Long Term Ownership Issues

[James77]

We took the plunge and decided to buy the current XC60 outright with the intention to use it as a long termer. The old girl is just 5 years old now, still fresh as a daisy inside and out and with the private plate could be a far younger model. We've just ticked over 36.5k miles apart from the odd niggle sorted under warranty (lazy wing mirror and broken gesture tailgate which required a fix with a different piece of wiring loom, neither of which stopped the car from starting or delivering us to any destination) and occasional brain fart the XC60 has been a noble steed. Very quiet, comfortable and well equipped just 10-15% too thirsty but ho hum.


As you can see we are not big mileage drivers which in itself poses issues as a long termer. So I'm wondering what mileage are you at, what issues have you come across and what maintenance has been required apart from consumables?

I've very recently had rear pads and 4 new tyres all firsts since it's birth as we get longer in the tooth things like battery may fail usually on a dark and stormy night. We dont't have ERAD to worry about, oil dilution, power pulse hoses etc but I've read a few tales of new engines required at high miles. I can't see this generation of Volvo reaching intergalactic mileage sadly. When is the timing belt due c10 years?

This will be my last Volvo unless they change direction and to date I've enjoyed ownership.

Just interested in other folks views on long term ownership see many 2016/2017 XC90s about so the tech seems capable. I also have the extended warranty nut used since manufacturer warranty ended at year 3 mind.

[PhilipT5]

I'm in a similar situation, basically the same car and will be 5yrs old in September.

Car has been largely faultless except...
*New windscreen after a stone cracked it, only a few months old
*New rear discs and pads after 33k miles I think it was
*New tyres after 34k miles
*One occasion where the indicators failed, Volvo support disconnected the battery to reboot and fine since

Only other issue is the leather seat wear, the drivers upper edging has been coming away the last couple of years so it doesn't look great but was told it's just wear and tear.

Likewise I have the extended warranty for peace of mind, would have gone for a new one but the like-for-like pricing is just too high.

[XJSDriver]

Mine is a keeper - has done 82K and is a comfortable, fast car. Fuel consumption is poor for a petrol but I can live with it.

Only recent issue was starter motor which needed to be replaced as stop/start had worn it out. That was annoying, as you would be stuck at a junction when engine had turned off and could not get be started again

My other issue is I cannot source a workshop manual for it yet. Haynes have one for the diesel but not the petrol.
Mine is a momentum, so the seats are more comfortable I am told than the posh models (strangely) and they have no sign of any wear. Plus, my wife lets the lab sit on the front seat when she is driving - don't ask!!

[Philip Fisher]

Mine had a new engine at 135k miles. Others have reported engine failure too.

It had an erad at 103k and the on-board charger at 165k miles (both no so relevant to you I know).

If you haven't got the stomach to self insure on what could be a 5 figure repair bill then buy a warranty. At your mileage you could buy a 3 year Automation Gold warranty. Last time I bought one it was 600 quid for the 3 years from my dealer. Couldn't get one when I came to renew at 132k miles as miles were too high. Engine failure came 6 weeks later and set me back 11k. Others have reported up to 18k bills for engine failure so looks like the good folks at Riverside Doncaster looked after me well.

[ergonomist]

I'm the one who had £18k of new engine at about 55k miles (although with 50% Volvo contribution and a bit from a 3rd party warranty etc I 'only' paid about £5k). In my case it was only the turbos that failed - but they chose to do it without any real warning at autoroute speeds and hence spat all sorts of bits of metal through the engine. I therefore needed not only a full engine but also two new turbos, dpf, etc etc - hence the bill. At least I've dodged the need to pay for a timing belt change...

Even if you go with 3rd party warranty, given their ability to be creative with exclusion clauses its worth sticking with Volvo servicing as that weighs in your favour if you need to ask for Volvo contribution to something expensive.

[GMcL]

These newer Volvo's appear to have a very high bork potential from reading this forum.

Oil leaks, GBP6k turbo failures, new engines, iffy boot struts. In November I almost caved to swap my 5 cylinder S60 for a V90 D5. The V90 really is a very nice place to be with the massage seats but that four cylinder motor has had issues almost from day one with D4s reporting issues as far back as Jan. 2015. These four cylinder diesels scare the bejaysus out of me with the potential for issues.

If you like the car and don't want a new one for whatever reason I'd want to have a big healthy insurance pot set aside for issues and not rely on a warranty not backed by the manufacturer.

Yes, I know you mainly hear the horror stories of car ownership on the internet but some of the things being listed as faults on these cars don't feel very Volvo like to me. I've had two S60s since 2006 and never had the issues people are experiencing with the newer cars.

Some of you may have heard of Pistonheads, these cars definitely come in the 'Brave Pill' category for me.

[James77]

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

Mine had a new engine at 135k miles. Others have reported engine failure too.

It had an erad at 103k and the on-board charger at 165k miles (both no so relevant to you I know).

If you haven't got the stomach to self insure on what could be a 5 figure repair bill then buy a warranty. At your mileage you could buy a 3 year Automation Gold warranty. Last time I bought one it was 600 quid for the 3 years from my dealer. Couldn't get one when I came to renew at 132k miles as miles were too high. Engine failure came 6 weeks later and set me back 11k. Others have reported up to 18k bills for engine failure so looks like the good folks at Riverside Doncaster looked after me well.

Purchased the extended warranty third year now plan to.keep that going. Not heard of a Automation Gold warranty is that direct from dealer?

I was planning on using an award winning volvo accredited garage from this year onwards..can't decide if that is a good idea or not if something went pop.
At our mileage another 5 years will take us to 70k miles and we'd have sold car ny then. Wondering if I'm being too neurotic

[James77]

Originally Posted by ergonomist

I'm the one who had £18k of new engine at about 55k miles (although with 50% Volvo contribution and a bit from a 3rd party warranty etc I 'only' paid about £5k). In my case it was only the turbos that failed - but they chose to do it without any real warning at autoroute speeds and hence spat all sorts of bits of metal through the engine. I therefore needed not only a full engine but also two new turbos, dpf, etc etc - hence the bill. At least I've dodged the need to pay for a timing belt change...

Even if you go with 3rd party warranty, given their ability to be creative with exclusion clauses its worth sticking with Volvo servicing as that weighs in your favour if you need to ask for Volvo contribution to something expensive.

How is a new engine 18k crate motor is c5k. Blown away ny that

[techwatcher]

Originally Posted by GMcL

These newer Volvo's appear to have a very high bork potential from reading this forum.

Whilst ANY engine failure is really one too many, it is a small number of incidents being reported compared with the number of cars out there.

I suspect that it's a similar situation with other manufacturers. Yes, it is possible and yes, it is a risk but it is pretty unlikely to occur.

[rhd443]

Originally Posted by James77

We took the plunge and decided to buy the current XC60 outright with the intention to use it as a long termer. The old girl is just 5 years old now, still fresh as a daisy inside and out and with the private plate could be a far younger model. We've just ticked over 36.5k miles apart from the odd niggle sorted under warranty (lazy wing mirror and broken gesture tailgate which required a fix with a different piece of wiring loom, neither of which stopped the car from starting or delivering us to any destination) and occasional brain fart the XC60 has been a noble steed. Very quiet, comfortable and well equipped just 10-15% too thirsty but ho hum.


As you can see we are not big mileage drivers which in itself poses issues as a long termer. So I'm wondering what mileage are you at, what issues have you come across and what maintenance has been required apart from consumables?

I've very recently had rear pads and 4 new tyres all firsts since it's birth as we get longer in the tooth things like battery may fail usually on a dark and stormy night. We dont't have ERAD to worry about, oil dilution, power pulse hoses etc but I've read a few tales of new engines required at high miles. I can't see this generation of Volvo reaching intergalactic mileage sadly. When is the timing belt due c10 years?

This will be my last Volvo unless they change direction and to date I've enjoyed ownership.

Just interested in other folks views on long term ownership see many 2016/2017 XC90s about so the tech seems capable. I also have the extended warranty nut used since manufacturer warranty ended at year 3 mind.

I would recommend you get your oil sent away for analysis to put your mind at rest, this will give you any warning signs of oil dilution (still possible with petrols due to engine additives etc) that could cause turbo or engine failure, and highlight if the oil is the correct grade etc and within specs when tested.

I did this recently to my S60 and got a clean bill of health, it can and will show you early signs of damage so for £40 it's a bargain.

Or go for a holiday to a Nordic country for a few days, and see how common Volvo's are over there, and how reliable they are 😉