Greetings,

About two weeks ago, I had a blowout in the rear passenger tire on my 1999 XC. I bought this "certified" car a couple of months ago w/ 50K mi and am assuming the tires are it's second set. After changing to the "spare" tire, I drove driectly to the Volvo dealer. I have read the brickboard and am aware of the tire size issue & possible damage to the bevel gear so I asked the "service manager" if I had to replace all four tires. He looked at my car, felt the existing tire tread with his hand, said that my existing tires had enough tread and that I didn't need to replace all four tires. I am guessing the existing tires have approx. 10k-15k miles on them but have no way of knowing. He said I could replace the one tire & to leave it on the rear, which I did. Now, over the weekend, I noticed a small amount of oil had leaked on my driveway (don't know from where yet) and am fearing the worst. Did my dealer give me completely bad advice ? If the one new tire is/has caused damage, would it happen this quickly ? The car has an extended warranty so I won't be paying for any repairs, but if the bevel gear is replaced, how long until it fails again (assuming I keep the same tires)? I can't believe Volvo would offer an extended warranty for such an expensive and fragile part... I'd rather make Volvo pay for the repair than shell out $600 for a blowout.

Other problems since buying this "certified" gem three months ago (all covered under warranty but the repeated trips to the dealer are getting really old):

Missing emblem & grill piece-I thought the certification process was supposed to catch these kinds of things.

Replaced dead battery-supposedly checked during certification.

Replaced both front wheel bearings-Wondering if this car is really certified.

Flat tire in driveway-before the blowout

Empty power steering resevior-no leak detected-again, supposedly checked during certification

I also never recieved a copy of the 130 point certification inspection. I called the manager and was told one would be sent but it never arrived. Now I'm wondering if somebody is trying to pull a fast one. I guess I'll find out when I take yet another trip the the repair shop the get this latest problem fixed...

Sorry about the rant.
Any feedback is appreciated.


NattyDerek

2000 S40 1999 V70 XC

Just an update FWIW. The oil leak turned out to be the "turbo oil return line", not the dreaded bevel gear. I am, however, still paranoid about my one new tire. Any opinions on whether one new tire (that is within 2-3 mm of tread depth compared to the existing tires) is going to be O.K. ? If not, are there any warning signs (such as leaking oil) that will tell me the tires are not equal enough and thus allow me to buy a new tire (or three) before damaging the bevel gear ?

Thanks,

NattyDerek

2000 S40
1999 V70 XC-maybe for sale ;-)
1998 Dodge Dakota 4x4-for sale ;-(

I've got a '98 XC and had a sidewall puncture at around 7K. The tire had to be replaced and I drove 3 days a total of about 50 miles on the temp. I ordered a new tire (exact mfg.size replacement from tirerack.com). The original tires were Continentals and lasted to about 31K. I could have gone longer on them, but they were looking fairly worn. I switched to Michelin X-One's (exact same size) and like their performance and wear much better.

I've had no problems with the bevel gear to date and just turned 51K on the odometer. I also just returned from my second desert trip with these tires where I went off road about 30 miles. Lot's of soft sand and fairly difficult terrain, but the car handled very well.

I also do most of my own maintenance. I did change the AT fluid at 50K - the original AT fluid looked fine - bright red. YMMV

I know and agree that it's a bad scene BUT FYI only, do be aware that despite what your dealers service writer is telling you, if and when that bevel gear fails after blowing a tire, using the supplied space saver spare and especially then only replacing ONE tire, Volvo and VIP will NOT cover the repair as they've covered their own butts in the owners manual. Do read that and even though it does say two tires are OK, you really need 4 to be safe if the other tires aren't also like new (exact same tire diameter run-out).
I know of several customers who've been through this, used the space saver for just a few blocks and Volvo declined the claim. VIP covers less than the original warranty and they might not help you if and when that costly unit fails despite what any writer might be saying now.
Bevel gears leak from too much heat. The fluid expands and seaps out from the overflow (vent) near the top. They all seem to seep a little but seeing this now dripping after a single tire replacement doesn't sound good to me.

Although more than what you want to spend now, you'ld be best off by replacing all 4 tires now IMHO.

Hi, Frank could be right about the warranty not being covered with the use of the t-tire but I'm a little concerened. Your t-tire should be full diameter! My tire is full on my '98, its narrower and has a taller rim but is identical to my regular tires for diameter. If you '99 has the same, there should be no reason to be concerned if you drove a short distance under 80 km/hr. I believe most xc's come with this full diameter spare just for that reason (awd). Anyways, check to make sure your spare is full diameter and go from there.


Regards,
Gerald


1998 v70xc 115k

Hello there, I was sympathetic to your so called certified car. It really sucks when service guys just check the appropriate boxes instead of actually looking over the car. I own a 1998 v70xc that has 115,000 mi. My car has had most of your issues over its lifetime - dead battery (often causing the car to completely shut down) power steering rack replaced, front bearings, and typical electrical problems. These repairs were done before I came to own the car but still shows this car is not trouble free.

In regards to the tire issue, I would look into getting one new tire of the same size and brand and having the tread shaved down to the same as the rest. Shops that do retreads have these machines I believe. This would at least ease your fears until all 4 need replacing. It is also recommended that if you do add a new tire, get two and put them on the front!!! But they should not exceed 2-3 mm more tread depth. This whole deal about changing all four has its merits especially with the volvo awd (it just doesn't have the reliability others have). The fact that a larger diameter will turn slower effects the visious coupling and bevel gear. It causes these parts to heat and wear, everything has to function with as low resistance as possible.

In regards to the leak, deal with it ASAP. My guess is that its the bevel gear seal. Its a real common complaint on your year as well as the 2000. It can fail between 30 and 60k no matter how you maintain and rotate your tires. I would even say that this should be a recall, considering the possible awd problems it could cause if undetected.

Oh ya, and do your own maintenence if your a handy type. Oil changes are a little tougher to do with your filter type but should be no prob. Brakes are easy and you can do your own coolant, ATF, plugs, etc, and save big time! I would not be able to afford this car if I was going to a dealer for maintenace and repairs. Max out your warranty and enjoy the car, there's really no car like it!! ~Gerald

the bevel gear seems to be a problem on the awd. but u shouldn't worry too much since u have the extended warranty. and if they decline, then u can say the tech said one tire that's larger than rest is ok. awd is a pain to maintain if u'r not careful...here is an article specifically noting proper rotation is key on an awd car, be it volvo or subaru or audi. as from road and track http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache:O_80HpNdpb4C:www.roadandtrack.com/technical/PrintArticle.asp%3FArticleID%3D245+road+and+track+technical+correspondence+audi+tt&hl=en&ie=UTF-8


[quote]
Four-for-One Deal

I have a 2000 Audi TT Quattro coupe, which I have driven 20,000 miles. On a recent oil service the technician noted the driver's-side front tire was worn on the inside tread rib and needs replacement. The dealer has offered to do a 4-wheel alignment, under warranty. Here's the rub: I am told that I cannot replace only the worn tire but because the car is a Quattro, I must replace all four tires.

I went to Costco and asked if they would replace one tire and they said that due to "liability reasons," they would only replace all four tires on a 4-wheel-drive vehicle.

This seems like excessive caution, especially as I'm not driving at Autobahn speeds. Is this normal tire replacement procedure? Does every Quattro/all-wheel-driver face mandatory four-tire replacement?
Rich King
Olympia, Washington

Tire size matching has become important due to the proliferation of various types of traction control, ABS and all-wheel/4-wheel-drive systems. Some of these systems tolerate mis-matched tire diameters with relative ease, but many do not. Because the stakes are high — replacing a burned-up 4wd system is costly — and the fact that some systems are indeed sensitive to just a few millimeters of tread wear, the tire industry has moved toward replacing all four tires as a matter of course. That explains Costco's response.

That this stance helps sell tires doesn't hurt, obviously, but there is real truth — at least on some vehicles — for the need to keep tire diameters equal. It's also quite difficult for tire retailers to know which systems are on what cars, and as they'll be the first in the lawsuit line should a 4wd system be damaged, the retailers tend to stick to their "all-four" guns. Your Audi TT uses a Haldex coupling, which is an electronically controlled clutch pack designed for intermittent use, not continuous operation. Differential tire rotation is what invokes this awd system, so having a "short" tire on the car can cause rapid clutch wear as the system would be working all the time. That's why Audi recommends changing all the tires. [quote]

Thank you all for your replies.
A couple things to add to my story... I did use the spare tire, drove about 10 miles and kept it under 50 mph. I replaced the blowout with an identical Michelin MXV plus. After inspecting the new tire & comparing it to the old, there appears to be about 2-3 mm in tread difference. This seems to be right on the border of "acceptible" tread differences. It seems to me that differences in tire pressure and/or different amounts of cargo would deform the tires at least this much. Also, after carefully reading the owners manual, it does not say all four tires need to be replaced in case of a flat. It simply states "when replacing worn tires, it is recommended that the tire be identical in type (radial) and size as the one being replaced. Using a tire of the same make (manufacturer) will prevent alteration of driving characteristics." and "car must not be driven with wheels of different dimensions". Unless I missed something, it doesn't say anything aboutm replacing more than one tire at a time. Now, the only reason I became aware of this problem was through the brickboard. My guess is the majority of owners do not read this board and are clueless about the necessity to replace all four (or at least two) tires should a blowout occur. The tire store did not mention anything about possible damage. If this is the case & judging by how many AWD wagons I see around, there must be many people who have had this problem. At $4000 per repair, how can Volvo offer this extended warranty ?
I have driven the car less than 100 miles at non-highway speeds since the blowout and not at all since I noticed the leak, which seems to be minor at this point. Is it possible that the uneven tires caused the fuild to heat up & leak out but no damage has been done to the bevel gear yet ? Is permanant damage inevitable or can I still by one more new tire and save the gear ? Will a service technician be able to diagnose this ?
One interesting note, after digging up the car's past maintenance records, I have found that the car had been taken to the dealer in the past a half dozen times to "repair tires" whatever that means. It has also had two front end alignments.
I'm taking it in tomorrow and am trying not to get too worked up about this until I definitely know what the problem is. I do like the car a lot and it was awesome in the snow this past winter. Even better than my 4 wheel dive truck...which I may not be selling after all...

I will post an update after the repair.

NattyDerek

2000 S40
1999 V70 XC- maybe for sale ;-)
1998 Dodge Dakota 4X4-for sale ;-(