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Volvo S80

2415 messages,  Last post on Feb 16, 2013 at 4:05 PM

You are in the Volvo S80 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Volvo S80, Sedan

Messages Page 153 of 243

#1512 of 2415 Old Volvo vs. New Volvo by mcoz

Mar 14, 2004 (10:50 am)

I've owned Volvos since 1990. First bought a 1987 740GLE with 118,000 miles on it , kept it for 8 years , put 230,000 miles on it and never had a problem. Traded it in for a 1992 940 Turbo with 87,000 miles on it. Had the same good experience. Put 147,000 miles on it and haven't had any problems. Now with the car being 12 years old, we wanted a newer Volvo. Banking on the good service and reliability of our past Volvos, we purchased a 2001 S80 T6. This is not the same kind of Volvo as our previous ones. Had the car for a month , and though it moves and looks great, we had a few minor problems. One being condensation in the head lamps. Another being a loose exterior window molding. Bad AM radio reception is another and lastly, we have a whining noise in the geartronic trans upon starting off in drive. Though we love Volvos and this car, at this point, I am wondering if I should of held onto our 1992 940 Turbo or search for a newer S90 instead of purchasing this S80 T6 and paying it off for the next 5 years. The question is, do you think these new Volvos will hold up as well as the older Volvos. Our S80 is a Certified Volvo, meaning we have the extended coverage for 6 years or 100,000 miles , but we usually keep the cars for well over 6 years and 100,000 miles. What do you think?

#1513 of 2415 XM radio by volvomax

Mar 14, 2004 (1:37 pm)

can't be hooked directly to factory radio.
You'll have to run it through an FM modulator.
Any competent stereo installer should be able to handle it.

#1514 of 2415 new volvos by nvbanker

Mar 16, 2004 (10:59 am)

My partner has driven an S80T6 since new in 01. Problems have been minimal. Personally, I think the new generation of Volvos are 10 times better than the old ones except for the FWD

#1515 of 2415 S80 T6 Shift Quality by 2volvofamily

Mar 19, 2004 (6:18 am)

I purchased a 2004 T6 about 4 months ago, and have noticed a downturn in it’s shift quality between 1st and 2nd (in full auto). Normal driving conditions are fine, but when at a light and trying to get out in front of another car to pass, this becomes noticeable. When the car shifts from 1st to 2nd at over 3000 RPM there is a significant hesitation, almost to the point of feeling like a stall.
 
I have been to the dealership where they performed a software upgrade. This did nothing or perhaps even made it worse. Is this a normal driving characteristic of the T6? Has anyone else experienced this? I am still working to have this resolved.

#1516 of 2415 RE: S80 T6 Shift Quality by kiiwii

Mar 22, 2004 (12:54 pm)

I don't have a T6 (yet), but my other car that has semi-automatic shifting had the same problem when it was new. I took it to the dealer and they told me it's because the computer needs to "learn" the driver's driving style. I don't know if the dealer was correct, but the "stall" symptom went away after few months of ownership.
 
From the previous posts, I learned T6 has GM transmission. It should be one of the most reliable transmission in the market today.

#1517 of 2415 2volvofamily by rollie

Mar 23, 2004 (12:04 am)

It sounds like you are dealing with an adaptive transmission. If you consistently drive like a granny or consistently drive like you stole it you would never know the car has an adaptive logic transmission. The problem you face comes about when you suddenly decide to drive differently than you have for many prior miles.
 
If you drive in an economical fashion and decide you suddenly need some power there are things you can do to help yourself. If conditions warrant (i.e., it's dry) you can turn off DSTC/STC which robs off the line power. You can also use the Geartronic and shift for yourself up through the first couple of gears - again it will be a bit balky until you've done it a few times.
 
Volvo's adapative tranny logic works overall but if you have multiple drivers with different driving habits or you decide to change current driving habit significantly you can find yourself in the uncomfortable area where the transmission is changing shift points to accomodate your driving style. Prior Volvos (e.g., 850/S70) and more recent Volvos (S60R GT) used to have a 'Sport' button by the shifter so you could manually decide when you wanted to drive a little more aggressively (used to have an 'Economy' and 'Winter' mode as well in some cars.)
 
For fun, take your T6 out for some spirited driving (brisk accleration from the red lights) for several miles and you'll feel the car getting faster and faster. Unfortunately it's not a solution to your problem unless you don't mind getting 12 mpg! I think you'll just have to decide upon a driving style that works for you and be aware of your options vis-a-vis DSTC/STC and Geartronic (and learning how to modulate the accelerator for optimal launch - just pushing it all the way down as fast as possible is not the fastest way to move the T6.)
 
Good luck.
 
-rollie
rdollieatt.net
1994 850 Turbo (gone and missed)
1998 S70 T5 (not much to miss)
1999 S80 T6 (gone and missed)
2001 V70 T5 (hers, gone but not missed by the XC90 lover)
2003 XC90 T6 (hers)
2004 S60R MT (his)

#1518 of 2415 re: #1515 of 1517 S80 T6 Shift Quality by 2volvofamily by larryp3

Mar 23, 2004 (7:52 am)

This is a known problem with a software fix coming soon. Make sure your dealer knows. See big discussion on VVspy under this topic.
 
Problem with 2002.5

#1519 of 2415 T6 going away?? by kiiwii

Mar 26, 2004 (8:13 am)

Stopped by several dealers in the past few weeks found all dealers have less than 3 T6s. They all have tons of 2.5Ts. Is Volvo trying to phase out T6 after 2.9?

#1520 of 2415 T6 not going away-yet by volvomax

Mar 27, 2004 (9:09 am)

It just doesn't sell well. Volvo is putting their special emphasis on the 2.5T.

#1521 of 2415 by nvbanker

Mar 27, 2004 (1:02 pm)

The T6 is pricey, but what a great car. It's the only Volvo I would be interested in.

Messages Page 153 of 243

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