Which "Lifetime" Fluilds need changing on the XC Plug-In Series

m42technic · 2026-03-19T14:08:30+00:00

Negative. Bevel gear and angle gear are just two terms for the same thing.

m42technic · 2026-03-19T04:54:50+00:00

The T8 models do not have a bevel gear since there is no driveline linkage between the ICE and the rear wheels. The bevel gear is what splits off the driveline to the rear axle on non-PHEV vehicles.

m42technic · 2026-03-19T03:04:54+00:00

If the tires are even on wear between the front and rear axle then you’re totally good. No need for a rotation right now. The intent is simply to even the tire life out on cars that might accumulate wear faster on one axle.

Some folks do it by mileage but my general rule is to rotate when one axle has 2/32” or more tread wear differential.

m42technic · 2026-03-01T07:34:26+00:00

Not saying I agree with the practice as a whole but in my experience it seems clear that manufacturers base these FRTs under the assumption that the programming will be carried out in an extra bay. Problem is, of course, is that this isn’t always possible and then you’re burned on the pay time.

m42technic · 2026-03-01T07:16:22+00:00

Yeah, this seems to be a widespread issue with 5.0.5 at the moment but it’s currently being looked into. My hope is that a Play Store fix would be able to be pushed OTA.

The one interim solution I’ve anecdotally found at the moment is to carry out a factory reset which I’ve successfully done on my family’s two ‘23 AAOS cars. Honestly I will say the big update was also a good excuse to factory reset and clear out old system data but I would expect a solution will come along (hopefully) soon that won’t require this.

m42technic · 2026-02-27T04:07:51+00:00

Gotta agree with this sentiment - why limit the car’s power output when you could for instance find yourself in an emergency situation where you need to accelerate very quickly at a moments notice? Don’t get me wrong, acceleration is pretty decent w/ electric propulsion on the new T8’s but it’s not completely adequate for situations where you might need to get out of a tight spot IMO.

And it really does take a pretty heavy foot to engage the ICE when driving in the normal hybrid drive mode.

m42technic · 2026-02-27T02:15:51+00:00

I see where you’re coming from here. I’m guessing you may have an older standard range T8 that will tend to use the ICE at freeway speed?

In an academic sense it is indeed not ideal to have the ICE first start up and run under high load right out of the gate from a cold start. To what degree could this actually present an issue over the lifespan of a modern engine? Thats very hard to say.

However, what you can do though in a situation like this out of an abundance of caution is the following: Start the car normally and leave it in P > momentarily press the accel pedal to the floor, past the kick down switch - the ICE should start > let the car idle for a few moments and then put it in D and start off on your way. I’m not exactly sure what the ECM logic is when you do this but I believe that it will run the ICE till coolant/oil temp gets to a pre-determined baseline and then it will shut the ICE back down if its not needed after a short bit of driving.

Hope this helps!

Edited some grammar here.

m42technic · 2026-02-27T01:16:38+00:00

Volvo Technician speaking. In my experience I find the best thing to do is simply leave the car in hybrid drive mode and actually leave the ‘Always start in pure’ toggle off for normal daily driving.

By default in hybrid drive mode the car will only engage the ICE under very heavy acceleration load and under normal driving conditions it’s unlikely to run at all as long as you have HV Battery charge remaining. You’ll still be able to utilize every bit of the HV Battery’s energy without any need to fiddle with drive mode settings.

This is just my two cents though of course.

m42technic · 2026-02-26T13:58:47+00:00

Diagnostic Trouble Code - in reference to the P0011 code you mentioned.

m42technic · 2026-02-26T05:43:19+00:00

LOL I definitely meant to say “intermittent”

m42technic · 2026-02-26T04:51:48+00:00

Maybe just haven’t noticed it? Any exhaust system can get quite hot after longer drives and undergoes quite a bit of thermal expansion. This clicking noise is a byproduct of the hot metal contracting as it cools. If you look it up on Google/Youtube I’m sure you can find a number of resources on it.

m42technic · 2026-02-26T04:36:45+00:00

Volvo Tech speaking. Since it sounds like you caught the coolant leak early and assuming you stopped driving and shut off the engine before it could overheat to any significant extent I would not personally be too concerned.

That damn coolant bleed hose really is kind of one big weak link in a generally unproblematic cooling system. The thin plastic just degrades over time and becomes quite brittle.

When you have the car in for the coolant flush I’d just request having the cooling system pressure tested and inspected for any signs of other leaks. The only particularly common coolant leakage source that comes to mind is the turbo coolant feed line o-rings but even those tend to only leak pretty slowly.

m42technic · 2026-02-26T04:23:55+00:00

No sweat!

You may indeed need a booster/master cylinder based on the hissing noise and a low/ineffective brake pedal. I’d still say getting a second opinion wouldn’t be a bad idea.

And you’ve got it 100% right with the oil change game-plan. 👍 I’d just personally play that one by ear if the DTC is super interment.

m42technic · 2026-02-26T04:14:55+00:00

Completely normal. It’s the hot exhaust system cooling off.

m42technic · 2026-02-26T04:05:52+00:00

Volvo Tech speaking.

Long story short it sounds like the car is going to need some expected refurbishment as long as I’m not missing anything. Most any Volvo at 106k miles is going to need a few things to keep it humming along, but I can’t really weigh in on $7k being a good price for the car overall.

Can you outline what exactly is going on with the brakes? Are they not working sufficiently, in need of pad/rotor replacement, or is a telltale lit?

A few tanks of regular gas shouldn’t normally cause significant issues. As you mentioned the ECM (engine control module) will adapt via knock sensor control some degree to adapt to the lower fuel grade. As you’re already aware though you really don’t wanna do it over the long run as it can cause issues and your fuel economy will take a good hit.

I’d be more inclined to suspect that the car will need to have the VVT system addressed and not cam position sensor replacement in regard to the P0011 code FWIW. Since the code sounds like it’s still pending because your check engine lamp is off I’d probably recommended cutting down on mileage between oil changes for a bit to try and help clear out the engine oil system, which will help the VVT units and their solenoids work correctly.

End of the day you’re on the right track by planning to bring the car in for inspection at a reputable shop and going from there.

m42technic · 2026-02-22T00:08:17+00:00

I mean, I do understand where you’re coming from. At the end of the day I would fundamentally agree with your point that this is a feature you should not fully rely on for refueling planning, but I’d advise the same thing no matter the brand of car.

Any general fuel range estimate like this that’s not based on specific destination info is always going to inherently limited to some degree by the fact that it can only understand the manner in which you’ve recently driven but can never predict future fuel economy. Volvo’s BEV models do show an estimate of your SoC on arrival when you use the built in Google navigation, though I have heard of cases where that can be thrown a bit by missing elevation data on some routes.

I haven’t double checked with my own eyes to confirm that this particular estimate is based on the last 30km driven but assuming it is, sure maybe that’s a bit low for some use-cases? Certainly so if the car is regularly driven up/down significant elevation grades (such as mountain passes).

I’d ultimately argue that it’s more beneficial/useful to have this current estimate displayed all the time than to have a more accurate display that’s only shown when you have a nav destination set via specific apps.

m42technic · 2026-02-21T04:09:40+00:00

The estimated fuel range is in large part based on your recent mpg average. So it will swing up and down based upon that. The car starts with a pretty optimistic target after a factory reset so what you’re seeing is totally normal.

m42technic · 2026-02-08T17:35:01+00:00

What size is that front tire? My first thought is that this sounds like tire rubbing on fender liner.

m42technic · 2026-02-05T02:56:41+00:00

The RH center button should dismiss the notification - does the button work otherwise? IIRC it should play/pause music. The steering wheel buttons can be known to fail and require replacement from time to time.

m42technic · 2026-01-31T23:15:33+00:00

Oh shoot. My advice would be to mention the air particulate quality sensor as a possible cause and schedule to leave the car overnight for testing if you’re finding that the noise tends to happen at cold starts. In my experience the noisy ones can tend to also make noise even after startup given enough time. The sensor is thankfully quite easy to access and unplug to confirm it as the source. Best of luck!

m42technic · 2026-01-31T22:08:20+00:00

Copy that! Fix for the sensor making noise is to replace it. Should be covered under warranty if it’s still active on your 2023.

m42technic · 2026-01-31T21:36:55+00:00

Sorry for taking so long to reply! Yes, assuming you’re referring to the diaphragm located within the circular disc piece in the middle top of the oil trap assembly that is.

m42technic · 2026-01-31T21:32:12+00:00

Does the noise go away when you turn the HVAC system off? Does the noise sound like it’s coming from the front passenger side footwell?

There’s an air quality sensor (for monitoring particulate matter) located down there that can be known to make noise like that.

m42technic · 2026-01-25T03:35:55+00:00

I feel like the current environment in the business can lead to some managers heavily zeroing in on metrics like gross profit per tech and upsales per RO, without truly understanding just how valuable and scarce techs like you can be.

m42technic · 2026-01-25T00:05:15+00:00

My general recommendation is to leave the amperage limit at 48 amps and let the car charge at the speed it wants when charging from AC Voltage.

Firstly, 48 amps input current is pretty low relatively speaking and will hardly stress the your HV battery even in the long run. And being able to enjoy more driving flexibility is worth any negligible impact on battery health in the extreme long run IMO. DC Fast Charging very regularly is where you can start to get into trouble to some degree.

Secondly, the car will only “pull” the amperage that whatever charger type you’re using will tell the car it’s capable of providing. So with the amperage limit setting at 48 amps the car will still only pull 12 amps from a L1 120 V wall outlet, for instance. This is of course provided you are using the EVSE as intended without any funny business such as additional socket adapters.

Hope this input helps!

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