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Transmission service mystery

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Old Oct 30th, 2017, 20:41   #1
TJNS
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Exclamation Transmission service mystery

Hello - i have just bought a lovely old XC90 D5 (2005).

When we got it, the service required message was up on the screen. The (apparently reputable) dealer said they'd take care of the service if i brought it back a few days later.

Then (next day) the transmission service message came up too (orange light and no noticeable slipping/ clunky changes). It was there for a couple of very short trips over the next couple of days and then, before i took it back for the service, it vanished.

The dealer did the service and reset the code for that and it was all tickety-boo, until i got almost home again (45 mins across London) and the transmission service light came back. Note, the message was not there when he serviced it - it had vanished that morning.

I've read a few forums here - great how much people help each other out. I am no mechanic, and as i say, the car is driving just fine, but still the message. I see posts about changing the gearbox oil and that special method (not something i'd do) and i see posts saying it's sealed for life etc.

I'd like to not let a problem that can be fixed get worse from inaction, but don't want to spend more than the value of the car on a new gearbox.

I want to take it to a Volvo dealer really, but are they just going to say that it's sealed for life; new gearbox 4k please?

Is there any way i can know if it needs new oil in there or if the problem is something else?

Anyone just ignore (or clear, if you have the software) that message and still running without issue?

Anyone had it seize on them for ignoring?

So many questions, very grateful for any advice with this. Love the car already and want to get lots more miles out of it as a weekend driver, so not going to be putting more than 7K on the clock in a year.
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Old Oct 30th, 2017, 21:14   #2
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Just to be clear - when it says "Transmission Service Required" on the info display this is usually not a "service" in the sense that parts are changed and adjustments made - it usually means something is wrong (I say usually, if the gearbox oil has been overheated too many time it can cause this message but this very rarely happens in the UK).

Sometimes these problems can be cured by replacing all of the transmission fluid. Under normal circumstances this is not likely to have been done, even if the car has full Volvo history. I would say about 1 in 3 cases this will solve the problem so it is your first thing to try.

After that you can look at changing the Valve body in the gearbox - but this is costly and not guaranteed to fix the problem and hence somewhat of a high stake gamble.

Volvo dealers will only replace worn/faulty transmissions with new - they will not attempt a repair - and the cost of this starts at around £4k and by the time they have replaced all the worn parts they noticed (engine mounts, wishbones, etc.) it will be nearer £5k.

If there is no warranty with the car your best bet is to find an transmission specialist who understands these gearboxes and get them to read the codes. Auto gearboxes must be diagnosed whilst they are still in the car as they need high pressure fluids and electronics to function. There are a number of specialists offering fixed price reconditioning services for these boxes with warranties starting at half the price of a new one.
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Old Oct 30th, 2017, 21:16   #3
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Volvos' approach would be to fit a new box. The old box would then be sent back to the transmission manufacturer for overhaul. Many have successfully cured autobox issues by changing the oil, but ideally you should make note of the exact fault codes that are logged so we can better judge the situation.
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Old Oct 31st, 2017, 11:12   #4
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We got a pretty basic warranty which I think wouldn't cover anything as major as a gearbox (worth more than we paid for the vehicle - £2890).

Thanks for the replies, albeit they aren't so heartening!

I think we'll follow up with the dealer in the first instance - the dealer is M&J Autos in Brent Cross, London. They have several 5* and several 1* reviews, so i guess that could go either way!

I'll keep an eye out here in case anyone posts any more thoughts, or just corroborates the above comments, and I will post an update to let you know how it unfolds.

For the record, are we crazy to think we can get a reasonable xc90 that will last us a couple of years of fairly light mileage without a gearbox sized issue for the 3k we spent on it?

Thanks again.
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Old Oct 31st, 2017, 11:27   #5
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Quote:
We got a pretty basic warranty which I think wouldn't cover anything as major as a gearbox
On the contrary, that is exactly what a basic warranty is for.
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Old Oct 31st, 2017, 12:48   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmonag View Post
On the contrary, that is exactly what a basic warranty is for.
It's limited at £500 quid though... Wouldn't put much of a dent in the cost of a new gearbox!
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Old Oct 31st, 2017, 12:52   #7
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Quick update:

Have followed gut/advice here and booked into a Volvo dealer to do a diagnostic on it on Thursday.

So I will have at least an idea about error codes at that point.

£48 to do, but hopefully a best first step rather than risk fluid change etc.

Will update further asap. Thanks again for the help so far, I'm already grateful for the Volvo community, and I've only owned one a week!
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Old Oct 31st, 2017, 14:53   #8
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I think the only way out of this for you and the dealer is that you return the car - but yes a XC90 of that age properly looked after and checked over should be a good car.
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Old Nov 7th, 2017, 15:30   #9
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Default Update -

Hello again -

I would like some more advice on this now i've found out more.

We took it back to the dealer and they ran a diagnostic. They tell me it's a gearbox control module fault and don't think it is worth repairing as they say it would need a gearbox strip-down to fit a new part from volvo at a total cots of likely 1k.

They say that teh fault means that when you stop in gear (like in traffic) it is not selecting neutral, so if you get on the accelerator it kind of 'knocks' - something i had noticed in the week of ownership and almost automatically worked around by simply waiting a half second after lifting off the brake before accelerating away. NB - it doesn't get stuck in gear or anything like that, once it's underway, it drives very well.

They say that the car is basically fine to be driven like that, and that it won't get worse - they've offered us £300 quid compensation plus replacing brush arms (that we also discovered were broken when we took it to the Volvo dealership for a health check).

My questions are:

1) will it get worse - does anyone have experience of this problem?
2) Are they right in their diagnosis?
3) are they right in their estimate of expense to repair?
4) it cost £2,900 to buy and drives well (passed its healthcheck apart from the brush arms) would anyone out there recommend taking the money and doing the work, or suggesting they do the work and contributing?
5) should we just be insisting on getting our money back and looking for an xc90 without this issue, or at our price, should we expect issues of some kind and accept this one as manageable? (We will incur costs getting our money back - albeit time/effort/insurance/tax etc - i.e. not HUGE)

Thank you in advance - we're way out of our depth here and appreciate any advice or experience from owners who have experience of this or similar issues.

Tom
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Old Nov 7th, 2017, 15:45   #10
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When you say the dealer gave you that diagnosis, do you mean the Volvo dealer or the selling dealer?

There are companies in the UK that might be able to repair the control module but its still likely to be an expensive repair once labour is factored in.

Over here in Ireland, a car is unlikely to pass its roadworthiness inspection with a warning light lit on the dash - are you likely to have the same issue with the MOT if you decide to live with the issue?

A refund is the cleanest option. You'd be taking on an unknown risk so that if it becomes a bigger issue then the car is valueless and you've lost £2,600 (assuming that you take the £300).
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