Need to be reassured. XC70 Auto question

[milo80]

Hi people,

Need some more assistance from the XC70 community. I'm changing my much loved 2005 V70 2.0T for a 2008 XC. I was hoping to get a DrivE model to come in under Irish road Tax but looks like the budget is a bit stretched. On the upside it widens my choice a bit more so I'm now looking at a really clean 2008 XC70 here at home with a full history and only 99k genuine on the clock.. My only fear is it's an auto box. Now I did have a 2003 S80 D5 with an Auto and hated the kicking and jumping in get when stopped at lights or in traffic and vowee never to get another car with an Auto transmission. But if I can be talked into it and my fears are quietened then I'll bite at maybe one of these...

Thanks in advance.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sal...-2008/19283990

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sal...drive/19446052

[SwissXC90]

Drive it and you will know what it is like

[green van man]

The big problem with volvo auto boxes is Volvo's insistence the oil doesnot need changing unless taxi work or heavy towing is undertaken. Other manufactures using the same box recommend 30,000 mile oil changes.

Even a full volvo history will not garentee the gearbox oil has ever been changed as volvo don't recomed it and unless the previous owner requested it it will not of been done.

90k miles and it's a case of do you change and hope you do not get problems by disturbing the accumulated sludge or press on until the oil and box give out..

Mine is a manual and I change gearbox oil every 2/3 years, as I do the power steering fluid. The car had 34,000 miles on it when I baught it, fresh enough to not have built up sludge in the box. Hopefully regular changes will keep it that way.

Paul.

[Tannaton]

Your 2003 S80 had an earlier gearbox (AW55) which was a 5-speed. Your 2008 XC70 will have the later 6-speed gearbox (TF80) which is a completely different unit, and has better software. It's more reliable too.

As has been suggested - go and drive it and budget for a fluid change. Some people are concerned that this disturbs sludge in the gearbox but there is little to no evidence to support this, in easy case you can just change 3 litres at a time or so.

[luggsey]

Agree with Tannaton on this one, I did a poll on here and nobody with a working auto box 'caused' problems by changing the oil!
I changed the oil in mine at 225k with no evidence it had been done before, it behaved oddly for a while as I didn't reset the gearbox software but crucially it did no damage.
I later reset the software and my previously (prior to oil change) jumping flaring grumbling gearbox is 95% better then it was.
Be doing mine again soon.

[milo80]

Thanks for all the help.
I have a friend here at home that's a qualified Volvo Mech still working with a Volvo main dealer here a and very good one too but he is away on holiday the moment so I'm kind of buying a bit blind. I'm a panel beater so I can see exactly what I need to see body work wise. Just engine wise I'm a little green on... . Any plugging in that needs to be done he can do it. And he'll also be servicing it for me.. i just don't want to let one of those go a theylook clean and because of the high road tax most won't really touch them... . You've all put my mind at ease anyway..

[apersson850]

I've replaced the oil, rinsed the box, twice on my XC70. Especially the first time gearbox behaviour improved significantly.
In the "My Volvo" web site, I can see the log for everything done, including oil changes in the gearbox. But it takes you've serviced at Volvo, of course.