Ok, this is a very common misconception. Volvo claims there fluid is lifetime (100k miles). But it is not possible for any existent transmission fluid to last even close to that long without serious degradation and debris.
It's recommended you replace your fluid every 35k for maximum transmission performance and life. No need to pay such an absurd amount of money for a fluid change at a dealership. Just buy some compatible Toyota transmission fluid and pay another cheaper reputable shop to do it for you. Just my .02

Fluid is Toyota T-IV. I'm assuming you have a P2 Volvo? The transmissions Volvo uses are made by the same company that makes transmissions for Toyota if I'm correct.

Best of luck!

 

Ok, this is a very common misconception. Volvo claims there fluid is lifetime (100k miles). But it is not possible for any existent transmission fluid to last even close to that long without serious degradation and debris.

Both myself and both Volvo dealers in MN would disagree. Neither dealer will change your transmission fluid at that age no matter how much you beg unless it's a last ditch attempt to fix an actual problem rather than a healthy well-behaved transmission. There are plenty of 6 speed autos going over 200k miles just fine on original fluid you know... (see the S80/XC90/XC70 forums where these transmissions have been around quite a few years longer than on the XC60).

The only fluid changing Volvo recommends is every 30k miles or so from new (recommended for heavy duty uses). Doing your first change at 100k miles or more is very likely to cause problems because gunk that has settled to the bottom of the casing will get stirred up and can clog things and cause problems. Plus I bet most DIY or non-dealer fluid changes do not do it the right way so an underfill is likely plus you don't reset the TCM fluid counter... what's that you say?...

The TCM actually has a fluid adaptation counter than monitors the health of the fluid and changes how the transmission physically behaves as the fluid ages. Every part of this system (software, hardware, fluid) has been designed to last a long time with fluid aging accounted for. I would never recommend changing fluid except as a last ditch attempt to fix a problem that otherwise would need a valve body or transmission replacement.

 

He has an XC60 so this may take different fluid, I'm not sure, but do change it

 

At 125k, change it now.

Money in the bank.

No need to pay $500. That's just insane. Get a reasonable price and ask your service department's MANAGER if they can match it.

If you've been bringing your car in for it's entire life, you should have some goodwill built up........

 

I'm drooling allover the new XC90. I hate to spend too much money and replace the vehicle in 1.5-2 years. Am also concerned to some degree about quality of work, even from a certified Volvo dealer.There is a small risk the transmission could fail more if accidents during filling happen. Where I am, very little consumer rights you can get, each on his own. Mind you, it is 125K km( about 75k miles).

ok: I found this: http://esd.volvocars.com/local/us/2011-Volvo-Warranty-Manual.pdf

I actually purchased timing and auxiliary belt, looks like I might replace them next service.

 

I had my gearbox oil replaced this spring, car had ran 100000km at the time. I noticed a difference in how smoothly the gears were shifting after the change, so it can definetly not be bad thing to get it replaced. Nothing wrong with it before I replaced the oil, but it works better afterwards. I definetly recomend it!

The European service schema says it should be replaced for Taxi and other heavy duty cars every 60000km.

 

+1

 

I am not sure which country the OP is from, but it would be nice to know what engine/transmission combo he has.

I have TF80SC tranny in my car. In some markets (e.g. USA) Volvo claims "lifetime transmission fluid" for that transmission. In others, it recommends replacing it every 70,000 km. My car currently has 132,000 km. I replaced the transmission fluid at 70k, then at 130k km. I can definitely feel that it shifts much smoother.

 

No Transmission Dipstick Either???

The maintenance schedule for our new MY15 XC60 recommends changing the fluid only for cars that are towing, but to check the transmission oil every 50K miles. But the Aisin 8 speed transaxle has no dipstick that I can see! There is a big torx-drive plug on top..does that have a dipstick attached?
The owner's manual doesn't say how to check it, in fact is mostly silent on the whole subject of transmission lubrication, but does list AW-1 fluid and "Under normal driving conditions the transmission oil does not need changing during its service life. However, it may be necessary under adverse driving conditions.".
The Drive-E T6 engine has no dipstick either, but has an electronic sensor with bar graph readout. Does the transaxle have a similar sensor?
ANY ADVICE WILL BE APPRECIATED!

 

Great video now available on the 8-speed transaxles, including how to check oil level!

The maintenance schedule for our new MY15 XC60 recommends changing the fluid only for cars that are towing, but to check the transmission oil every 50K miles. But the Aisin 8 speed transaxle has no dipstick that I can see! There is a big torx-drive plug on top..does that have a dipstick attached?
The owner's manual doesn't say how to check it, in fact is mostly silent on the whole subject of transmission lubrication, but does list AW-1 fluid and "Under normal driving conditions the transmission oil does not need changing during its service life. However, it may be necessary under adverse driving conditions.".
The Drive-E T6 engine has no dipstick either, but has an electronic sensor with bar graph readout. Does the transaxle have a similar sensor?
ANY ADVICE WILL BE APPRECIATED!

There is now a great video available from Weber State University describing the 8-speed transaxle in impressive detail. It includes info on how to check oil level. See

.

Enjoy!

 

this question about lifetime transmission fluid has been asked many times in another forum i frequent and it has had mixed reviews. basically half of the people said it's good to change it and half said it's detrimental to change it. i'd go with whatever the owners manual says.

 

It has also been asked many many many many many times on this forum.

 

Interesting. When I purchased my first Volvo an S80 in 2000, I was told the transmission was sealed and the fluid couldn't be changed.

 

Not quite correct (read your owner's manual) but for vehicles not doing towing, Volvo has recommended to never change the transmission fluid since the P2 cars starting with the S80 in 2000 and many more models the following year. You'd think if not changing was a big problem Volvo would have realized that in 15 years. Gosh, maybe 15 years of it proves that never changing is usually the right thing to do?

 

Let's put it this way. The title to this thread is an oxymoron.

 

The thread on harsh shifting on the Russian XC60 forum always seems to be near the top of the list.

http://www.xc60-club.ru/xcforum/showthread.php?t=2093

Most people there have diesel engines, but as you know the torque generated by these plants is actually comparable to T6 gasoline variant. Lots of folks complain about hard shifts. Many had transmission software updated, which helped in some cases, but did not help in others. Some even had valve bodies and entire trannies replaced under warranty. The general consensus is that it is better to do one or more drain-and-fills at around 60-70k km if one wants the transmission to last.

For reference, I am in the Middle East market, where we have only two engine choices on the XC60 (both gasoline) T5, and T6. The climate is very hot, so the maintenance schedule here calls for fluid change (for TF80SC) at 70k km intervals. I have a V70 with TF80SC and an XC60 with Powershift, but I have seen V70 models with TF80SC transmission logging well over 300k km here in about 3 years as taxi cars. So do make sure to maintain your car and it will last a long time

ayman, my opinion is that it is worth doing the replacement, but $500 is too much. Try finding a better deal.

 

The thread on harsh shifting on the Russian XC60 forum always seems to be near the top of the list.

http://www.xc60-club.ru/xcforum/showthread.php?t=2093

The general consensus is that it is better to do one or more drain-and-fills at around 60-70k km if one wants the transmission to last.

So do make sure to maintain your car and it will last a long time

+1

 

There is much discussion on this subject in this forum. Some of it is well advised and some not so much. As a retired auto tech who has rebuilt automatic transmissions, I suggest replacement of the ATF at least every 50K miles. There is a lot going on inside an automatic transmission box that depends heavily on the lubrication qualities of the ATF and the pressure quality of the ATF. There was a time when these transmission had filters but the modern Volvo transmissions do not, thus making it even more critical to change the fluid. Not only does changing the fluid put new lubricant in the box, but it also allows any sediment in the bottom to drain out. Many who have changed their fluid have mentioned that their transmissions shifted smoother afterwards, which to me verifies a good reason to replace it with fresh fluid. One caution though, it needs to be done correctly. One final note - I had a '73 P1800ES with an automatic transmission that I serviced every 50K miles and when I sold it with over 300k miles the transmission had never been repaired and still shifted very well!

 

+1

 

Just changed the ATF with Aisin WS on my 2105.5 at 39k miles. Did three drain and refills as I didn't want to mess with the external cooler connections as they're not easy to access. Mostly freeway miles but some stop and go traffic at 115 deg F and very little trailer towing. Didn't do an oil analysis but visually doesn't impress. Shifts seem a bit smoother but it could be imaginary.

Next step is to have the dealer reset the adaptation counter at the 40k service. I suspect that they'll look at me suspiciously as their parts department didn't even carry the replacement O-rings and crush washers in stock.

 

I plan on replacing the transmission oil at 30-35k miles on my 2017. I just wished it was as easy as it was on my 2007 XC70. If I can't find a good DIY flushing procedure, then I'll do the three drain and refill procedure. There's no way I'm leaving the fluid in there for 100k.

 

Motul DCTF for Powershift gearbox?

Hi guys,

New owner of a 2010 XC60 2.0T with a Powershift gearbox here. I'm looking to do a transmission fluid change and would like to ask if anybody has experience or thoughts on using the Motul DCTF (dual clutch transmission fluid) for this particular Powershift gearbox? The technical specs states it satisfies Volvo BOT 341 standards (https://www.motul.com/system/produc...scriptions/technical_data_sheets/56703/original/Multi_DCTF_(GB).pdf?1446825833) but just wanted to ask around before doing so.

Reason for the Motul fluid is that it is significantly cheaper than Volvo's own fluid where I'm from due to very high mark-ups by distributors here; and I've had very good experience with Motul's engine oil and ATF on my previous cars.

Appreciate any opinions on this!

 

The change was easy enough, even with the IPD skid plate left in place. A narrow funnel and a hose made the filling simple and quick. I did find that the small center drain plug takes very little torque to tighten and if you over-tighten it the Torx head strips out very easily.

 

Thanks for the tips Azlkk.

 

I've seen many reports from people who changed ATF (drain/fill) on their volvos. Almost all commented on how dirty the old ATF looked. Looks like a simple drain/refill every 30 to 40K miles is a good idea. The 8-speed transmission on newer volvos TG-81SC (Aisin AWF8F35) is used by several other makes. There are instructions/videos on how to do drain/fill. The "dipstick" is there but it'a part of the drain plug: torx bolt - the ATF level controll tube and regular 17mm nut - drain plug.

 

This is good info and I agree 100% that it's not a bad idea to regularly service the transmission fluid. Now I need to search for those instructions/videos.

 

I'm changing my V60's at 50K since we'll be keeping it for awhile. I think a shorter interval is overkill.

 

subscribing

 

I bought toyota type IV fluid for my xc60 T6 r design for about $26 the seal and o ring from dealer and changed it on my own for a grand total of about $45.00

 

We aren’t there on the xc60, but 70k miles was the time our xc70 needed fresh fluid. So much for 100k intervals. The xc70 lifetime was 103k thanks to a drunk.