Auto box oil change

[jp11]

I've just bought a 2010 S60 D3 SE Geartronic with 120k on it.
After driving a lovely S80 D5 SE Lux manual for the last two years, the S60 is much less plush but the dynamics are superb. It's been serviced regularly by a franchised dealer except (perversely) for the belt change service which was done by an independent repair shop using Gates components.
Can anyone tell me if a transmission oil flush is scheduled for any of the services? The box is working fine but there is a very faint transmission whine.

[Fat Magpie]

I have a friend who did his own auto gearbox oil change on a 200,000 mile BMW 'sealed for life' box and it did make a considerable improvement thou the oil change was quite involved.
My own XC60 has a few miles under her belt and I requested a gearbox oil and filter change at the last service but the dealer said if there are no problems leave it alone.
I assume the Volvo box's are not sealed for life units. I would be interested in your findings if you go ahead and do this, my XC60 has more miles than yours but the box is silent and works well.

[wimorrison]

There is another thread here on this very subject

Essentially the gearboxes are sealed for life as they state;

Under normal driving conditions, the gearbox
oil does not need to be changed during
its service life. However, it may be necessary
under adverse driving conditions.

Adverse conditions for the engine are defined as

Engine oil - adverse driving conditions
Adverse driving conditions can lead to abnormally
high oil temperature or oil consumption.
Below are some examples of adverse driving
conditions.
Check the oil level (p. 330) more frequently for
long journeys:
• towing a caravan or trailer
• in mountainous regions
• at high speeds
• in temperatures colder than -30 °C or
hotter than +40 °C.
The above also apply to shorter driving distances
at low temperatures.

They don't seem to specify exactly what adverse conditions are for the gearbox, therefore might be good to assume those above.

That doesn't mean you cant or shouldn't change it, just that Volvo don't see it as needing changing therefore they wont do it as part of a service.

[PierreC]

My XC60 has just been for its 120.000 KM (75.000 mile) service - and I requested a COMPLETE flush -- I did, however, supply my own ATF (more about this later).

The gearbox also had a partial flush at the 60.000 KM service ...

The "sealed for life" factory advice is a lot of bull ... look at the ATF after 60.000 KM and you will realise that there are a lot of wear particles suspended and a dose of clean ATF is a good thing.

I have learned this the hard way on my (previous) XC70 and have concluded that the few $$$ or pounds spent on doing a regular ATF flush is substantially less expensive than a gearbox overhaul.

The ATF spec is JWS3309 - and the cheapest you can buy with this spec is Toyota T-iV ... and since it is a Aisin TF-80SC transmission (Aisin is owned by Toyota) and also used in Lexus, Toyota and many other brands, the T-IV is the exact same stuff as packaged and branded by Volvo at a substantially lower price.

Btw, Lexus, Toyota etc. all recommend an ATF change at some interval. And, for what its worth, here in South Africa the standard Volvo factory maintenance schedule actually do specify the AFT change!!

Also, I have installed an external Magnefine filter - there is no standard filter in the XC60 ATF or oil flow circuits.

And yes, it is possible to do the ATF flush yourself - on the XC70 it was a breeze but its a pain on the XC60, since it does not have a "dipstick" and the fill to the correct level has to be done at a specific temperature. See attached document.

If you decide to do it yourself, have the dealer check the final level and reset the oil counter in the TCM (Transmission Control Module).

[jp11]

Well, thanks for that guys. I'm a little concerned about that faint transmission whine (only happens in 6th).