Discussion
My every day car is a 170K mile last of the 2014 model XC90.
In a breathtaking leap of imagination, I’ve been looking at 2015 (“new shape”) versions at around 50K miles.
I do like the tonka toy nature of my car and how fixable it is.
Does anyone have opinions / experience on the 2015 onwards versions and anything to look out for?
I’m open to all engine variants but would want to avoid hybrid, so maybe up to 2019?
Budget would be up to £25K and I’d like the car to last to 150K miles / 10 years….
In a breathtaking leap of imagination, I’ve been looking at 2015 (“new shape”) versions at around 50K miles.
I do like the tonka toy nature of my car and how fixable it is.
Does anyone have opinions / experience on the 2015 onwards versions and anything to look out for?
I’m open to all engine variants but would want to avoid hybrid, so maybe up to 2019?
Budget would be up to £25K and I’d like the car to last to 150K miles / 10 years….
I’ve had a 2017 MY (actually mid 2016 reg, likely ex dealer demo) D5 for 6 years and 50,000 miles now. There is lots of noise on the internet about avoiding 2015/16 models due to some issues with piston rings on both T5/T6 petrol models (especially in US) and the D5 engines. However I’ve yet to see a whole lot of evidence that this is a widespread issue in the UK. I previously had a late 2015 XC60 with effectively the same engine too.
Things that have gone wrong with mine over 6 years include:
- Cracked EGR pipe, a common issue on D5 models. Mine was sorted under ‘goodwill’ when the car was only about 5 years old.
- Blown Powerpulse air pipe, another common issue affecting 2017 models onward. I replaced that myself so the cost was only the hose (maybe £120 ish).
- Steering lock failure at 8 years old. This is like a ticking time bomb on all recent Volvos. If it fails then the car becomes immobilised as the engine won’t speed allowed to start. It is worth buying a 3rd party emulator for the steering lock and having it in the glovebox along with relevant torx tool for the steering column cowling so you can plug that in if the lock electronics fail. A new lock module is not too expensive but has to be programmed by a Volvo dealer.
- Again, on the dot of 8 years old the car started bleating about VCM battery failure. This is a timed alarm setup in the car 8 years from PDI to try to get you to put a new (unique) battery into the Volvo On Call modem, used for emergency calling in the event of a crash and main power interruption caused by the airbag system going off. Aftermarket batteries can be bought on eBay and fitted DIY, but again require a dealer software update to reset the clock to get rid of the startup message. If you are looking at early models (eg pre 2017MY) they may only have a 3G modem in them so Volvo On Call functionality will be pretty much useless in the UK now anyway,
- Earlier this year, in cold weather, the air bleed return pipe boss snapped off the coolant reservoir connector, so the engine started to pump coolant out into the bulkhead area until the coolant low alarm went off. It seems that a rigid plastic line going to it shrinks / deforms over time and then the plastic bit it goes onto gets brittle in winter and can snap. I McGuivered a fix for that, but could have replaced the original pipe DIY for around £100.
- Start/Stop has never worked reliably in the time I’ve had the car. It only comes back to life if I put the main battery on a trickle charger/conditioner overnight and then it gives up again after a few days. Smaller starter assist battery was replaced early in my ownership but made no difference.
So far, no major wear and tear issues with suspension over 80,000 miles from new, just an occasional mention of bottom ball joint wear at the front in some MOTs but not all. The current set of tyres (20” Pirelli Scorpion Verde all seasons) have done over 40k so far which is remarkable for a car this size.
Things that have gone wrong with mine over 6 years include:
- Cracked EGR pipe, a common issue on D5 models. Mine was sorted under ‘goodwill’ when the car was only about 5 years old.
- Blown Powerpulse air pipe, another common issue affecting 2017 models onward. I replaced that myself so the cost was only the hose (maybe £120 ish).
- Steering lock failure at 8 years old. This is like a ticking time bomb on all recent Volvos. If it fails then the car becomes immobilised as the engine won’t speed allowed to start. It is worth buying a 3rd party emulator for the steering lock and having it in the glovebox along with relevant torx tool for the steering column cowling so you can plug that in if the lock electronics fail. A new lock module is not too expensive but has to be programmed by a Volvo dealer.
- Again, on the dot of 8 years old the car started bleating about VCM battery failure. This is a timed alarm setup in the car 8 years from PDI to try to get you to put a new (unique) battery into the Volvo On Call modem, used for emergency calling in the event of a crash and main power interruption caused by the airbag system going off. Aftermarket batteries can be bought on eBay and fitted DIY, but again require a dealer software update to reset the clock to get rid of the startup message. If you are looking at early models (eg pre 2017MY) they may only have a 3G modem in them so Volvo On Call functionality will be pretty much useless in the UK now anyway,
- Earlier this year, in cold weather, the air bleed return pipe boss snapped off the coolant reservoir connector, so the engine started to pump coolant out into the bulkhead area until the coolant low alarm went off. It seems that a rigid plastic line going to it shrinks / deforms over time and then the plastic bit it goes onto gets brittle in winter and can snap. I McGuivered a fix for that, but could have replaced the original pipe DIY for around £100.
- Start/Stop has never worked reliably in the time I’ve had the car. It only comes back to life if I put the main battery on a trickle charger/conditioner overnight and then it gives up again after a few days. Smaller starter assist battery was replaced early in my ownership but made no difference.
So far, no major wear and tear issues with suspension over 80,000 miles from new, just an occasional mention of bottom ball joint wear at the front in some MOTs but not all. The current set of tyres (20” Pirelli Scorpion Verde all seasons) have done over 40k so far which is remarkable for a car this size.
Thank you,
I had heard the quality took a dip for the 15/16/17 (part) model years and the JD Power survey had them falling though the ranks as a result.
If I went 18 to 20 model year, does the complexity issue start to rear its head versus them being slightly newer?
You don’t hear much about the later teens cars which might mean they were more reliable?
Aware it’s a 10 year old car in the danger zone so to speak….
I have looked at the Santa Fe funnily enough as a 7 seat alternative. Also the Disco 4 / Audi versions etc.
I know a few decent ex Volvo people that were around for the gen 2 XC90 so was hoping they hadn’t changed TOO much when they revised to the new platform, but I’m not tied to them.
Discovery 4 I’d love but concerned that might be Russian Roulette regards some of the bigger issues…
I had heard the quality took a dip for the 15/16/17 (part) model years and the JD Power survey had them falling though the ranks as a result.
If I went 18 to 20 model year, does the complexity issue start to rear its head versus them being slightly newer?
You don’t hear much about the later teens cars which might mean they were more reliable?
Aware it’s a 10 year old car in the danger zone so to speak….
I have looked at the Santa Fe funnily enough as a 7 seat alternative. Also the Disco 4 / Audi versions etc.
I know a few decent ex Volvo people that were around for the gen 2 XC90 so was hoping they hadn’t changed TOO much when they revised to the new platform, but I’m not tied to them.
Discovery 4 I’d love but concerned that might be Russian Roulette regards some of the bigger issues…
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