Volvo labeled their late-model Automatic Transmission Fluid as a “lifetime fluid,” relegating fluid flushes and services to the past. It’s a move many automakers have made in today’s motoring climate as, among other things, a “lifetime” fluid means lower running costs and a reduced impact on the...

Anti-seize grease or compound is commonly applied to fasteners to prevent the threads from becoming galled or damaged, especially when dissimilar metals are involved. For people that live in locations where corrosion is a persistent issue, anti-seize is an invaluable tool to have, helping to...

Not many people know that at one point, Volvo offered a V8 in a select few of their vehicles. It's a wonderfully powerful and smooth engine that has ample torque, spins fast with a high redline, and has an amazing exhaust note once uncorked with an aftermarket exhaust. The official designation...

As your beloved Volvo parts age, more and more of the suspension is wearing out and can make funny clunking noises. The most recent job I did is to replace the front control arms on my 2006 XC90 V8. As the control arm bushings wore out, I would get odd changes in steering during braking and...

Volvo's use of transverse engine configurations in it's '93+ FWD and AWD models means it needs a rather large subframe to hold everything together. The subframe holds the engine, transaxle, steering rack, and lower control arms together and is bolted into the unibody with rather large and...

The fuel filter on the Volvo XC90 is one of the easiest to change in any passenger car I've worked on. It's generally recommended to change the fuel filter every 60k miles or so, but on my XC90 with an unknown service history I decided to change it out at 80k miles when I purchased the car. The...

Modern cars have advanced to the point where the much of the concern of pollution is no longer from the tailpipe - modern emissions controls such as catalytic converters, secondary air pumps, and advanced engine control units have advanced emissions control to the point that in some cases, the...

As automotive electronics are getting more and more complex, automotive manufacturers have been seeking more streamlined and efficient methods of integrating the audio system. At first thought, the audio system is simple - it just plays music from the radio, right? Well it also needs to integrate...

  Choosing the right engine oil can be a tedious process. How do you figure out exactly which oil will best protect your engine, and how long should you run that oil before it becomes detrimental to your engine’s health? 1. Read the owner's manual for a starting point The owner's manual, and...

There has been a lot of talk over the past few years in the performance automotive circles about this curious new fuel that is slowly cropping up around the country. You may have seen it yourself - the bright yellow pump handles, large E85 banners promoting it's "green" and "renewable"...