np20412

Well, we recently hit 65k on my mom's 1999 Volvo S80, a car that has been a complete crapbucket from day 1 with faulty sensors left and right, headlights that randomly fall out of the housing, etc (magneto is well aware of my difficulties). So we had a tranny fluid flush done for the service along with the basic oil change and brake fluid flush, and now the mechanic calls back saying that the tranny is slipping a lot after he did the flush. Would using the incorrect fluid type cause this to happen? From what my dad told me, the mechanic told him that the new fluid he used in the tranny after the flush is a lot thinner than what was in the car previously. This is all out of curiousity on my part, he called back today after taking the car to a tranny specialist who says that the clutch plate is shot to ****** and the tranny needs to be rebuilt, an estimate of $2200-2700. What would cause this to happen IMMEDIATELY following a transmission fluid flush? Would the incorrect fluid type cause something like this to happen so suddenly? The car had NO shifting or transmission problems WHATSOEVER before we gave the car to the mechanic, who is a trusted family friend.

edit: Perhaps this belongs in carchat/maintenance?

tuddy

its an s80 right?

that was my first car and i got it with 76k on it by 99k i had to change the tranny twice (within months apart) as soon as i got it i had check engine lights,ABS lights, bad o2 sensors, the window didnt go down..headlight kept burning out...basically you name it was broken lol..honestly i wouldnt bother gettin it fixed...or get rid of it as soon as you fix it if that makes sense and get something different....i hate volvos after what happend...and my mom had qutie a few now shes a toyota fan lol..good luck with everything

np20412

Yeah, just talked more with my dad. He says the mechanic used Dexron type III fluid, which IS the correct fluid for the car. Beats me as to why the tranny would just start slipping and ultimately fail like this, 65k on a GM transmission is bad...


Luckily, with spring, my dad is going back to the one car manufacturer that he has NEVER had one problem with: LEXUS from our 1990 LS4 to my current 1994 SC3, never a major difficulty

Welcome AWD GS300 or AWD IS250

redkingjoe

volvo is famous for this....that's been well documented in car magazines or web-sites! no surprise at all!!!

my question is: why would someone still buy volvo?

at least it's better than a SAAB, right?

np20412

LOL! It was the biggest mistake ever when we bought this car in 1999. We got such a good deal, and the rave was all about Volvo's new lineup/body style. The S80 T6 was packed with power and luxury, and from this standpoint, its fantastic. But mechanically, it is the least sound of any car short of a SAAB . We got such a good deal on it from the dealer at the time of purchase that it was a no brainer. We picked it up fully loaded for $37500 cash, when MSRP was a tad over $43k.

GFerg

DAMN NYLex!!! Still having that dreaded problem with the S80??!! Even though that S80 was a pretty powerful car for its time, MAN did that thing have problems. Your 1999 model was the WORST!! I could never recommend that engine. Ever since introduction, the T6 Twin turbo and GM 4-speed Auto have been nightmares up until Volvo thankfully discountinued the engine tranny combo this year. Unfortunately your probably looking at a new or rebuilt unit as we have changed sooo many of them when I worked for them(both old and some partically brand new). Its kinda wierd(kinda dont believe it as well), when I worked there the techs told me with the Volvo tranny, the fluids needs to be Volvo certified or some crap like that(basically you need to use there stuff, non Volvo fluids are not compatible as they will cause problems). It could be a possibility that the formulation is a little different from what you used, but I dont know for sure as I never really got the full explaination. But if you said that you used the same stuff, then maybe the tranny was on its way out anyway, which obviously could have happened.

Good luck with that T6, and get rid of it Quickly.

np20412

Yeah this thing is unbelievable, my parents have decided to ride out the winter in the car since it won't be driven much anyhow. I told them to go to www.carreview.com and read the reviews on the S80. It was something absurd like 95/106 reviews were of the 1 out 5 star variety because of maintenance issues. I use my Lex, so they only need one car between the two of them, and since my Dad never goes anywhere, we should be ok. Come spring, Lexus of Smithtown is getting a visit from a long time customer

Senator

I thought that Volvo was a Ford brand, and SAAB a GM?

I may be mistaken thought, but on another note, I will get the article out of the most current issue of Automotive News. It talks about how an 1996 LS400 is more reliable, in current conditions, than a new BMW 5 series. It talks in depth about the Lean Way, and how Toyota uses the practice of "Within Tolerance" instead of precise measurements, something about how as long as a part or device is designed to work within a fail-pass tolerance it works more than measuring to an exact spec.

It really shows you how the European auto makers have slipped by making things "Perfect" in measurements, etc. only to have them fail on you. Thank you Chris Bangel....

But, back to the thread, Volvo went downhill in my book after the Ford merger....

Kind of like how the Hummer is the new soccer mom transporter. I bet Arnold still sports his in Cali...

Cheers

Josh

mikeyboy

Yea, this problem is common on some cars when changeing transmission fluids. It commonly happens in older BMW's, higher mileage german cars, and especially volvos.

np20412

Good to know LOL! Where were you before we did the service

I'm just glad to head that finally this POS is leaving.

Faraaz23

I feel your pain, I have a 99 C70... big POS, can't wait to get rid of it in the summer!! I dump about $2-3,000 per year in non-scheduled repairs. S60R is a good value and Volvo is on top of the safety game, but I don't think anything short of Toyota buying them out would ever get me to go back to them.

mmarshall

I'm not saying this is exactly what happened to your mom's car, but one thing that sometimes happens when you flush out an old transmission that has not had regular fluid changes or previous flushes is that the seals have deteriorated with the old, dirty transmission fluid, so the only thing keeping the fluid from running out is the dirt plugging up the seals. Now....when you DO finally flush it out, the pressure and new fluid....with its brand-new detergent package...tends to eat up the old seals and leave holes in them. Then, of course, the new fluid, instead of lubing the tranny like it's supposed to, just runs out of the holes and lets the internal transmission parts burn up.
DID this happen to your mom's car? I don't know. From what you describe it sounds like a possibilty.

np20412

Seems very logical, and probably is what happened. Doesn't matter much I suppose, my parents are biting the bullet and paying for repairs until this car gets junked in the spring.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

Wow just saw this sorry Raj. Yeah Volvos are pretty cars but are problematic. I read up on those in Consumer Reports. Yes a IS250 is a good alternative. She should trade it in without mentioning the tranny problem.