Are volvo auto boxes as bad as people say?

[welshjohn]

Hi thinking yet again of upgrading the family barge.the cars I'm liking at the moment are volvo s60 d5 autos around the 2005 area..what s putting me of are reviews saying the autos are unreliable and generally bad.is this completely true and should just look a manual instead


Thank you

[y2blade]

With the exception of the GM unit used in the XC90 T6 No they aren't, don't believe all you read on the internet
The auto boxes are nicer to use than their manual boxes tbh.


Edit to add, go for a facelift S60 D5 over a early one....try to get a late Euro3 with facelift ideally

Edited by y2blade on Wednesday 28th January 10:45

[welshjohn]

Thank you for the reply.dont really know what's meant by euro 3 .but have been advised to go for the models with silver surrounds around the clocks.i think this is the model

[welshjohn]

Any more experience with Volvo auto's ?

[kwk]

Plenty with the police. Every one of them needed new 'boxes, some two or three. The average life seemed to be about 60 to 80k.
I know they were driven hard but, auto boxes from other manufacturers didn't seem to have the problems. BMW's for example, were usually sold after about 150k with the original gearbox.

[martinrpeachey]

Euro 3 engines have a black engine cover, the euro 4 engine has a grey engine cover. Although the euro 4 is more powerful, it has the DPF which can come with it's own set of problems.

Early auto boxes were pretty dodgy, I've seen many in the scrappys due to failed auto boxes that cost more to repair than the car is worth.

The best auto box is reportedly the 2006 6-speed. With a little modification, it can be converted to paddle shift too

[welshjohn]

So maybe it is worth searching for a manual then ?

[morgrp]

Basically, any box made after the 2004 facelift on the S60/V70 is generally reliable - between 2001 and 2003 on the s60 are the problematic ones. Anything older is generally sound too.

[welshjohn]

Cheers for the reply. Looking for a 2005 model on so looks to be good then .another silly question.read somewhere about topping up the fuel additive? Or is this just somebody having a laugh

[anonymous-user]

Don't be scared of a Euro IV model, they come with a newer 6 speed auto box as well as extra power. Unless you do grandma mileage the DPF won't cause you any problems.

[Fubar1977]

dme123 said:

Don't be scared of a Euro IV model, they come with a newer 6 speed auto box as well as extra power. Unless you do grandma mileage the DPF won't cause you any problems.

This.

There is a lot of unnecessary paranoia about the EU4 and the DPF.
Mine is on 92000 miles and its original DPF and, whilst it gets a run out every month or so it spends a lot of its life doing short journeys.
I have had absolutely no issues with the DPF at all.

You will also get either the newer autobox with an EU4 or a 6 speed manual rather than a 5 speed.
I also believe the EU4 has a stronger intercooler than the the 3 as well, although I may be wrong on that.

I`ve owned both an EU3 and a 4 and my 3 gave me nothing but trouble, the 4 has been flawless.
Mine is a manual but I`d happily have an auto as long as it got regular transmission fluid changes, the issues with Volvo boxes aren`t usually the boxes themselves but rather Volvo`s insistence that they are "sealed for life" when, in reality, they need new fluid every 60000 miles or so.
In a Saab the same box get`s a fluid change as part of the service requirements.
A good indy or gearbox specialist will easily be able to do a fluid change cheaply.

The biggest drawback to a manual box (in either the EU3 or 4) is the stupid slave cylinder design, which is inside the bell housing so if (when) it fails it pisses fluid all over the clutch and flywheel and is a big job to get to and replace.
Also an Auto has no Dual Mass Flywheel to worry about either.
Mine had just had the Slave, clutch and Flywheel replaced about 3 months before I bought it. At 78000 miles.
This job is around £1200 at an indy garage.

Above all, don`t let internet horror stories put you off, get a good, well cared for example and they are a cracking car.
I plan on running mine to at least 150000 miles before I look at replacing it.

[anonymous-user]

Fubar1977 said:

The biggest drawback to a manual box (in either the EU3 or 4) is the stupid slave cylinder design, which is inside the bell housing so if (when) it fails it pisses fluid all over the clutch and flywheel and is a big job to get to and replace.

I think concentric slave cylinders like this are pretty much universal across all manufacturers these days. I'm sure it has advantages but as you point out if it does fail the consequences are much more expensive than with the older style slave cylinders.

[welshjohn]

So as understand a volvo from 2006 on will be a safe bet if I go the auto route

[welshjohn]

So as understand a volvo from 2006 on will be a safe bet if I go the auto route