Volvo XC90 SUV

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Comments

  • cal1948cal1948 Member Posts: 10
    MIchael115 wrote: "Biggest complaint is a nasty blind spot on the driver's side caused by the pillar btw the front side and rear side windows."

    I noticed the same thing. I've only had the car for a little over a week and I'm not the regular driver so I don't know if this is something you get used to as time passes. Any tips from veteran XC90 drivers?
  • dachshund2dachshund2 Member Posts: 39
    cal1948, with the B-pillar and high "shoulders" in the XC90 there is a learning curve in confidently backing and changing lanes, but this is something you do get comfortable with. The only thing I do differently is position both side mirrors wider then I might normally, and I like the passenger side mirror down a little so I can see the ground.
  • markn7markn7 Member Posts: 4
    The vibration problem has disappeared. Took the car to Dayton and brought it up to warp 10 speed ( clear path, no rain, no cops radar engaged). I have to say how amazed I was at this car at speed. Having this engine for highway use is a must. Who care about gas mileage? If you buy a $48k car, do you really worry about gas? I don't care if gas is $3.00 a gallon, I want power for passing. Hey I also found out my rear wiper blade assembly missing. Dealer apologized and fixed it upon my return. Don't know if Volvo guy in Sweden plant was sleeping and forgot to install or if Volvo ships them without and it is dealer installed. Either way, in today's automotive business quality is our life. I was surprised Volvo had this type of problem. Still, that is minor. The car is fantastic. The seats after a 400 mile round trip did not hurt my back. This car is a highway champion.
  • i_yellowi_yellow Member Posts: 30
    Setting the mirrors wider, I agree, is a must in the XC90, but this is good practice in general. This line of discussion reminded me to share something my wife and I do to aid in parking. Use the third memory setting on the seat to memorize your favored seat setting, but with the side mirror tilted down to see the curb. When you go to park, hit button three and you can see the curb, then hit button 1 or 2 to return it.

    This works great, however the mirror moves a little slow. It even works if memory settings 1 and 2 are significantly different because a quick touch of the memory button only moves the seat slightly, while the mirror continues to move until it reaches its memorized setting (you have to continue to hold the memory button until the seat reaches it memorized position).
  • bailey544bailey544 Member Posts: 4
    I also found the blind spot very unnerving at first drive. I immediately added a small convex fisheye to the bottom left corner and later went a step further by replacing the outside mirror with a Euro spec version which has a convex element. Search the Swedespeed forums on mirror to find more details on the wide angle European mirrors.
  • shadowchasershadowchaser Member Posts: 94
    I have the 5 cylinder XC90. When I press the gas, there is a definite pause before the car really starts to move. It is incredibly annoying. It is as if the engine is getting up its strength before it engages. My minivan does much better. I don't care if it goes 0-60 slowly but it seems to go 0-5 slowly and then 5-50 fine. Is this just how this SUV is or is my parking brake still sticking? (It squeeled at the beginning but I pulled it back and it stopped making noise)

    Thx
  • shadowchasershadowchaser Member Posts: 94
    I got a quote on Warranty gold for 7 yrs,100000 miles of 2100. Anyone get any better or have any advice as to the time period to choose or whether to do it at all. (I tend to keep cars at least 7 years.

    Thx
  • shadowchasershadowchaser Member Posts: 94
    I have the navigation system and it seems like the buttons on the steering wheel work backwards. When I want to arrow right, I click the arrow towards myself and vice versa. This seems counter intuitive. If I want to go right, you would think you would click the far arrow. Is mine backwards or is this the way they did this.
  • gmark2000gmark2000 Member Posts: 62
    bailey544 wrote: I also found the blind spot very unnerving at first drive. I immediately added a small convex fisheye to the bottom left corner and later went a step further by replacing the outside mirror with a Euro spec version which has a convex element. Search the Swedespeed forums on mirror to find more details on the wide angle European mirrors.

    Hey Bailey, I hadn't heard how you thought about the Eurospec convex mirror. Do you like it? How long did it take to get used to? How much was it – $100 plus install?
  • bailey544bailey544 Member Posts: 4
    I like the new mirror and so does my wife. It was not much to get used to since I have been relying on small fisheye stick-ons for years. I hate turning my head and have never liked adjusting the regular mirror out wide. So typically, I'd focus much more of my attention on the small target of the fisheye. Now I have a pleasantly larger image with zero blindspot. If the mirror is empty, you are free to change lanes. You do have to be mindful for a while that "objects are closer than they appear" The cost of the mirror was about $50US and my dealer installed it for $35. A handier person could DIY with info from S60 forum on Swedespeed.

    What I did was to order the mirror and then sit in the car and hold it above the regular mirror and compare images. If you like the difference, as I did, get it installed, otherwise send it back. When I got mine installed, I retained the old mirror in case some additional driving miles caused regret (which did not happen).
  • i_yellowi_yellow Member Posts: 30
    I purchased a 10yr/100k mi warranty with $50 deductible for my 2.5T AWD for $1739 from 1SourceAutoWarranty.com (this included a $100 promotional discount). I gave a copy of the policy and quote to my independent Volvo mechanic and he did some additional background checking and comparison before confirming that it was a good company, policy and value. If any of you go with them, it wouldn't hurt to mention that I refered you.

    Anthony Aiello
    Aptos, CA
  • jmegjmeg Member Posts: 7
    childride,

    Don't know the answer to your question about 89 octane in a t6 but will ask at my 60 day service check. (I have an 03) I have always used regular gas with whatever I drove in the past even when the owners manual recommended otherwise, and saw no ill effects. This is my first volvo, though, and by far the most expensive car I've bought, so I thought I was being diligent in using better gas. The mileage has been good and don't notice any problems with the engine, but I will check it out. Any other t6 owners using lower octane fuel?
  • michael115michael115 Member Posts: 7
    a few of you asked question such as:

    What kind of connector does the XC90 use? Does the connector include a charge line for the trailer battery and a brake line? Or do you have to have someone else rip the panels apart again to install them with another connector?

    I had mine installed by volvo. they did a nice job. when i had coleman install the break controller and wiring, etc., the charge line was already there but the break line was not. They wanted to tap into the break lights, but I told them to call my volvo dealer first. Dealer says "na-uh," so they had to run a line from up front all the way back. They were kindof pissy about it but it works now...
  • buubuubuubuu Member Posts: 1
    I just got my XC90 on Saturday and after driving it a little, I found that the transmission was not able to shift from 1st to 2nd. It would rev up to 5000+ RPMs but not shift to 2nd. I had to take it in right away, hoping that it would be a quick software upgrade that I've read about.
    Turned out the whole transmission needed to be replaced!!! This is my first experience with Volvo and I can tell you, that it has not been good. I'm still waiting to get the car back.
    Has anyone had a similar problem with their '04 T6?
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I think you have a reasonable amount of time to get out of a new car purchase scot free...my advice run away from that specific car. If they won't replace the whole car, get your money back and order a new one from somewhere else.
  • schuhcschuhc Member Posts: 333
    I agree with sbcooke. It's not the good old days anymore when you could just drop a new tranny into your TR6 or Mustang. Transmissions scare me given all the electronics involved these days and I think that it is just safer to get out of that one and get a brand new one.

    Unfortunately, I do not know what the rules are on getting out of a new purchase. Call around competing dealerships and see what they tell you.
  • barbzbarbz Member Posts: 19
    The Volvo XC90 just added another award to it growing list of awards.

    The XC90 won the Total Quality Award for its class. It had an amazingly high TQI, Total Quality Index number of 906, which is considered the "epitome of quality". It had the highest rating in its class.

    Excellent showing for Volvo, especially since this is the first year the XC90 has been out.

    Methodology: The Total Quality Index score is calculated using multi-variate statistical techniques that measure the correlations of all aspects of the vehicle ownership experience including product, reliability and dealership (independent variables) against multiple outcome measures (dependent variables)
  • khanhvnkhanhvn Member Posts: 18
    Wow! Do you have a link to the award anouncement. I am waiting for my xc90 delivery this month and have been concerned about some xc90 problems discussed here and elsewhere. The award is surely very assuring.
  • khanhvnkhanhvn Member Posts: 18
    I found the web site:

    http://www.vision-inc.com/

    Click Research > Automotive.

    Their quality rating is based partially on buyer "emotion" about the car, so not sure how objective it's given the recent enthusiasm about the new xc90. Anyway, it's still nice.
  • compcomp Member Posts: 43
    This is typical turbo Volvo. You will get used to it and will never notice it. Some cars learn how you drive and adjust to you, turbo Volvo's teach you new ways to drive. We have two Volvo's and have learned how to ease the cars around corners and stops. If you go back and forth between cars it does seem more noticeable.
  • shadowchasershadowchaser Member Posts: 94
    My dealer touted this as a safety feature. I find it useless as far as hitting kids or other cars. It doesn't come on until you are close. This helps when parking up against a wall or other car but not if you backup fast and forget there is a car or don't see a kid.

    Anyone else have thoughts on this? Anyone else misled by their dealer?
  • rollierollie Member Posts: 337
    Are you saying you back up fast when you don't have good visibility? If so you can't blame the parktronic technology. It's not a radar or rear-facing camera - it's a simple proximity sensor designed for parking and backing up in a driveway where you might encounter an object / person. These things works the same in all vehicles I've tried them in (I like Lincoln's with the lights inside the rear of the car that changes with distance along with the audible tones.)

    Thanks.

    -rollie
    rdollie@att.net
  • marting007marting007 Member Posts: 6
    I'm not sure what you are looking for? Something that will allow you to back up quickly without looking where you are going, by the sounds of your post. I have the reversing radar system, and find in very valuable for parallel parking to let you know how close you are (it beeps faster the closer you get). It will also detect objects at bumper level that you can't see (small kids, bikes, etc.). The only other system that I am aware of to help with backing is a reverse camera system. My next door neighbor has this on his MDX. It is nice, but has a "fish eye" look that takes some getting used to. You still could not use this system to charge backwards. I would most definitely consider the reversing radar a safety feature, and one that I would highly recommend for the XC90.
  • shadowchasershadowchaser Member Posts: 94
    I am not planning to charge backwards....but when I pull out of my garage, I sometimes forget that there is a car behind and at 5 mph, I'll hit the car before I can react to the beeps. I think it is only useful for parking.
  • marting007marting007 Member Posts: 6
    The system starts beeping when you are 5 or 6 feet away from the object, so you got plenty of time to stop once you hear the beeps start at speeds of 5 mph or less.
  • shadowchasershadowchaser Member Posts: 94
    mine starts at about 3 ft....have to have it adjusted. Again, this is a help for parking...they shouldn't tout it as if it was a radar system.....
  • shadowchasershadowchaser Member Posts: 94
    Anyone else out there with the navigation? Either it is designed backwards or mine is backwards.... It seems intuitive that when you push the arrow towards you, the cursor goes to the left....but it goes to the right.

    Is that how it works in yours????
  • sharonsharon Member Posts: 76
    Anyone else out there with the navigation? Either it is designed backwards or mine is backwards.... It seems intuitive that when you push the arrow towards you, the cursor goes to the left....but it goes to the right.

    I have the navigation and it seems to work just fine to me. The right arrow moves the cursor to the right and the left arrow moves it to the left. Doesn't seem backwards to me.

    Sharon
  • gmark2000gmark2000 Member Posts: 62
    I got this from Swedespeed:
    image
    image
    image
    image
  • crikeycrikey Member Posts: 1,041
    Gary, do you know if this XC90 rolled over? It looks like it did, in the pics.
  • wmquanwmquan Member Posts: 1,817
    It probably rolled over. Rollovers often cause a side mirror or two to be torn off, like in the pictures above.
  • shadowchasershadowchaser Member Posts: 94
    Does anyone know a good site to buy volvo accessories. I bought mats and carpet protectors for my Honda at dealer that sold wholesale over the web. Anyone know of such a site for volvo?
  • crikeycrikey Member Posts: 1,041
    It probably rolled over. Rollovers often cause a side mirror or two to be torn off, like in the pictures above.

    Wow, I wonder what the circumstances of the accident were, in order to induce a rollover of a vehicle that touts an anti-rollover mechanism. I mean, I know it is possible to rollover the XC90 if one really one wanted to. But, I just didn't expect that it would without deliberately trying to. That's how high I placed the RSC as a safety feature. This, to me, somehow lessens its credibility. Yes, the XC90 is still the safest SUV out there, for me. But, these photos somehow show that the RSC can bring about a false sense of security.
  • plushplush Member Posts: 10
    As they said in the Volvo drive event, a side skid into a curb is a common cause of rollovers, which RSC cannot prevent. From the looks of the right rear tire that may have been the cause. The boron steel roof looks like it did it's job.
  • crikeycrikey Member Posts: 1,041
    As they said in the Volvo drive event, a side skid into a curb is a common cause of rollovers, which RSC cannot prevent. From the looks of the right rear tire that may have been the cause. The boron steel roof looks like it did it's job.

    Ah...very good point. This somehow renews my faith in the RSC. And yes, I agree the boron steel roof kept the 'cocoon' intact.
  • wmquanwmquan Member Posts: 1,817
    But, these photos somehow show that the RSC can bring about a false sense of security.

    Any salesman who says "RSC prevents rollovers" is obviously using sales-talk. RSC will definitely help reduce the number of rollovers. But even the original stability control reduces the number of rollovers. RSC simply goes further. But it won't handle every possible situation that triggers a rollover.

    Another potential cause of a rollover is being hit hard on the side in a specific fashion. RSC can't help much there.

    That's why it's nice to have the backup -- the reinforced roof and side curtains deploying -- to handle the fewer cases that RSC won't. The roof looks like it did well, though there is some deformation of the front roofline above the windshield. Also, the hatch looks like it popped open, possibly because of deformation. Unfortunately we don't have enough info on the circumstances so these may not be issues at all.
  • michael115michael115 Member Posts: 7
    can't tell which dealer, however.
  • wmquanwmquan Member Posts: 1,817
    Ill-fated test drive?

    Someone was so enthusiastic about their new vehicle that they couldn't wait to test the limits?
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    Now...

    Other question here...

    What the heck is a totalled XC90 WORTH right now? I mean, I doubt a single one has run past 50K miles yet to be out of warranty... so there goes your demand for anything inside the truck. Not like someone might want the wheels off of a T6 as this one is an LPT truck.. none of the body panels, except MAYBE the tailgate are reuseable..

    And no junkyard is gonna want to strip it and sit on the parts for years (Likely what will happen) until out of warranty XC90s start breaking..

    I betcha that truck aint worth much at all really when you think about it.
  • schuhcschuhc Member Posts: 333
    ShadowChaser...

    ipd is where I usually go for my c70. In their latest catalogue they did not have much for the XC90 yet but there are links on the site.

    www.ipdusa.com
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    RSC is a cool feature...but I think most real world rollovers are caused in accidents either by being hit, hitting a curb, going over an embankment, etc. So while admittedly the RSC is great...it isn't going to stop rolling over in the real world.
  • bigeddybigeddy Member Posts: 181
    sbcookie: "RSC is a cool feature...but I think most real world rollovers are caused in accidents either by being hit, hitting a curb, going over an embankment, etc. So while admittedly the RSC is great...it isn't going to stop rolling over in the real world."

    Rollovers typically start with a loss of control which leads to leaving the roadway and hiting something like a curb or ditch. This happens more frequently in SUVs because of their high center of gravity. RSC helps regain control while still on the roadway. That should help a lot in real world situations such as sudden steering corrections, sliding on ice, and speeding.
  • bigeddybigeddy Member Posts: 181
    brentwoodvolvo: "I betcha that truck aint worth much at all really when you think about it."

    Isn't that true of any new vehicle? At least Volvo designs them to be recycled more completely than most brands.
  • gmark2000gmark2000 Member Posts: 62
    I guess the key thing to note is that the Boron steel roof and pillars, and the solid cage of the main body does it's job when RSC is not enough.
    image
    "The safety cage construction and a sophisticated air curtain system provide advanced protection. Boron steel, which is over four times stronger than conventional steel, is used for the A- and B-pillars as well as the roof bars. The B-pillars are engineered to tie into and reinforce the roof and platform, yet the top halves are thin enough for good rear visibility.

    Volvo demonstrated structural safety with a rollover test: an XC90 set at an angle of 24° on a test track trolley, accelerated laterally to 48 km/h (30 mph), and released. It rolled more than three times, landing on its side. The body suffered only "crease" denting (although so much that it was beyond repair), doors could be opened and closed, and windows, windshield, and backlight were cracked, but none shattered. The right front control arm sheared only as the vehicle came to rest on its side. Results were typical of what Volvo had seen in earlier testing."
    imageimage
    imageimage
  • cal1948cal1948 Member Posts: 10
    I read an interesting post at Swedespeed. Someone noticed that for the 18" Michelin tires on the XC90, the Volvo recommended tire pressure for maximum loads is 39 psi. But the maximum pressure on the tire sidewall is stamped at 35 psi. How can Volvo recommend a tire pressure higher than the mfg's maximum?
  • shadowchasershadowchaser Member Posts: 94
    I am surprised the center dash console isn't in wood trim. There is a kit you can buy (I saw it at myvolvoparts.com....a volvo dealer in Richardson Tx.). Has anyone had any experience with this. Is it cheap looking or good looking?

    Thanks
  • marting007marting007 Member Posts: 6
    I just finished installing the Sherwood kit for my XC90. I had originally ordered the B&I kit, but after doing some research, I decided I liked the Sherwood kit better, and it was cheaper (got mine for $139 plus $10 shipping). Installation was not too difficult, but did take some time. Cleaning and prepping all the surfaces takes the longest. The entire job took me about 3 hours. Its not real wood, but neither is the wood trim that comes in the XC90. It is a very good match for the color and grain pattern. It does really spruce up the interior.........even my skeptical wife was impressed.
  • shadowchasershadowchaser Member Posts: 94
    wow. great information. I don't care too much about the shifter but do want one that looks as real as possible. I have been in the Acura's and there is so much fake wood, it starts to look a little cheesy. Is there any piece you would leave off in retrospect? Which of the two kits looked more realistic?

    Thanks.
  • wmquanwmquan Member Posts: 1,817
    Rollovers typically start with a loss of control which leads to leaving the roadway and hiting something like a curb or ditch. This happens more frequently in SUVs because of their high center of gravity. RSC helps regain control while still on the roadway. That should help a lot in real world situations such as sudden steering corrections, sliding on ice, and speeding.

    I agree that rollovers are actually usually triggered by loss of control.

    But if I'm not mistaken, it's not really RSC that provides the primary electronic help in preventing the loss of control (that can lead to rollover). That is primarily the responsibility of the basic stability control system, introduced on SUV's first by Mercedes in 1999. (And obviously other features like AWD help prevent the loss of control in the first place too.)

    That is why NHTSA believes that stability control is a factor in the prevention of rollovers.

    RSC will help in situations when the vehicle goes further in the loss-of-control dimension, e.g. starting to change its vertical angle as the loss-of-control gets worse. But it doesn't address the start of loss-of-control like slipping on an icy patch; DSTC will kick in long before.
  • shadowchasershadowchaser Member Posts: 94
    would someone please explain to me where the light switch should be put to with the bixenons. Finally I have a car with automatic lights and I have to remember to put them one way during the day and another at night. I never remember until I want my hibeams to stay on. What is the downside of keeping the switch vertical all the time? what is the actual difference in what lights up?

    Thanks.
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