Volvo

[MontuckyFried]

...not counting all the $300-$500 oil changes and other over priced services.

Yowch! That is STEEP! You've been getting ripped off, man. My dealer's absurdly priced too so after their last screw up where they overfilled it, I've been doing them myself. So for like 1/3 the price, I put in top tier oil!

Now here's the next thing to figure out before bothering with any work. Any indication of WHAT caused the burnt valve to begin with? I think it's usually related to lean conditions, and there a few things that can cause that. Were you good about running premium fuel? Good about oil changes? PCV system up to snuff? Spark plug gap's a biggie. Same with fuel injector condition. yadda yadda yadda

[jm2e]

Exclusively high octane gas.
Did oil changes at the dealership for the first year+ thinking it was the right thing to do. Figured if something like this happened under warranty I’d need their support.
Eventually disillusioned and went to an Indy Volvo guy. He convinced me to ignore the 10k intervals and do oil every 5k. So I alternate between him and a Valvoline shop.
Now the cost is lower for oil, but there’s always something else due.
I’m not doing this myself. I’ll fuck it up. It’ll make a fucking mess. It’ll fuck up my free time with my wife. Respect for guys who wrench. That’s not me.
It’s been going through 1-2 quarts of oil every 10k for the last 30k. Indy guy told me that’s normal; said the valves get sticky and leak and isn’t worth addressing. Said 5w20 would help.
I’m going to look for a second opinion. Even if I ditch the car, I’ll need it somewhat fixed to sell it.
On top of all that, Check Engine light has been on for about 100k miles. Always codes as catalyst (until now). Theory is that it’s an O2 sensor, but no convenient way to verify. One of my dilemmas is that if I want to flip it I’ll need to address that too.

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[liv2ski]

You didn't figure out long ago you needed a solid Indie? Huh?

[jm2e]

You didn't figure out long ago you needed a solid Indie? Huh?

20 years of frequent moves and not much money meant spending as little as possible on cars and driving them into the ground, and not ferreting out local mechanics. Wife finally finished school and took us into adult finances 5 years ago. We’re late start adults and floundering at times.


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[liv2ski]

Fair enough. Volvo's do need regular maintenance and the dealership is expensive, so a good Indie is a life saver for those of us that can't DIYS. Sorry if I came across a little short.

[MontuckyFried]

Exclusively high octane gas.
Did oil changes at the dealership for the first year+ thinking it was the right thing to do. Figured if something like this happened under warranty I’d need their support.
Eventually disillusioned and went to an Indy Volvo guy. He convinced me to ignore the 10k intervals and do oil every 5k. So I alternate between him and a Valvoline shop.
Now the cost is lower for oil, but there’s always something else due.
I’m not doing this myself. I’ll fuck it up. It’ll make a fucking mess. It’ll fuck up my free time with my wife. Respect for guys who wrench. That’s not me.
It’s been going through 1-2 quarts of oil every 10k for the last 30k. Indy guy told me that’s normal; said the valves get sticky and leak and isn’t worth addressing. Said 5w20 would help.
I’m going to look for a second opinion. Even if I ditch the car, I’ll need it somewhat fixed to sell it.

Sounds like YOU did everything right, but I completely disagree with your mechanic. 2 quarts between changes is NOT normal. Some consumption is, sure, but that's excessive. If valves are getting "sticky" that indicates something's going on. My guess is due to your oil consumption and "sticky" valves, you had leaky valve seals. Since you spent a decent amount of money on yours, and if you liked it and want to drive it til the wheels fall off, my suggestion would be to just do a head job (by somebody who knows WTF they're doing). I am HIGHLY doubtful it needs a new engine. A different high mile motor has questionable history, and your block's likely totally fine. Your head's probably totally fine too (would need to be verified by a good machinist). That's why on both my last engine jobs, I decided to stick with my own engines and redo the heads. On my S60, the head was in beautiful shape. Just needed new valves (that were completely mangled when I bought it). Shops these days must be overwhelmed it seems, as 9 times out of 10, they suggest the lazy way out (motor swap) instead of doing actual mechanic work and FIXING the problem. The previous owner of my S60 took it to 3 different shops, and I called around 10 more. ALL of them said it needed a new engine. It did not. In your case, it seems awfully wasteful to junk a whole perfectly good engine over a pack of valve seals and some valves, assuming that's the root issue and main problem that led to the burnt valve. Yes, it's a lot of work, but it may be worth it if you like the car.

These dudes: https://usparts.volvocars.com/p/Volv.../31430939.html

Here's the before and after of my S60 head:




And I'm FAR from a mechanic. I'm just some yahoo screwing around in my garage. If a trained professional mechanic can't confidently do a head job like I did, then theyz a bitch.
Out of curiosity, did your indie actually run the car through VIDA (the factory Volvo diagnostics software) or do any deeper diagnostics than an educated guess?

[gravitylover]

Heh, MF should start a Volvo engine repair shop for wrenchin' challenged mags

[MontuckyFried]

Heh, MF should start a Volvo engine repair shop for wrenchin' challenged mags

That would be fun. Wish I could!

jm2e, here's a good contact for you to call. Allied Motor Parts in the ATL area. https://www.alliedmotorparts.com/ They know what they're doing and can help guide you in making a decision. Just tell them you have a Volvo head and they'll connect you with the right guy. I think Dirk's the owner, but I spoke with either him or maybe a Bob. I forget. It's been a while. Anyway, they'll probably know more about your specific issue than most mechanics would. Shipping was cheap through them and their prices were pretty good last I spoke to them. You can of course use your mechanic of choice locally but they can ship the head to these guys to do the refurb work. Thankfully I ended up finding an absolute badass of a machinist locally and he's my guy now.

[MontuckyFried]

OH! I almost forgot. I do believe that generation was also susceptible to piston ring issues causing severe oil consumption. Especially the "Drive-E" ones. Did your shop ever send out an oil sample for a proper oil test? Like Blackstone labs. That can help determine where the issue may stem from. You definitely want to get to the root of the problem before tossing a pile of money at the vehicle.

[jm2e]

Fair enough. Volvo's do need regular maintenance and the dealership is expensive, so a good Indie is a life saver for those of us that can't DIYS. Sorry if I came across a little short.

I did not take anything you said negatively.
Really appreciate all the insights.
Will weigh options on who to bring it to for next opinion. Felling lucky that it’ll still putter around town, since I (now feeling stupid about it) sold my old Hyundai beater and really don’t want to rent a car for 2-3 weeks.


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[gravitylover]

Where do you live now jm?

[fatnslow]

Where do you live now jm?

this, you never know if someone here has a great mechanic hookup in you town.

[jm2e]

Where do you live now jm?

Roanoke VA

this, you never know if someone here has a great mechanic hookup in you town.

Doubt it. But definitely willing to be pleasantly surprised.

Option 2 told me to talk to option 3. But prefaced with saying he thought a rebuild was a bad idea on any car at 180k, a new motor would cost $7k, and he thinks it’s only worth doing if I put a new tranny in at the same time.

Option 3 told me to bring it in on my day off (2 weeks from now) and hang out for a couple hours while they do their own diagnostic and scope. Only then can he advise.

Option 4 said he’d look into engine prices. Then said a realistic option would be to start with the rebuild plan, but may find it’s too trashed after pulling it apart and then could change back to new motor plan. Also said he probably couldn’t get to it until after Christmas.

Option 5 I left a voicemail.

More and more, I feel like I’m going to end up buying a replacement car now since whatever I do to this isn’t gonna happen any time soon.


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[gravitylover]

I found a few rebuilt heads for your motor for $3-4.5k. I'd be looking into that and talking to some local machine shops. Are you on the XC60 owners group on FB? That would be a good place to ask for a local Volvo indie.

[jm2e]

I’m confused. Why would I buy a head for $4500 when I can get a whole motor for $4000?


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[gravitylover]

Because these T6s are tough and have very few inherent flaws, chances are your block is fine. Used engines are a crapshoot (as I'm finding out again), you have no idea why it's available and if the vehicle took a hit that could've compromised something or did they ever change the oil...

[Doremite]

I have a 2012 XC60 T6 I would like to sell but likely not helpful given I am in Northern VT. 133,000 w no known mechanical issues. All services complete through 127,500 and did some major belt repairs (?) some time ago that are typically due at 150,000. Would have to check the service records for details. Long story short- as I recall - is the engine mounts were replaced so while they had easy access to the engine they did a bunch of later to be expensive services early. I haven’t thought too much about price. Would love the first digit to be an 8 but I may be tripp’n.

[jm2e]

Based on Cars.com, I think you’ll get more than you’re expecting.
Would consider if closer.


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[Mazderati]

Roanoke VA

No kidding. Spent considerable time there. What took you? Never used them but guessing one of the options is Boxy?

[Iowagriz]

Roanoke VA

Jm, I have a Roanoke buddy into Volvos and asked him. Keep in mind that his definition of old car might be 2015. But here is his response.

"I have tried the Indy guy - he's good on old Volvos but not so much the new. There is a garage I have used - Wayne's. They seemed to know a lot about Volvos even though they don't specialize in them. Very thorough. Not much cheaper. Dealer isn't bad but can take a long time to get in. Also need to research any parts you may need as they mark up a lot. I have negotiated the part prices down significantly on occasion by showing them what I could order it for.

I'd try Wayne's first. On Franklin Road across from Mellow Mushroom."

Hope that helps, I had just skimmed over your problem.

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[jm2e]

Wife is at Virginia Tech.
Boxy is my primary mechanic after abandoning the dealership. I like the owner and trust him. But for this, it felt more like he didn’t want to do the labor to fix it. More and more, I’m finding all the shops are reporting the same thing.


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[J. Barron DeJong]

Wife is at Virginia Tech.
Boxy is my primary mechanic after abandoning the dealership. I like the owner and trust him. But for this, it felt more like he didn’t want to do the labor to fix it. More and more, I’m finding all the shops are reporting the same thing.


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Tangent: my wife’s friend’s husband is the women’s soccer coach there. She used to be the assistant volleyball coach.

Funny at the wedding when the priest asked “do you, Chugger, take…”

[jm2e]

Tangent: my wife’s friend’s husband is the women’s soccer coach there. She used to be the assistant volleyball coach.

Funny at the wedding when the priest asked “do you, Chugger, take…”

Do they have a 6-8 year old luxury SUV with low miles in mint condition they’re looking to sell to a “friend” for super cheap to avoid the hassle of getting rid of it another way?


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[J. Barron DeJong]

Do they have a 6-8 year old luxury SUV with low miles in mint condition they’re looking to sell to a “friend” for super cheap to avoid the hassle of getting rid of it another way?


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Uhh, let me look into it… They have a lot of kids, so whatever they have must have a lot of seats.

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Based on Cars.com, I think you’ll get more than you’re expecting.
Would consider if closer.


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Burlington, VT is a short flight, even from Roanoke. Would be a nice ride home. Guarantee the car is in immaculate condition if Doremite is the owner.