Make sure you use the correct spec fluid for your car & nothing else. To answer your question... YES... CHANGE THE FLUID.

:teeth_smile:

Volvo itself does acknowledge the need to change the ATF, but only in cases of 'arduous operations', as it terms it (hot, dusty, taxis, towing - I may have made one of those up, but you get the drift), and IIRC on a remarkably short cycle like 24K miles.

...and yet says nothings required for normal operation, which is simply nonsense, as evidenced by the majority of other marques which use the AW55 'box. So yes, do it.

depending on how it has been driven, kind of traffic its been in,, etc etc
somewhere between 80k-100k miles = look to change it

All the advice says
"Do NOT have a Power flush performed"
"Do NOT use flusing fluids"
"Do use the Correct spec ATF"




the "gibbons" method where you take 3l (ISH) out of the transmission sump + refill with The exact amount you took out , check levels, drive (varies between a 100/200/400 you choose) then do it again, for a total of 3 dumps/refills
is the General consensus on these autoboxes.



Most of the Other manufactures who use the AW55 box we have Do have a ATF change schedule.


best to get it done Before any issues start showing up as by the time they do it Maybe to late

Thank you all for replies. The car has done 67k miles and has towed previously.

On my experience (mine had 75k, no tow bar) the fluid will probably be filthy. So drop it and replace a couple of times.

Also, do the haldex unit whilst under there.

Yes. Service interval is c60k for Saabs et al anyway.

Is it 60k for the haldex or auto box out of interest?

'box - not sure about the 4wd Saabs' Haldex schedule

i must admit i am struggling in my head on the atf change.

my 2.4 petrol auto transmission is just under 230k miles. never changed the atf - just blindly did not think about it given the operating manual.

in the last few months the transmission begun rumbling at times, whining at others - but still goes through gears without trouble.

i got in touch with the local specialist who does transmissions only - nothing else. they basically said - sit tight; no issues with gear changes then do not touch it, otherwise you might cause more issues that you are trying to solve.

granted they are not volvo specialists, but they ARE transmission gurus.

any practical input, especially if anyone has been without atf change for as long or longer?

I've never had a car with that mileage, but I wouldn't have left it that long either.

I think the garage is sticking to the side of caution. Changing fluid at 230k could cause problems (dislodging old dirt etc). Its also worth noting that if the transmission is whining/grumbling, then a fluid change probably wouldn't make much difference anyway. That sounds more than internal wear, which there's bound to be with that mileage. I highly doubt a fluid change would solve the noises you're hearing.

Agree. Leave alone. Run 'til dead.

Thanks for this, looking to get mine changed as up at 100K now. How do you find the correct spec for ATF?

Specifications section - 'fluids and lubricants' in your handbook.

You can download from Volvo site if you don't have one.

Yours will most certainly be JWS3309 spec ATF but double check in handbook!

10litres of Mannol around £40-£50 (try Lubriage car parts & accessories on eBay).

Guide here on how to: - https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/tr...0-v50-c30-c70/

Plus plenty of YT vids.

Many thanks, did have a feeling should have read the book before posting on here... page 257 of the owners manual confirms JWS3309, worth noting the 2.0D autobox uses a different fluid BOT341.

correction :
At no time have volvo ever claimed their transmission is sealed for life !
In fact there is an optional service schedule for it ... Its unfortunate that very few take this up ....

36000 miles actually :-)

Yes they do claim the transmission is sealed. Dealers don’t even mention this “optional” service you’re talking about. In fact, most dealerships say “You don’t need to do that” when you mention a transmission fluid change.

Lots of people get snooty about posting things that are in the handbook, but for me its what the forum is for. Most of us have gone through the same process as you, so sharing experiences can only help.

I guess the 2.0D is the Ford powershift system so understandable its different fluid. Had one once on a C70. Broke it and sold it :rolleyes:

Enjoy the ATF change if you choose to do it yourself, its very satisfying but careful when checking the ATF level hot. Dipstick is a sod to reach. :regular_smile:

I actually am likely to get a local volvo indy to do this as got a quote for just over £100 (which I thought was good given the price of getting oil and had understood requires vida to let the car know it has new ATF?) so wanted to check they are using the right spec fluid for peace of mind.

That price won’t be for a full flush. That price sounds like a simple drain & fill, which means its a partial fluid change because there’s still going to be several litres of old fluid inside the transmission. You can’t empty all the fluid on a drain & fill, hence why drain & fills are done repeatedly to get as much of the old stuff out.

I doubt for £100 that this is what they’ll be doing (repeated drain & fills). Its more like they’ll drain what they can & fill it back up again. Better than nothing though...

If you want spotless fluid, depending on the condition of your existing fluid, they’ll need to do it at least twice. If its really bad, it could take 3/4 drain & fills. I doubt a single drain & fill will give you very clean fluid on a car with 100k on it... it sounds to me like this is what they plan to do (just one single drain). I may be wrong, but its worth checking.

A full flush via the transmission oil cooler, renewing all the fluid in one go costs about £300.

Yes they said this is 2 fills and suggested would replace about 80% of it, so seemed to know the scoop

That’s very reasonable so.

show me your evidence ? It's in the VIDA service requirements ...

yes unfortunately with the high rate of service adviser staff turnover and not getting the same one two years in a row they will never get it right ..

If its in the VIDA service requirements, why is it “optional”?

If its in the service requirements, it should be mandatory.

Evidence? How about dealerships telling people the transmission fluid doesn’t need to be changed.

This.

I have had a main dealer telling me it doesn't need to be changed, and never coming back to me with a price to renew the fluid after I insisted.

It's not an old wives' tale.

what it needs for you to be talking to volvo higher up the chain about these incompetent advisers really , talking on here does nothing to address the issue ...except open up how wide the problem is ..:confused_smile: Volvo have mystery shops 4 times a year at every dealer service, parts and sales department and 2 audits a year , the bosses do all they can . The bosses would like to know their adviser is doing them out of £300 at every lost auto oil change requested !
Regarding the OPTIONAL items mentioned above since 2014 services are flexible ,( the old fixed service check sheets are long gone ) there is also an essential service for occasions such as now when mileages are low for the year . they should have the skill to build a service to suit you and your requests , all the software is at their hands to do it ..

That doesn’t answer the query.

You said Volvo don’t claim their transmissions are “sealed for life”.

VIDA has a service schedule for the transmission.

If VIDA has a service schedule listed, why is it optional? Why isn’t it a mandatory item?

Bottom line is, dealerships don’t mention a transmission fluid change & your singing praises for Volvo. Do you think if I rang them or went in to complain about this that it would make a bit of difference? Who am I at the end of the day?

Stop with the blurb & be realistic... Volvo don’t tell their customers about transmission servicing & that’s the bottom line. They also say their transmissions are sealed for life... I’ve heard it on many occasions.

If a fluid change is an “option”, they should at least mention it. Then its up to the customer if they decide to get it done, but they don’t. Here’s an analogy for you;

“Hi there, I’d like my fluid change in my transmission”

“Oh, there’s no need to do that. Its not a serviceable item”.

Funny that... why is there a drain & fill plug on the transmission then? :shocked:

I’ve read my owners manual & the only reference to a transmission fluid change is if the car is used for towing or in arduous conditions. It doesn’t say anywhere that it still needs to be changed, even if the car isn’t used for towing etc.

Its a simple case of common sense & owners taking it upon themselves to go elsewhere to get fluid changes done. Sadly, many don’t do this because they’re under the impression that the fluid doesn’t need doing because dealerships tell them it doesn’t have to be done!

........

Have to agree with Clan on the staff issue above. My experience of Main Dealers in my area has been very, very poor.

I've always found that the service advisor knows very little about the product; far less than I do on almost every occasion. Why do they seem to recruit people who have no interest in Volvos? I guess they look at it as just a sales role?

But then I assume I am not their target audience. I get the feeling the dealer is only interested in you leasing the car, servicing it as told, then changing it after three years for another on a lease deal. People like me who are often the 3rd, 4th, 5th owners with higher mileage vehicles don't figure in the business model, as we are more likely to use independents for our work anyway.

I feel totally alienated at a Main Dealer and it shouldn't be like that. Volvo don't have to sell me a car, as I'm not going anywhere else! In the future, hopefully I'll be driving a V90CC (once the XC70 is no longer) then the electric equivalent after that.

However, some of the parts guys I've dealt with are excellent. FRF Swansea (Simon etc.) are exceptional as you probably all know. Always go the extra mile.

My localish Volvo dealer, Donald's in Colchester, have an annual open day where our local VOC can meet and the techs are on hand to put your car on a ramp and just chat. Great initiative and really builds trust. I'll give them a try next time I need any main dealer work.

I'm sure lots of people who work for Volvo are like me, passionate about the brand, but I've not met many. Probably this is not just confined to Volvo, it's industrywide. I'm naive enought to think it's about the cars but like everything else, it's just about sales.

Anyway, off to change the ATF on my C70. Good discussion all. Very enjoyable. :regular_smile:

I think with the introduction of the Electric vehicles things are going to change massively over the next 5 years , volvo have already moved on to on line sales only with the Polestar 2 . Each dealer has a Product expert to help out with customer queries , he should be busy 8 hours a day around the sales and service departments ...

About 75% of the staff at a volvo dealer are passionate , In my long experience , if they can weed out those who are not and Don't own a volvo we will all be better off .

@Clan

You still have no evidence , you have heard other uninformed people writing it on here that's all ..you talk of dealerships, there are 120 in the uk , you cant possibly know what each one tells its customers ... you have only been in 2 or 3 % of them.

Uninformed people? So the people that post on here all lie about what they were told? I never claimed to know what each dealership across the whole of the network tells their customers. You don't know that either.

If a fluid change is an “option”, they should at least mention it. Then its up to the customer if they decide to get it done, but they don’t. Here’s an analogy for you;

I’ve read my owners manual & the only reference to a transmission fluid change is if the car is used for towing or in arduous conditions. It doesn’t say anywhere that it still needs to be changed, even if the car isn’t used for towing etc. exactly that's an option in the service schedule which i fully explained above in my previous post.

An "option" for those that fall into that category, i.e. people that tow or use their vehicle as a taxi. Where's the service schedule for the people that don't? So because I don't tow with my car, in Volvo's eyes, the transmission fluid doesn't need changing? Would you never change the oil in your car because you only use it for pottering around town?

yes , it is common sense , alas very very few customers of any make now have any interest in their car mechanically , all they want is to spend the least amount possible on it .. as you would with your refrigerator or washing machine ...Any dealer employee telling their customer that the auto transmission never needs attention needs disciplinary action , remember its not the dealer or volvo telling them that..... its someone on the front desk who could have only been there six months ...
Its all about training . The channels are there , Volvo has the best training facilities of anyone in Daventry , they need to up their independent mystery shops by a factor of 10 it seems and make your question one of the key questions they should ask the " service adviser " ....

The fluid doesn't need changing according to the owner's manual though? You only need to service the transmission if you use the vehicle for towing or arduous conditions remember... that's in the handbook :rolleyes:. So if you don't tow heavy loads for example, the fluid never needs to be changed in Volvo's eyes. The only service schedule that exists for the transmission is "optional" & only applies to vehicles used for towing or in arduous conditions. So its fine for me to drive 160,000 miles, never tow & never do a fluid change in Volvo's eyes... that sounds okay to you?

Thanks goodness some people don't take heed of dealerships. :rolleyes: