19th Jan 2019, 12:01
XC90 2.5T AWD. I had too many problems with this model, but with the engine and Aisin transmission, no problems. At almost 120000 miles I changed a lot of parts, also several factory recalls.
Bevel gears replaced at 70000 miles, costly.
It's funny that we need to change front bearings on the wheels at 20000 miles and rear at 50000 miles etc... Wheel bearings fail mostly in areas with winter, road salt. Check with cover lid design if leaking on this year on the CEM, as this is also common problem in heavy raining countries...
11th May 2020, 00:06
Volvo put the same wheel bearings on all P2 cars - S60, V70, XC70, XC90. Same with other suspension components. Only, Volvo designed these parts for the smaller sedans, so the XC90 is going to be hard on ball joints, end links, spring seats, wheel bearings, etc. That said, for the wheel bearings, if you want them to last 50K miles, get the genuine from Volvo; if you think 30K miles is OK, get the FAG or SKF. And very important, don't forget to install the small dust cap 30647015 with the small face on the bearing - it protects the bearing seal and extends the bearing life.
Speaking of aftermarket brands, it is good to know that the brands are constantly changing. It is true there are brands who make the genuine parts for Volvo, but more of these brands sell now aftermarket parts that are no longer the same quality as the genuine ones. For example, Lemforder now sells a cheap and bad strut mount, and their control arms started to last much less. Other brands sell some parts that are good and others that are not. So keep asking on forums to know which brands are still worth it. And of course, as said above, steer clear of horrible brands with fancy names such as Pro (or Professional) Parts Sweden. Just by their pretentious name your should get a red light about this company who in the past was called ScanTech.
21st Sep 2016, 06:15
Original poster here. Yes I will have to agree with that. I tried Swedish Performance Parts upper spring seats and strut mounts, and they turned out to be bad, which is frustrating, because it was a big job. I replaced them with Lemforder, and not a peep came from the front after that.
I have 306,000 on it now, and it's turned out to be a great rig. I have stopped having issues with it, so I started doing some mods to enjoy it more (I put 50,000 km on a year, so might as well enjoy it)...
I found some "Calcite" leather interior and two toned black/calcite door panels and arm rest, and did the swap. It looks much nicer than the all off-black interior. I also changed the amp under the passenger seat, and added the center speaker, and had Volvo do the software upgrade, so I now have Premium Audio. Then, I bought a set of used "Erakir" 19 inch rims from a 2013 XC70, and brought them to a machine shop to have the bore enlarged to fit the XC90...
It looks good, and I am happy enough with it, that when it comes time to replace it, I will buy another XC90.