V50 D3 Automatic, New geabox at 50K?

[andy_d]

Originally Posted by Clan

Volvo have never recommended or said or published that at all .... They do recommend the oil is changed if the car is used arduously or for towing or taxi work , and the gearbox computer software has a routine which monitors the usage and puts up a message Transmission oil service required if it is deemed to need one .

It is always wise to keep the gearbox software up to date it is continually being altered as years go by ..

the Volvo main dealer i used said that
twice about two Different volvos with auto boxes
Volvo S40/1.8vvt+autobox
Vovlo V50/2.4i+geartronic box

"no we dont there is no need its sealed for life, the fluid will be good for the life of the box"
or VERY similar words.


could be they are a Crap main dealer who couldnt be arrsed to look it up or do the work properly, didnt want the work But thats what the reply was both times.

They probably Are a crap service department as a couple of years later they blatently lied flat out to my face, but that still doesnt change the answers i have had from there service department.

Yes its a Cost, Just in the ATF needed never mind the labour time, however its no where Near the cost of a replacment box !. I Am glad volvo spec'd and uses a high quality expensive ATF, regardless of the cost of it.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by andy_d

the Volvo main dealer i used said that
twice about two Different volvos with auto boxes
Volvo S40/1.8vvt+autobox
Vovlo V50/2.4i+geartronic box

"no we dont there is no need its sealed for life, the fluid will be good for the life of the box"
or VERY similar words.


could be they are a Crap main dealer who couldnt be arrsed to look it up or do the work properly, didnt want the work But thats what the reply was both times.

They probably Are a crap service department as a couple of years later they blatently lied flat out to my face, but that still doesnt change the answers i have had from there service department.

Yes its a Cost, Just in the ATF needed never mind the labour time, however its no where Near the cost of a replacment box !. I Am glad volvo spec'd and uses a high quality expensive ATF, regardless of the cost of it.

Unfortunately often it the individuals own opinion which comes out of his or her mouth ... It is certainly not the "Dealers" or " Volvos" official opinion ...

always wise to to get a second opinion ..if you feel uncomfortable

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Clan

I have yet to see the words "sealed for life" in any volvo service publication over the last 45 years , please enlighten me ..

Volvo use the very highest quality synthetic transmission oils and it does not get changes and there have never been any case i know of where poor oil has caused any problems with a transmission . There are many 30 + year old 850's etc still with their original transmission oils and still the brown colour it was when new .

Autos are different , most are still running around with original oil if a little discoloured . If it were mine I would change it around 54000 miles to be safe , a fair compromise . much less often if the car was doing 54000 miles a year . There is also a routine in the gearbox software to monitor the likely oil quality and put a message up if the gearbox computer calculates that the oil may be poor due to slippage etc .. I too have not seen this message .

If transmission oil change was part of a major service like it was before the 1990's and synthetic oil , it would double the cost of the service , so this is also a factor of course .

I'm referring to Auto's. "Sealed for life" may not be worded as such in publications, but Volvo don't actually recommend you change the transmission fluid at all (unless the vehicle is used as a taxi or used for heavy towing). In essence, for most people, Volvo are basically saying never change the fluid because it doesn't need to be done. In effect, this is as good as saying "sealed for life", "maintenance free", or however you want to say it. For example, if you enquire about changing the transmission fluid in a car to the service department at dealerships, it gets dismissed straight away with the "Oh, that doesn't need to be touched" attitude. I know there's a few dealerships (from posts on here) that do change the fluid when people ask them to, but many won't. I wonder how many dealerships ask people if their car is used for towing, or as a taxi & specify a fluid change based on those reasons alone (as they (Volvo) should because the handbook says a fluid change needs to be done on vehicles that are used for these purposes)? The vast majority I've spoken to just run for the hills as soon as you mention anything to do with transmission fluid servicing. They didn't even ask if the car was used for towing etc! I suspect there's many vehicles out there towing away, or being used as taxi's all over the place that haven't had a fluid change because Volvo never bothered to mention it to them when the car was brought in for an oil change.

Yes, there's another side to the coin where the owner should read the handbook etc & we all know that. The thing is, many people don't & this brings me onto my next point... I think a fluid change should be a service item, that all Volvo dealerships recognise as being a required thing to do at some point in ownership (for 'normal' use cars too, not just those used for towing etc). In turn, the customer should be advised when they phone for their service that its recommended by the manufacturer. Obviously, its up to the customer ultimately to give the go ahead, but it'd be good practice for the Volvo main dealers to do. It would, hopefully, raise customer awareness that the car does need a transmission fluid change at some point in time.

I agree that it may increase service prices quite heftily, but that's proportionate to what transmission rebuilds etc would cost & its not something that would need to be done every year either (for most). Volvo could advise customers to change the fluid every x number of miles, but in my opinion, it should be mentioned to owner's that use their cars for 'normal' driving too, in addition to advising people of the recommendation to change the fluid more often if the car is used for towing etc. At the moment, its written into a handbook that most people don't read that the transmission fluid needs to be changed in cars used for taxi's etc, but nothing is mentioned for cars that aren't used for these purposes. Service departments could do more to mention it basically, as opposed to giving the usual "You don't need to do that" blurb that they come out with on most occasions.

In my opinion, independent Volvo garages seem to suggest changing the transmission fluid much more than the dealerships do. Food for thought.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

I'm referring to Auto's. "Sealed for life" may not be worded as such in publications, but Volvo don't actually recommend you change the transmission fluid at all (unless the vehicle is used as a taxi or used for heavy towing). In essence, for most people, Volvo are basically saying never change the fluid because it doesn't need to be done. In effect, this is as good as saying "sealed for life", "maintenance free", or however you want to say it. For example, if you enquire about changing the transmission fluid in a car to the service department at dealerships, it gets dismissed straight away with the "Oh, that doesn't need to be touched" attitude. I know there's a few dealerships (from posts on here) that do change the fluid when people ask them to, but many won't. I wonder how many dealerships ask people if their car is used for towing, or as a taxi & specify a fluid change based on those reasons alone (as they (Volvo) should because the handbook says a fluid change needs to be done on vehicles that are used for these purposes)? The vast majority I've spoken to just run for the hills as soon as you mention anything to do with transmission fluid servicing. They didn't even ask if the car was used for towing etc! I suspect there's many vehicles out there towing away, or being used as taxi's all over the place that haven't had a fluid change because Volvo never bothered to mention it to them when the car was brought in for an oil change.

Yes, there's another side to the coin where the owner should read the handbook etc & we all know that. The thing is, many people don't & this brings me onto my next point... I think a fluid change should be a service item, that all Volvo dealerships recognise as being a required thing to do at some point in ownership (for 'normal' use cars too, not just those used for towing etc). In turn, the customer should be advised when they phone for their service that its recommended by the manufacturer. Obviously, its up to the customer ultimately to give the go ahead, but it'd be good practice for the Volvo main dealers to do. It would, hopefully, raise customer awareness that the car does need a transmission fluid change at some point in time.

I agree that it may increase service prices quite heftily, but that's proportionate to what transmission rebuilds etc would cost & its not something that would need to be done every year either (for most). Volvo could advise customers to change the fluid every x number of miles, but in my opinion, it should be mentioned to owner's that use their cars for 'normal' driving too, in addition to advising people of the recommendation to change the fluid more often if the car is used for towing etc. At the moment, its written into a handbook that most people don't read that the transmission fluid needs to be changed in cars used for taxi's etc, but nothing is mentioned for cars that aren't used for these purposes. Service departments could do more to mention it basically, as opposed to giving the usual "You don't need to do that" blurb that they come out with on most occasions.

In my opinion, independent Volvo garages seem to suggest changing the transmission fluid much more than the dealerships do. Food for thought.

Volvo servicing is now more flexible , the printed service sheets went 5 years ago , there is a list of additional items which can be added to a service and also for low mileage cars there is an "Essential" service which has been around many years ..

Its down to the Service " adviser" on the front desk , and his training and aptitude to suggest things like this , after all it benefits the company as well as the customers . The vast majority of auto gearboxes get well past 100,000 miles with no problem , so perhaps its the responsibility of the new owner as well to think about these kind of things ..

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Clan

Volvo servicing is now more flexible , the printed service sheets went 5 years ago , there is a list of additional items which can be added to a service and also for low mileage cars there is an "Essential" service which has been around many years ..

Its down to the Service " adviser" on the front desk , and his training and aptitude to suggest things like this , after all it benefits the company as well as the customers . The vast majority of auto gearboxes get well past 100,000 miles with no problem , so perhaps its the responsibility of the new owner as well to think about these kind of things ..

An "essential" service that Volvo offer doesn't include a transmission fluid change, as far as I know.

I understand that owner's should think about these things, not just the dealership. If a transmission fluid change was a service item that was actually recommended at x miles by Volvo across the network, it may spread the awareness and/or prompt people to actually get it done either then or at some point in the future. This would take time on Volvo's part to implement & probably isn't an easy task. So much so, it probably will never happen.

Dealerships want you to buy new or newer vehicles. If manufacturer's made vehicles that ran forever with parts that never wore out, or ran for years on end with bare minimal expense, they'd make less or no money.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

An "essential" service that Volvo offer doesn't include a transmission fluid change, as far as I know.

I understand that owner's should think about these things, not just the dealership. If a transmission fluid change was a service item that was actually recommended at x miles by Volvo across the network, it may spread the awareness and/or prompt people to actually get it done either then or at some point in the future. This would take time on Volvo's part to implement & probably isn't an easy task. So much so, it probably will never happen.

Dealerships want you to buy new or newer vehicles. If manufacturer's made vehicles that ran forever with parts that never wore out, or ran for years on end with bare minimal expense, they'd make less or no money.

Thats how volvo were and probably still are , yet for the last 5 years have been making record sales month by month and year by year ...