Buying review of the Volvo XC90 2002-2014 Common Issues Engines Inspection

Hello everybody, welcome at another car buyers review.

In this series we look at desirable cars that are now reasonable in price and are still quite modern.
We will talk about the background of the car, the available engines and some of the reported issues with these cars.

In this video we will take a look at the Volvo XC90, the first SUV from Volvo. We will talk about the first generation of this car that was built between 2002 and 2014. Which is quite a long time for a carmodel. Offcource there have been a few facelifts during its lifecycle.

The first facelift is from 2007, the second facelift in 2011. Various updates to the car where done in 2009, 2010 and 2012 there where various updates to the car.

Like for example:

For the model year 2009 the XC90 received a new rear logo, featuring larger lettering with wider spaces between de VOLVO letters. In 2010 all XC90 models received painted wheel arches, before that this was an option. Also a large Volvo Logo appeared on the grill.

And in 2012 LED taillights became available on the higher spec versions, the entry level cars retained the original style lights. Now lets check out the engines that where available for the XC90.

For the diesels there is a D3, D4, and three different spec D5 engines. Some with front wheel drive, others with all wheel drive. The petrol powered cars start with the 2.5 inline 5 turbo, a 3.2 inline 6, and inline 6 twin turbo in the T6 and a V8 AWD. The diesel and petrol cars are all rated as EURO4 emissions engines.

Reasons to buy the XC90

• Its a safe car, its a Volvo after all
• It has a premium look and feel but less expensive then its German counterparts
• Its quite reliable
• It has a ton of space, and its comfortable
• Excellent seats
• Available as a seven seat configuration.

Pay attention to the following points, these points seem plenty but the car was popular and was in production for a long time. Maintenance is very important for this car, car history therefor must be available when buying the vehicle.

Automatic gearboxes can become less smooth in shifting over time, flushing the gearbox will help to prevent serious damage. The automatic gearbox of the T6 built between 2003-2004 is relatively unreliable, avoid this 4 speed gearbox is possible. The gearbox is probably not good enough for the power output of the T6 engine. The supporting arms are a weak component of the XC90, check if they are replaced already or need replacement.

The injectors of the D5 could, aspecially with higer milage cars need replacement, which is normal, but pricy to replace. Keep that in mind.

Sqeeks and rattles are standard, for the early productionmodels also noices from the chassis.
This is not an indication for bad built quality, its just Volvo’s way of letting you know that nobody is perfect.

Check the rear wheel bearings for wear and tear.
ABS notifications, change the ECU or braze the connectors with the use of a specialist.

All in all this is a perfect car for the family. It was quite a succesfull car for Volvo, recently the second generation was launched. The Volvo is quite heavy but most of the engines deliver sufficient preformance to still make the XC90 fly over the road.

Hope this carbuyers review was useful for you, if so subscribe to my channel.

See you guys in the next video.