I have owned a 2002 S60 AWD for about five years. It had about 25,000 miles when I bought it and now has about 147,000. I have religiously had the vehicle serviced by the dealer at the recommended 7,500 mile intervals and have agreed to any extra recommendations. In addition, I have had to replace the brake booster, tie rods, right front axle, many bulbs and other items I can't remember at the moment.

The dealer's recommended service schedule states, " As a supplement to the Factory Recommended Maintenance Intervals, Volvo of _________ recommends thefollowing maintenance for your vehicle. Though a little more detailed than the manufacturer's, we think you'll find this maintenance schedule more suitable for the driving conditions in this area of the country." This is followed by three different levels of service and a table indicating at which intervals each level of service should be performed.

The dealer is now recommending the following services and I am beginning to question whether or not they are necessary.

1. Replacing the seal or gasket on the oil pan. He says there are traces of a leak there. I do not see any oil spots on my garage floor or anywhere else. How long can I go without performing this expensive (very labor intesive) job?

2. Dealer is always recommending a transmission flush ($ 300+) in addition to the regularly scheduled transmission service. Is this necessary or do they think I'm an easy target?

3. The car goes through alot of bulbs, although the frequency seems to have decreased. Dealer states that bulbs other than their own will have an adverse effect on the car's computer and may harm the warning system. Is this true? I'd love to save a few dollars and when necessary, replace these bulbs myself .

4. The vehicle has always had a slight and inconsistant shimmy in the front end at highway speeds. Dealer says this is due to a slightly bent wheel - replacements are expensive $ 300 ea. - but that in current condition it is not doing any further damage. Ironically, I have had to replace tie rods and the right front axle and am now being told the strut mounts are broken. This car is only being driven on paved raods and highways. We do have our share of potholes which I generally avoid, but it seems to me that this frequncy front end component repair is much greater than one would expect. Has anyone had similar experiences?

 

What, exactly, is the dealer's version of a transmission flush. If its a power-operated one, run away. That's exactly the wrong thing to do per many posts here. If its a drain-refill-run, drain-refill-run, then that's an item that should be done despite Volvo's insistence that its not needed except if you tow, etc., per owner's manual.

Oil pan gasket? Is it ruining your garage floor with used oil? If yes, then maybe so. But I'd try tightening the oil pan bolts first. Years ago I had a 2.8L V6 Mustang that liked to loosen its oil pan gaskets. I could crawl under and tighten them myself and they held tight another 5000 miles or so with no drips. Cost was zero, except maybe to buy the appropriate metric socket of the thin wall variety. If your car is the Exxon Valdez, then probably worth it if method #1 doesn't improve the situation to your satisfaction.

I rather doubt that Volvo makes it own light bulbs. Sounds like a scam to me. Given the number of shapes/sizes of bulbs in my '06 V70, some might be Volvo exclusive, however, particularly various interior bulbs.Anybody ever check your voltage regulator? If its putting out too much juice, you may be condemning certain light bulbs to death.

Shimmy is your call. If it drives you crazy, replace the wheel With a used one if you can find it. What's wrong with the strut mounts? I'd demand a visual here to see the claimed breaks.

 

Agree with malaka in addition, most automotive bulbs are made in a "long life" version your local parts store most likely carries them. Check here for the number http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...lacementGuide/

 

Hit reply too quickly, I replace left and right bulbs as a set, not one at a time.

 

Don't forget that there is a skid plate under the engine which may be collecting any seeping oil. You might want to take it off once in a while and look for oil spots or any other fluid.