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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Buffalo Niagara Region
    Posts
    7

    Default Experiences / known issues with 2013 xc60 T6?

    I am currently considering a 2013 Volvo xc60 T6 with about 70k on it (moving from a '01 xc70). I wanted to see if anyone had any good/bad experiences with this SUV that they'd care to share? Is there anything I should watch out for? I know oil consumption issues have been reported by some. Anything else?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Pretoria, South Africa
    Posts
    318

    Default

    I have a MY 2010 XC60 T6 and can share my experiences - I can only assume that the 2013 MY will be similar or better than the 2010. For the record, I bought it when it was 3 years old with about 41.000 miles on the clock, and have about double that on the clock now.

    I find it more reliable than the XC70 (I had a 2002 XC70) - but then the early XC70's were expensive to maintain.

    I have only had two issues:
    1. Around 60.000 miles, the cooling fan didn't switch off when I switched off the car - it sometimes kept running for up to 30 minutes. This was diagnosed as a faulty cooling fan control module, and was fixed by replacing the complete fan assembly!
    2. At the same time, the car started making a clunking noise and shook when engaging R in a garage shift. This was diagnosed as engine mountings and two were replaced, fixing this problem and a few other strange noises when accelerating hard.


    Look out for:
    • Rear brake pads wear - the car's DSTC system use the rear brakes and the pads are quite small, so they work hard and wear out quite fast! (A small price to pay for the safety and Roll-Over Protection System ...)


    Finally, don't forget:
    • Flush the auto transmission (TF80-SC 6-speed) every 40.000 miles or so, so maybe put this as your first "to-do" after buying it.


    In summary, a great car and a pleasure to drive - and, in my experience, quite reliable.
    Pierre

    2016 V40 D4 AT
    2010 XC60 3.0T AT
    2004 Mazda Miata 1.8 - My new toy and restoration project ... Not everything you do in life has to be rational!

    Gone: 2015 V40 D3 AT, 2002 V70XC 2.4T AT, 2007 S60 2.5T Manual, 2004 S60 2.0T Manual, 1996 850 GLT Manual

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Buffalo Niagara Region
    Posts
    7

    Default

    Thanks Pierre,

    That was exactly the kind of overview I was looking for. I must admit I have shied away from the earlier versions of this model out of concern over "new model bugs'" (my '01 v70XC is a perfect example of a buggy new model).

    I have been reading about the uneven wearing of the rear brakes. Knowing that this is by design relating to safety means I won't concern myself with it. Especially if the brakes are as easy to change as they are with the v70XC.

    *Edit* Upon further research it would appear the presence of the Electronic Parking Brake also means the pads/rotors are not as easy to replace. I will make sure to take that into consideration.

    I appreciate you taking the time.

    Regards,
    Last edited by j3sse; 08-08-2017 at 02:17 PM.
    Jesse

    2001 v70XC AT
    2000 v70 SE AT [Retired]
    1989 745 DL AT [Retired]
    1984 245 DL AT [Retired]
    1976 244 DL AT [Retired]
    1967 122S "Amazon" [Retired]

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    New England
    Posts
    414

    Default

    We went from a 03-xc70 to a 14 xc60 T6 last December. Wifey's car. I've only driven it to SC and back plus this week's family trip. So a few observations on the transition.
    My kids are both adults and we're all 6ft or so. We always had to compromise space before, and the same is true with the xc60.
    Trunk space. Definitely smaller and more vertical in the 60 than the 70. Would rather have horizontal space.
    Power. 60 wins by a landslide or about 90bhp. Quiet power to.
    MPG, better I think.
    Instrumentation 60 wins, but some things like the Power graph leave me wondering what the hell its trying to tell me. Perhaps I should pull out the owners manual.
    I have noticed a slight stutter in the transmission when accelerating away from toll booths etc. Its on my bucket list to talk to dealer about. Only have 23k on the clock. On the other hand it did do great going up a steep mountain road the other day. Just wish it had a display for actual coolant and transmission temperature. The fans stayed on for some time after we shut off the engine. Flappy paddles make for good downhill engine braking.
    My DD Honda CRV is a very different animal despite looking almost identical from the side. If you get all the Active Cruise control gear on one car (I have it on the Honda) you have to adapt like I try to on the other (the 60) that doesn't have it.
    You'll enjoy the new ride. Its definitely shows how far cars have come in the last decade or so.
    14xc60 3.0T
    03xc70 (Killed 12/16)
    1998 v70 (retired)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Pretoria, South Africa
    Posts
    318

    Default

    ]
    So Jesse, did you take the plunge?
    Pierre

    2016 V40 D4 AT
    2010 XC60 3.0T AT
    2004 Mazda Miata 1.8 - My new toy and restoration project ... Not everything you do in life has to be rational!

    Gone: 2015 V40 D3 AT, 2002 V70XC 2.4T AT, 2007 S60 2.5T Manual, 2004 S60 2.0T Manual, 1996 850 GLT Manual

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    39

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by PierreC View Post
    I have a MY 2010 XC60 T6 and can share my experiences - I can only assume that the 2013 MY will be similar or better than the 2010. For the record, I bought it when it was 3 years old with about 41.000 miles on the clock, and have about double that on the clock now.

    I find it more reliable than the XC70 (I had a 2002 XC70) - but then the early XC70's were expensive to maintain.

    I have only had two issues:
    1. Around 60.000 miles, the cooling fan didn't switch off when I switched off the car - it sometimes kept running for up to 30 minutes. This was diagnosed as a faulty cooling fan control module, and was fixed by replacing the complete fan assembly!
    2. At the same time, the car started making a clunking noise and shook when engaging R in a garage shift. This was diagnosed as engine mountings and two were replaced, fixing this problem and a few other strange noises when accelerating hard.


    Look out for:
    • Rear brake pads wear - the car's DSTC system use the rear brakes and the pads are quite small, so they work hard and wear out quite fast! (A small price to pay for the safety and Roll-Over Protection System ...)


    Finally, don't forget:
    • Flush the auto transmission (TF80-SC 6-speed) every 40.000 miles or so, so maybe put this as your first "to-do" after buying it.


    In summary, a great car and a pleasure to drive - and, in my experience, quite reliable.


    Re the tranny fluid mentioned above: definitely scratching my head when I see the owners manual state "Under normal driving conditions the transmission oil does not
    need changing during it's service life." What? Seems pretty optimistic to me. And PierreC recommends every 40k - just a tad diff than the manual suggests. Given my prior Volvo ('03 XC70) carried me to 343k miles, ehich I'd love to repeat with this car, I'm thinking the truth lies somewhere in the the middle?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Pretoria, South Africa
    Posts
    318

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by NJ03XC View Post
    ... the truth lies somewhere in the the middle?
    Most likely ...

    The official Volvo South Africa maintenance schedule for all new Volvo's is a replacement of the transmission fluid every 60.000 km which is a tad under 40.000 miles. This is probably overkill and a money making scheme, but I'll stick to this schedule as a bit of "insurance" for long service life. After expiry of the warranty and maintenance plan, I use Toyota T-IV (= JWS3309) which is significantly cheaper than the Volvo branded fluid. Given that Aisin is a Toyota owned company, and the same TF-80SC transmission is used in Lexus and Toyota, the T-IV is exactly the stuff needed for this transmission.

    Fluid changes on my previous XC70 saved the transmission and took me to 230.000 km when I traded it in for a V40 (didn't need 2 big cars - a XC60 and XC70, and the D4 version of the V40 is magnificently fuel - diesel - efficient!). Btw, The V40 has the 8-speed autobox and use a different transmission oil specification from the 6-speed in the XC90. I have not yet needed to find out what the Toyota equivalent fluid is ...
    Pierre

    2016 V40 D4 AT
    2010 XC60 3.0T AT
    2004 Mazda Miata 1.8 - My new toy and restoration project ... Not everything you do in life has to be rational!

    Gone: 2015 V40 D3 AT, 2002 V70XC 2.4T AT, 2007 S60 2.5T Manual, 2004 S60 2.0T Manual, 1996 850 GLT Manual

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