Service rep called while doing the 30K, said the transmission could stand to be flushed to the tune of $135. I asked if it was part of the recommended maintenance at 30K, and he said no. What is the deal here?

Volvo says you don't have to flush/change tranny fluid
unless vehicle used as a taxi or for towing.

Many people who post here recommend you have it flushed and
some dealers now also recommended this.

I think it should be done and is good preventive maintenance
for a component that is expensive to service or replace.
Ours was done at 45K and the transmission feels much smoother.
Cost was $90 from an independent.

I was told by a dealer mechanic that it is supposed to be done every 20k miles. Maybe someone missed telling you. They missed telling me.

Jake,
I just had the 22k service done on my 2000 S70 AWD and they changed the Tranny fluid as part of the service. Total for service was about $195 which wasn't too bad considering they washed the car too! Smile.

Regardless if Volvo recommends it at 30K or your dealer does, the deal is that if your transmission fluid is brown, it has become oxidized and needs to be replaced. If it is a real transmission flush then that price is good and fair, but if all they do is a drain and fill, tell them no thanks and take it to someone that will flush the entire transmission. If they flush it for you at the dealer check the yellow dip stick to ensure it is nice and pink.


Rich K.

My 940 owners manual recommends a transmission fluid change every 20K, which I've done. But my S70 GLT owners manual doesn't appear to recommend a regular transmission fluid change. And I believe I remember the S70 manual actually saying "it may never need changing". But, like a previous reply, if its dirty, time to change. I'll probably do mine on a regular basis anyway. A dealer I went to charged $70 for a change, and about $95 for a flush, my local indy was about $65 for a flush.

FYI - I took my 940 with 215K to a dealer recently for a transmission fluid change. It was my first time at this dealer, and he said that since they had never worked on my car before, they wouldn't guarantee their work and wouldn't take any responsibility if the transmission didn't work properly afterward (I think he was concerned that I possibly had never had it changed before, and that something "bad" may happen). Since I had always had it serviced according to the schedule, I didn't share his concerns and I had it done. I also wrote to Volvo asking if this was standard procedure, but Volvo never replied.

I find it very easy to just drain it at the trans plug, at each oil change & add 4 quarts. I use Valvoline DexIII it's cheap at Checker(CSK) & the piece of mind is good. Brown stinky ATF is A Grenade about to blow!(3 quarts with MY 245)The WIFES 98 S70 takes 4
Good luck! Don in Tucson