Good afternoon everyone,
I own a 2008 Volvo C30 that has the automatic transmission (if that makes a difference) that just ticked over the 70,000 mile mark. I was driving it earlier and realized that under acceleration it will seem to 'hiccup' (or stutter). I did not buy this car new, I am (I believe) the second or maybe the third owner and only got it about 5,000 miles ago, so I have no knowledge of any previous maintenance done to the car. What could be causing this issue? What would a possible good fix be? Also I don't know if it's related, or even a real issue, but the accelerator does seem to get more and more firm the further you get into it. Is this an issue at all?

 

Any Check engine light? I had a similar thing happen when an intake tube came off the throttlebody aka intake leak.

 

No check engine light has come onto the dash. I also don't have a scan tool (probably should though).

 

you can borrow a scan tool from a local Autozone etc. Hiccups under load often point to ignition issues - when were the plugs last changed? You may have an issue with one of the coil packs as well. When I had a similar issue (stumbles/no code), I drove the car fairly agressively on the highway to get it to produce a CEL and that told me which coil was suspect. PS - coils don't all go at once so save your money by not buying a set of 5 when its likely only one is bad. Plugs are typically due at 60K miles, plus you may have a fuel issue so for your next few tankfuls run a brand name 93 octane (ie Mobil, Shell, Texaco etc) as those brands have extra detergents. You can also throw a can of Techron fuel injector cleaner in the tank when doing your next fill as well.

 

I'm not sure if the plug were ever changed. I haven't seen anything in the super limited records I saw.

 

That's an easy place to start. You can replace the plugs (go with Genuine Volvo - they come pre-gapped and are the correct specs for you engine. You can buy online for a discount at a dealer web store) and do the premium gas thing and see if a CEL ever appears.

 

Sounds good. Thank you so much. One last question, with my car just rolling over 70,000 miles, do you know any near future (within 10,000ish miles) maintenance items I need to be looking out for? 70,000 mile maintenance (if that's a thing)? Anything getting replaced?