Quote:
Originally Posted by AlainBrighton
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 ?
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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.