Volvo XC90 Maintenance and Repair

nkta

I test drove the V8 this afternoon. It seems to exhibit more engine noise than my sedan . Can this be mitigated with some sound proofing material at the bulkhead? Thanks.

jccai1

Haven't experienced this on my XC90, but similar thing happened to my BMW 330 almost at the beginning of every winter (3 exactly) during my ownership. Dealer told me it was normal because the heater, once turned on, would take in some coolant, resulting in lower coolant level in the radiator. I was instructed to add water to the small overflow tank (which was under pressure and could only be opened when the engine is cold on the BMW). It usually took about 1 pint or less. After that, no problems all winter.

dross54

did u correct the problem? what did they do?

dross54

did they correct the problem? My SUV makes noise when turning the wheel to the right.

elias

haven't told dealer about the steering wheel noise yet! thanks for reminding me - i'll add it to the list of little pesky things they will look at when we bring it for the free 22500 oil change. it actually hasn't been making the steering wheel noise lately... intermittent.

jccai1

Please let us know if the dealer resolves it. I have a similar problem with my 05 2.5T. Whenever I back up with the front wheels fully turned to left or right, I hear a very loud rubbing noise. This only happens when going in reverse, not in the forward direction. And it only happens when the front wheels are FULLY turned to one direction or the other. Very annoying.

stuermer

I was having a steering problem with my '04 T6 at about 24k with a "clunk" sound when I turned the wheel full-lock to the right. The dealer replaced the steering rack under warranty. I had to wait several months for the parts (on backorder) so I would assume this is an unexpected failure point on the car. By the time the part arrived and I had the repair done, I could hear the clunk whenever I turned the wheel right-then-left when at a standstill.

The repair seemed to do the trick but I still notice a similar clunking sound if I hit a bump mid-corner when I turn to the right (like on a highway entrance ramp), so I will have them look at it again next time in.

In addition, I'm pretty unhappy with the 4-speed auto. It feels like it came off a Buick and is totally out of character with the rest of the car's performance. It also has an annoying habit of losing torque for a second or 2 when it shifts from 1->2 at, say, maybe 3/4 throttle. The dealer said they have gotten a lot of complaints like this and that Volvo is working on a software update. No known timeframe.

Anyone else had issues like this?

BTW, other than these issues I've been very happy with the vehicle. Took it on 3k mi trip this summer with 2 kids and it was a great drive. Oh, forgot, CD changer jammed on the trip. I guess it has been a somewhat problematic car, but my dealer has been great.

stuermer

i have the same wheels and have had very significant tire wear on the OE tires. be sure to get your tires rotated regularly. my neighbour owns a very large tire distributor/retailer and he particularly said on the XC90 you need to rotate the tires the first time after they are new within the first 5k-7k miles, then maybe every 10k after that. i replaced my michelins with nokian 4-season tires, rotated them at 5k, and have had little wear so far (now at about 8k on those tires).

That said, chances are you have an alignment problem rather than balance issues.

elias

stu-ermer and jccai1, both of your issues seem to be very different than the steering wheel noise our xc90 makes. our noise is definitely from inside the steering column. and according to some law or other, the problem is not occurring at all now that we have a service appointment for the car.
a pal at work with an S40R has the same squeaky-problem with his steering column.
also stu, the 4-speed auto trans on your XC90 IS from a Buick. i believe it is the GM 4L60E, or some GM trans very close to that. it is one of the finest automatic transmissions in production, imho. that 1->2 upshift glitch should get fixed - keep after the dealer regarding that. since/if you reported it before warranty was up, i believe they will be required to fix it for free even if they can't do it until well after warranty expires.
we've got the michelins on our xc90. they've been rotated at each free 7500 mile oil change. 22500 is next week - i think the tires will just barely pass state inspection. they will not be safe for this winter however. i am debating whether to put on real snow tires or "all seasons". i am leaning towards real snows, as i consider it rather important to be able to stop and turn on ice and snow. AWD doesn't help at all with stopping, and really not much with turning either!

guyf

AWD doesn't help at all with stopping, and really not much with turning either!

I fully agree with that statement. The Nokians are the best winter tires out there.

yoel

200 mile new car V8..

From a standstill, part throttle, the 1-2 shift lugs for a good 2-3 seconds until more pedal is given.. Very annoying.. The only way to get continuous "pull" or acceleration is to mash it.. Can this drop or lug be programmed out, i.e. shift speed, or something?.

Its almost to the point of you go for 10', then the car drops off for 2 seconds, then your're on your way again. Also have noticed that intermittently getting the service traction control error message..

jenchick79

OMG This does not go away (57K on my car)-my husband always complains about it & every time we take it in for it they say it's "in spec" what ever that is - obvisouly they don't have to merge into traffic or pull out of other cars while their checking it. Good luck with that problem, I've tried to get ours fixed a bunch of time & they blow me off...Hate to break it to you, but if you go around a corner to shap the engine does the same thing, to prevent roll-overs. Strongly suggest you do the "Drive for Life" thing if you haven't yet, you get to mess with their cars & see what your car can do, but you don't break your car.

dross54

Did you have the problem corrected? I still have mine. The Dealer replaced the left front ball joint. The problem still is there.

dross54

I have had my SUV for 2 years. I continue to have a 'sour smell' coming from the air vents when airconditioner is not on. Anyone else notice this?

yoel

What about if I drive with that DTSC control "off"?
I think that the roll/traction/anti spin control..
Have you guys tried that?
I took it in for service today..
Got an S60 loaner.. driver fine.. give it the gas, it goes... no slugging on the first shift.
If they can't rid this problem, I
i'm going to somehow try to get out of the lease, OR GET SOMEONE TO ASSUME IT.
Ain't no way I'm driving a car that dies for 2-3 seconds after 10 feet of throttle..

hannityluvr

This is my first time to the XC90 posting and I have read a few of the postings. Well lets put it this way, I will probably not buy another XC90 after the incidental and now major problems I am having with this vehicle. The cupholder up front is a real work of art(repaired twice), had to have a wheel hub replaced, have told the dealer numerous times(before my warranty was up) that I had a defective shock, 2nd set of brakes, front sway bar and 2 sway bars in the back need replaced, turbo boost valve, crappy tires, floor mat tensioners broken twice, weak transmission(car moves at least a foot after in park). I have 69,000(I drive 70 miles a day) miles on this car and my recent issues have been the shock, sway bars, and the cupholder. I bought this car with 7,000 miles on it as a certified pre-owned vehicle in September 2003. The pre-owned does not cover the shock or the cupholder(both of which they new about before the warranty was up). Not very happy. I had to fight my way into them paying for the repairs. I am driving the XC90 V8 and I have had the same issues with the cupholder and the CD resetting the songs. Not very happy, for I wanted to keep my XC90 until it was paid for, but if it is going to start behaving like an American car it has got to go.

sodaman74

I have a 2004 XC 90 with the Premium Sound System which includes Dolby Pro Logic II. Since I got it in July 2004 I have had problems with the rear speakers when listening to radio stations. Basically they experience distortion and cracking and just sound awful. I think I have now figured out that the Dolby PLII system doesn't work with radio stations The dealer has tried unsuccessfully to fix this 6-7 times. Anybody else experience this?

hankavella

have 2005.5 v8, definitely experience this problem. has any one found any solution. our volvo has 3k miles on it and it has been noticeable since the start

hankavella

has any one experienced not having good sound quality on the wireless headphones for movies in the third row? i guess the question really should be has anyone's children complained of this.

hankavella

is there new software or map data available? does the dealer provide it?

elias

yes with our 2004 the wireless headphones tend to malfunction when used in the third row. i think i have noticed that the problems correlate when there is much heat/sunlight too. one child in particular seems to be a junior audiophile and complains vociferously. i think the 2005 dvd audio may be integrated better than the 2004 - the 2005 has the headrest-displays also.

hankavella

ours is the 2005 with headrest displays. i havent noticed whether it is more on hot days or not. it is definitely we are going see what the dealer can do at the 7500 mile service. my kids in the middle row think everything is fine, but the one in the back has the complaint

gjmc

I've experienced this with ours too. DPLII just doesn't work with all radio stations. In addition to distortion, our volume will fade in and out too. Gotta admit that the CDs sound purely awesome though huh?

gjmc

Has anyone actually found that the manually-calculated mileage is consistently 2-3 mpg better than the computer-calculated display? It is in ours and I'm really wondering if it's as simple as the computer code thinking it still has the smaller gas tank. If you do the math, it tends to work. I was really disappointed with the 15-16 mpg my wife's been getting with mostly city driving. Problem is, though, when the computer said 16 on our last tank we actually went 365 miles on 19 gallons. Unless my math has gotten really really bad, that's 19.2mpg not 16. With almost all city driving, 19.2 ain't bad. Next time I'm in for service, I'm going to ask the service department about it.

apples

Did the ticking or perculating sound occur only when driving, or did you ever notice it while in park? If you noticed the sound in park, did it matter if the engine was on or off? And where did it seem the sound was coming from---the rear of the car or the front?
Thanks. My car is an XC90-V8, 2005.5

comark

new DVD's must be ordered from Navteq.com
$199

comark

those early 2003's had a bunch of problems. My 04 has been pretty much rock solid and my experience on Volvo bulletin boards leaves me convinced that problem cars are very rare. Sorry, sounds like you got a dud.

comark

The Dolby Surround does not work with radio broadcasts unless the signal is VERY strong. Stick to 3 channal. I had heard that Volvo was working on a solution, but that was some time ago and I've not seen anything yet.

comark

I get best computer results by resetting after every fillup or 2. Much closer to actual/manual calculations.

sodaman74

Volvo confirmed (after many e-mails) that PLII doesn't work with FM stations even though sales information and owners manual indicate it does. To me this is misleading, deceptive and fraudulent. They also don't plan on doing anything about it. Unbelievable. I'm interested in pursuing this with consumer advocates. Anyone else?

elias

i think it is absurd to have pro-logic-2 decoding on an FM radio, since as far as i know, no US FM stations transmit using such encoding. the encoding is used mostly on DVDs and by some digital TV stations.
neither are there many (any?) CDs with such encoding, again, as far as i know.
sodaman74, i think you are overreacting entirely. i don't see how it's fraudulent for volvo to make wrong statements about the capabilities & broadcast choices of FM stations in USA.
on the upside, the pro-logic-2 stereo in the xc90 is the one that has RDS. RDS is nifty, and many USA FM stations do broadcast RDS info now.

sodaman74

You obviuosly missed the point.Volvo fails to disclose that PLII doesn't work with FM stations and quite the contrary makes statements in its sales material and the manual that it does. I don't get how you don't see, as you put it, "how it's fraudulent to make wrong statements". Are you kidding? Are you a Volvo employee? Also, if you can't listen to FM in the PLII mode, what difference is there if RDS is "nifty'?

burosky

Does this mean that if the FM stations did transmit in DPLII encoding, one can listen to FM in DPLII mode?

kl644

The wireless headsets and remote used in the headrest DVD system use infrared technology. This means that the receivers work in 'line of sight', in other words an uninterrupted signal from transmitter in the headrest to the headset. Transmitting a signal to the third row most likely will face obstacles like the second row head rest, etc. Can you use the plug-in head phones in the third row to listen to the DVD audio? Or is that only for Radio / CD control? I have not tried it myself yet.

dano1193

I am having a similar problem. However, my sound distoration is only when playing CDs and is only heard by the passengers in the third row. Has anyone got any ideas on how to fix this?

ldb1

I have an '04 XC90. Several tire companies would not replace just one tire on this vehicle even though the tread on the other three tires were fine. They stated that it would cause transmission problems on AWD's. Volvo service said this is no longer the case on the newer models. I'm going to go ahead and only have one tire replaced but I'm curious if anyone has done this and had any problems.

rushmc

When turning left (only left) and under acceleration (only under acceleration) my AWD volvo makes a grinding or growling sound that is very noticeable. CV joints have been checked and they are OK. Turning off the traction control make no difference either. Any experience or ideas?
Thanks
rushmc

jccai1

If you bought the upgraded sound system purely for the Dolby PL surround sound, I can understand that you're upset when you find out the feature doesn't work during 90% of your use. Is it because the unit doesn't work with FM radio altogether, or is it because US radio stations don't broadcast surround encoded material? When I bought my 2005 2.5T, I was ready to pay for the upgrade just for the better sound and amplifier. The surround was unimportant to me. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a car equipped the way I wanted with the upgraded sound system, so I ended up buying one without it. I listened to both systems with just regular FM radio, and the difference is night and day. So even if you don't get surround, you are still listening to 2-channel materials on one of the best sounding OEM sound systems in this price range.

kfung

I have a XC90 T6 , have similar problem since 2 months on the road and still have the problem after 12 months, I have complained to Volvo at least 5 times, and they keep saying they can't find it or it is the same with other XC90, it only happens when you are turning left and then going back straight in low speed, it sounds and feels like something is grinding and have a "Clicking" sound. I just got back from Volvo today with their service foreman tested it and he agree that it doesn't sound right but did not promise anything, he said he will talk to Volvo and then set up another appointment to service it, hope they can find out what's wrong.
kfung

kfung

Winter or Snow tires is a absolute good choice, I have a 2004 XC90 and for only one month into last winter, I feel I was driving the worst car in my life, the michelin tires just doesn't have the grip on the roads in the snow, (I live in Toronto, Canada)
the car just doesn't want to go in the snow, it was so slow when accelerating from standing still. Once changed , it 's much better.
Highly recommended!

chomondely

Try the wheel bearings.
When you turn, you place a different load on the wheel.

dross54

I have an appt. this coming Monday. This will be the second time that i will have taken my SUV in for the same problem. I have a rubbing sound when i turn my wheel to the right and then accelerate.The left front ball joint was replaced the first time. The problen continues.

elias

don't worry sodaman, it's not just for you that i miss the point. i'm always sure to do that. so, no, i'm not kidding and i'm not a volvo employee, just a guy who thinks it's absurd to try to listen to 5 channel sound or even 3 channel sound in a car. i suppose it could be awesome for the toddler iin the center/rear booster seat - he'd be the only one in the audio "sweet spot" for a 3-channel or 5-channel audio broadcast/CD. yes, folks, it's THE WIGGLES in 5-channel pro-logic sound.

as others have pointed out, it is two different questions whether the volvo radio can decode pro-logic from FM, and whether any US station can xmit pro-logic FM. if zero stations transmit it, how will you kknow if the FM unit can decode it or not. just by what the serviice/phone people told you? if a tree falls in a forest, and happens to make a dolby-encoded sound, did it really happen if there is no dolby-receiver present and no irate customer to accuse the forest of fraud? (you are welcome for the absurdly mixed metaphor).
as for your question about RDS, you ask what difference is there if RDS is nifty. the difference is that RDS quite nifty and informative and fun in a car and that dolby pro-logic in a car is absurd. maybe you and other audio-geeks disagree, and if you can prove damage in court, that would be a funny lawsuit - go for it.

hpr

I have a 2005 XC 90 that fits the legal definition of a lemon. This is so unfortunate since I have owned 2 other Volvo cars over the past 10 years and had wonderful experiences with both. If you have the contact information for the appropriate parties at Volvo, I would appreciate it if you could share this information. Thank you in advance for you help. :lemon:

HPR

stever

No names of individuals please or phone numbers or email addresses - there is no way Edmunds.com can validate that such info is legitimate, and is not being posted to harass someone. Please stick to web links for contacting the manufacturer. Thanks,

Steve, Host

xc90xtc

Anybody have any comments about a break-in period for V8 and other motors?
It used to be, back in the 70's and such, that a period of time with lower RPM's was recommended for a car engine to "settle in" and seals/gaskets to tighten up. Just wondering.....
So far, no problems with our '06 V-8 :shades:

burosky

You should find the info you are looking for in the packet that comes with the car. Not sure if it was the manual but there is a section regarding this in one of the materials.

kp49ers

The Volvo dealership wants $100 for a third set of wireless headphones.

Can I purchase a set somewhere else for less? Also, can I use the cheapest unleaded gas in my new 2006 XC 90?

Thanks.

dross54

I had the same problem when turning my SUV to the right. The first time the Dealer replaced the left front ball joint. The problem continued for almost 6 weeks. The second time the dealer replaced the left inner tie-rod. I have not heard the noise when turning the wheel since the replacement and it seems I am hearing less noise just from turning the wheel at a standstill. The SUV is a 2003-work was still under warranty.

dross54

I had the left inner tie -rod replaced yesterday after the dealer had replaced the left ball joint and the noise was continuing. I have not been able to reproduce the grinding since the second repair was done.