Volvo XC90 SUV

gmark2000

would someone please explain to me where the light switch should be put to with the bixenons... What is the downside of keeping the switch vertical all the time? what is the actual difference in what lights up?



I personally would keep the BiXenon lights on (12 o'clock) all the time as a safety feature. The brightness will be noticed during the bright day and if it starts raining, you'll have them on. Leaving it in Auto mode (9 o'clock) will have the inner lamp on as the DRL and will automatically turn on the BiXenons only at darkness.

The BiXenons have such a long lifespan that you shouldn't be afraid to leave them on.

anilpunjabi

in the non bi xenon models, the drl are the same as the low beams, volvo i heard is the only manufacturer that does this, so im guessing that in the bixenon model, keep it 12 oclock, b/c i heard ta nite the lights sesne the darkness level, or i think its called hue, and turnes on tghe xenons for you.

shadowchaser

My audio display says "reg" on it. Can't find out what that means. Anyone know?

S

webpj

We enjoy your posts

shadowchaser

was there a joke somewhere? Just trying to find out what the reg means. Same question was asked on swedespeed twice without reply.

dachshund2

Just returned from a beach trip where we logged 575 miles in the XC90. All the reasons why we bought it were reconfirmed, and some new reasons found. I'll be brief and just say that the XC90 is the best combination of fun, function, comfort, and safety I've ever owned.

marting007

I did the installation of the Sherwood kit after work yesterday with my car parked in the shade. With that lighting the color looked perfect, however today in better light the color of the kit is slightly darker than the trim in the car. But the difference is probably only something I will ever notice. I installed all parts (31), but in hingsight I would not have done the overhead areas if I had it to do again. The part for the front overhead was the only part that did not fit exactly, and it doesn't cover enough of the console to make it look right. Not that it looks bad. The Sherwood kit has the Volvo emblem on one of the main console pieces, so it really helps make it look like a factory job (the B&I kit does not). I glanced at the B&I kit before I sent it back, and it looked similar, possibly slighty higher quality?. When my wife saw the finished job, she said OH! and nothing else (believe me that is a real compliment from my wife, who can spot a speck of dust on a gnats butt at 40 yards).

shadowchaser

thanks for the update. BI "slightly higher quality'? Did you mean it looks less like plastic? I ordered the Sherwood kit from the guy at ebay. The logos sold me...although I hope they are permanent and don't wear off..... Any other tips on installation?

Thanks.

marting007

My biggest problem with the installation was that I had applied a plastic cleaner/protector product to many of the surfaces that I was putting the wood dash pieces on. This stuff left the surface very slick, and had to be removed completely before I could apply the kit. I had to repeat the cleaning process 4 times on certain areas to get them to pass the "masking tape test" that is explained in the instructions with the kit. If you have a new dash that has not had chemicals applied, the whole process could be done in 1/2 the time or less than it took me.

The logos on the Sherwood look like they were molded in the plastic (not painted on), so I doubt they would wear off easily.

The pieces in the B&I kit looked a little thinner to me, so I thought that they might look a little better once applied, but I really don't know whether there is a quality difference or not......just a guess on my part.

shadowchaser

myvolvoparts.com has a kit they sell for 275 that they claim is real wood. Sounds like that might be the best...but it is a bit pricey. Anyone have any experience with that kit? (they are a volvo dealership in Richardson Tx.

SP

marting007

Real wood sounds nice, but it would not match the trim already in the XC90. I would be careful going with a real wood kit, unless it provided replacement parts for the fake wood pieces already in the XC90.

shadowchaser

Correction. It isn't real wood. It is the B&I "simulated" wood. Ordered the Sherwood kit....just hope it doesn't call too much attention to itself and look cheap. From your pictures it looks good.

volvobuster

Hey!

Where is everybody?

vb

volvobuster

I'll answer my question by asking one. Has anyone seen the July 2003 Consumer Reports? Check out First Look (pg.6), Volvo XC90 T6. Full report in Oct. CR says ample acceleration from the T6 "although it hesitates between first and second gears." Hmmm.

They seem to like it otherwise.

vb

stever

I think everyone must be on vacation this week.

Except you and me anyway....

Steve, Host

mopsmom

Can you please tell me how the Exective XC90 is any different than the loaded XC90 T6? Any news on the cost yet?

volvomax

Thats what the Exec will be called in the US.

Start with a regular T6, add a dvd player w/ screens in the front headrests, an optional refrigerator in the front console, new wheels, different seats, body colored door handles and door moldings. New colors include Titanium Gray and Pealr White. Price TBD, ETA late Nov.

You can find pics and a description on swedespeed.com

a12

I have an '03 XC90, Crystal Green. I have been noticing some rust color stains appearing on the lower door panels as well as the rear tailgate. The spots come off with compound or cleaner if I apply some good "elbow grease" to them, but it is a pain. I took back to the dealer for them to check, I was afraid it was something bleeding through the paint, but they said that wasn't the case. They told me that it was something in the environment that was causing it, but this made no sense to me, because if the car is not being driven, it is parked in the garage. Has anyone else experienced this? Any comments appreciated. Thanks

bigeddy

Sounds like something thrown up from the road. I've removed some weird stuff from my car exterior!

What I have noticed in the rust department is that Volvo went to cheap wheel lug nuts which look terrible after a few months.

shadowchaser

I have the backup sonar. When I first got the car about 1000 miles ago, when I backed up, the radio volume went down when the sonar was activated. Usually I set my radio as I back out of my garage so when I put the car in drive I would get a shock every time as the radio blasted. I didn't like this although I understand the reason for it.......

shadowchaser

How does the navigation estimate time to destination? Today I had 6 miles to my destination and it estimated 22 minutes. That would be 18 miles per hour. Is this what they plug in automatically or does it look at my average (which reads 30 mph). Anyone know?

schuhc

You never know about those Swedes. They may recognize that you live in L.A. N.Y. or Chicago and be giving you a bad estimate. There is no way you would have cracked 18 miles an hour in those cities. More like 8 miles an hour.

shadowchaser

True, in urban driving, it might be slower but all bets are off then...depends on time of day. My guess is that most suv drivers are yuppies cruising through the wilds of suburbia... Since the scale is adjusted based on speed, I am surprised there isn't some accounting for type of driving..

Curious, is there any official volvo site that answers technical questions?

davidchaz

We bought GX today, with Nav & sound system upgrade.
Main reason why we chose GX was "luxurious" interior & smooth drive. I am surprised by my own conclusion because I hated the exterior look of GX! And with our 3 small children, it might be a little more hustle to load them in/out of the car than Volvo (With Volvo, we could have used that integrated booster seat). But, I don't care if I can enjoy the beautiful atomosphere of Lexus! Acura, we didn't even get to test drive since the dealer didn't have anything to offer. MB- ohhhhh, a truck. I'm sorry, I can't drive that. Maybe for someone else.

jeffdel1965

I have a 2003 XC 90 with 8300 miles and recently brought the car in due to a strange grinding noise in the engine. The dealer told me one of the belt tensioning bearings needed replacement and also a wheel bearing needed replacement as well.

Anyone have any similar experiences? This is the 3rd Volvo that I have owned and I have never had any problems beyond routine maintenance.

nvbanker

Brand new vehicle, first year out, there's gonna be a few issues like these. Expect it. I always do. It's inconvenient, but more the rule than the exception IME.
That's what warrantys are for.

kjn

We picked up new 2004 XC90 on June 9. In the past two days, just a little over a week later, at 200 miles on the odometer, the vehicle developed first a chirping noise which grew into an extremely loud constant screeching noise. This was local driving with speeds from 25 - 40 mph in dry weather.

I plan to call dealer service first thing Monday morning.

Is anyone else experiencing this problem?

nvbanker

Oh boy. Hope the V-70 loaner is available for you.....

dachshund2

Welcome to the forum kjn.

Congrats on the new XC90!

Sounds like you've got the emergency brake release problems that several other owners have had. Use the "Search This Discussion" under "emergency brake" to find all related posts.

Let me preface my next comments by saying I'm a first time Volvo owner and have been very pleased with my ownership experience as well as my dealerships excellent service and interest in making sure I'm completely satisfied. The only issue I have had is with the seatbelts damaging the door and seats in the 2nd row, and this has nothing to do with how the XC90 functions. Anyway my concern is that if kjn's problem is the emergency brake, then Volvo is dropping the ball (still). These XC90's need to have the fix at the port or at the dealership before they are delivered. Ideally the factory would be the best place. The dealership where I bought my XC90 told me 1 month ago that they were adding the springs to all their XC90's before delivery. I would hope this would be a universal practice. I guess one hand doesn't always know what the other is doing in this case. Certainly not what you would expect from a premium automobile.

shadowchaser

I initially had the squealing noise with my 2004 and it stopped when I manually pulled on the parking brake pedal. It hasn't recurred. I notice now when I push down the parking brake pedal and release it, there is very little travel in the pedal.
Can someone tell me if this is the case with their pedal or does it go down and release over more than an inch or 2 like most parking brakes do?

rodica

While trying to price a XC90 AWD 2.5l engine, I was told by the salesman that the MSRP price found in the web at Volvo page, is increased by Volvo with $1000 on all USA bound cars due to a 5 year warranty on the paint and something else done on the car at entry point in the USA.
It sounded like a lot of BS but I did not want to argue with him.
Did anyone hear about this "official" add on or it is a trick of the dealer in Charlotte, NC ?

Thanks for the help.

dachshund2

Shadowchaser my e-brake is a one-click wonder which requires some effort to get that amount of travel. I've read in other postings that once you've had the additional springs put in place that the travel of the pedal is what most of us are accustomed to.

rodica there was a price change in the model year conversion with the 2.5T increasing about $1000 and the T6 increasing about $600. The Volvo page may not have switched to the 2004 model yet. I'm not sure about your dealer's explanation of the increase, but Edmunds new car pricing will give you an MSRP and also show you what others are paying. Also check post #1504 which lists all of the changes for 2004 except the switchblade key remote. By the way I bought my XC90 in W-S, NC.

P.S. Short segment about the XC90 in this week's Time magazine on p.81 entitled "All the SUV You Want but Less of the Guilt"

rodica

Dachshund2 Thanks for the reply, the MSRP price is 2004.
Volvo page is updated. I guess the 2004 increase was a little over $1000.
It sounds like the dealer in Charlotte is just trying to be smart.
As I am looking for an SUV and I am 6'3", I drove the MDX, Lexus RX330,Toyota 4Runner and the XC90 with both engines. The drive train of Acura was better than all of them but the seating in the Volvo is perfect for me. I am still waiting for the Touareg which should be here in 2 weeks to reach a final decision.

wmquan

Unfortunately, this link requires registration, sorry.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-seatbelts22j- un22000419,1,3157335.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Net-net, the article says that even belting oneself in may not prevent ejection in a rollover. It suggests that pretensioners firing during a rollover may prevent ejection. While many vehicles have pretensioners, they don't have them in all seats, and they don't fire in rollovers (just front collisions). It mentions that the XC90 will fire the pretensioners in a rollover with its roll sensor.

The side curtains will also deploy. It doesn't mention that the XC90 has pretensioners in all positions.

Kudos to Volvo for this one.

stever

"The number of belted drivers and passengers killed in SUV rollovers rose from 327 in 1997 to 516 in 2001, according to the NHTSA."

and

"For SUVs, "it has to be able to discriminate between those cases where a vehicle is driving over uneven terrain and those where it's actually going to tip," Boland said. "That's where a lot of the research is at the moment."

Maybe the LA Times story will be picked up by google soon so we can link to it w/o the registration.

Steve, Host

shadowchaser

there are 2 mats available as accessories for the 7 seater xc90, one that is carpet with rubber on the back and one that is plastic. I want to protect my interior. Does anyone have either of these and have any comments. I like the idea of the textile mat where you can turn it over and it is rubber...but will it really protect.

Any advice would be appreciated.

sharon

My XC90 came with carpet mats that have a rubbery coating on the back. I replaced them with rubber mats that have raised edges (like a tray). I was very pleased I had them the other day--my 6-year-old knocked over a small bottle of orange juice in the back. The spill was contained in the tray.

Oh, just realized you were talking about the luggage compartment. I bought the floor mats. I highly recommend them, anyway. ;-)

plush

I have the plastic mat in my 7 seater. It works well, it is 2 pieces but they interlock securely and are easy to separate if you want to open the back seats. They are more of a plastic feel than the rubbery floor mats but they are still pliable. Used in either the 5 or 7 setup they fit flush to all sides and have a raised edge. We have a dog so I use a rubber backed bath mat on top which is easy to pull out and clean but is more comfortable (I assume) and less noise from the claws. I'd recommend it...

kjn

Thank you DACHSUND for information provided in Message #1865.

Volvo dealer returned our XC90 last night with a new "return spring b" as described on invoice for the emergency brake or, as described over the phone, a "balancing spring." Apparently, when we took the car with 4 miles on it, the dealer had already replaced the spring trying to head off the problem, but now the dealer has received "direction" from Volvo and the spring was replaced with an "upgraded, approved" part.

So far, all seems well -- no more screeching or chirping sounds. Driving the XC90 is smooth, like a dream. I hope we don't have any more problems.

dachshund2

kjn, I'm glad to hear that your back on the road. I know you will enjoy the XC90. As I've said before, I think the XC90 is the best combination of fun, function, comfort, and safety of any automobile presently available. After you get a few miles under you belt, let us know how your enjoying your Volvo.

shadowchaser, I think I like the plastic cargo mats better also because they seem more waterproof and durable. If I remember right the cost is about $70.

P.S. to sharon: Parental Rule #1-5 at our house.
NO DRINKING OR EATING IN THE VOLVO!
Maybe I'll be less retentive in 6 months.

a12

Took my '03 in yesterday to be checked because I was hearing a clicking noise coming from the front end, every now and then. It would happen when I was accelerating, braking and when I would shift between reverse & drive or drive & reverse. They told me that the sound I was hearing was coming from the spline in the front end, where it joins with the wheel, I believe. They called Volvo and were told that there is supposed to be some play with the spline and that is the noise I'm hearing and that it is normal. Both the dealer & Volvo have heard these complaints before, from people who own XC90's. Has anyone else been having this problem? Any comments appreciated. It bothers me that a car of this caliber makes a noise like this and they can't do anything about it. My 01' A6 Audi, which I traded for the XC90, ran and shifted so smooth, you would think the car wasn't even running. I hope I don't regret purchasing the XC90.

sharon

P.S. to sharon: Parental Rule #1-5 at our house.
NO DRINKING OR EATING IN THE VOLVO!
Maybe I'll be less retentive in 6 months.

LOL!-- Yeah, I managed to hold to that for a little while (car is 6 mths old). We had our three boys and were on a 4 hour drive in a torrential downpour when the spill occured. It wasn't a drive around the corner.

Besides, as much as I love the car, it is the family car and there is no way it can stay pristine. My three very active boys seem to generate mess just standing still ;-)

Sharon

kbpa

After a few phone calls this AM, it seems the XC90 market in Atlanat is: MSRP, don't even waste time trying for less. still very limited supply on the lots, but any model can be ordered and delivered in 60 days. Does this sound right to those of you in the Atlanta area? What about other markets in Southeast?

Also, I saw a questions a few weeks ago about prices on Volvo VIP extended warranties, but no answer. What are the going prices for the 7yr/100k+ type VIP pacakges?

bigeddy

MSRP is typical for a new vehicle in hot demand; even overseas delivery offers no discount. The Volvo 7yr/100k VIP package was $2075 for a V70 last year; it was underwritten by Fireman's Fund Insurance.

volvobuster

It's a sad state of affairs when a $40,000.00 plus vehicle experiences the problems I've seen posted here. It seems Volvo is well-practiced in saying annoying drive train noises are normal, transmission lag is normal, and everything is operating within normal limits. Is this due to Ford's ownership of Volvo?

Maybe we owners are abnormal. Why else would we expect a premium automobile to have major bugs worked out pre-production. I still don't believe the first-year model crap - it's now in it's second freakin' production year!

I've written at-length about the transmission problems in my T-6. The car developed a new trick yesterday at 3100 miles. The warning indicator light went on and the message panel read "Service transmission soon." The car seemed to behave normally until I stopped at a light. As I started a left turn, I found the vehicle had virtually no acceleration, even at full throttle. At the next light, I put the shifter into manual mode and found the transmission was stuck in third gear. It would not downshift by itself or manually. By some miracle, I reached my destination safely, parked, and left the car for about ten minutes. Upon re-starting, the light was off, the message gone, and the transmission behaved normally.

I called my dealer's service department and I was informed that they were aware of the problem, as is Volvo, but there is no fix available because they aren't sure if the problem is hydraulic or electronic. They said if it happens again, park the vehicle for about five minutes with the engine off and the transmission in park, and it will clear itself, as it did. This is serious problem, much more so than the 1-2 shift lag. Suddenly being unable to accelerate faster than a snail can get you t-boned at an intersection as I almost was. I'm bringing the vehicle to the dealer next week to continue the paper trail of problems with this transmission. The car is now officially a lemon under my state's lemon law, so apparently I'll have to go that route. I've only kept it this long because it's otherwise a fabulous vehicle. If Volvo had put as much effort into engineering as they did into styling, the car would be an all-around winner. As it is, given all the problems described here, I think it stinks. This is not Uncle Oloff's Volvo. His was probably better, as were my two previous Volvos, but then again, they weren't Fords.

I write this as a warning to other T6 owners. If this problem happens to you, be aware that you will have no acceleration from a stop. It's ironic that this supposedly safe vehicle can actually put it's occupants in sudden danger.

Have you driven a Ford lately?

All my best,
vb

deek_md

I purchased the 7yr/100k for my xc90 for $1700. I haggled the guy down to this price.. Since i have never ever bought an extended warranty for anything, I didnt have anything to lose. Plus it was after 10pm by the time i got to the financing guy.. Anyways, I thought it was a good price, so i purchased it with the car since we are expecting to keep it and if we sell, then we can transfer the warranty to the buyer.

Bottom line, haggle with the guy and get the price down.. you'd be surprised how much wiggle room they have on these policies.

deek_md

I am going to pick up the 5/7 seater cargo mat tomorrow.. i will let you know what i think.. I am getting it to preserve the interior from the ravages of baby strollers..

uvahoo

I have a 2.5T AWD XC90 with about 5K miles on it and have noticed lately that, on occasion, it misses a shift (pops into neutral). I take my foot off the accelerator, resume acceleration and everything returns to normal. The dealer says it nothing to worry about and that it will not damage the transmission. Is he wearing rose colored glasses?

rollie

I'm skeptical. Get a scheduled appointment with the dealer for this problem. If they come to the same conclusion then you'll have it in writing on the invoice when you pick up the car and can use it in the future (say post-warranty for example) if you find there is a problem that was exacerbated through prolonged use without a fix.

In all likelihood I suspect this problem will get worse soon and they'll be forced to deal with it or it will disappear.

Good luck.

-rollie
rdollie@att.net

jqhb

Sorry to hear about your current transmission problem - that IS scary. Thanks for the heads up. Also, I appreciate the info you posted a while back about a software update for the 1 to 2 lag. I was having that problem pretty frequently and asked them to do the download you mentioned (923 part #30670092-3). It's been a couple days, and the problem seems fixed!! Thanks again! Good luck resolving your situation.
Jennifer