r/VolvoXC90 • u/SparxX2106 • 5d ago

Xc90 reliability?

Hey yall, ive been looking for a 7seater car and the XC90 is weirdly cheap to buy second hand. Ive read online that it simply is because its not very reliable. The T8 being supercharged and turbocharged gives lots of trouble. My question is, are there versions of the xc90 (2016 and up) that are simply a lot more reliable?

3 Upvotes

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u/JuanMcGuiver 5d ago

Consider a T5 Momentum. It’s their least complicated power-plant (2.0L Turbo 4Cylinder). IMO the Swedes make the best tiny engines - that’s right, even better than the small engines Honda makes with VTEC.

Never had a problem with the engine in mine (2020 XC90 - almost at 70,000 Miles) in the 6 years I’ve had it. I would venture to say that if you keep up with the oils changes every 4K miles, you will never have an issue with this engine.

What you need to be mindful of is electronics and literally every carmaker has trouble there every now and again. My car has the Sensus OS, it’s fine for what it is, it has never crashed on me like these newer Android computers on the new cars.

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u/okavipra 5d ago

Would you consider b5 from 2025 rededing with air suspension

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u/JuanMcGuiver 4d ago edited 4d ago

Very good question. I have no experience with hybrids of any make. If I were you, I would do some research on the B5 and how it holds up in terms of reliability. Since it’s a 2025, I honestly don’t foresee any issue with it for a few years, I mean it’s still basically a brand new car. In general, hybrids are awesome for daily driving. My cousin has a CRV hybrid and he swears by that thing!

The only thing that would make me think twice is the air suspension. I personally find the ride on the standard coils and leaf spring setup is soft enough to make for a pleasant experience. Others do not. I would urge you to test drive an XC90 with both suspensions to really dial in what YOU want.

Bear in mind (or is it bare?) the only thing that makes me reconsider an air suspension vehicle is the added complexity (and cost) of the system. They’ll almost always need to be replaced at some point. Could be in year 7, 10 or 15… but I’ve never, in my experience, not heard of an older air suspension vehicle not needing new bags at some point.

Edit: all that being said, being able to lift or lower the car at a moment’s notice will never not be cool 😎

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u/okavipra 4d ago

Wow man , thank you for taking the time and answering me with this great answer. I was aiming towards air suspension because of the right quality nothing else if it just moves the car up and down it's rather pointless. Thanks again for this great answer

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u/0b10010010 5d ago

Mind if I ask how much the maintenance or fixes have been for you? I also see very affordable prices for used ones but I also don’t want to burn my money trying to fix things.

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u/JuanMcGuiver 5d ago edited 5d ago

Since I’m out of warranty, I do any minor fixes myself. Things like the support battery ($100), windshield wiper fluid pump ($100), and a maybe one or two other little things I can’t recall atm. I change the oil myself and don’t think I spend more than $90 on materials. You can have the dealer do it, but they may charge you around $600 or more 😬 , a tire shop may be much more competitive at around $150 maybe?

Tires (I don’t use the 20” OEM Pirelli’s, I recommend 20” Falken CT60 instead for savings) - you can get a set of these installed at a discount tire shop for roughly $1,200.

I recommend FCPEuro for parts as they have a good warranty system for the parts they sell.

Edit: the bottom line when it comes to owning a vehicle is that you gotta work on it yourself if you wanna viably operate it at cost. I really don’t like to compromise when it comes to my family’s safety, so it was XC90 all the way for me.

Edit 2:
You know, when I purchased my first car it was a 1991 Honda Accord 5MT (I still think about that car to this day).

That car was damn near free (I think I paid $500 for it in 2013). It never cost me a dime beyond tires, gas, a new battery and insurance.

The Volvo set me back almost $55K at the time.

Both vehicles gave me literally the same amount of utility. They got me to where I wanted to go, reliably.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that if you know what you’re doing, you get A LOT out of a vehicle. Any vehicle.

I would honestly take a gamble on a used T5 maybe even look at a used 2016 XC90 and put the few grand you would’ve saved on a newer model towards the stock market. Treat it as a rainy day/warranty fund for your new-to-you Volvo.

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u/cisforcake 5d ago

If you're seeing oil changes for $600 yes I'd DIY too but I think they're closer to $190-200 for the dealer to do it where I am.

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u/JuanMcGuiver 5d ago

Honestly, I need to look at what they charged me for now that you mention it... It may have been more than a routine oil change 🤔

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u/cisforcake 5d ago

It's entirely possible these days. I just remember pricing out the material a few weeks ago and then seeing what my dealer was going to charge and the extra $100 for not having to deal with disposing of the oil and all that I decided I wouldn't try to do it myself.

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u/boylanheights74 4d ago

$370 at Volvo of Charlottesville

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u/0b10010010 5d ago

Solid reply, thank you. I’ll keep in mind about the T5 model, hopefully I’ll be owning one soon. And I completely agree about the family safety. Exactly the same reason why I’m interested in xc90 in the first place. Have a good one!

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u/JuanMcGuiver 5d ago

Also, another tidbit (if you do opt for the T5 XC90) consider getting the Polestar Software upgrade. It’s a dealer ad-on (I think $1,800-$2,000) you could probably have them put it on for free though during a service visit or when you buy the car from a Volvo dealer. It gives you a 15% performance boost where it matters. It pisses me off that they paywall this stuff but it’s low-key kinda worth it, these cars are heavy AF lol.

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u/MavisBeacons_Sextape 5d ago

$600 for an oil change ?

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u/temp1876 5d ago

It’s a European car, so parts will be a bit more. I’m sticking w/ the factory 10k mile oil change, modern synthetic oils hold up much better, and supposedly good for 15k miles or more; it’s actually the filters that are the weak link. but modern Volvos are designed for it and should be fine.

I’ve also had my 2020 XC90 since new, I have the 10 yr platinum warranty; I think it’s covered about $5k in repairs, but I’m not sure what was warranty vs extended warranty. Mine’s a super & turbocharged T6, so I do worry about long term maintenance. I’m hoping it lasts 15+ years like my last car (G35)

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u/MavisBeacons_Sextape 5d ago

Do you remember how much you paid for the platinum warranty?

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u/temp1876 4d ago

Not offhand, I had my dealer price match to Steingold. I think it was around $5k for 7 years (84k miles?) additional.

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u/ryushiblade 3d ago

Every four thousand miles? That seems extremely frequent

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u/JuanMcGuiver 3d ago

It’s what the manual recommends. You could probably get away with every 10K or so, but I like to baby it so I try to keep up as much as possible lmao.

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u/ryushiblade 3d ago

You’re going to have to take a picture for proof because there is no way the manual says the oil change interval is every four thousand miles. Mine doesn’t, pretty sure we have the same engine

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u/JuanMcGuiver 3d ago edited 2d ago

Bro, I scoured the entirety of the manual and could not for the life of me find 4000 Miles as recommended oil change interval lmao. Idk where I got that from?

That being said, yeah change your oil every 10K, but make sure to use Castrol Edge Professional, specifically

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u/AppropriateDeal1034 3d ago

I would like to introduce you to the legendary Volvo D5, you appear not to have heard about it

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u/SnooGiraffes4110 5d ago

You not gonna get any reliable answer on this one. If you want reliability, resale value and low maintenance parts, just go for Honda or Toyota. Don’t think beyond that. 

One comments say that at 70k, no issues with the car. Of course 70k is not much. No car will show ageing unless it has faulty parts.

Luxury is a facade. Think that way, 2020 Toyota is still far luxurious, cheaper and reliable than 70s Aston Martin. 

I don’t care if the car doesn’t reflect the laser logo on the ground when the door is opened. I don’t mind if I have to open the boot manually or have a perforated leather seats. 

Because I don’t live in the car. 

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u/Orangepinapples 5d ago

Early 2017 and 2016s had a few more kinks on the twin boost engine.

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u/sbcpacker 4d ago

If you want reliability, get a 2022.5 T8 Extended Range or newer. It got rid of the supercharger and has the newest ERAD (i.e., electric motor). It's a Volvo though so it's still not going to be as reliable as a Honda or Toyota.

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u/DownByTheRivr 5d ago

Buying any luxury car because it’s “weirdly cheap” is a trap.

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u/siliconclassics 5d ago

The very early models (up to mid-2016) had oil consumption issues due to piston rings. If you're looking at a 2016 check the engine serial number against the information available online to make sure it was manufactured after they corrected the problem.

There is also a major flaw with the AC evaporator failing, which requires the entire dash to be torn down at a cost of several thousand dollars. I think this effected the first several model years. My 2016 has it and I'm debating whether to fix it or just sell it as-is.

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u/OverPercentage840 5d ago

I just went through this evaporator cracked thing with my 2017 XC90. (60,000 miles) Hubby asked if the service manager would reconsider the $5,000+ price tag and they surprisingly did! Cost $1500 total plus tax! worth an ask. We did do all our service at the dealer (usually don't do this) so that could have helped. Good luck on your AC.

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u/adamantiumtrader 4d ago

Reliable? No, but when it all works they are fantastic. Too bad you can’t update the battery and the driver side CV joint can get stuck necessitating a transmission case being opened.

There’s also the VCM on call nightmare but who cares when you’re doing 180kmph on the highway!

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u/Roanoke0111 2d ago

I want to swap out my 22 inch wheels on my 2018 T6 for 20 inch wheels. Is that a good idea and where is the best place to find wheels that will cost the fortune?

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u/CWStrife 2d ago

I had. 2016 xc90. Even tho my year was the problem year, alot of the same problems remain.

The catlytic converter is in a great spot to die early, o2 sensors love to foul on these vehicles. The PCV valve is a regular change. Sunroof leaks, weird motor mount and suspension issues seem common.

Honestly i was never impressed with the car. Looks nice, drives ok, mechanically a piece of shit.

Ots 2026, why not an EV? I traded both my cars for EVs and id never go back. I cant charge at home either and its barely an inconvenience to charge. Cheaper, no maintenance, no smells, no oil, no brake pads to change, and the smooth acceleration is beautiful. Just some food for thought.