Hello group

I just purchased a 2010 V50 T5R for my niece and before I hand it over to her I want to make sure everything is good. It has 130K miles and it’s pretty spotless inside and out. I have noticed quite a few oil drips on my driveway and they seem to go from the front of the engine, all the way back just before the rear wheels. I’m clueless about mechanics so I want to be somewhat armed with some information when I take it in. It has a 3 month 3000 mile warranty so I want to address this now.

In your experience, when the leaks are all over, has something serious gone wrong with it? I’ve posted a picture to give you an idea of the area it’s covering and some pics as best I could do. Thanks for your input

 

You have posted pictures on the under side of the car. Oil can commonly leak from and can be caused by high crankcase pressure (pcv system problems)

Front and rear engine seals
Rarely cam cover, oil pan

So further examination is needed - is there any oil under the timing belt cover?

Where are drops forming on the engine - viewed after you remove the belly pan? Looks like quite a bit splashed onto the exhaust.

And how much oil does it use? Quart every 500/1000/5000 miles? But - hey it could be as simple as a bad seal on the oil filter.

 

Typically, the way to ID the source of an oil leak it to clean up the whole area (engine, engine compartment, chassis) and then watch carefully as "new oil" starts dripping. Then it's "just" a matter of following the trail up (always up...) to the source.

Because of the belly pan (the big plastic bit) under the car, the source may not be very obvious. I'd suggest removing it until you nail down the source (to make it easier to trace).

I agree with hoonk's assessment above - check the PCV valve (cheap and easy to replace). You can get an idea if that's the problem by removing the oil filler cap with the engine running. If there's a lot of pressure released, and hot, oily air blowing out of the neck, then suspect that PCV valve.

 

Thank you both for the replies. I am one of the worst persons when it comes to mechanics on vehicles. I had to look up the things you mentioned to get an idea of what you were referring to.

I’ll make an appointment with the dealership and have them put it up on a hoist and assess the problem. It has a 3 month 3000 mile warranty so I’ll have them address this now. I had just purchased a 2021 XC60 from the same dealership and this wagon was there and it had a clean carfax, one owner and looked well maintained so I bought it for my niece. There isn’t even a door ding on it so for a first vehicle, I want it to be as problem free as possible

 

No doubt if it's under warranty, letting the dealer handle the problem is a good idea. I would recommend bouncing their diagnosis and repair info off this group when it's over, just to get a second opinion (and to guard against the "slap some bubble gum on the problem until the warranty expires approach"). ;-)