Oppo I Have a Question

"m-b-w loves his SUBAROO" (m-b-w)
06/02/2014 at 22:55 • Filed to: None

So, my mom is out of town for a few days, and left me with the keys to her 2013 Volvo XC60 3.0 T6 with about 15,000 miles. While driving it tonight, it felt as if the engine was sputtering occasionally under acceleration. The car had its last service at 10,000 miles, and isn't due back until 20,000 miles. Does anyone have any idea as to what may be wrong with it?

DISCUSSION (14)

GeorgeyBoy > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
06/02/2014 at 22:57

Traction control?

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > GeorgeyBoy
06/02/2014 at 22:58

I was on smooth pavement. I was not flooring it.

JGrabowMSt > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
06/02/2014 at 23:02

shit gas maybe. Run the tank down to well below 1/4, and fill up with good ole 93. I've had this debate many times with people.

Try it once, see how the engine runs afterwards. You should see both MPG increases, and smoother running. As a bonus, the higher octane should burn cleaner in the cylinder.

The engine is rated as "good enough" for 87? Get what you pay for. The pump is no exception.

GeorgeyBoy > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
06/02/2014 at 23:03

Can you go into more detail of the sputtering. Gear, rpms, throttle position, severity..

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > JGrabowMSt
06/02/2014 at 23:03

I'll mention it to my mom when she gets back. She will probably say no since the car is a lease, but you do make a decent point.

ab124 > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
06/02/2014 at 23:04

at what speed is it doing this? City driving low speed or passing on the highway? Any particular rpm?Could be throttle position sensor...

Side note: how in the hell do you or your mom make sense of the volvo sat/nav? Worst thing I have ever used in my life.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > GeorgeyBoy
06/02/2014 at 23:06

I was smoothly accelerating, and it made a metallic rattley sound from the engine, unlike the sounds I usually hear when I drive her car (I put about 3,000 miles on it from december to april so I'm pretty used to its engine note, and how it should sound. It is a a 6-speed auto, but I'm not sure what gear it was in.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > ab124
06/02/2014 at 23:09

I was driving in my neighborhood leaving a stop sign. Also the answer to your question, It doesn't have the nav. Her car is the stripper model XC60 T6 basically made for leases. It probably would be bad if it had nav, as she is so untech savy that she can't even figure out the cd player.

JGrabowMSt > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
06/02/2014 at 23:09

Well, do it just once. It's not like you're putting in race gas that would cause permanent damage in that little thing.

I know a lot of people who cheap out and run 89 with a bottle of octane booster. but honestly, they aren't saving much of any money doing that, considering their cars really shouldn't be running below 92/93 (some stations here sell 91 or 92 instead, can't say I've noticed any difference, but those stations are pretty far from my house, so I rarely get gas there). It's also in big V8 engines, which is a little different from your mom's Volvo.

That said, one full tank is a pretty cheap way of finding out if your area just has shit gas or not. In my area, I can drive about 20 minutes away, and get gas for up to $0.40-0.50 cheaper than closer to my house. Considering how much I've saving, I don't mind going the extra distance.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > JGrabowMSt
06/02/2014 at 23:11

I guess I'll try to talk her into it.

EL_ULY > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
06/02/2014 at 23:16

Volvo Master Tech here :]

This issue hasn't ever came by my shop to be honest. In most cases in other cars it was an isolated insolent that probably will not happen again. Weather it was a quick traction control modulation or a random and minimal shift flare, it is nothing to worry about. Volvo regularly releases drivability software upgrades which are free. Every time the car gets serviced, they check.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > EL_ULY
06/02/2014 at 23:19

The dealer offers free towing and is 30 miles away, should I let them pick it up to check it out if it does it again tomorrow?

EL_ULY > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
06/02/2014 at 23:26

only if it keeps doing it but i'm almost positive it only happened once and will not happen again. Don't panic :]

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > EL_ULY
06/02/2014 at 23:41

Ok, I really appreciate your advice. I'll drive it tomorrow, and see if anything happens. Hopefully you are right and the problem won't repeat itself.