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Jonas
12-27-2006, 08:38 PM
Hi,
After reading over these forums for a few hours, and going all over Washington state to find a car, I finally came home with a '03 XC today. I am quite pleased with the car, but I've only driven it 300 miles. It has 51k miles on it. It came with a clean car fax, and I know it was a one owner lease return. Original owner is from Colorado. I bought a Volvo warranty with it that goes another 50K mi. but I am wondering if theres anything I should be looking at that might be prone to failure. I understand that I need to have the auto trans flushed at 60k and I need to keep the tires rotated, or I could wreck the trans. Anything else I should be aware of?
The tires that are on it are Nokians, they look to be about 70%. Are Nokians the original brand used? I can imagine a guy leaseing a car would put new tires on it before turning it in though.

Thanks.

JRL
12-27-2006, 09:08 PM
Hi,
After reading over these forums for a few hours, and going all over Washington state to find a car, I finally came home with a '03 XC today. I am quite pleased with the car, but I've only driven it 300 miles. It has 51k miles on it. It came with a clean car fax, and I know it was a one owner lease return. Original owner is from Colorado. I bought a Volvo warranty with it that goes another 50K mi. but I am wondering if theres anything I should be looking at that might be prone to failure. I understand that I need to have the auto trans flushed at 60k and I need to keep the tires rotated, or I could wreck the trans. Anything else I should be aware of?
The tires that are on it are Nokians, they look to be about 70%. Are Nokians the original brand used? I can imagine a guy leaseing a car would put new tires on it before turning it in though.

Thanks.
If you're that nervous, sell it now. Life's too short to worry.
Change the tranny fluid NOW.
Who said 60K? Better off with a 30K flush

MGC
12-27-2006, 10:15 PM
Jonas,

You have a great car. I also have a 03 and it has been extremely reliable. If you have the Nokian WR's tires on the car you have top of the line tires. Click on the following link and you should get a feel on how the car and tires will perform.

http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8900

MGC

volvoshad
12-28-2006, 03:45 AM
You will note that most of the problem cars are MY '01. I have one of these, and still think it is great. Other than some efforts to smooth out the tranny and make it last longer, it has been trouble-free. Check the owners manual - at least on the pre-03 viscous coupling cars, the kiss of death are larger tires on the rear. Any measurable difference and the larger ones must be on the front wheels of my '01. Might want to carefully check the shock function - at 50k they are ready for renewal on many of these cars.

Take JRL's advice and flush and fill that tranny!

Enjoy[thumbup]

Phrog
12-28-2006, 07:11 AM
I suggest not worrying about it and enjoying your new car.
My 2001 XC has 81k miles and has been almost trouble-free.
Yes, preventive maintenance is a good idea (including 30k
tranny flushes), but life is too short to waste it fretting that
your car might break. IMHO.

Happy new year to all-

Phrog

mbsl98
12-28-2006, 08:09 AM
I'd say you bought a car with a big plus factor. If the prior owner paid up for new Nokians on a lease, he was sure to be taking care of it in all of the ordinary ways. For great preventive maintenance, flush brake fluid every two years, change tranny fluid at least every 30k, suck out the power steering fluid from resevoir with a turkey baster or vacuum once in a while, change the bevel gear fluid every couple of years and watch that area for leaks (no drain plug, but it sucks out just fine from fill hole), routine radiator flushing every two years, and oil changes more often than 7500 miles (I like 5k and Mobil 1, but it is personal preference). I suck out several quarts of tranny fluid at every other oil change and keep it fresh that way with no particular bother - just keep a case of the CORRECT tranny fluid on the shelf. Tire matching is a big plus, even on the newer AWD's like yours. They are not as damage prone due to mismatched tires, but it is still an issue to watch. The new body style has room for a full size spare if you really want protection for a flat away from home. Factory spare is now fairly close to full size diameter (unlike '98-2000 XC's) and use of it is not as likely to cause AWD damage as the old one, but the temp spare is still limitd to 50 MPH and about 50 miles, and if you ruin a tire, you will have to buy either a matching single if you can find it, or a full new set - better to have that to do back at home than out in the boonies some night. I just set up our '07 with a matching spare with both alloy wheel and matching tire from Ebay, and will use a five wheel rotation so that there is always a matching spare on board (little real cost as the tire will be used up, and the wheel will be resold when car is sold). You can search for a matching Nokian with right tread depth on Ebay. Anyway, don't worry, just be proactive with maintenance and enjoy the ride for years to come.

Jonas
12-28-2006, 12:54 PM
I'm feeling quita a bit better about this car. I think it was reading through all the forum pages that got me nervous. I guess if all is well on a car, nobody says much if anything, but when something goes haywire they really get thier dander up.

I got the service record book, and called the dealer who sold and serviced it in Denver, CO. The last service they have record of was the 30K service. It may have had the other intervals done, just not there. I'm going to be safe and assume it was'nt and go through everything over the weekend and get the tranny fluid changed out, and a friend has a power bleeder so I can flush the brakes out.

What brand ATF do you reccomend for the transmission.

I'm a bit of a gear head, so I'd like to do as much mantinence on my own as possible. I'm more of a antique truck guy... this rig is my pride and joy of the fleet. It took me a couple of years to get it all together.

http://photos.imageevent.com/rockinjwranch/1953dodgeswivelframepw/websize/Swivel%20004.jpg

Pictures of all my junk is at:
www.imageevent.com/rockinjwranch

No pictures of the XC yet, but I'll get some soon.

JRL
12-28-2006, 02:29 PM
[quote=Jonas;69085]I'm feeling quita a bit better about this car. I think it was reading through all the forum pages that got me nervous. I guess if all is well on a car, nobody says much if anything, but when something goes haywire they really get thier dander up.



What brand ATF do you reccomend for the transmission.



http://photos.imageevent.com/rockinjwranch/1953dodgeswivelframepw/websize/Swivel%20004.jpg

ALWAYS use ATF 3309.
Mobil, Volvo, Toyota (cheaper:cool: ) as long as the bottle says 3309 on it

Jorge-789995
12-28-2006, 03:12 PM
Jonas,
I had similar concerns after buying and then reading all the negative press on this site. I don't think you have anything to worry about. My 02 has been the best, most reliable car I've ever owned. I had a couple of minor issues that were worked out under warranty and it's been smooth sailing ever since. I don't put much stock in the 'Chicken Little-Sky is falling' approach that I see some posters use. Enjoy the car, it'll be fine.


Also, why is that D-14 not AC orange? Are you going to paint it its orignal color? I hope so. I grew up driving a D-14 with all it's quirks.

Jonas
12-28-2006, 03:30 PM
Also, why is that D-14 not AC orange? Are you going to paint it its orignal color? I hope so. I grew up driving a D-14 with all it's quirks.

HaHa! Yes, it is the wrong color, but it's a industrial version of the D14 I guess. It's got a Hydrostatic drive which was very unusual for 1956 I'm told. It's been a great ranch tractor, I totally overhauled the engine, and the electrical system a few years ago. It still needs all new pins, and the hydraulic pump needs to be replaced or I'm told the impeller can be flipped around backwards and will extend it's life. I just use it too much to have it down for very long, ie. undergoing a full restoration.
It was a basket case when I got it, with a stuck engine. I dubbed it the antichrist (see the gods must be crazy) because it seemed like every hour I drove it I had to do 2 hours of wrenching. The ol' girl is running pretty good now though, knock on wood.

On Topic...
I talked to Ravenna Volvo here in Seattle and they said $140 for a tranny flush and fill, and they would also get me up to date on any missed service items between 30K and 51K mileage.

v70+xc70
12-28-2006, 04:19 PM
Thumbs up for the 03 here oil change in a couple of weeks

mtndave
12-28-2006, 05:43 PM
Jonas,
We bought a 2003 XC70 in October-lease return, 29K miles. I was a little uneasy since it was our first Volvo, and bought the extended warranty to
100K. Just returned from Xmas trip to visit family, car now has 39K. No serious problems noted-excellent MPG, great comfort. The 37.5K service was just finished, and anticipated a bill of $260, per dealer estimate. Final bill was $72.00, and we had a loaner car! Needless to say, we are thrilled with the Volvo!

As with any vehicle, only time will tell about reliability, but our expectations are high. The advice I have received consistently from numerous owners is to maintain the car religiously, including all fluid changes. This should help insure a long and relatively trouble-free life.

Best wishes!

volvoshad
12-28-2006, 08:40 PM
On Topic...
I talked to Ravenna Volvo here in Seattle and they said $140 for a tranny flush and fill, and they would also get me up to date on any missed service items between 30K and 51K mileage.

I would make sure that $140 includes the ATF.:eek: The usual dealer price for the Volvo JWS 3309 is about $17/liter.[cussing] Your tranny holds 7.5L, and it probably takes nearly twice this volume for a full flush (at least with the home method I've used).

Avlube.com has the Mobil 3309 ATF for $50/case plus shipping if you want to do this yourself. There are plenty of posts on this and other sites with instructions and advice.

Jonas
12-30-2006, 06:23 PM
I havent seen the pavement on the road in front of my house for 6 weeks now because of the snow. Our new car has been doing great in it. The AWD and Nokians must be the ticket on the slippery stuff!

http://photos.imageevent.com/rockinjwranch/thefamily/websize/Toyota%204runner%20004.jpg