Volvo XC90 is produced to this day, since 2002, there is a suspicion that this car is very successful and reliable even in the secondary market, now we will understand this in detail.

All Volvo XC90 cars are assembled in the Swedish city of Gothenburg and sold throughout the world. Despite the fact that our price of a new car exceeds 3 million rubles, a huge number of cars were sold in Canada and the United States, so it’s likely that buying this model in the secondary market will bring you a car brought from America.

The body is fully galvanized, so the car is perfectly protected from corrosion. The only thing that spoils the look of this car - chrome trim, which eventually begins to peel.

On the roof of the car there is a hatch, the drainage of which can become clogged, which is dangerous because the upholstery of the ceiling and pillars are damaged, and the water that falls on the floor can damage the longitudinal and transverse acceleration sensor (BCS), which is located under the front passenger seat. In addition, it may happen that audio system and wipers will start to failThis means that it is necessary to check whether water has accumulated on the engine panel, where the central electronic control unit (CEM) is installed. So that the machine does not shut down completely, it is urgent to eliminate this water. Such a problem can occur in models released before 2005. Later, the seal of the electronic unit was strengthened. By the way, the new CEM will cost about 1000 euros.

On post-styled cars, which were released later in 2006, there are some peculiarities - at the car wash, it is necessary to wash the parking sensors installed in the bumpers as gently as possible. A powerful jet of water can damage the sonar seals, after which the parking sensors will fail. If these seals are still in place, they must be reinforced with a sealant.

Volvo cars that are older than 7 years can add a lot of minor annoyances, such as jamming lock buttons in the door trim - the doors are closing, but the buttons stick out as if the doors are open. There are cases that the spring in the ignition lock bursts over time - because of this, the key does not return after the engine has started. The new ignition lock costs about 280 euros, so in order not to pay this money, there are specialists who will fix this problem without changing the lock. And the most unpleasant situation is jammed steering lockif it has worn heavily. Here you will have to buy a new steering block for 800 euros and pay for a tow truck if the steering wheel gets stuck far from the garage.

Another unpleasant trifle can be a failed SAS sensor. It happens in about four years. This sensor monitors the steering angle, and when it is not working, the car goes into emergency mode, in which the rear-wheel drive is turned off, the system of dynamic stabilization is turned off and the maximum engine speed is limited. Therefore, it is necessary to change this sensor to drive normally.

Engine and its features

The electrical equipment of the motor is quite reliable. Sometimes it happens that the relay-regulator from the charging system knocks over, its replacement will cost 210 euros. The generator is installed low enough on cars with a V8 engine, so after about 100,000 km. There may be extraneous noise due to dirt that has fallen into the bearings. This little thing can be eliminated - just clean the generator and re-lubricate the bearings.

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The V8 engine has an unusual design, its camber angle is 60 degrees, usually in V-shaped engines the camber angle is 90 degrees. So, the Volvo motor turned out to be compact, it allowed to achieve high rates of passive safety. This design required to introduce a balance shaft, which costs about 260 euros. It also delivers some problems after 90000 km., Because its bearings are rather weak, oil channels are narrow, it happens that they get clogged. If something starts tapping in the engine, it means replacement time of the upper supportwhich costs about 150 euros. But if there was a squeak, then it is necessary to change the guide roller belt drive attachments. This should be done as soon as possible, because this clip will soon jam and the belt will break.

Most of the engines are five-cylinder turbocharged B5254T2 and six-cylinder B6294T. For them, a strong heat is a sore subject, because the ignition coils are burning, each of which costs about 65 euros. The thermostat can also not be called reliable - it is wedge in the closed position, in which the coolant flows in a small circle, bypassing the radiator. It is worth the new thermostat 150 euros. For machines that are already over 7 years old, the intercooler pipes are dried out and need to be replaced.

During the winter, it is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of the oil separator of the crankcase ventilation system, because if the oil separator is overgrown with sediments, there is a risk that crankcase gases under pressure will force out the camshaft oil seals.

Sometimes, due to the fault of the CVVT system valves, which supply oil to the valve timing adjustment clutch, you have to repair the cylinder head. These valves are very sensitive to the amount and degree of contamination of the oil, so you need to spend about 160 euros to change. There are also cases when the coupling itself fails, which will cost approximately 280 euros. All this leads to an unscheduled opening of the cylinder head.

In general, according to the plan after 150,000 km. valves begin to knock, so you have to open the cylinder head and proceed to adjusting the gaps. Since there are no hydraulic lifters, the adjustment is carried out by selection of the thickness of the pushers. In addition to CVVT, pressure problems in the fuel line lead to engine problems. The reasons for these differences are that the fuel pump filter in the tank is easily clogged. Moreover, this filter cannot be changed separately; if desired, it can be washed out so as not to change the pump, which costs 300 euros.

After 2007, the turbocharged 6-cylinder engine was written off and the atmospheric 6-cylinder engine B6324S, which is equal to 3.2 liters, was installed instead. This engine is considered the most reliable engine running on gasoline for the Volvo XC90. The diesel engine is considered even more reliable - the D5244T engine with 5 cylinders differs in that it requires high-quality fuel, and every 50,000 km it’s necessary clean the crankcase ventilation system and the swirl flap unit. And after 100,000 km. mileage to clean the exhaust gas recirculation system.

The weak link in the diesel engine is the electric drive of the turbocharger pressure regulator, the replacement of which will cost 190 euros. The resulting backlash on the axis of the motor is the reason that the bypass valve is triggered a little late, thereby creating an increased pressure from which there is a serious load on the turbo compressor impellers. This may lead to something to do. turbocharger repair or replace it with a new one, which costs about 1,100 euros. It is unknown when exactly a motor can fail, there are cases that this happens already after 60,000 km, and it happens that after 200,000 km.

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Transmission

The most trouble-free transmission is the 6-speed manual M66, it is completed with a 5-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. True, very few cars were released with such a transmission.

Among automatic boxes, the most reliable is Aisin-Warner TF-80 with 6 steps. In a pair of this machine are diesel engines, as well as a new petrol 3.2-liter engine and an 8-cylinder 4.4-liter engine. To quickly disable this machine, it is enough to take a heavy trailer in tow or to make off-road trips.

There is another automatic transmission - 5-speed Aisin-Warner AW 55, which comes in tandem with 5-cylinder petrol engines. It is less reliable, in the earlier versions of this box the hydraulic unit overheated and then failed. Already after 30,000 km they made repairs under warranty.

In 2003, Japanese developers proposed a more reliable version - AW 55-51, in which there is an additional oil heat exchanger. So, the improved XC90 is not particularly affected by overheating, and this updated box will be able to work for at least 200,000 km, unless change gear oil every 60,000 km and once a year do the cleaning of the radiator responsible for cooling.

And finally, the most unreliable box is the 4-speed GM 4T65E, the design of which is already quite outdated and it is difficult to work with turbocharged engines B6294T. Very often, it requires replacement after 90,000 kilometers, just with the timing belt.

As a rule, at the beginning hydraulic block failsA new one costs about 1000 euros. After the hydraulic unit has broken - there will be kicks when changing gears.

Further, as according to the scenario, the friction clutches with the torque converter fail. The result will be an expensive repair for about 2000 euros, and a new box will cost 5,000 euros.

No matter what gearbox is installed in the XC90 - it is necessary with regularity check the dock with an angular gearwhich is rendered as a separate node. It is in this place that the first gear oil begins to flow. In addition, the angular transmission also contains another unpleasant feature - the connecting sleeve wears heavily, so the torque does not reach the propeller shaft after 100,000 km run, the car becomes just front-wheel drive.

Even the driveshaft may require replacement, since the exhaust system, whose high temperature has a destructive effect on the driveshaft, is not well located next to it. burn out grease in CV joints. If the car started to ring while starting off, it means that the cardan shaft may soon come to an end, and if you immediately clean and lubricate the hinges, you will be able to avoid the expensive purchase of a new cardan shaft that pulls 1,200 euros. By the way, after about 8 years of operation, because of the heat, there is a high probability that the CV joints will crack, their replacement will cost 140 euros.

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In cases where the rear wheels do not spin when the propeller shaft is rotating, the cause may be in the Haldex coupling, which is located in front of the rear axle. The oil pressure sensor is considered the main cause of the current situation, its cost is 130 euros. In cars manufactured before 2009, it is often necessary to change the oil pump for 290 euros, which failed. And the weakest point in the XC90 is the DEM control unit, which is located on the clutch housing, it is afraid of dampness and costs about 1900 euros.

Suspension and robust design

As for the suspension in the XC90, it is quite strong. The front stabilizer MacPherson calmly maintain 80,000 km. It happens that there is a frightening sound of metal on metal, but there is nothing to worry about - this is a constructive flaw, you just need to put in place the rubber supports between the shock absorber cups and the springs.

On cars manufactured before 2004, the bolts were not thick enough, so it often happened that bushings silent blocks front levers broke. But over time, this problem was fixed - bolts that were already used were thicker, therefore 100,000 km. It has become commonplace, now began to fail before all gum hinges.

The rear suspension is a multi-link that lasts longer than the front. In the rear, the only thing that can fail before 100000 km. - Hub bearings, which are assembled with a hub for 220 euros. Dampers easily withstand 200,000 km. In the 7-seater versions, Nivomat shock absorbers are used, which maintain ground clearance at the proper level, even if the car is fully loaded. These shock absorbers cost about 1,100 euros, which is quite expensive as for shock absorbers, so you can put ordinary racks, the price of which does not exceed 150 euros per rack.

When buying a Volvo XC90 you need to know that the car with a diesel engine and manual transmission is considered the most trouble-free, but it’s very difficult to find such an option in Russia - you have to go to Europe to get it. The main thing is to try to avoid the XC90 with a turbocharged 6-cylinder engine, there is a problem with the engine and transmission. The remaining options can be considered. In terms of reliability, the Volvo XC90 is inferior to the Japanese Land Cruiser Prado, but Volvo is considered to be more reliable than German crossovers: Mercedes M-class, BMW X5 and VW Touareg, which are much more expensive - about 25%. There is also such a feature with these cars - they lose about 15% in the resale value, which means that if you decide to sell the XC90 then you will have to drop the price.

By the way, the following video is the best fit for the topic of the article, we recommend to read: