THE WRONG BOX

‘serviced’.” We took it to an automatic transmission specialist instead, had it serviced at a far cheaper price than Volvo and they discovered the transmission oil was very dirty. Since then, the car’s never performed better. Malcolm N, email

We received a letter last year from a Volvo owner whose auto gearbox had failed after 124,000km. Apparently not changing the transmission fluid was a causative factor, despite it being “sealed for life”. As you’ve found, these gearboxes can be unsealed and the filter and fluid checked and changed. My mechanic suggested many manufacturers deem 160,000km or eight years a “lifetime,” so it’s worth having a sealed for life transmission investigated before this, especially in our harsh climate and if towing’s involved.