Volvo Owners Club Forum - View Single Post - Buying my first Volvo - XC90 T8

eugeneville · Jan 17th, 2023, 10:48

Hi everyone,

I've never owned a volvo before but am currently in the market for one.
Looking for advice on what to look out for when buying a used XC90 T8.
What I've decided to look for specifically is a 2019 11.6kWh T8 in an R-Design Pro specification.

I'd really appreciate any advice that you might have for me when going for a test drive and when examining the car. Is there anything specific that I should be on the lookout for?

We've just sold our big diesel SUV because of the realisation that a diesel car isn't suited well for the type of journeys that we do - short school runs, gym, groceries, all within around 5-10 miles from where we live in.

The reason why I'm narrowing it down to finding a 2019 11.6kWh model is because of what I've read that they come with a number of improvements to various areas, like the quicker Sensus system, third generation battery (potentially better ERAD?), slightly better range, etc.

Our last diesel car suffered from oil dilution due to short journeys and I've read that the T8 (effectively a T6 once the ICE turns on) does also suffer from the same problem if the regen cycle kicks in but isn't allowed to finish. My honest hope is that I'd be able to keep it in Pure mode without letting the ICE turn on at all on our short journeys hence eliminating the oil dilution problem. (I've read how one needs to give it a bit more time when going from reverse to drive so that not to let the ICE turn on, pre-condition it on either a hot or a cold morning, etc.

I've seen a video on youtube where a guy said that in 2020 there was an update that makes the T8 stay in Pure electric mode regardless of how hard you press the accelerator pedal... Even though that was in US, the car in question was an 11.6kWh XC90 T8. Has anyone heard of this update being available here in UK, or does it still turn the engine one if one would accelerate too hard?

I will only be buying directly from Volvo as I'm hopeful that the potential ERAD issue would then be covered under their Select warranty. That is the case right?

P.S. The car that I will go see this coming Friday the 20th of Jan has 58K miles on the clock, which is around 20K miles more that the average for a 2019 plate, but it is under warranty from Volvo and is in the Spec that I'm after. Would you say this kind of mileage should be a concern and a deal breaker when buying a used T8?

Pardon for so many question and so much text.
Many thanks in advance for all your input and advice.

Jan 17th, 2023, 10:48	#1
eugeneville New Member Last Online: Mar 28th, 2024 11:36 Join Date: Jan 2023 Location: Fleet	Buying my first Volvo - XC90 T8 - looking for advice Hi everyone, I've never owned a volvo before but am currently in the market for one. Looking for advice on what to look out for when buying a used XC90 T8. What I've decided to look for specifically is a 2019 11.6kWh T8 in an R-Design Pro specification. I'd really appreciate any advice that you might have for me when going for a test drive and when examining the car. Is there anything specific that I should be on the lookout for? We've just sold our big diesel SUV because of the realisation that a diesel car isn't suited well for the type of journeys that we do - short school runs, gym, groceries, all within around 5-10 miles from where we live in. The reason why I'm narrowing it down to finding a 2019 11.6kWh model is because of what I've read that they come with a number of improvements to various areas, like the quicker Sensus system, third generation battery (potentially better ERAD?), slightly better range, etc. Our last diesel car suffered from oil dilution due to short journeys and I've read that the T8 (effectively a T6 once the ICE turns on) does also suffer from the same problem if the regen cycle kicks in but isn't allowed to finish. My honest hope is that I'd be able to keep it in Pure mode without letting the ICE turn on at all on our short journeys hence eliminating the oil dilution problem. (I've read how one needs to give it a bit more time when going from reverse to drive so that not to let the ICE turn on, pre-condition it on either a hot or a cold morning, etc. I've seen a video on youtube where a guy said that in 2020 there was an update that makes the T8 stay in Pure electric mode regardless of how hard you press the accelerator pedal... Even though that was in US, the car in question was an 11.6kWh XC90 T8. Has anyone heard of this update being available here in UK, or does it still turn the engine one if one would accelerate too hard? I will only be buying directly from Volvo as I'm hopeful that the potential ERAD issue would then be covered under their Select warranty. That is the case right? P.S. The car that I will go see this coming Friday the 20th of Jan has 58K miles on the clock, which is around 20K miles more that the average for a 2019 plate, but it is under warranty from Volvo and is in the Spec that I'm after. Would you say this kind of mileage should be a concern and a deal breaker when buying a used T8? Pardon for so many question and so much text. Many thanks in advance for all your input and advice.