Weekend update: Subtle modernization

"boxrocket" (boxrocket) 05/19/2018 at 17:06 • Filed to: volvo, update, cosmetic, xc90, personalization, customization

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Got some wheel center caps for my gen-1 XC90 this week. They’re the newest style, with the black background behind the VOLVO text on the Ironmark, which IIRC Volvo started using when the new XC90 came out a few years ago.

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I also found out after two tanks of gas (premium, since turbocharged again), that I’m getting about the same mileage as I had been with the two Mazda6s I had previously, which were marginally better than the Volvo 760 Turbo Wagon I had before that. This isn’t unexpected, since I’m not going to have great mileage without going to a hybrid since my commute is primarily hills. This means my cost per mile is up somewhat, but I’ve also gained increased capability, a lower-mileage vehicle, and one that I’m more likely to hold onto for long-term.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > boxrocket 05/19/2018 at 20:48

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Those look good! I like that Volvo has kept a pretty much universal wheel setup for twenty years or so. I’ll be making a post about my newly acquired XC90 in the near future. Is yours a T5?

boxrocket > cmill189 - sans Volvo 05/19/2018 at 21:09

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Yep! 2006 2.5T AWD 7-passenger.

It’s my third Volvo, first SUV, and most modern daily driver I’ve yet owned (though the youngest DD I’ve had was only 7 when purchased).

I’ve already done a few little things to it, like LED headlamps, running lamps, and license plate lamps; replaced the missing center console; and began refurbishing the exterior trim.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > boxrocket 05/19/2018 at 22:09

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Nice. I like that color. Mine is a 04 T6 that I picked up with a bad transmission (no surprise there). I just got it back on the road and in the last couple weeks. It was supposed to be a flip but my girlfriend really likes it and losing a car payment is always a plus. I had never driven a XC before this. It’s so smooth! All the good parts of my R but an ability to make U-turns and handle potholes.

boxrocket > cmill189 - sans Volvo 05/19/2018 at 23:14

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Cool! It was an odd twist of fate getting the ‘06, since I bought it from my work’s wholesale lot, and there had been a much newer XC60 (with the sweet LED tail lights) a few weeks earlier. The newer one it had over 120K miles on it, which was a turn-off. Plus its interior - while the pretty light tan color - was very much abused by the family that owned it before, to where the 2nd row actually wobbled in place, and there were a few broken items that would be inexpensive but time-intensive to resolve. I’d even told myself I wouldn’t get a European car older than 10 years, but my ‘06 was so well-cared for I had to make an exception.

Apparently the trick to the early T6 transmissions - which supposedly can affect the early V8s - is that the transmission is water-cooled, and the coolant can get into the transmission, which is obviously murder on it. The resolution - after the transmission is fixed - is to convert to a transmission cooler instead of the radiator.  

cmill189 - sans Volvo > boxrocket 05/20/2018 at 10:00

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Sounds like you found a good one. “Luxury” interiors really don’t hold up well to abuse and can really show their age when abused. My R has 165K but it’s in better shape than a lot of the one’s I’ve seen with way under 100K. This XC only had 113K but the driver seat was destroyed.

About the transmissions - almost all automatics are cooled with a radiator loop, your T5 included. But yeah - the mixing can happen and is real bad. I figured this one had just died based on the mileage. It has the 4T65E, borrowed from GM. It’s destined for failure in just about every car due to loose tolerances, soft shifts, and the general neglect that autos receive. No one understands why Volvo thought it was a good idea to stick it in something that weighed more than any GM offering with an engine that makes a lot of low-end torque.