Complete General Maintenance Thread!

[Cam]

The General Maintenance Thread:

I figured it would be a good idea to start a general maintenance post for easy reference when performing routine care for your XC. Not looking for opinions necessarily but product recommendations that you use for non-repair items. This way we can always point someone to this tread when general questions about oil, filters, etc, arise. Then that person can make an informed choice without a new oil/filter/tire question is posted.

-First, specify your region because certain products perform better in different climates.
-Second, general type of use (commuting, towing, dirt road use, highway, etc.)
-Third, products you use (oil, tires, filters, plugs, brakes, interior cleaning products)
-Forth, a short paragraph if you feel you need to explain or share a success story about a certain product you used. Also, perhaps a bad experience with a product quality or failure/problem due to a product. In addition, your maintenance schedule for your climate.

So, let's use a standard format so that this can be used as a quick reference guide for the experienced mechanic, the novice, or a newbie to the world of XC ownership.

Here is the suggested format and then I will add a second post with my products in this format. Include external links if you'd like. Copy and paste this part for uniformity and ease of reference for others, please.

Region:
Use: (Commuting/Highway/City/Off-road/Dirt & Paved/Towing)
Motor Oil:
Oil Filter:
Air Filter:
Fuel Filter:
Cabin Filter:
PS Fluid:
Brake Fluid:
Antifreeze:
Fuel Type:
Spark Plugs:
Windshield Fluid:
Headlight Bulbs:
Other Bulbs:
Summer Tires: (PSI you run)
Winter Tires: (PSI you run)
Brake Shoes:
Brake Rotors:
Wiper Blades:
Leather Care:
Interior Trim Care:
Wax/Polish:
Tire dressing:
Additives:

Paragraph:
No paragraph needed if you don't care to expound.
If you do care to include more information:
Your maintenance schedule. Bad/Good product experiences. Explanations for type of product used like cold/hot weather, towing, hills, dirt roads, etc. Cheapest place to get your suggested products. Tricks/Tips, data on your products, external links.

[Cam]

Region: Northern Vermont
Use: Commuting/Some Highway/City/Dirt & Paved
Motor Oil: Mobil 1 (High Mileage) 5W30
Oil Filter: OEM/Mahle
Air Filter: OEM equivalent
Fuel Filter OEM equivalent
Cabin Filter: OEM equivalent (charcoal type)
PS Fluid: OEM equivalent (PS fluid)
Brake Fluid: OEM equivalent
Antifreeze: OEM equivalent
Fuel Type: 91 if available or 93
Spark plugs: OEM
Windshield Fluid: Cheapest for Summer/RainX for Winter
Headlight Bulbs: Best at parts store
Other Bulbs: Best at parts store
Summer Tires: Nokian WR G3 35 PSI
Winter Tires: Nokian/Nordman Hakkapeliitta (Non Studded) 42PSI
Brake Shoes: OEM or better
Brake Rotors: OEM or better
Wiper Blades: Best Frameless
Leather Care: Lexol cleaner and conditioner
Interior Trim Care: Meguiars cleaner (Flat finish)
Wax/Polish: Meguiars wax
Tire dressing: Meguiars flat black
Additives: None


In northern Vermont I've found the Nokian brand tires handle the snow, ice, mud, and crappy roads well. They are soft and a bit pricey. The WR G3's are great 4 season and if you get an unexpected early/ late snow you're all set.
I went with Mobil 1 high mileage for the added detergent properties and the seal conditioners because seals shrink in the extreme cold. Also, no oil change history or grade type when I bought the car at 97K.
I wax the car in the fall and in the spring. The salt peels wax layer off. I also wax the wheels. I also use the flat (not glossy) tire dressing. It keeps the tires looking good and does not attract dust or streak.
Oil change every 4K due to dust and dirt roads.
Check replace air filter and cabin filter every 4K due to dust and dirk roads.
I keep my tires over what manual recommends because of temperature fluctuations here, even in the summer. Also, they handle better on crappy roads and role less in corners.
Most of my products are from Walmart or the parts store. OEM parts from SPD, dealer, or online when I find a deal (Amazon).
I do most of my repairs and maintenance or go to independent repair shop.
External links for my products:
IPD: http://www.ipdusa.com
Nokian: http://www.nokiantires.com
Mobil 1 HM: https://mobiloil.com/en/motor-oils/m...eage&WT.srch=1

[vtl]

Region: Boston suburbs
Use: 90% Highway, 10%City
Motor Oil: Amsoil 10w30 Signature (XC70), Amsoil 5w40 Signature (V70)
Oil Filter: Mann
Air Filter: Mann
Fuel Filter: Volvo
Cabin Filter: Mann 1.5"
PS Fluid: Volvo
Brake Fluid: Volvo
Antifreeze: Volvo
Fuel Type: 93
Spark Plugs: Volvo
Windshield Fluid: whatever is on the shelf
Headlight Bulbs: Sylvania, Philips
Other Bulbs: Sylvania
Summer Tires: Conti TrueContact (XC70), General Altimax RT43 (V70), 36/34 PSI
Winter Tires: General Altimax Arctic, 34/32 PSI
Brake Shoes: Volvo
Brake Rotors: Volvo
Wiper Blades: Volvo
Leather Care: Volvo
Interior Trim Care: Volvo, California Duster

ATF: Valvoline MaxLife, Magnefine filter, additional cooler
Bevel gear oil: Volvo
AOC oil: Volvo
Rear diff oil: Volvo

[billr99]

Region: Nova Scotia (Canada)
Use: 90% Highway, 10% City
Motor Oil: Formula 1 (Can Tire-branded Shell synthetic) 10w30
Oil Filter: Mann
Air Filter: Mann
Fuel Filter: Mann, Hengst or Bosch
Cabin Filter: Mann
PS Fluid: Pentosin CHF11S
Brake Fluid: ATE Blue (stocked up before they pulled it)
Antifreeze: Prestone
Fuel Type: 91
Spark Plugs: Champion RC9YC
Windshield Fluid: Rainx All-Season
Headlight Bulbs: Osram 65W
Other Bulbs: Sylvania or Phillips
Summer Tires: GT Radial Champiro VP1 235/60-16
Winter Tires: Gislaved Nordfrost 225/60-16
Brake Shoes: Akebono
Brake Rotors: Prime Choice Performance
Wiper Blades: Bosch
Leather Care: Tandy Cleaner and Conditioner
Interior Trim Care: AutoGlym

ATF: Valvoline MaxLife w/ Magnefine filter
Bevel gear oil: Royal Purple 75w-90 GL-5
Rear diff oil: Royal Purple 75w-90 GL-5
Suspension: Volvo, Lemforder, Energy Suspension
Steering: Volvo, Lemforder

Parts sourced from: AutoPartsWay, Prime Choice, FCP Euro, eEuroparts
Fluids, etc. sourced from: Canadian Tire, NAPA

Most maintenance per Volvo schedule unless our environment dictates more often. For example, rear rotors typically last 2 years at the most here regardless of brand (either rotor or car).

Cheers,

Bill

[Astro14]

Region: Mid-Atlantic
Use: Commuting/Road Trips. 80% in town
Motor Oil: Pennzoil Ultra Euro 5W30 or 5W40
Oil Filter: Mahle*
Air Filter: Mahle
Fuel Filter: Bosch
Cabin Filter: OE
PS Fluid: Pentosin CH-11s
Brake Fluid: ATE (was Super blue, now sl.6)
Antifreeze: Genuine Volvo
Fuel Type: Shell **
Spark Plugs: Genuine Volvo
Windshield Fluid: Rain-X Summer/winter
Headlight Bulbs: Sylvania
Other Bulbs: Sylvania***
Summer Tires: General Altimax RT43 (35PSI) ****
Winter Tires: Same
Brake Shoes: Akebono Euro Ceramic
Brake Rotors: Brembo
Wiper Blades: PIAA Silicone *****
Leather Care: Lexol.
Interior Trim Care: Lexol.
Wax/Polish: Griot's Paint Sealer
Tire dressing: Griot's
Additives: Techron injector cleaner once every oil change.

Paragraph:
* I buy these in packs of 10 from IPD. I've got two P2 cars.
** My neighbor owns a Shell station. I've got the Shell card. My wife fills it, and I suspect it gets regular.
*** Auto parts store. Nothing fancy
**** Great tires. No need for winter tires in Virginia Beach. I ran Nokian WR G3 for a while and they did great in the one time it snowed in 3 years they were on the car. But Nokians are too hard to find locally, the price has become crazy, and it really doesn't snow where we are.
***** The best wiper blades I've ever seen. No chatter, no streaking, and very long life. 3 times the price of regular and worth every penny!

I'm very particular about oil. I've sent oil samples to Blackstone Labs for analysis to validate my choices. The Mobil 1 0W40 is all I put in my T5 and my Mercedes twin-turbo V-12. That oil is simply outstanding and if you have to go buy oil, buy the M1 0W40 at Walmart. It's perfect for this car. Now, the XC gets Pennzoil Ultra because, 1. my wife is a PA girl and 2. I bought a dozen cases on clearance for $1.99/QT. I'm still using it up years later.

My oil rant is here: http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showth...19629-Oil-Rant

I use Mobil 1 75W90 in the angle gear and differential.

I use Mobil 3309 or Toyota T-IV in the transmission and flush it every 30,000 miles. Make certain that the fluid you use is a JWS-3309 fluid. On the T5, I flushed it with Valvoline Import MV, as an experiment. The transmission shifts flawlessly.

I've done the transmission valve body on both cars. My notes on that are in the resources section. I've added a transmission cooler to each car. The T5 got a spin-on filter mount in addition to the cooler. I've added a Magnefine filter to the PS return line on both cars.

I'm surprised that you ask for minor items like leather care products while ignoring transmission fluid. Transmissions in this car can be very expensive to fix, but with a modest amount of care, they will last forever. Volvo says "fluid for life" but then, in the notes of my 2002 OM, it mentions that cars in fleet/taxi service should have the fluid changed every 52,500 miles...

I own two P2 cars. I've got about 190,000 on the XC and about 174,000 on the T5 (which is in Colorado at the moment). I've been through engine mounts, LCAs, brake boosters, etc. All the standard stuff. I've rebuilt the suspension on both cars. Done the oil seals on the XC and PCV system on both cars. I don't think the T5 needed it, but since it was going out to Colorado, I figured I would do it and avoid any potential problems while it was far away from my ability to DIY.

The bottom line: Don't skimp on maintenance. Take care of this car and it will last a very, very long time. My wife's XC drives like new at 190,000 miles. While we may consider a new car for her next year (and pay cash), that XC will remain in the fleet for one of the kids.

[Scopeman]

Region: Vancouver, WA
Use: General highway and city
Motor Oil: M1 0W-40
Oil Filter: Mahle
Air Filter: Economy from IPD-changed every other oil service
Fuel Filter: Bosch
Cabin Filter: IPD generic
PS Fluid: Pentosin
Brake Fluid: Pentosin
Antifreeze: Zerex G-05
Fuel Type: Premium
Spark Plugs: Volvo OEM
Windshield Fluid:Whatevers on sale
Headlight Bulbs: Flosser from IPD
Other Bulbs: OEM spec from IPD
Summer Tires: Nokian WR-G3 32 Psi yea round
Winter Tires: (PSI you run)
Brake Shoes: Akebono Euro
Brake Rotors: Zimmerman
Wiper Blades: Rainex
Leather Care: Lexol
Interior Trim Care: Not really, just light cleaning
Wax/Polish: Not really
Tire dressing: Nope
Additives: None

Plus one to Astro14 comments above!

[The Landshark]

Region: Wet and windy Ireland
Use: (Commuting/Highway/City/Off-road/Dirt & Paved/Towing) Family car with a bit of towing
Motor Oil: 0w30 castrol fully synthetic
Oil Filter: volvo
Air Filter: volvo
Fuel Filter: volvo
Cabin Filter: volvo
PS Fluid: febi bilstein chf
Brake Fluid: Havent got to flushing it yet
Antifreeze: as above
Fuel Type: Diesel
Spark Plugs: N/A
Windshield Fluid: Alcohol detergent mix (homebrew)
Headlight Bulbs: Osram Nightbreaker
Other Bulbs: Parts store
Summer Tires: (PSI you run) Michelin latitude cross @ 38psi
Winter Tires: (PSI you run) it doesn't get cold enough here most years to bother with them.
Brake Shoes: volvo
Brake Rotors: volvo
Wiper Blades: bosch
Leather Care: haven't done any yet
Interior Trim Care:
Wax/Polishoperate on the principle that a good coat of dirt will protect the paint )
Tire dressing:
Additives:

Gearbox, bevel gear and diff get Castrol EP gear oil of the correct weight which i can't remember right now, 80 or 90 depending on the component.
Haldex gets volvo oil and filter.

Have done the two engine torque mounts, the lca bushes, the subframe bush inserts, repaired the haldex pump, replaced the haldex pressure sensor,
fitted a new swirl throttle shaft and arm, removed and resealed injectors and fitted new cam cover gaskets.
I also fitted the volvo towing module and replaced a couple of dodgy parking sensors.

The car has 270,00 kms on the clock and looks and drives like new(at least now that the lca bushes are installed the right way round).
I still have to do the crankshaft oil seal(clutch end, its never the pulley end that goes on my cars ) and fit a set of sway bar bushes though it might be a trip to the dealer to sort that lot out.

[Cam]

Astro14,
The transmission fluid was a complete brain fart. You are right, that is a must have! I used Mobil 3309. 6qts drain/fill method and two weeks later 12qts via the Gibbons method.

[Antherzoll]

Region: Downtown Toronto.
Use: 50/50 City/Highway. Heavy traffic, towing/hauling, road trips, family hauling, moderate trails, errands, and winter fun.
Motor Oil: M1 0w-40
Oil Filter: Volvo or equivalent
Transmission Fluid: Anything JWS-3309 Compliant w/ inline cooler and filter.
Angle Gear: GL-5 75w90
Rear Diff: GL-5 75w90
AOC: Volvo
Air Filter: Volvo or equivalent
Fuel Filter: Volvo or equivalent
Cabin Filter: Mann
PS Fluid: Pentosin 11S
Brake Fluid: Currently Pentosin LV. Changing to ATE SL.6 at next service.
Antifreeze: Zerex G-05
Fuel Type: 91, 94 when available.
Spark Plugs: Volvo
Battery: Motomaster
Windshield Fluid: Rain X
Headlight Bulbs: Osram Nightbreakers Highs/Lows/Fogs
Other Bulbs: LED reading and cargo area, Halogen all around.
Summer Tires: Currently Stock Pirelli Scorpion STR 215/65R16, they're OK. Will be changing to 17"s soon, undecided on a replacement. @38psi
Winter Tires: General Altimax Arctic 215/65R16. Great tire and will be keeping these. @38psi
Brake Shoes: Hawk HPS Semi-metallic
Brake Rotors: Front: 305mm Stoptech Slotted. Rear: Stoptech High Carbon
Wiper Blades: Currently Reflex, I'm not partial to any brand.
Leather Care: Once a year clean and condition with Auto Glym.
Interior Trim Care: Soap and water.
Wax/Polish: Nope
Tire dressing: Mud or snow depending on the season.
Additives: Seafoamed the engine once, was a nice smoke show.

Check out the link in my signature more information on my XC.

Although my XC is modified, it's mostly just a general use vehicle for road tripping and family hauling, and for a bit of fun when unloaded. When looking to purchase a Volvo I wanted a V70R, but settled on the XC70 due to the needed ride height and more rugged exterior. I've based my modification around bringing some of the V70R appeal to my XC70.