2011 D5 Post sales inspection
 

Hi All, First post! I've been reading these forums for the last week. Jumped in and bought a 2011 D5 Se Lux Auto with 77K.

I have a few questions.

History wise, full service history but the last few were local garages, not Volvo specialists. My local specialist (CIVC) and Volvo garages are booked up for the next month so booked into my (very good) local garage to have a few things looked at.

First, no history of a gearbox service. Am I right in thinking I should be just asking for a fluid flush here? The car hadn't been used much over the last months and when I first got it, there appeared to 'slippage' under full acceleration. Coming from a sporty merc with auto, it felt quite unusual. Almost CVT like. Putting 300 miles on it and this has got much better.

Brake wobble under mid/firm braking from motorway speeds. Pads look good. Disks , very slight lipping. I'm assuming here it's either a warp or arm issue somewhere.

There's a cross brace, strut like with a top engine mount. This is really flexible. I'm assuming this is all correct. The bushings look good.

What other things should be on my checklist to look at/preventative servicing items. Cambelt+waterpump done 2 years ago, no mention of aux belt though.

Any other fluids for 4x4 operations that worth just getting done at this age?

Hi and welcome.

A gearbox fluid flush is a good idea and well worth the effort/expense. The slipping feeling under acceleration is normal - you get used to it.

Braking wobble is possibly wishbone bushings. Get them checked. If required, only replace with GENUINE VOLVO parts

Top brace strut is supposed to be wobbly. Check the bushing in the bracket on top of the engine - it is prone to fail. Can be replaced with poly bush if you want.

The water pump is normally bullet-proof and never needs changing. Check that yours has been replaced with a GENUINE VOLVO part. If not, be prepared to change it at the next timing belt change.

I would replace the aux belt at the same time as the timing belt, just for peace of mind. If the aux belt breaks it will entangle with the timing belt and wreck the engine.

Generally if you use Volvo parts at the reccommended intervals you will not go wrong. Enjoy.

First off, congratulations as you will love the Volvo.

As a fairly new Volvo owner myself (I now have 2 XC90's) my comments would be as follows:

1) If the gearbox drives well then don't flush it as this could generate problems - just drain and replace the oil with the correct grade - look at the owners manual and get the best quality most expensive gearbox oil you can buy and get the fill level right.
2) The engine bay arm is meant to wobble so that's fine - I'm not sure of the purpose of it in its form but its there and wobbles.
3) Sort the break vibration as a priority - you could try flipping the front wheels to back to see if it's tyre-related before you get your wallet out for repairs. It does though sound like a very slightly warped brake disk so just put in new disks and brake pads if this is the case.
4) Other fluids to mention would be: Antifreeze & power steering fluid replacement but you could check both for colour and smell before spending.
5) The read diff has fluid that can be replaced - but I can't help on the frequency there - perhaps someone else can?

Lastly, I always like putting a new pollen filter in any new cars I buy as its the air your children breath - this is often overlooked on servicing as can the diesel filter which I would also recommend to replace.

Hope this helps.

Nige.

Thank you both.

Further things to check:

If you have a sunroof, ensure the sunroof drain is clear from debris. Flush with with hot soapy water. If they are blocked you can get water leakage into the cabin.

Cabin air filter is easy to inspect (with a torx driver), mounted underneath the glovebox. Genuine filters have a date code on them so you can see how old it is. Replace if more than 1 year old or if obviously dirty.

Inspect the engine air filter (again look for date codes) and clean out the air filter box from any debris.

Inspect the swirl arm linkage (top of engine, near the timing belts, driven by an electric servo motor) and make sure it is attached and working. It will cycle full travel every 5th (I think) engine cycle (ignition off, on, start, run, off = 1 cycle)

If huge kms (like more than 150,000 km) then disconnect the rubber hose on the inlet manifold and inspect for carbon buildup. It a lot, like more than a 2mm coating, clean the inlet manifold system from the EGR to the inlet manifold. A dirty job! Wear gloves and use carb cleaner. Also, inspect the EGR and ensure it is working correctly and is also free from carbon buildup.
If you want to remove the inlet manifold, you must remove the injector fuel lines... so not for the faint hearted.

If you have VIDA, take a dump of all firmware (software) part numbers and versions.
Then take it to the Volvo dealer and ask for a complete vehicle software update to ensure you have latest software all around.

Also, if you have VIDA, take a dump of all error codes (print to PDF with full info) and then clear all errors and see what comes back, if any.

And check all consumables, tyre pressures, and check all accessories are in place, check all lamps, all door locks, all seatbelts.

If you have Navigation, check the loaded map is the newest map. Last map was released in 2018, containing data from late 2017. You can read the map data version in the nav.

For AWD, check the driveshaft to the rear wheels does not turn when engine off and vehicle stopped. If it turns, you have no AWD, and the gears are stripped. Highly unlikely.

For AWD, you may also consider changing the haldex rear diff oil, but not really needed.

I've never bothered on mine, and my D5 is a MY2009

Cannot agree with this more, you pretty much never want to do a flush.
If the oil looks bad when drained then you can repeat the drain and fill process mulitple times but do leave 500-1000 miles between each one .

also check..
 

Also worth a look at is front wishbone bushes, if your finding slightly vague steering altho im not sure if you have the same suspension as a P2 ?, infact not even sure what car you have there 😁 ill take a guess at xc90 ...

yeah, it is a xc90, you got me worried I posted somewhere wrong!

Thanks again. I'll have a reach around to check the shaft (that takes me back) and look at the filters - that's going to be the max to my car knowledge.

Really great detailed replies, much appreciated.

...and not a flush on the gearbox, drain and fill, got it.

By flush do you mean take oil out of the top oil cooler pipe while you replace it with fresh oil? Not sure what the problem is with this, as it completely replaces the old oil with proper spec fresh oil. Drop/fill only replaces 50%ish.
Damien

Flushing increases the chances of dislodging dirt/debris that has built up inside the transmission, which can get clogged & cause issues.

A drain & fill may need to be done more than once over a period of time to get clean fluid, but there's less chance of dislodging gunk that may have built up over the years.

Would you flush the engine of a car? I wouldn't, nor would I do it to a transmission either.