Picked up my XC90 3.2 FWD last week with 9 miles on it. Exactly one week later (today), it has 485 miles, and a message warning: "LOW OIL LEVEL" and the red triangle sign is lit. Checked the oil, barely made it to the dip stick bottom. It blows white/bluish smoke upon starting, but goes away after a little bit. Also blows bluish/wite smoke when accelerating. Needless to say, I found out that the Volvo Road Assistance Warranty works because it got towed to the dealer forevaluation. No visible leaks in the engine compartment and underbody. The car is currently being driven normally mostly in city driving. Where did the oil go? Is this normal for a 7-day old car? Thanks in advance for your insight...

 

Sorry I did not reply sooner, I thought someone would have answered already. The XC90 forum seems to be slow, and I'm not privy to those SUVs so I may decide to buy a service manual and study it. If you're not receiving replies soon enough for you, try posting questions in General Volvo Chat.

The XC90 come with different trim levels and in generalthe L6 models seem to have more troubles as compared to the V8 models. I do not know who makes the motor for the L6 (3.2) models, but I know Yamaha makes the V8 power plant.

No, it is not normal for a 7-day old car to be so low on oil. And since there is bluish smoke exiting out the tail pipe, the oil is entering the combustion chamber with fuel, and it will cause more troubles later. All I can say is that the 3.2 engines are still of poor design and some defects may exist at the piston rings, cylinder liners or the valve guides. Unless it is a life-threatening defect such as the brakes/steering-related, most manufacturers wouldn't admit their fault (but IMO tranny problem IS a life-threatening defect), so there has not been any engine or tranny-related recalls issued by the manufacturer.

If I were in the same situation, I would have the engine replaced at the cost of the dealer under new-car warranty, drive it home and drain out the oil and immediately refill with synthetic 10W-30 or 10W40 and install a top-quality aftermarket filter (top quality means they should be made in the U.S, Japan or Germany but OEM Mann filters are made both in Argentina & Germany and Argentinian filters are great too). Try using heavier oil to see if the engine burns less oil but note that your MPG will suffer by doing this. Double check to make sure that his does not void the new car warranty.

See what the dealer has to say on this.


JPN