Buying my first Volvo - XC90 T8 - looking for advice

[eugeneville]

Hi everyone,


I've never owned a volvo before but am currently in the market for one.
Looking for advice on what to look out for when buying a used XC90 T8.
What I've decided to look for specifically is a 2019 11.6kWh T8 in an R-Design Pro specification.

I'd really appreciate any advice that you might have for me when going for a test drive and when examining the car. Is there anything specific that I should be on the lookout for?

We've just sold our big diesel SUV because of the realisation that a diesel car isn't suited well for the type of journeys that we do - short school runs, gym, groceries, all within around 5-10 miles from where we live in.

The reason why I'm narrowing it down to finding a 2019 11.6kWh model is because of what I've read that they come with a number of improvements to various areas, like the quicker Sensus system, third generation battery (potentially better ERAD?), slightly better range, etc.

Our last diesel car suffered from oil dilution due to short journeys and I've read that the T8 (effectively a T6 once the ICE turns on) does also suffer from the same problem if the regen cycle kicks in but isn't allowed to finish. My honest hope is that I'd be able to keep it in Pure mode without letting the ICE turn on at all on our short journeys hence eliminating the oil dilution problem. (I've read how one needs to give it a bit more time when going from reverse to drive so that not to let the ICE turn on, pre-condition it on either a hot or a cold morning, etc.

I've seen a video on youtube where a guy said that in 2020 there was an update that makes the T8 stay in Pure electric mode regardless of how hard you press the accelerator pedal... Even though that was in US, the car in question was an 11.6kWh XC90 T8. Has anyone heard of this update being available here in UK, or does it still turn the engine one if one would accelerate too hard?

I will only be buying directly from Volvo as I'm hopeful that the potential ERAD issue would then be covered under their Select warranty. That is the case right?

P.S. The car that I will go see this coming Friday the 20th of Jan has 58K miles on the clock, which is around 20K miles more that the average for a 2019 plate, but it is under warranty from Volvo and is in the Spec that I'm after. Would you say this kind of mileage should be a concern and a deal breaker when buying a used T8?


Pardon for so many question and so much text.
Many thanks in advance for all your input and advice.

[eugeneville]

This was a good post with regards to buying a used T8:
https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showt...=314054&page=4

But generally the main advice there was to buy directly from a Volvo dealership, which is 100% what I plan on doing.

[eugeneville]

Found a video that I had in mind but I got it a tad wrong in my initial post where I said it was a 2020 model that had this update where a T8 wouldn't engage ICE regardless of how hard you accelerate...

In the video he says it's a 2021 model that received this update, but yet again it might be that older models qualify for this too i.e. the ones with an 11.6kWh battery (since the 2021 is pretty much the same setup)

https://youtu.be/_og2GFYN4aU
^ around a 4:50 mark he starts talking about this update and demonstrates how it wouldn't start the ICE...


NB:
As per the manual for a late 2019 XC90 T8:
https://www.volvocars.com/uk/support...cs/drive-modes

The Pure mode is available when the hybrid battery has a sufficiently high energy level. The internal combustion engine also starts in the Pure mode if the energy level in the battery falls too low. The internal combustion engine also starts

if the speed exceeds 125 km/h (78 mph)
if the driver requests more motive force than electric drive can provide
in the event of system/component limitations, e.g. low outside temperature.

However in the manual for a late 2021 XC90 T8 the definition of when the Pure mode is no longer available is a tad different:
https://www.volvocars.com/uk/support...cs/drive-modes

The internal combustion engine starts:

if the battery's State of Charge (SoC) is too low
if the driver fully depresses the accelerator pedal.
The Pure mode is not available:

if the battery's State of Charge (SoC) is too low
if the speed exceeds 140 km/h (87 mph) (does not apply when driving downhill, etc.)
in the event of system/component limitations e.g. low outside temperature.


I might be completely wrong here, but to me it sounds as if in late 2021 cars they've made it different in a way that you have to fully depress the accelerator pedal, i.e. an override to tell the car that I need more acceleration than the electric mode can provide... However in earlier models ICE engages when you go beyond a certain limit as per the dashboard.

[rhd443]

Originally Posted by eugeneville

Hi everyone,


I've never owned a volvo before but am currently in the market for one.
Looking for advice on what to look out for when buying a used XC90 T8.
What I've decided to look for specifically is a 2019 11.6kWh T8 in an R-Design Pro specification.

I'd really appreciate any advice that you might have for me when going for a test drive and when examining the car. Is there anything specific that I should be on the lookout for?

We've just sold our big diesel SUV because of the realisation that a diesel car isn't suited well for the type of journeys that we do - short school runs, gym, groceries, all within around 5-10 miles from where we live in.

The reason why I'm narrowing it down to finding a 2019 11.6kWh model is because of what I've read that they come with a number of improvements to various areas, like the quicker Sensus system, third generation battery (potentially better ERAD?), slightly better range, etc.

Our last diesel car suffered from oil dilution due to short journeys and I've read that the T8 (effectively a T6 once the ICE turns on) does also suffer from the same problem if the regen cycle kicks in but isn't allowed to finish. My honest hope is that I'd be able to keep it in Pure mode without letting the ICE turn on at all on our short journeys hence eliminating the oil dilution problem. (I've read how one needs to give it a bit more time when going from reverse to drive so that not to let the ICE turn on, pre-condition it on either a hot or a cold morning, etc.

I've seen a video on youtube where a guy said that in 2020 there was an update that makes the T8 stay in Pure electric mode regardless of how hard you press the accelerator pedal... Even though that was in US, the car in question was an 11.6kWh XC90 T8. Has anyone heard of this update being available here in UK, or does it still turn the engine one if one would accelerate too hard?

I will only be buying directly from Volvo as I'm hopeful that the potential ERAD issue would then be covered under their Select warranty. That is the case right?

P.S. The car that I will go see this coming Friday the 20th of Jan has 58K miles on the clock, which is around 20K miles more that the average for a 2019 plate, but it is under warranty from Volvo and is in the Spec that I'm after. Would you say this kind of mileage should be a concern and a deal breaker when buying a used T8?


Pardon for so many question and so much text.
Many thanks in advance for all your input and advice.

It's news to me that a petrol engine regenerates and drops fuel into the oil and dilutes it, this is certainly an issue with diesels and DPFs, but not petrols.

The 2020 didn't have the full swing gauge in pure mode, I prefer it not having the full swing, no way do you buy a hybrid and floor it in electric mode, you would zap the range and you may as well get full electric and half the range on it's range estimate driving like that 😎

The give a bit more time between reverse and drive to stop the ice starting is nothing to do with banging the gear change quickly, it's because these owners are reversing onto a hill and the suspension sees this or the erad sees this as extra load to go forward again and the engine starts to help briefly.

Same on gravel if you get the wheels dug in a little.

[MrM83]

I have a 21 plate T8. I am able to hold the car in pure mode and it stays in electric mode as you described. If you push the pedal really hard when fully depressed it will “click” and trigger the ICE to start which is useful in “emergencies” when electric isn’t sufficient.

I have a Volvo warranty and frankly wouldn’t run one outside of it. I’ve done relatively few miles and had no ERAD issues, but aware others have. I’ve not heard of the oil dilution issues you mention.

Hope this helps

[Philip Fisher]

Originally Posted by rhd443

The give a bit more time between reverse and drive to stop the ice starting is nothing to do with banging the gear change quickly, it's because these owners are reversing onto a hill and the suspension sees this or the erad sees this as extra load to go forward again and the engine starts to help briefly.

Maybe this is what you mean, but my take on the ICE starting when you go from D to R is this.

If the car is in reverse and you allow it to coast forward, even by a few inches, it will start the ICE. I believe this is because the car thinks you want to go backwards and yet the car is going forward which means that - in the car's thinking - the ERAD is failing to propel the car so the ICE steps in.

As long as I don't allow my car to roll in the opposite direction to the chosen gear then I never find I suffer from spurious ICE starting.

[eugeneville]

Big thanks to all who have replied, I really appreciate it!

- Oil Dilution:
Pardon to link another forum but I've learned about the potential oil dilution problem on the T8 from the pages below:
https://www.swedespeed.com/threads/o...roblem.615483/
https://www.swedespeed.com/threads/t...lution.621779/

I also thought that this particular problem is only affecting diesel cars, hence the common understanding that diesel cars are better suited for longer and petrol ones for shorter trips. However reading the above links it seems that the oil dilution can occur regardless if the ICE isn't allowed to run to temperature and its regen cycle is ended prematurely.

- Relatively high mileage:
In terms of the mileage though, do you reckon as long as the car has been correctly serviced and is under Volvo warranty I should be fine.
The T8 R-Design Pro that I've put the deposit down on has 58K on the clock, is a one owner car with full Volvo service history.

- Staying on Pure electric mode:
Many thanks for confirming that the 2021 model does indeed drive as I've described and have seen in the video. I wonder if this update is exclusive to 21 plate and if there is anything "physical/hardware" that prevents this update from being applied to a late 19 plate that appears to have the same ERAD setup with an 11.6kWh battery? What does everyone this of this?

- Inspecting the car:
Does anyone think there is anything in particular that one should do when inspecting a T8 or an XC90 in general? Maybe there is a particular drive mode to try that would potentially show any issues with ERAD or drivetrain in general? Any advice at all with regards to inspecting a car would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I have recently purchased an OBD2 scanner for a different matter and am wondering if the dealership is going to allow me to read the errors with the scanner or if it even makes sense

P.S. I've already purchased a vcheck for the car that I will go see this Friday and all seems well there, not sure what else I could double check...

[rhd443]

Originally Posted by eugeneville

Big thanks to all who have replied, I really appreciate it!

- Oil Dilution:
Pardon to link another forum but I've learned about the potential oil dilution problem on the T8 from the pages below:
https://www.swedespeed.com/threads/o...roblem.615483/
https://www.swedespeed.com/threads/t...lution.621779/

I also thought that this particular problem is only affecting diesel cars, hence the common understanding that diesel cars are better suited for longer and petrol ones for shorter trips. However reading the above links it seems that the oil dilution can occur regardless if the ICE isn't allowed to run to temperature and its regen cycle is ended prematurely.

- Relatively high mileage:
In terms of the mileage though, do you reckon as long as the car has been correctly serviced and is under Volvo warranty I should be fine.
The T8 R-Design Pro that I've put the deposit down on has 58K on the clock, is a one owner car with full Volvo service history.

- Staying on Pure electric mode:
Many thanks for confirming that the 2021 model does indeed drive as I've described and have seen in the video. I wonder if this update is exclusive to 21 plate and if there is anything "physical/hardware" that prevents this update from being applied to a late 19 plate that appears to have the same ERAD setup with an 11.6kWh battery? What does everyone this of this?

- Inspecting the car:
Does anyone think there is anything in particular that one should do when inspecting a T8 or an XC90 in general? Maybe there is a particular drive mode to try that would potentially show any issues with ERAD or drivetrain in general? Any advice at all with regards to inspecting a car would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I have recently purchased an OBD2 scanner for a different matter and am wondering if the dealership is going to allow me to read the errors with the scanner or if it even makes sense

P.S. I've already purchased a vcheck for the car that I will go see this Friday and all seems well there, not sure what else I could double check...

Thanks for the link, will read up. I tend to drive mine hard when the engine is on so possibly not an issue for those who use the full power rather than letting it stop start in hybrid mode.

Regarding inspecting, I can't give you any Volvo advice sorry, but for VW groups, I know a lot of sensors are ignored until you get the engine up to temperature, so I'd get it for at least an hour and make sure it's cold when you first see it so you can hear for any rattles or exhaust colours.

We have no dipstick so it's not an easy comparison to check oil levels 🤦


The 19 plate will not get changed to enable the full neddle throw/pedal power in pure mode, it will remain on the part needle swing where you go past the needle and the engine starts with a little more foot pressure. It was a feature that came out in 2020 on the models that had the speed limiters enforced, March 2020 I think was the changeover for that feature, along with hidden tail pipes I think.

I personally have avoided connecting anything to my OBD port, partly because I don't want to fiddle, partly because I bet they can tell if you've read the faults, and also because Im not plugging in some Chinese dongle that's been mass produced to such a complex electrical system. Maybe a Bosch KTS diagnostics I would from a local car workshop.

I would drive the car hard on a test drive, over bumps, brake from high speed to feel any warped disc vibrations, check brand of tyres fitted, if they are cheap / budget take a view of how the previous owner could afford the care of the vehicle.

[neilgorin]

Standard fault code readers only tend to show active current codes.

Example being on my V60 a couple of weeks ago a DPF sensor failed. The fault code reader I have correctly showed that but nothing else.

The specialist had the full Volvo software, and gave me an A4 sheet with all the faults that had been logged - most of which were temporary (it had things like "fuel cap failed to latch" for example).

So chances are your reader won't show anything if the check light is out, which any car on a dealer's forecourt wouldn't have on anyway.

[Giles11]

After over 5 years (took delivery of MY18 in Nov 17) and 48k miles, I can’t recommend my T8 highly enough. The only glitches have been the Sensus software and VoC app which are a bit amateurish compared to the standards of current generation cars. I also have the smaller 50 liter tank which is a pain on the few occasions I do long trips.

From what I gather they introduced an improved ERAD for MY18 and, unless mistaken, I haven’t seen any cases on this forum post MY17. I would also add that we do only one or two long journeys per year so I have done about 50-60 per cent of mileage on full electric. This means my brakes are as good as new, as confirmed in last service. And despite having the smaller 10.4 kWh battery, my lifetime average is 54 mpg. No battery degradation either as range is as good as new: between 14 and 25 miles depending on temperature. You’ll get a bit more with the updated battery but it’s probably not the right car if you spend most of your time on the motorway.