Flush or just oil change at 150k

[hewking]

what about differential oil ? do i need to change it if i buy the car ? it did 150k
Or is it maybe sealed by volvo for life as well

[hewking]

Just bought xc60 for my wife and we are excited. Just thinking whether the first gearbox oil change at 150k mileage is safer to drain only half of the oil eg. 1.5 litres ? the first change will be the biggest shock to the gearbox and 2,3,4th full capacity change after several weeks each. Really shocked volvo in uk says sealed for life but in Germany or Poland they change gearbox oil at normal schedule.
What about gearbox software update - any idea how to do it and if its worth it?

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by hewking

Just bought xc60 for my wife and we are excited. Just thinking whether the first gearbox oil change at 150k mileage is safer to drain only half of the oil eg. 1.5 litres ? the first change will be the biggest shock to the gearbox and 2,3,4th full capacity change after several weeks each. Really shocked volvo in uk says sealed for life but in Germany or Poland they change gearbox oil at normal schedule.
What about gearbox software update - any idea how to do it and if its worth it?

You can't do the software updates yourself... they have to be done by a Volvo dealership or a garage that has the correct equipment for Volvo's. Its certainly worth doing though.

With that mileage, I'd suggest doing a drain & fill. So drain as much as you can out (approx 3L), then add the same amount as what you drained of fresh transmission fluid. Drive the car for a while, then do the same again & keep repeating the process until the fluid is clean (make sure you drive the car in between changes though, for a few hundred miles). Remember, when you drain approx 3L from the transmission, there's still a lot of fluid inside the internals that you can't actually drain out. So don't be thinking that there's no other fluid in the transmission because you're draining 3L approx out of it... I assure you, there's a lot more than that! Do a full drain & fill, not 1.5L.

Alternatively, you could get a garage like Horton to do a transmission fluid change all in one go with a flushing machine, but that would cost around £300 & get them to update the transmission software too (that could cost extra, but I'm not 100% sure on that).

Drain & fills are much cheaper, but the downside is you need to do them repetitively over a period of time to get the cleanest fluid.

So... drain & fill (personally what I'd do), or pay £300 & get a garage to do a full change in one go. Horton know what they're doing... they're specialists & use the correct fluids etc (this is very important).

[hewking]

thanks for lots of useful info

[XC90Mk1]

Originally Posted by hewking

what about differential oil ? do i need to change it if i buy the car ? it did 150k
Or is it maybe sealed by volvo for life as well

At 150k any fluids need changing. Power steering, Coolant, brake fluid, axle, haldex, all of it.

Your priority at the moment is the AUX belt. If that let’s go it’s game over. AUX belt at 50K and timing belt at 108K.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by XC90Mk1

At 150k any fluids need changing. Power steering, Coolant, brake fluid, axle, haldex, all of it.

Your priority at the moment is the AUX belt. If that let’s go it’s game over. AUX belt at 50K and timing belt at 108K.

To the original poster, this is a very good point.

These are critical parts. Check the timing belt, aux belt & aux belt tensioner have been replaced (if done, hopefully you have paperwork that shows this). Don't just presume they've been done, you need paperwork or stamps from a dealership. If any of these parts snap/wear, your engine is practically toast.

Use quality parts when replacing.

[XC90Mk1]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

To the original poster, this is a very good point.

These are critical parts. Check the timing belt, aux belt & aux belt tensioner have been replaced (if done, hopefully you have paperwork that shows this). Don't just presume they've been done, you need paperwork or stamps from a dealership. If any of these parts snap/wear, your engine is practically toast.

Use quality parts when replacing.

Also get into Eastbourne Volvo spares or Volvo trade parts on eBay. You can buy all these spares for cheap. Certainly the XC90 is a doddle to work on.

[Pointer7]

Hewking,

Good choice of car by the way!

I had my autobox oil changed on my 14 plate S60 at 60k miles. I never tow anything and it leads a very easy life in terms of carrying weight etc. but the difference was night and day. So much smoother

It was done at the main dealer for £400, expensive but for something like a gearbox, i'd rather use the dealer.

[Easington]

Originally Posted by Pointer7

Hewking,

Good choice of car by the way!

I had my autobox oil changed on my 14 plate S60 at 60k miles. I never tow anything and it leads a very easy life in terms of carrying weight etc. but the difference was night and day. So much smoother

It was done at the main dealer for £400, expensive but for something like a gearbox, i'd rather use the dealer.

Did they drain and refill or use a machine to pump it through via the oil cooler?

Which dealer if you don't mind me asking?

[XC90Mk1]

Originally Posted by Easington

Did they drain and refill or use a machine to pump it through via the oil cooler?

Which dealer if you don't mind me asking?

I don’t believe any manufacturer or professional garage/gear box company would ever do a drain and refill manually by hand. The machines that these garages use to do a traditional flush are not expensive compared to others (couple of grand) and they allow a genuine flush to be done In under an hour (under 30mins for a volvo) as opposed to multiple hours by hand. They are also suitable for use across all vehicles and all platforms.

Doing a ‘sump dump’ refresh is a home mechanic in the drive technique. I swear on sump dumps, they are an excellent way to get lovely cherry red fluids with all new gaskets and o-rings for double figures. But they are just that, home mechanic based.

I got to the point (and still am) whereby I can drop the fluid, refil and be on with my day in sub 30 minutes. But with at least four of these required it would take your local garage 2 hours plus and from a fluid perspective it’s very wasteful.