New 2013 V60 T4 Owner Questions

[Williamsonr3]

Afternoon all, first time poster on these forums for advice.

Yesterday, after months of waiting, I picked up my 2013 V60 T4 Japanese import.

Simply astounded at the condition of the vehicle. 40-odd thousand miles, paintwork is perfect, wheels refurbed and interior unblemished. I viewed a good few in Scotland that were on for similar money and 90% of them looked done in, which was sad to see.

Now that I've had the day looking over it and working out its idiosyncrasies I have identified the following issues;

- Cambelt needs done (never been replaced upon belt inspection).
- Driver window auto up/down function seems to ot be working and as soon as it reaches top, goes straight back down.

These are issues I can get resolved in Glasgow by a Volvo specialist. I have a couple of questions though;

The auto box in this car is like nothing I have ever experienced - I believe it is the Powershift Unit? When I accelerate away, unless I'm feathering the throttle the thing lurches and wheelspins away. Under light acceleration the car almost feels like it's 'pulsing' slightly. Apologies. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's the only way I can describe it. I notice the revs pulsing about a couple of hundred RPM when sitting at any consistent speed. If I floor it, the box works perfectly and shifts pretty decently for its age. Is this normal?

I plan on getting the auto box oil changed and I'm waiting for Polestar tuning to go on sale in the hope that it will help the auto box.

Does anyone else have any other recommendations on what this may be? I can provide any other details if required.

Finally, I have a reasonably good spec on this car - in Japan you could use the TV function on it and it has its original remote in the glovebox. Is there any way of coding this to use in the UK? I know it's gimmicky, however I would quite like it.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Williamsonr3

Afternoon all, first time poster on these forums for advice.

Yesterday, after months of waiting, I picked up my 2013 V60 T4 Japanese import.

Simply astounded at the condition of the vehicle. 40-odd thousand miles, paintwork is perfect, wheels refurbed and interior unblemished. I viewed a good few in Scotland that were on for similar money and 90% of them looked done in, which was sad to see.

Now that I've had the day looking over it and working out its idiosyncrasies I have identified the following issues;

- Cambelt needs done (never been replaced upon belt inspection).
- Driver window auto up/down function seems to ot be working and as soon as it reaches top, goes straight back down.

These are issues I can get resolved in Glasgow by a Volvo specialist. I have a couple of questions though;

The auto box in this car is like nothing I have ever experienced - I believe it is the Powershift Unit? When I accelerate away, unless I'm feathering the throttle the thing lurches and wheelspins away. Under light acceleration the car almost feels like it's 'pulsing' slightly. Apologies. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's the only way I can describe it. I notice the revs pulsing about a couple of hundred RPM when sitting at any consistent speed. If I floor it, the box works perfectly and shifts pretty decently for its age. Is this normal?

I plan on getting the auto box oil changed and I'm waiting for Polestar tuning to go on sale in the hope that it will help the auto box.

Does anyone else have any other recommendations on what this may be? I can provide any other details if required.

Finally, I have a reasonably good spec on this car - in Japan you could use the TV function on it and it has its original remote in the glovebox. Is there any way of coding this to use in the UK? I know it's gimmicky, however I would quite like it.

It seems you have a POWERSHIFT Gearbox ( FORD) which can be trouble- some if neglected, they MUST have an oil and filter change every 54000 miles. It could be you have bought someone else's problem. best get a dealer to check it over, obviously the first thing is to get the oil and filter changed , that is not as easy as it sounds to do DIY either. polestar wont do anything to make the gearbox better, but worse in its present condition.

[Williamsonr3]

Thanks mate, it’s booked into a specialist next Monday who’s going to do the timing belt and gearbox service so I’ll report back.

[moorgate]

Sounds just like my car. I brought it down from Scotland as my first drive, then the very next day I was on a ferry to Europe. Performance was OK-ish, but economy was not that much better then my old 2.5 T5 V50! Somewhere south of Stuttgart, the gearbox started acting up, jumping from 6 to 4 while at high speed. Not a nice feeling!

My suspicion was that the car had been sat around for long periods, either in Japan or the UK, while the import bureaucracy finally cleared. Eventually, I dropped by at some Swiss mates with a Volvo garage, leaving soon with a spanking new, very authentic and very expensive real Volvo battery. This did in fact make quite a difference! Shifts became quicker and more certain, though the bad behaviour on the motorway didn't entirely disappear.

As soon as I got back I left the car with a garage i'd trusted in the past. Unfortunately they decided not to be helpful, avoiding my calls and not doing anything positive with either their own diagnosis, or a specialist. I'm now looking around for a firm who know what to do in and with a Powershift gearbox: they seem common enough across Volvo, Ford and VW.

[Williamsonr3]

Sorry for the delay on this, I've been away with work and not had a chance to report back.

So..... I stuck my V60 into a reputable Volvo Specialist in Glasgow (who were fantastic albeit a bit on the pricey side).

They completed the cambelt, replaced the fluid/filter in the Powershift and also noticed one of my CV boot/joints were knackered. They replaced them as well.

I cannot stress how completely different the car feels now. No jerking on take off, changes are smoother, no rev bouncing. It's by no means perfect, its -4 here in Scotland just now (at times) and I try to warm the box up before use otherwise it can be a bit clunky.

The battery in my V60 is the original unit so I am ordering a replacement and I'll report back on any difference I notice.

One thing I would say moorgate, the Volvo Specialist I took the car into works closely with a gearbox specialist in Glasgow (Cambuslang). Two of the guys in said gearbox specialist were ex-Ford employees and know the Powershift inside-out. Recommendations for fluid/filter change are every 50k in the handbook I think, he recommended 35k just to keep everything sweet.