TURBO OIL LINES

[BRUCE4623]

I brought my 03 xc90 in because smoke was comming from the tail pipe. They told me my turbo's were shot (with out inspecting them) due to sludge in the oil return lines. The car drove fine, I never got a oil temp light, or check engine light. I changed the oil at 7800, 13000, 23000, 36000, 44000, and it happened at 52000. Does this sound right??? Shouldn't the dealer have noticed some thing was wrong when I paid the $450 for the 36k maintance?? Any history of turbo failure on this model???

Bruce

[ek]

There is not a history of turbo failure on this vehicle. In fact, I have only replaced 2 turbos on Volvos in 6 years. They are fine. I do not believe that the return lines are clogged. I have NEVER seen that. Sounds like a line of BS. What color smoke is it? If there is a serious problem going on, at 52K and all services done, Volvo should goodwill the repair. Mention this to the service manager. I do not know what dealer you go to, but they sound damn incompetent. These kind of dealers make all dealers look like idiots. We have been one of the top 5 dealers for years and it embarrasses me personally.

[mjr]

EK,

I also have an 03 XC90 -- first turbo blew at 52K (one week after the 50k service). Blue smoke, no engine lights, etc..same deal as Bruce. At 71K, second turbo blew (blue smoke again) as well as the engine due to sludging in the engine after replacing the second turbo. This vehicle has been properly maintained and serviced. The vehicle has been sitting at a Volvo dealer for months now with a $10k+ price tag to fix -- Volvo says they will split. But it is my opinion that with proper service this is not an owners problem, but a manufacturers problem. It is my understanding that there is an internal TSB advising to replace both turbos and clean the lines when presented with this problem, but Volvo is not admitting or hiding it from the consumer.

Does anyone have information on this? It is obviously not a unique situation.

Thank you.

[jcooper]

We loved our 93 940T wagon so much we decided to upgrade to a 2003 XC90. We bought ours at 36,800 miles. Service was done correctly, but after driving it for 2000 miles, and 20 miles after an oil change from the dealer, we had a cloud of white smoke pouring out of the tailpipe.

The dealer diagnosed the problem as a failed seal in one of the turbos. This is obviously very dissapointing as the turbo in the 940T is going strong. Does anyone know why this would happen? The service records indicate oil was changed appropriately. It just doesn't add up to me.

Dealer claims the catalytic converter was not damaged becasue we pulled over right away. Does this sound right? What about the muffler, and should I worry about the other turbo?

It seems they should have perfected turbos by now. Now we're not so certian this is a reliable vehicle. Is this just bad luck, or has Volvo had other problems with the turbos. Thanks for any advice you can give

[MadeInJapan]

Very rare and hardly ever happens....