In July, I picked up a 2013 Caspian Blue Metallic XC90 3.2 AWD for around $13,000 OTD and it had almost exactly 100,000 miles. Had it inspected and it checked out other than a couple of rusty bits under the car (no frame or body rust though).
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Over the next month or so, I started making a list of everything that needed to be fixed, and stuff I wanted to have done, to make it like new again:
- Clunking noise when shifting gears. It started by just making the noise when first shifting into drive or reverse from park, but got progressively worse as time went on. It started making the noise sometimes when it was down shifting, coming to a stop, and also in turns. Front axles were replaced and covered under the warranty I purchased. The shop found that the axle were moving a fair bit when the transmission was shifting. This completely got rid of the noise.
- When I purchased the car, I noticed the rear wiper was missing a cap and the plastic that held the wiper onto the car was cracked. Aftermarket rear wiper arm was replaced for $50 and it wipes as it should now.
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- I had an issue with the front windshield washer nozzles were not spraying fluid. The headlight washers and rear washer worked though. The Fix: This ended up being a small plastic valve that was cracked. The service guy heard me talk about this and suspected that this might be the issue. We popped the hood, and confirmed that it was missing a cap, which was allowing all of the fluid to be shot into the engine bay. He just gave me the part, and I fixed it on the spot in a second.
- I also had a transmission fluid drain and refill just as preventative maintenance.
-Fuel door cap just flailed around when opening and closing, had no tension from the spring, as the plastic hinge was broken. I purchased the hinge from the shop for like $25 and fixed it one afternoon.
- Headlights were foggy when I purchased them, I had them buffed and polished. Front Volvo emblem was faded. I found a replacement from Volvo for $6. This really helped tidy up the front of the car.
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-Steering wheel and shifter were a little grimy, so I decided to clean them up with a magic eraser, came out really nice!
Before:
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After: All door panels, steering wheel and dash board plastics coated with a UV protectant after they were cleaned. The car originally had a armor all like dressing on the plastic, that was one of the first things I tried to clean off as I cannot stand the shiny appearance at all.
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Just these quick repairs really have made a big difference in how the car presents itself and many people cannot believe it is as old as it is.
Next up will be the serpentine belt, then a brake service to eliminate a slight shimmy when braking.
After that, a pair of new headlights, and then I will have the passenger side back door window regulator repaired as it is a little slow going up and down. I will update this thread as things get fixed and replaced.
Have a great week!
![Image]()
Over the next month or so, I started making a list of everything that needed to be fixed, and stuff I wanted to have done, to make it like new again:
- Clunking noise when shifting gears. It started by just making the noise when first shifting into drive or reverse from park, but got progressively worse as time went on. It started making the noise sometimes when it was down shifting, coming to a stop, and also in turns. Front axles were replaced and covered under the warranty I purchased. The shop found that the axle were moving a fair bit when the transmission was shifting. This completely got rid of the noise.
- When I purchased the car, I noticed the rear wiper was missing a cap and the plastic that held the wiper onto the car was cracked. Aftermarket rear wiper arm was replaced for $50 and it wipes as it should now.
- I had an issue with the front windshield washer nozzles were not spraying fluid. The headlight washers and rear washer worked though. The Fix: This ended up being a small plastic valve that was cracked. The service guy heard me talk about this and suspected that this might be the issue. We popped the hood, and confirmed that it was missing a cap, which was allowing all of the fluid to be shot into the engine bay. He just gave me the part, and I fixed it on the spot in a second.
- I also had a transmission fluid drain and refill just as preventative maintenance.
-Fuel door cap just flailed around when opening and closing, had no tension from the spring, as the plastic hinge was broken. I purchased the hinge from the shop for like $25 and fixed it one afternoon.
- Headlights were foggy when I purchased them, I had them buffed and polished. Front Volvo emblem was faded. I found a replacement from Volvo for $6. This really helped tidy up the front of the car.
-Steering wheel and shifter were a little grimy, so I decided to clean them up with a magic eraser, came out really nice!
Before:
After: All door panels, steering wheel and dash board plastics coated with a UV protectant after they were cleaned. The car originally had a armor all like dressing on the plastic, that was one of the first things I tried to clean off as I cannot stand the shiny appearance at all.
Just these quick repairs really have made a big difference in how the car presents itself and many people cannot believe it is as old as it is.
Next up will be the serpentine belt, then a brake service to eliminate a slight shimmy when braking.
After that, a pair of new headlights, and then I will have the passenger side back door window regulator repaired as it is a little slow going up and down. I will update this thread as things get fixed and replaced.
Have a great week!
