Quote:
Originally Posted by iantowil
Thanks for the replies gents. Will check out the brake light tomorrow and have a OBD reader on the way - might be useless but worth a try before giving the stealer £100 to read a code in 5 minutes.
Spoke to Volvo - won't bore you with the details.
One thing I seem to have heard alot is, "You have to take ownership of your car". Given the frequent use of this term, I assume its in the "training package". Is it me, or have others been told the same? Interesting one since I've been a car and motorbike fanatic for the last 25 years and done my own servicing and repairs for the whole of that time - and evidence suggests done a reasonable job. Quite insulting really..........oh well, no doubt I'm being "sensitive".
Cheers
Ian
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If you want to keep your car for the long term, it might be worth getting a code reader, or finding a Good Indy that has one (Rare but possible). If you don't have a code reader then you will find trying to diagnose faults in most complex modern cars very time consuming. You will also need to get the Volvo software for all the maintenance instructions, unless you like using Haynes.
Not sure what your owners manual says about the warning message, as it might just be a time related message informing you it's time to change the oil & some filters. Not sure if the Haynes books list how to reset that message light.
If you discover that the message is similar to many "Check engine" lights, that can include a DPF related fault, as many dealers are experts at avoiding having to fit a new one under warranty. Some bad stealers are also experts at avoiding mentioning anything to do with fuel contamination of the oil. As your car is fairly new it should calculate a sensible max service interval for the service due warning light, BUT that assumes you are using a top of the range full synthetic AND there is not more than 2% diesel in the oil.
Short tripping and too much time at idle are real bad news if a diesel is fitted with a DPF, as modern diesel fuel contains at least 5% of Bio content (Often nearer to 10% in Germany), which is real good news for the fuel system and HP fuel pump, as it cleans and lubricates well (No need for fuel additives).
Not sure exactly which type of DPF is fitted, but if it is a fuel burner that injects extra diesel into the cylinders to set fire to the DPF so it burns off the Carbon, they arereal bad news in engine wear terms.
Only a UOA can figure out the best oil change interval, but the dealer listed max interval is often far too long if the oil is getting contaminated. If the results show more than 2% and an associated low flashpoint, cut the OCI in half and move up a grade to an 0w40 in summer. If you are stuck with significant fuel contamination, then try using half a can of Liqui Moly Ceratec every oil change, as that will help reduce the extra engine wear, as diesel fuel tends to dissolve the anti wear layer deposited by good major brand engine oils (It's mostly Zinc, Moly and Boron compound based and makes a big difference in cold start or hot boot wear terms).
Castrol Edge Turbo Diesel 5w40 (Acea C3) or Edge 0w30 (Might be an E number) are both bad news in engine wear terms, although they are good at keeping a DPF clean and preventing main block failures before the warranty runs out.
For an older diesel it's best to use a major brand full synthetic 0 or 5w40 that cleans well. Some Mobil HC synthetics or Amsoil full German standard synthetics are good, but the 2 real stars are Shell Ultra (Might need to be the 0w40 for the correct Acea specs) and Liqui Moly Synthoil High Tech 0 or 5w40 (Not sure of the exact version for a DPF diesel). The Ultra might be cheaper and it seems to produce similar UOA results to the Synthoil anyway.
You Tube does show a few ways of cleaning a DPF, BUT it will need to be removed from the car first, they involve the use of an acid that dissolves Zinc based compounds and degreaser solution. Fairy liquid in hot water also works, as it is a much better solvent than other cheap washing up liquids. How much acid you need depends on the engines oil consumption. If it's low you might be able to clean it out with just a hot pressure washer and Fairy liquid (Fairy liquid spray first, then hot spray in a car wash).
Not used the acid before so do your homework in terms of rubber gloves and eye protection!