I just reread the "helpful" Volvo owners manual on maintenance schedule in anticipation of a duel with my also "helpful" dealer service department. I noticed that there is no interval for changing the coolant. (06 2.5t). Did I miss something? The dealer noted coolant was "discolored" but said they hadn't tested it. That's helpful. Looks normal to me, however.

What is the collective wisdom here on coolant change interval? I found nothing in the archives except a discussion of Prestone -vs- Volvo coolant which wasn't what I was looking for.

The owners manual specifically says there's no need to replace trans fluid unless a leak is discovered or the service indicator spells out the warning. And we all know just how well that recommendation has worked out.....you know there's a problem about the time its too late to simply fix. I want to avoid cooling problems and plan to drain and refill it. But when?

 

I always follow BMW's old schedule (plus some others), which should be followed for any car expected to run 200k+ miles. The vitals will always been good and you shouldn't have any real gotchas.

Based on 15k miles per year
Dino oil and filter change every 3k miles
Every year:
-brake fluid flush
-thorough inspection of all systems, suspension, exhaust, etc.
Every 2 years add:
-Coolant drain/fill, including the engine block
-trans drain/fill and filter if it has one
-differential fluid drain/fill
-air filter
Every 4 years add:
-drive belts
-coolant hoses
Every 8 years add:
-underhood rubber fuel hose
-rubber brake lines
-ball joints and tie rods
-shocks/struts

 

Lemme guess what POS stands for. Piece of _ _ _ _? Your schedule sounds reasonable. I'm going to print it and stick it in the manual. Lifetime coolant (at least up the the 150K miles listed) didn't seem possible to me. I know that
coolant loses its corrosion protection over time. I'm happy to pay now rather than pay way more later. Thankfully, most of the driving is highway driving without the stresses of stop & go which should help the trans and cooling. But not forever!