2004 V-70 Tranny issue

[zeke1256]

Some info here that may help other owners. I have a 2004 V-70, non-turbo basic. Has about 170,000 miles. About 2 months ago, the "transmission service required" light went on and at times the car would shudder when shifting into a higher gear, or shifting into a lower gear. My mechanic told me about a friction modifier product called AT-203 friction modifier. I have in the past changed the fluid but it may have been awhile. He took the car, drained from the bottom what he could, maybe about a gallon, put in new Type IV fluid, and the AT-203 friction modifier. So far, no more problems, no service required light, and car shifts great! Have gone on long highway trips of 400 miles or more with no problems. Hope this helps anyone with similar issue.

[oragex]

Old transmission oil does wear in time and can get worn to the point of no longer having the minimum specs, so at that point the transmission will 'feel' this and throw that service urgent message. I think what made that message disappear was simply having part of the oil replaced with fresh one, not the modifier product.

This shows transmission oil does indeed wear out (so it's not a 'life time' item as Volvo says), looking at your mileage we can see that when Aisin said 'sealed for life' it perhaps meant sealed for 150000 miles or so.

Any how, you will need to drain the pan again after a few months - important not to drain it all at once - and use again 3-4 bottles of Type IV

While there, have a look here for your non turbo engine if you haven't already fixed this