Auto gearbox oil.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by andyv40turbo

I actually am likely to get a local volvo indy to do this as got a quote for just over £100 (which I thought was good given the price of getting oil and had understood requires vida to let the car know it has new ATF?) so wanted to check they are using the right spec fluid for peace of mind.

That price won’t be for a full flush. That price sounds like a simple drain & fill, which means its a partial fluid change because there’s still going to be several litres of old fluid inside the transmission. You can’t empty all the fluid on a drain & fill, hence why drain & fills are done repeatedly to get as much of the old stuff out.

I doubt for £100 that this is what they’ll be doing (repeated drain & fills). Its more like they’ll drain what they can & fill it back up again. Better than nothing though...

If you want spotless fluid, depending on the condition of your existing fluid, they’ll need to do it at least twice. If its really bad, it could take 3/4 drain & fills. I doubt a single drain & fill will give you very clean fluid on a car with 100k on it... it sounds to me like this is what they plan to do (just one single drain). I may be wrong, but its worth checking.

A full flush via the transmission oil cooler, renewing all the fluid in one go costs about £300.

[andyv40turbo]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

That price won’t be for a full flush. That price sounds like a simple drain & fill, which means its a partial fluid change because there’s still going to be several litres of old fluid inside the transmission. You can’t empty all the fluid on a drain & fill, hence why drain & fills are done repeatedly to get as much of the old stuff out.

I doubt for £100 that this is what they’ll be doing (repeated drain & fills). Its more like they’ll drain what they can & fill it back up again. Better than nothing though...

If you want spotless fluid, depending on the condition of your existing fluid, they’ll need to do it at least twice. If its really bad, it could take 3/4 drain & fills. I doubt a single drain & fill will give you very clean fluid on a car with 100k on it... it sounds to me like this is what they plan to do (just one single drain). I may be wrong, but its worth checking.

A full flush via the transmission oil cooler, renewing all the fluid in one go costs about £300.

Yes they said this is 2 fills and suggested would replace about 80% of it, so seemed to know the scoop

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by andyv40turbo

Yes they said this is 2 fills and suggested would replace about 80% of it, so seemed to know the scoop

That’s very reasonable so.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

Yes they do claim the transmission is sealed. Dealers don’t even mention this “optional” service you’re talking about. In fact, most dealerships say “You don’t need to do that” when you mention a transmission fluid change.

show me your evidence ? It's in the VIDA service requirements ...

yes unfortunately with the high rate of service adviser staff turnover and not getting the same one two years in a row they will never get it right ..

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Clan

show me your evidence ? It's in the VIDA service requirements ...

yes unfortunately with the high rate of service adviser staff turnover and not getting the same one two years in a row they will never get it right ..

Originally Posted by Clan

correction :
At no time have volvo ever claimed their transmission is sealed for life !
In fact there is an optional service schedule for it ... Its unfortunate that very few take this up ....

If its in the VIDA service requirements, why is it “optional”?

If its in the service requirements, it should be mandatory.

Evidence? How about dealerships telling people the transmission fluid doesn’t need to be changed.

[Bonefishblues]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

If its in the VIDA service requirements, why is it “optional”?

If its in the service requirements, it should be mandatory.

Evidence? How about dealerships telling people the transmission fluid doesn’t need to be changed.

This.

I have had a main dealer telling me it doesn't need to be changed, and never coming back to me with a price to renew the fluid after I insisted.

It's not an old wives' tale.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Bonefishblues

This.

I have had a main dealer telling me it doesn't need to be changed, and never coming back to me with a price to renew the fluid after I insisted.

It's not an old wives' tale.

what it needs for you to be talking to volvo higher up the chain about these incompetent advisers really , talking on here does nothing to address the issue ...except open up how wide the problem is .. Volvo have mystery shops 4 times a year at every dealer service, parts and sales department and 2 audits a year , the bosses do all they can . The bosses would like to know their adviser is doing them out of £300 at every lost auto oil change requested !
Regarding the OPTIONAL items mentioned above since 2014 services are flexible ,( the old fixed service check sheets are long gone ) there is also an essential service for occasions such as now when mileages are low for the year . they should have the skill to build a service to suit you and your requests , all the software is at their hands to do it ..

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Clan

what it needs for you to be talking to volvo higher up the chain about these incompetent advisers really , talking on here does nothing to address the issue ...except open up how wide the problem is .. Volvo have mystery shops 4 times a year at every dealer service, parts and sales department and 2 audits a year , the bosses do all they can . The bosses would like to know their adviser is doing them out of £300 at every lost auto oil change requested !
Regarding the OPTIONAL items mentioned above since 2014 services are flexible ,( the old fixed service check sheets are long gone ) there is also an essential service for occasions such as now when mileages are low for the year . they should have the skill to build a service to suit you and your requests , all the software is at their hands to do it ..

That doesn’t answer the query.

You said Volvo don’t claim their transmissions are “sealed for life”.

VIDA has a service schedule for the transmission.

If VIDA has a service schedule listed, why is it optional? Why isn’t it a mandatory item?

Bottom line is, dealerships don’t mention a transmission fluid change & your singing praises for Volvo. Do you think if I rang them or went in to complain about this that it would make a bit of difference? Who am I at the end of the day?

Stop with the blurb & be realistic... Volvo don’t tell their customers about transmission servicing & that’s the bottom line. They also say their transmissions are sealed for life... I’ve heard it on many occasions.

If a fluid change is an “option”, they should at least mention it. Then its up to the customer if they decide to get it done, but they don’t. Here’s an analogy for you;

“Hi there, I’d like my fluid change in my transmission”

“Oh, there’s no need to do that. Its not a serviceable item”.

Funny that... why is there a drain & fill plug on the transmission then?

I’ve read my owners manual & the only reference to a transmission fluid change is if the car is used for towing or in arduous conditions. It doesn’t say anywhere that it still needs to be changed, even if the car isn’t used for towing etc.

Its a simple case of common sense & owners taking it upon themselves to go elsewhere to get fluid changes done. Sadly, many don’t do this because they’re under the impression that the fluid doesn’t need doing because dealerships tell them it doesn’t have to be done!

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

That doesn’t answer the query.

You said Volvo don’t claim their transmissions are “sealed for life”.

VIDA has a service schedule for the transmission.

If VIDA has a service schedule listed, why is it optional? Why isn’t it a mandatory item?

Because it would double the cost of the service twice in the average owners hands , Most volvos will run to well over 100,000 miles on their original transmission oil, todays modern Auto gearboxes have an easy life compared to those of some years ago , the 8 speed just idles over keeping the engine at 1800 rpm at all speeds up to 80 mph ..much like a CVT would ... those that buy second or third hand are left to change the oil then ......

Bottom line is, dealerships don’t mention a transmission fluid change & your singing praises for Volvo. Do you think if I rang them or went in to complain about this that it would make a bit of difference? Who am I at the end of the day?


........

No idea who you are or what would happen if you complain ! however you are the biggest asset they will ever have

Stop with the blurb & be realistic... Volvo don’t tell their customers about transmission servicing & that’s the bottom line. They also say their transmissions are sealed for life... I’ve heard it on many occasions.

You still have no evidence , you have heard other uninformed people writing it on here that's all ..you talk of dealerships, there are 120 in the uk , you cant possibly know what each one tells its customers ... you have only been in 2 or 3 % of them.

If a fluid change is an “option”, they should at least mention it. Then its up to the customer if they decide to get it done, but they don’t. Here’s an analogy for you;


I fully agree with you , It's in their own interest in making some more legitimate money

“Hi there, I’d like my fluid change in my transmission”

“Oh, there’s no need to do that. Its not a serviceable item”.

Funny that... why is there a drain & fill plug on the transmission then?

I’ve read my owners manual & the only reference to a transmission fluid change is if the car is used for towing or in arduous conditions. It doesn’t say anywhere that it still needs to be changed, even if the car isn’t used for towing etc. exactly that's an option in the service schedule which i fully explained above in my previous post.


Its a simple case of common sense & owners taking it upon themselves to go elsewhere to get fluid changes done. Sadly, many don’t do this because they’re under the impression that the fluid doesn’t need doing because dealerships tell them it doesn’t have to be done!



yes , it is common sense , alas very very few customers of any make now have any interest in their car mechanically , all they want is to spend the least amount possible on it .. as you would with your refrigerator or washing machine ...Any dealer employee telling their customer that the auto transmission never needs attention needs disciplinary action , remember its not the dealer or volvo telling them that..... its someone on the front desk who could have only been there six months ...
Its all about training . The channels are there , Volvo has the best training facilities of anyone in Daventry , they need to up their independent mystery shops by a factor of 10 it seems and make your question one of the key questions they should ask the " service adviser " ....

How do other manufacturers handle this problem ?
A job for BBC Watchdog perhaps ....

Lets hope we have enlightened a few people on here and at Volvo UK, and put a few myths to sleep ...!

........

[zapcity1]

Originally Posted by Clan

show me your evidence ? It's in the VIDA service requirements ...

yes unfortunately with the high rate of service adviser staff turnover and not getting the same one two years in a row they will never get it right ..

Have to agree with Clan on the staff issue above. My experience of Main Dealers in my area has been very, very poor.

I've always found that the service advisor knows very little about the product; far less than I do on almost every occasion. Why do they seem to recruit people who have no interest in Volvos? I guess they look at it as just a sales role?

But then I assume I am not their target audience. I get the feeling the dealer is only interested in you leasing the car, servicing it as told, then changing it after three years for another on a lease deal. People like me who are often the 3rd, 4th, 5th owners with higher mileage vehicles don't figure in the business model, as we are more likely to use independents for our work anyway.

I feel totally alienated at a Main Dealer and it shouldn't be like that. Volvo don't have to sell me a car, as I'm not going anywhere else! In the future, hopefully I'll be driving a V90CC (once the XC70 is no longer) then the electric equivalent after that.

However, some of the parts guys I've dealt with are excellent. FRF Swansea (Simon etc.) are exceptional as you probably all know. Always go the extra mile.

My localish Volvo dealer, Donald's in Colchester, have an annual open day where our local VOC can meet and the techs are on hand to put your car on a ramp and just chat. Great initiative and really builds trust. I'll give them a try next time I need any main dealer work.

I'm sure lots of people who work for Volvo are like me, passionate about the brand, but I've not met many. Probably this is not just confined to Volvo, it's industrywide. I'm naive enought to think it's about the cars but like everything else, it's just about sales.

Anyway, off to change the ATF on my C70. Good discussion all. Very enjoyable.