New member and new 2001 V70 owner with a question

VailSkiBum · Post by **VailSkiBum** » 30 Jul 2010, 23:03

First I would like to say how glad I am for finding this forum. Spending the last couple of hours here has already been a great eye opener. Anyway, my wife and I bought a 2001 V70 2.4L Turbo today. It has high miles (144,000), looks new, runs great (so far) and has just about every bell and whistle that Volvo offered as options for the 01. That being said, reading some of the threads here already has my head spinning a bit. My question to the knowledgeable crowd here is this...

Are there issues that I should check as a new owner as far as preventative maintenance is concerned? I am especially concerned with the transmission as I have found reading this forum that there can be a lot of problems with them. Any advice as a new owner is greatly appreciated.

Mike

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 30 Jul 2010, 23:11

Hey Mike, welcome to MVS!

The 2001-02 models are known for bad transmissions, but if you are diligent in doing good fluid changes on it, the life will be extended. Your car requires an ATF that meets the "JWS 3309" specification. You can use Mobil 3309, Toyota Type IV, Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF, and Amsoil Universal Synthetic ATF.

There are some great write-ups here on how to do drain & fills as well as full flushes using the transmission's own power. You really don't want to take this car to any quick lube place, especially if they want to "power flush" it. Don't do that!

Good luck with your purchase, glad to have you here!

VailSkiBum · Post by **VailSkiBum** » 30 Jul 2010, 23:42

Thanks for the quick reply Ed. I have already recruited my brother-in-law to help me with a transmission drain & fill. Another question concerning the transmission software upgrade I have been reading about. Do I just take the car to a dealer or Volvo repair shop to see if that has been done? Also, what is the best way to go about finding out about previous maintenance on the car? Again, thanks to everyone in advance for educating me!!

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 30 Jul 2010, 23:48

Well for the service specifically related to your transmission software, you should be able to call any dealer with your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and they'll be able to see if everything is up-to-date.

As far as the other stuff is concerned, it's nice to have service records from the previous owner. If you don't have any of that history, then you should probably just start doing a "Stage 0" tune-up. Basically what that is, is a tune-up aimed at getting the car back to it's original performance by replacing the common wear items: spark plugs, air filter, fuel filter, thermostat, oil, oil filter, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, etc.

The transmission drain & fills are very easy. Just undo the 24mm bolt, and let it out. Keep in mind though, that a drain and fill will only get out about 1/3 of the total fluid (usually about 3.5 quarts). The fill up (through the ATF dipstick) exactly however much came out. This method is preferred when you don't know as much about the vehicle's history, since it's less of a shock to the system. You can either do 4-5 drain and fills for a very good refresher, or after a couple you can do the flush method where you pull the ATF cooler line and pump it out.