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Maintaining my Wife's 2013 C30 T5-Rdesign

4K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  doomsdaybob 
#1 · (Edited)
We bought the car new back in May of 2013 and I figured it's about time I made a thread for it. This will help me keep track of the maintenance and share things I learn along the way.

Here's a few pics of the car from 2015:





I've been pretty rigorous with the maintenance on this car from day one. I've been with Volvo long enough to know not to leave it up to them or their recommendations. I did the first oil change at 1k miles, then again at 2,500 miles and 5,000 miles. The idea was to get any particulates out from the break-in period. It may seem a bit overkill but we intend to keep this car for a very long time.

OCI's have been every 5k miles since except for the most recent, I went 7k miles just because I didn't have time to do it earlier. The car now has about 67,700 miles and has been mostly trouble free.

Besides the included free oil changes, it's only been to the dealer three other times for warranty repairs:

1. Replace driver's door panel that wasn't installed properly at the factory.
2. Replace the HVAC expansion valve.
3. Replace battery.

Besides that I've done all the maintenance and repairs needed. Besides oil changes, brake fluid flush, and air filter/cabin filter changes, I replaced the following:

at 50k miles:

1. Drain and fill the trans fluid.

at 60k miles:

1. All brake pads and rotors (used Akebono pads and Centric powerslot rotors).
2. Ignition switch (wasn't always starting with the first flick)
3. Spark plugs (genuine Volvo plugs)
4. Oil cap O-ring

at 67k miles:

1. Front end-links
2. Removed and cleaned ETM and replaced gasket to alleviate dropping idle when coming to a stop
3. Cleaned MAF sensor

at 73k miles:

1. Replaced M.A.F. (no CEL but idle seemed like it could be smoother)

I will try and update this thread each time I do a repair or interesting maintenance item. I will also add more pics.
 
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#5 ·
I have used the Akebono pads for years now on my S60 but always with the powelsot rotors so I can speak to how they will feel on stock rotors although there may not be much of a difference. This is the first time I've put them on the C30 but the feel is what I'm used to with akebonos.

The feel compared to stock is definitely different. They have a more linear feel to them. The stock pads seem to almost come on all at once. In emergency braking, the akebonos feel very strong and I've never felt like I ran out of stopping power with them. I prefer their feel over the stock pads but some people feel they are not as responsive. It's hard to say which is better without scientific testing.

The dust issue is almost non-existant with the akebono pads. You can clean your wheels once every six months and they still look good. The only dust that the akebonos produce is white in color so it's very hard to notice.
 
#4 ·
Thanks a lot! We like it too.
 
#6 ·
We bought the car new back in May of 2013 and I figured it's about time I made a thread for it. This will help me keep track of the maintenance and share things I learn along the way.

Here's a few pics of the car from 2015:





I've been pretty rigorous with the maintenance on this car from day one. I've been with Volvo long enough to know not to leave it up to them or their recommendations. I did the first oil change at 1k miles, then again at 2,500 miles and 5,000 miles. The idea was to get any particulates out from the break-in period. It may seem a bit overkill but we intend to keep this car for a very long time.

OCI's have been every 5k miles since except for the most recent, I went 7k miles just because I didn't have time to do it earlier. The car now has about 67,700 miles and has been mostly trouble free.

Besides the included free oil changes, it's only been to the dealer three other times for warranty repairs:

1. Replace driver's door panel that wasn't installed properly at the factory.
2. Replace the HVAC expansion valve.
3. Replace battery.

Besides that I've done all the maintenance and repairs needed. Besides oil changes, brake fluid flush, and air filter/cabin filter changes, I replaced the following:

at 50k miles:

1. Drain and fill the trans fluid.

at 60k miles:

1. All brake pads and rotors (used Akebono pads and Centric powerslot rotors).
2. Ignition switch (wasn't always starting with the first flick)
3. Spark plugs (genuine Volvo plugs)
4. Oil cap O-ring

at 67k miles:
1. Front end-links
2. Removed and cleaned ETM and replaced gasket to alleviate dropping idle when coming to a stop
3. Cleaned MAF sensor

I will try and update this thread each time I do a repair or interesting maintenance item. I will also add more pics.
When you replaced the spark plugs were you surprised that the plugs from the factory said FoMoCo? I remember being like WTH?
 
#9 · (Edited)
C30 got Antz?

So I just did another oil change on the C30. A few months back I replaced the compressor clutch and while doing so I had to remove the fender liner on the passenger side. To my surprise I found 7 years worth of compacting leaves some of which was composting. Enough leaves to fill half of a 5 gallon trash can. There were millions of tiny ants running around in the leaves and now I know why the car has an ant problem. Today I did the driver's side and also pulled the passenger side to see if the bug spray kept the ants away, it did. Pics in the links below show the leaves on the driver's side.

Automotive exterior Bumper Auto part


Soil


We only have a one car garage at the moment and my "vintage" S60 lives there. So the this is the result of parking the C30 outside under an Oak tree in South Florida. Thought I'd share as I've never seen anything like this before in all my years as a car guy.

FYI, removing and replacing the fender liners is kind of a PITA. I'll probably do it once every two years or so.

Other notables, both upper engine mounts are leaking pretty bad. Vibration at idle is still minimal but I'll probably be replacing all the motor mounts next summer. FCP has a nice Hutchinson kit for a reasonable amount: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-engine-mount-kit-hutchinson-31316498kt
 
#10 ·
Nice car! I have a white 2009. I read through you or post & thought it was worth asking if you’d have a hunch as to what’s going on with my car since you mentioned engine mounts. This is the new sound I’m hearing: if I’m already moving and I lift off the gas then give it gas again a couple seconds later l, I hear a faint ‘knock’. The shop thought it was the after market axle I replaced with a few months ago so I had them put in a genuine Volvo one, the knock went away for a couple days but it’s back. My passenger side engine mount is a little worn they said but they didn’t seem to stress that was the issue. 2 shops looked at all mounts and only that one is showing wear. They also think it could be coming from the tranny. I’m not sure what the heck is going on. It has 177k and I’m almost to the point where I’m considering selling it. Any help is appreciated!
 
#11 · (Edited)
Nice car! I have a white 2009. I read through you or post & thought it was worth asking if you'd have a hunch as to what's going on with my car since you mentioned engine mounts. This is the new sound I'm hearing: if I'm already moving and I lift off the gas then give it gas again a couple seconds later l, I hear a faint 'knock'. The shop thought it was the after market axle I replaced with a few months ago so I had them put in a genuine Volvo one, the knock went away for a couple days but it's back. My passenger side engine mount is a little worn they said but they didn't seem to stress that was the issue. 2 shops looked at all mounts and only that one is showing wear. They also think it could be coming from the tranny. I'm not sure what the heck is going on. It has 177k and I'm almost to the point where I'm considering selling it. Any help is appreciated!
So on my wife's C30 both of the upper hydraulic mounts are leaking. When I tap the breaks I usually hear a slight clunk which I attribute to the mounts. The other typical cause of this noise is the front end links being worn out. You may want to start there since they are cheap and easy to replace if you can jack up BOTH sides of the car at once, i.e. have jack stands. You must torque the nuts to the proper spec though or even the new ones will clunk. The spec should be 37 lb.ft.

If the clunk is still there, then I'd look into replacing all 4 motor mounts. Your car has high miles so it's not uncommon for them to be very worn out at this point. If you get a lot of vibration at idle especially while in gear but on the brakes, then your mounts are worn out.

If the only trouble with the car is the mounts, I wouldn't sell it unless you have other reasons.

EDIT: I did replace the front end links on my Wife's car and that did take care of some of the noise but there is still noise form the motor mounts. I'm planning on replacing them around summer next year as they are still in the early stages of failure.
 
#12 ·
Beautiful C30
 
#13 ·
Thanks so much! You've got quite a collection as well!
 
#16 ·
I hope somebody offered advice that solved the problem. I’ve had this on a couple of my Volvos - P1 and P3. Issue was balancing tires, and installing hub centric rings. You may also have a rim that is slightly oval or bent. Try the balancing and rings first. Cheapest. Then tie rod ends. Also fairly cheap.
 
#17 ·
Good looking car. My wife has a 2013 R in gray. I just looked at her AC clutch, she stated her AC stopped working a couple week ago but once she turned it off and back on it was fine. Dealer wanted $1800 for a new compressor for a problem they "could not recreate". The tech actually told her he can never get the clutches off correctly because he can't find the right tools to use?!?!?! Clutch clearance was just fine. She just had the timing belt, serpentine belt, and tensioner replaced so I think that might have fixed the AC issue for now.
 
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