Does any owner just have the oil changed at the 10K interval or go through the full dealer option costing hundreds of dollars? My 50k service will come up soon and was wondering.

 

Gee John, that's a tough call w/o knowing anything.
What car? The recommended work will vary condierably between a S60 stripper and a fully decked out XC90.Also, by year.
Option set? The temp sealing kits need replaced periodically - IF you have them, for instance. 2 wheel drive vs all wheel.. And so on.
How is it driven? You babying it on Florida highways or flogging it around LA?
By Whom? I'm rough on brakes but they last forever on my wife's car.My style of driving (let's just say 'aggressive) is tougher on things than my wife's syle (I think she paid more attention in Drivers Ed) And I won't let my wife or kids drive something less than perfect.
How long do you plan on keeping it? Going to get rid of it in the next 25 or 50 k? You can reasonably ignore a bunch of stuff. Going keep it to 300,000? Don't skimp now!
How do you plan on disposing of it when it's time? Savvy used Volvo buyers want - even demand- service records. If you have been playing Mr Cheapo there are a lot who will look elsewhere. Conversely, cars that look and run like new and have proof of 1st rate care bring a premium.

In short, yeah, I pay and have it done. When my cars go in I WANT them to go over it with the proverbial fine toothed comb. Remember that chunk of junk you drove over last year? Probably not, but when it flew up and sharp edges bounced off your (insert part here) the damage hasn't gone away.And so on. I'm old (and they've been "full of life" years) and just because I feel OK I go ahead and get"the works" at physical time. The Govt lengthened the interval for prostrate exams a while back - I have mine checked every year. Why? Ever see a fellow w/ prostrate cancer? Cars are the same. I may pay a bit more for maintenance but I'm never stranded, I never gave a thought when my kids took off (and both went to college cross country) or my wife hits the mall.
And keep the records, don't go flitting from shop to shop either. When someone is looking at it you can say- without fear- "This car was maintained by the specialists at Wendy's Volvo" or "Sven's Independant Volvo Shop".

 

Hi Don,
All good points. Appreciate your take on this. I guess I was just used to paying for oil changes every 3500 miles on previous cars in the $35 range. My other cars were not Volvo’s. I love my 2017 XC60 and plan to take many road trips so the part where you mention peace of mind is important. I guess you can say “penny wise and pound foolish” is where is was going but not anymore. Thanks again for the insight.

 

what I'd do is go to the Volvo manuals web page https://www.volvocars.com/us/own/own...owners-manuals find your year/model and download the maintenance manual for your car to see what the servicing at each mile interval includes. The dealer charges more since they do all of the listed items plus an overall safety inspection, which is not the same as getting your oil changed at Jiffylube. You can certainly do many of the check list items at home or ask your indy to do them. But as Donf sort of said, maintenance records are important to maintaining your car's value and performing all the maintenance items on time is important to maintaining the fitness of your car. Personally, I like to keep my cars a very long time so I do dealer maintenance while under warranty and then I do my own repairs or farm out the major service work based on the complexity and tools required. Example, had an airbag issue on my S40... scan suggested a dealer part, so I let the dealer do the job. Timing belt - let my indy do the work, I provided the parts. plugs/coils/harness - did that myself.

 

Hi,
Great tip looking at the manuals to see what should be done. I do want to keep my Volvo properly maintained but will never do it myself.

 

no sin to pay for service. My guidance is to use the factory schedule as a bible and keep all your repair records - which will add value to your car should you go to sell it. You can use Yelp and similar rating services to find a Volvo friendly certified independent tech to compliment your dealer's services.

 

I have been a fan of Volvo for years and was able to get my first one last year. I understand the common thread of making sure its in top shape for the miles ahead. Glad I joined this group. I will check my area for certified shops.

 

Thanks to donf and mt6127 for well reasoned and helpful information. I just quit Swedespeed following a brief tenure due to needless trolling by members.