XC90 High Mileage issues?
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XC90 High Mileage issues?
I have a 2019 XC90 with app. 135,000 miles. Are there any trouble areas I should be aware of that might cause major issues in the future? 135K used to be nothing for a Volvo, bit I'm not so sure anymore.
(I had an 2004 Audi A6 and the timing belt needed replacement at around 75000 miles or it could cause catastrophic engine damage.)
I bought it new and plan to keep it for a few more years....
(I had an 2004 Audi A6 and the timing belt needed replacement at around 75000 miles or it could cause catastrophic engine damage.)
I bought it new and plan to keep it for a few more years....
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Joined: Mar 2012
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From: Burlington, VT
A few things - what engine does you XC90 have? Most newer Volvos and the older I6s and V8s have timing chains so the timing belt replacement issue is not a problem. That said, for the I5s and I4s that use a timing belt, Volvo does publish the service interval that recommends when to replace the timing belt/tensioner for those cars. Typically its 120K miles or 10 years for the Volvos.
Now with that said, 135K is not really high mileage. We've run 3 cars ( 850 T wagon, Toyota Highlander and an Audi 4000Q up to 250K miles where rust was the cause of death (except for the Audi which was sold). If you keep up with the maintenance you should be able to keep your car for another 100K miles. Start by downloading the service interval card (google for Volvo Owners Manuals and you'll find the Volvo page with the maintenance book). Key things 1) Don't shun dealer maintenance. Dealers follow a protocol to look for wear items not just do the simple tasks you've requested. 2) keep fluids fresh. Follow the oil/filter change schedule using OEM quality parts and synthetic oil that meets factory specs (Volvo recommends Castro but all premium brands meet the spec). Also service the brake fluid (2 years or so), test your coolant and check for color and replace as needed (google around for this, I've seen anywhere from 2-5 years), do the power steering fluid again something like in the 3-5 year range, you can also service haldex systems (not sure if your model has that) ie differential fluids and then there's the transmission fluid. Plenty of opinions there. Volvo generally doesn't post an interval but lots of people swear by drain/fills every 50K or 100K miles. I'm in the 100k mile camp. Reason for this is fluids do accumulate moisture and that can lead to corrosion. Also older engines do benefit from "high mileage" oils which have seal softening agents. That's more true for say a 20 year old car so it may not be a concern with a 2019, Other things to consider - if you car has direct injection (like VWs and Audis), you may need to get the intake ports/valves cleaned every 100K miles. On DI engines, the fuel gets injected directly and doesn't wash the valves/ports clean so no amount of injector cleaner will keep them clean. A process called carbon blasting is usually done where the intake is removed to expose the head port then walnut shells are blasted into the port (with the valve closed an a shop vac sucking the residue) to clean the built up carbon. The carbon usually gets there because of the PCV system which puts that oily air into the intake to be burned. Nice huh? That then brings up the topic of servicing the PCV system. On newer models the oil separator sits up top of the engine and can be inspected/replaced pretty easily. (I've done this on my VW and the hardest part was popping the coils off the plugs LOL which is actually not that easy to do) You can have a shop measure crank case pressure or look for other tells to know if the PCV is sound. I'd expect you'd need that done by 150K miles so it may be a good thing to jump on. Other things like changing plugs are in the service interval. Changing coils is not but some people believe coils can get tired (not sure about that...I'd just keep the originals until you get a misfire code.) You can also keep on top of CEL codes. As your car gets older you may develop air leaks due to cracks in vacuum lines or air boots. I'd just wait for the code and have the shop address it then. Next is going to be rubber bits in the suspension. Keep an eye on your struts looking for and signs of leaks if the car starts riding poorly. If the handling or tracking seems wonky, you may need your shop to check for worn control arm bushings. Clicking noises when backing out of a parking space or making a K turn are a sign you have a CV joint issue. Again keep an eye on the CV joint boots for any tears or signs of oil/grease leaking out. Always keep an eye on any fluid spotting. newer cars have aero shrouds under the engine so the drips may not make it straight down. It may be worth having the shop do an annual inspect even if you are not seeing a loss of fluid. Finally you should have the charging system checked out annually - Don't know if you have a start/stop engine system but there may be a second battery to the 12V that starts the car. Figure batteries are good for 5-6 years depending on where you live and how much you drive so if you are on the original, keep an eye on it.
Hope this helps.
Now with that said, 135K is not really high mileage. We've run 3 cars ( 850 T wagon, Toyota Highlander and an Audi 4000Q up to 250K miles where rust was the cause of death (except for the Audi which was sold). If you keep up with the maintenance you should be able to keep your car for another 100K miles. Start by downloading the service interval card (google for Volvo Owners Manuals and you'll find the Volvo page with the maintenance book). Key things 1) Don't shun dealer maintenance. Dealers follow a protocol to look for wear items not just do the simple tasks you've requested. 2) keep fluids fresh. Follow the oil/filter change schedule using OEM quality parts and synthetic oil that meets factory specs (Volvo recommends Castro but all premium brands meet the spec). Also service the brake fluid (2 years or so), test your coolant and check for color and replace as needed (google around for this, I've seen anywhere from 2-5 years), do the power steering fluid again something like in the 3-5 year range, you can also service haldex systems (not sure if your model has that) ie differential fluids and then there's the transmission fluid. Plenty of opinions there. Volvo generally doesn't post an interval but lots of people swear by drain/fills every 50K or 100K miles. I'm in the 100k mile camp. Reason for this is fluids do accumulate moisture and that can lead to corrosion. Also older engines do benefit from "high mileage" oils which have seal softening agents. That's more true for say a 20 year old car so it may not be a concern with a 2019, Other things to consider - if you car has direct injection (like VWs and Audis), you may need to get the intake ports/valves cleaned every 100K miles. On DI engines, the fuel gets injected directly and doesn't wash the valves/ports clean so no amount of injector cleaner will keep them clean. A process called carbon blasting is usually done where the intake is removed to expose the head port then walnut shells are blasted into the port (with the valve closed an a shop vac sucking the residue) to clean the built up carbon. The carbon usually gets there because of the PCV system which puts that oily air into the intake to be burned. Nice huh? That then brings up the topic of servicing the PCV system. On newer models the oil separator sits up top of the engine and can be inspected/replaced pretty easily. (I've done this on my VW and the hardest part was popping the coils off the plugs LOL which is actually not that easy to do) You can have a shop measure crank case pressure or look for other tells to know if the PCV is sound. I'd expect you'd need that done by 150K miles so it may be a good thing to jump on. Other things like changing plugs are in the service interval. Changing coils is not but some people believe coils can get tired (not sure about that...I'd just keep the originals until you get a misfire code.) You can also keep on top of CEL codes. As your car gets older you may develop air leaks due to cracks in vacuum lines or air boots. I'd just wait for the code and have the shop address it then. Next is going to be rubber bits in the suspension. Keep an eye on your struts looking for and signs of leaks if the car starts riding poorly. If the handling or tracking seems wonky, you may need your shop to check for worn control arm bushings. Clicking noises when backing out of a parking space or making a K turn are a sign you have a CV joint issue. Again keep an eye on the CV joint boots for any tears or signs of oil/grease leaking out. Always keep an eye on any fluid spotting. newer cars have aero shrouds under the engine so the drips may not make it straight down. It may be worth having the shop do an annual inspect even if you are not seeing a loss of fluid. Finally you should have the charging system checked out annually - Don't know if you have a start/stop engine system but there may be a second battery to the 12V that starts the car. Figure batteries are good for 5-6 years depending on where you live and how much you drive so if you are on the original, keep an eye on it.
Hope this helps.
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Joined: Nov 2021
Posts: 101
Likes: 1
A few things - what engine does you XC90 have? Most newer Volvos and the older I6s and V8s have timing chains so the timing belt replacement issue is not a problem. That said, for the I5s and I4s that use a timing belt, Volvo does publish the service interval that recommends when to replace the timing belt/tensioner for those cars. Typically its 120K miles or 10 years for the Volvos.
Now with that said, 135K is not really high mileage. We've run 3 cars ( 850 T wagon, Toyota Highlander and an Audi 4000Q up to 250K miles where rust was the cause of death (except for the Audi which was sold). If you keep up with the maintenance you should be able to keep your car for another 100K miles. Start by downloading the service interval card (google for Volvo Owners Manuals and you'll find the Volvo page with the maintenance book). Key things 1) Don't shun dealer maintenance. Dealers follow a protocol to look for wear items not just do the simple tasks you've requested. 2) keep fluids fresh. Follow the oil/filter change schedule using OEM quality parts and synthetic oil that meets factory specs (Volvo recommends Castro but all premium brands meet the spec). Also service the brake fluid (2 years or so), test your coolant and check for color and replace as needed (google around for this, I've seen anywhere from 2-5 years), do the power steering fluid again something like in the 3-5 year range, you can also service haldex systems (not sure if your model has that) ie differential fluids and then there's the transmission fluid. Plenty of opinions there. Volvo generally doesn't post an interval but lots of people swear by drain/fills every 50K or 100K miles. I'm in the 100k mile camp. Reason for this is fluids do accumulate moisture and that can lead to corrosion. Also older engines do benefit from "high mileage" oils which have seal softening agents. That's more true for say a 20 year old car so it may not be a concern with a 2019, Other things to consider - if you car has direct injection (like VWs and Audis), you may need to get the intake ports/valves cleaned every 100K miles. On DI engines, the fuel gets injected directly and doesn't wash the valves/ports clean so no amount of injector cleaner will keep them clean. A process called carbon blasting is usually done where the intake is removed to expose the head port then walnut shells are blasted into the port (with the valve closed an a shop vac sucking the residue) to clean the built up carbon. The carbon usually gets there because of the PCV system which puts that oily air into the intake to be burned. Nice huh? That then brings up the topic of servicing the PCV system. On newer models the oil separator sits up top of the engine and can be inspected/replaced pretty easily. (I've done this on my VW and the hardest part was popping the coils off the plugs LOL which is actually not that easy to do) You can have a shop measure crank case pressure or look for other tells to know if the PCV is sound. I'd expect you'd need that done by 150K miles so it may be a good thing to jump on. Other things like changing plugs are in the service interval. Changing coils is not but some people believe coils can get tired (not sure about that...I'd just keep the originals until you get a misfire code.) You can also keep on top of CEL codes. As your car gets older you may develop air leaks due to cracks in vacuum lines or air boots. I'd just wait for the code and have the shop address it then. Next is going to be rubber bits in the suspension. Keep an eye on your struts looking for and signs of leaks if the car starts riding poorly. If the handling or tracking seems wonky, you may need your shop to check for worn control arm bushings acft calculator. Clicking noises when backing out of a parking space or making a K turn are a sign you have a CV joint issue. Again keep an eye on the CV joint boots for any tears or signs of oil/grease leaking out. Always keep an eye on any fluid spotting. newer cars have aero shrouds under the engine so the drips may not make it straight down. It may be worth having the shop do an annual inspect even if you are not seeing a loss of fluid. Finally you should have the charging system checked out annually - Don't know if you have a start/stop engine system but there may be a second battery to the 12V that starts the car. Figure batteries are good for 5-6 years depending on where you live and how much you drive so if you are on the original, keep an eye on it.
Hope this helps.
Now with that said, 135K is not really high mileage. We've run 3 cars ( 850 T wagon, Toyota Highlander and an Audi 4000Q up to 250K miles where rust was the cause of death (except for the Audi which was sold). If you keep up with the maintenance you should be able to keep your car for another 100K miles. Start by downloading the service interval card (google for Volvo Owners Manuals and you'll find the Volvo page with the maintenance book). Key things 1) Don't shun dealer maintenance. Dealers follow a protocol to look for wear items not just do the simple tasks you've requested. 2) keep fluids fresh. Follow the oil/filter change schedule using OEM quality parts and synthetic oil that meets factory specs (Volvo recommends Castro but all premium brands meet the spec). Also service the brake fluid (2 years or so), test your coolant and check for color and replace as needed (google around for this, I've seen anywhere from 2-5 years), do the power steering fluid again something like in the 3-5 year range, you can also service haldex systems (not sure if your model has that) ie differential fluids and then there's the transmission fluid. Plenty of opinions there. Volvo generally doesn't post an interval but lots of people swear by drain/fills every 50K or 100K miles. I'm in the 100k mile camp. Reason for this is fluids do accumulate moisture and that can lead to corrosion. Also older engines do benefit from "high mileage" oils which have seal softening agents. That's more true for say a 20 year old car so it may not be a concern with a 2019, Other things to consider - if you car has direct injection (like VWs and Audis), you may need to get the intake ports/valves cleaned every 100K miles. On DI engines, the fuel gets injected directly and doesn't wash the valves/ports clean so no amount of injector cleaner will keep them clean. A process called carbon blasting is usually done where the intake is removed to expose the head port then walnut shells are blasted into the port (with the valve closed an a shop vac sucking the residue) to clean the built up carbon. The carbon usually gets there because of the PCV system which puts that oily air into the intake to be burned. Nice huh? That then brings up the topic of servicing the PCV system. On newer models the oil separator sits up top of the engine and can be inspected/replaced pretty easily. (I've done this on my VW and the hardest part was popping the coils off the plugs LOL which is actually not that easy to do) You can have a shop measure crank case pressure or look for other tells to know if the PCV is sound. I'd expect you'd need that done by 150K miles so it may be a good thing to jump on. Other things like changing plugs are in the service interval. Changing coils is not but some people believe coils can get tired (not sure about that...I'd just keep the originals until you get a misfire code.) You can also keep on top of CEL codes. As your car gets older you may develop air leaks due to cracks in vacuum lines or air boots. I'd just wait for the code and have the shop address it then. Next is going to be rubber bits in the suspension. Keep an eye on your struts looking for and signs of leaks if the car starts riding poorly. If the handling or tracking seems wonky, you may need your shop to check for worn control arm bushings acft calculator. Clicking noises when backing out of a parking space or making a K turn are a sign you have a CV joint issue. Again keep an eye on the CV joint boots for any tears or signs of oil/grease leaking out. Always keep an eye on any fluid spotting. newer cars have aero shrouds under the engine so the drips may not make it straight down. It may be worth having the shop do an annual inspect even if you are not seeing a loss of fluid. Finally you should have the charging system checked out annually - Don't know if you have a start/stop engine system but there may be a second battery to the 12V that starts the car. Figure batteries are good for 5-6 years depending on where you live and how much you drive so if you are on the original, keep an eye on it.
Hope this helps.
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