I've changed jobs a couple of times in the five years I've had my Volvo S60 D5. For its first two years, it was my company car and was serviced at 12,000 and 24,000 miles.
I left that job, bought the car and found myself travelling rather less, to the extent that the car shifted to a routine of annual services, at about 35,000, 44,000 and 55,000.
Now I've moved again and am travelling much more. It passed 60,000 yesterday, and will be well past 67,000 when the anniversary of the last service arrives in June.
So, here's my question. Is the sensible thing to do, the obvious one - to have it serviced again 12,000 miles after the last time? Or should I try to re-align it with the 12,000-mile intervals buyers may look for when I sell it?
If it makes a difference, the extra miles are mostly gentle motorway driving - so gentle that I'm now getting 49mpg instead of the previous average of 42 - and the car is running on Mobil One (supplied at sky-high Volvo dealer rates).
I suppose I'm thinking that the use the car is currently getting fits pretty well with the long-interval service regimes some other manufacturers use, and that there might be no harm in delaying the next service to, say, 70,000 and the one after that to 84,000, probably not much more than a year from now. (When it's probably going to be time for a new cambelt besides.) This is my first experience of running a car to this sort of age or mileage, so I'd be glad of the BR's thoughts on what to do for t' best.
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Will (or Mr DeBeest) I think you have answered the question yourself in a roundabout way.
When buying this car people are looking for a twelve month or 12k mile stamp. Your 72k mile service will now be due at 67k and each subsequent service will appear 5k early (assuming your mileage does not change). Make sure you get your cambelt done at what will be 91k on your car which will be the scheduled 96k service.
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Yeah, I know - but I was just wondering if anyone might make a case for the alternative (and cheaper!) strategy. }:---)
I'll see what emerges over the weekend. Just now, I feel a corkscrew moment coming on.
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The vehicle needs servicing at time or mileage SINCE last service, which ever occurs first.
Many vehicles have a different usage/servicing pattern in later life compared to their early years - any sensible buyer would notice that you'd "skipped" a service so I wouldn't bother.
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What about sticking to 12k mile intervals but try to find a good independant Volvo specialist, if you find a good one they will do the same job for less money.
The garage I use had many recommendations on Saab forums and I would hate to have to go back to a main dealer now.
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...find a good independant Volvo specialist...
This works for the older cars and there are some good indies out there, not sure about the newer cars that get software upgrades at service time.
The D5 engines are generally pretty robust however, they have been known to snap belts, have injector issues (pre 03) or have DMF failure on the odd one. At least Volvo (currently) still make some goodwill gesture, take it out the network and you lose that for the sake of maybe £100 at service time.
Edited by gmac on 26/10/2007 at 19:16
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If the interval is 12 months or 12,000 miles, thats what you should do.
After every service it resets, there is no building of credit by lessening the mileage.
If you decide to try the cheap option and make up your own service schedules, just good luck. Id bet Volvo know better.
As suggested, find a specialist who is cheaper, that way you can stick to the recommended schedule and also save the money you want to.
On a car like a Volvo, which is both complex and expensive if it goes wrong, it would be a true false economy to mess around with servicing requirements.
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