[355 lbft]

Whenever the car is parked outside then when I travel over bumps I hear a crinkle sound when the front axle goes over a dip in the road. What is this?

 

[sexy60]

I’m experiencing the same in my 2013 T6. I first noticed it last winter when the car was left outdoors overnight but once the engine would warm up the noise would go away. I’m assuming the noise is related to aging rubber bits that once warmed up regain their flexibility again. If you happen to find out what’s causing it please update us.

 

[ChitownV]

Whenever the car is parked outside then when I travel over bumps I hear a crinkle sound when the front axle goes over a dip in the road. What is this?

If you hear a creaking from the front going over uneven surfaces, usually it’s the strut mount and/or bearing. Normal wear and age will cause this noise.

Control arm bushings and sway bar bushings don’t normally creak. Not much else rubber as part of the front suspension besides subframe bushings.

 

[355 lbft]

But it only happens when the car is cold.

 

[ChitownV]

That's because when cold, rubber is less flexible, and grease in the strut bearing (ball bearings) is more viscous. Rubber also gets drier and potentially less flexible with time and wear, just like tires can dry rot and have cracks. If you have any cracks in your mounts, which brings more movement & play, then you are trying to flex cold old rubber even more on bumps and dips.

If you are not aware of the known wear parts of the strut mount and bearing, here is a video. Notice how he says noises you hear when going over bumps, that's when you can hear certain strut mount and bearing issues and it doesn't have to be completely broken like in the video. This noise is not unique to the XC60 as other Volvos and other vehicles makes can suffer from the same symptoms. There is a saying a car battery dies in July but you won't realize it until December. It's similar to rubber suspension parts because the cold affects the rubber's flexibility.

How many miles are on your XC60?
If you have over 60k-80k miles, then you might want to start planning for sometime in the future to replace the strut mounts and bearings (they should be replaced together).