I'll post this on the XC 70 forum as well, but as the title says, would you trade? The wife loves the XC70, but she says she needs something with a little more room. Personally I think both vehicles are similar in size. Also, can you tell me the pros and cons of the XC 90, and years to stay away from (or look for for that matter). Feel free to PM if you would like

Thanks,

Glenn

 

Hi Glenn,

Be sure to stay away from those that come with GM-built tranny;they are known to fail. GO with Yamaha or Aisin AW tranny. I believe the Yamaha gearbox comes with the V8 model, but check with XC90 owners or Tech.

Also, check for existing recalls:
http://automallusa.net/2003/volvo/xc90/recalls.html
http://automallusa.net/2004/volvo/xc90/recalls.html
http://automallusa.net/2005/volvo/xc90/recalls.html
http://automallusa.net/2006/volvo/xc90/recalls.html


JPN

 

Hi Glenn,

We have an '05 XC90 we've owned since new, taking delivery in January of '06. (It was a demo with 4K miles, but close enough). It's my wife's daily driver, and I have to say it's been solid for us. I'mextremely detail oriented and picky, and honestly can say I don't see any problems with this vehicle... a first for me. I love the fit and finish, especially of the interior, including the selection of materials, but maybe this is typical of the Volvo brand in general. (This is our first Volvo...)

Our only current complaint with itis a slight whistling noisefrom the air damper when the recirc switch is in the ON position (I think this means the damper should be closed). Thedealer has looked at it 2-3 times and its still there and they can't seem to find it. They wanted to have a Volvo zone guy look at it but so far we haven't heard about that.

Shortly after taking delivery we had it back for service and the rear wheel bearings were replaced; first one, then the other, and then the first onewas replaced again. We asked why they didn't replace both at the same time since they knew this was an issue. (We had to make separate trips to the dealer and you know the drill, time away from doing other things, and 35 miles each way to get there...) The dealer response to my wife was that Volvo only authorized these bearing replacements upon driver complaint, not as an exchange program across the board.

While driving itlast fallI felt the transmission shifting erratically. The dealer downloaded new codes which seemed to fix most of the erratic shifting which had cropped up out of the blue. Since thenthe trans still shifts "hard" as it goes from second into third but thisonly happens when the vehicle is cold. Once the vehiclewarms up the hard shift seems to subside, although it's never completely gone. I'm continually reassured by our service advisorthat this condition is normal, so we'll see.

I can honestly saythese areonly issues we've had with our XC90.We have followed the dealerand Volvo recommended service intervals religiously. I don't know whether this has anything to do with the good fortune we've had with our XC90,but they are seeing it every few months.

Some additional info that might help your decision making:

With the V-8 and the six-speed gearbox we average 19.5 - 20.1 mpg on an on-going basis. Ionced eeked out an average 22 mpgon the freeway during a long haul trip, but mostly it's in the 21 mpg range on the expressways. These readings are from the fuel economy indicator on the dashboard. For a vehicle of this size and weight I think this is fabulous (even if the reading is off by a percent or two, for those who say the reading output is "tweaked" to make the drivers feel better).

Front brakes and rotors needed to be replaced right around 50K miles. I was pleased with the length of time they lasted (ref. other posts here). Again my wife does combined city/highway driving of 75 miles a day and while a safe driver, doesn't waste any time getting to where she needs to be My only issue with the dealer-provided work was that they pushed for the rotors to be replaced. I was told they cannot be turned, and if they were turned, would result in premature failure of the replacement pads (10K miles or less). As a rule, I was told, Volvo rotors are never turned.

We're still running on the original Michelin Pilot tires, which now have 55K miles on them.Our service invoice mentioned we'll need to be looking at replacing at least two in the near future. We have had them rotated every 7500 miles, and keep them properly inflated. I've been pleased with this tire life also (again, ref. other tire posts here), but then, I (we) seem to have this same sort of tire life on all our vehicles. A surprise in some respects given the roads in Michigan, plus we live on a dirt road so the tires get subjected to two miles or so of that abuse daily in addition.

About the only thing I'd wish for is the ability to have the oil changes either done at a quick lube place closer to home, or to get my hands on the exact instructions on how to do it myself. (I'm still curious about things like the crush ring... I don't know if its present in the V-8 motor and whether it needs replaced every oil change or not, and a few other tidbits, like where the cabin filter is, any special tools, etc. etc.).

Sorry tohave been so lengthy,hope it helps however. I give 2 thumbs up forthe XC90 with the V-8 and six speed gearbox!


Good luck!

Les

 

I would trade but then I'm an SUV guy over a wagon guy.

 

I would not trade. The XC-70 hauls almost as much as the XC-90, gets better gas mileage, is faster, handles better, and seems to have a few less problems.

 

Les, thanks for the detailed input. It would help possible XC90 buyers.

I myself feel that Volvo, as well as some other brands, hurried to push put SUVs out of the assembly line, just to catch up with the rest of the players in the market. Because the market for SUVs has expanded so much & so fast, I feel that some SUVs were designed withoutsufficient analysis & testing. Unless if I'm wrong, I believe the XC90s are the first SUVs Volvo have made?

As to the brake rotors, yes many European cars seem to come with rotors that cannot be turned withoutexceeding the minimum thickness. Some say this is because they want to reduce weight. I distantly remember that the rotors on some European makes are designed to wear with the pads, but this info is rather vague.

As to crush ring, you probably know that they are used so that once tightened at specified torque, it would deform to match the mating surfaces to seal out. You can reuse them until they start dripping. If one does not check the oil level regularly, the ring should be replaced at every oil change. Moderator Tech, the top-dog of the forum,could tell you better analysis on this.

I would definitely avoid any of the franchise shops for servicing Volvos, even for an oil change. I would also avoid average town shops. I would domaintenancemyself with a factory manual if possible (lately many manuals come in DVD or CD-ROM), or take it to an independent shop that specialises in Swedish/European makes and have it serviced by an ASE Master Technician.

Thanks again, and BTW, I like your avatar.


JPN

 

My wife traded her 2002 V70 to an XC90 and has loved it, but prefers a standard gear box, so she just traded it in last fall for a new C30 T5 with the Heico lowering Kit, 18" rims and mod skirt kit (she turned 40 last year - mid life crisis car - cheaper then a divorce - lol)

I am on my third XC90 and absolutely love it - the only thing I didn't like on the last two was the underpowered engine for such a heavy vehicle. But now I have a 2007 V8 fully loaded and now fully modified - love my Volvo - love the performance - absolutely no complaints!

 

I would agree the brakes under perform for the size/weight of the vehicle. I added Evolve's Big Brake System to my XC90 and the 8 piston system is just what it needed

 

Hi JPN,

Thanks for the feedback on my post. Also, I appreciate the additional comments and suggestions.

I found the avatar pic right here on the forums and liked the retro look and feel of it!