Automatic Transmission Shifts Very Hard and Erratic

The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light May Illuminate

I own a 1998 V70 AWD turbo. This is a awesome car; does everything well. Nicely styled in and out. Extremely quick, handles like a sports car, stops as quickly as it goes forward, very comfortable on day-long road trips, very composed in emergency/panic situations (it provides the handling/control necessary to avoid accidents; the first step of this car's safety systems). If the worst happens, driver/passenger injury will be minimized or avoided due to numerous safety systems. For me, this car does it all.

Now, all of this safety/performance does require proper maintenance to keep all of it's design functions operating as Volvo intended. You cannot expect to maintain this car like a Chevy. It's reliability, safety and performance come at a price. You must follow the maintenance requirements/schedules and have repairs/service done by people who really know these cars and give a damn about their work. A few examples: head gasket failure will occur if the coolant is not replaced as required and the proper coolant is used (it must be the yellow/Prestone type; not the green or some other one, and it needs to be mixed 50/50 with distilled water, not tap water). How many Volvo owners neglect this and then blame the car when trouble happens. You must use Volvo quality brake parts not Chinese cheap crap to maintain the high-level of braking performance. The rear Nivomat shocks are very expensive but are part of Volvo's safety and will eventually need to be replaced at some point; knowing when this point has come and not neglecting it because of the cost is how you stay safe. When it comes to tires and balancing/alignment; again, no skimping here; Chinese junk tires are out, only high performance major manufacturer tires up to Volvo's requirements. Another important one; the engine's PCV system needs to be serviced at 100,000 miles; this requires removing the intake manifold and changing out the catch tank and all of the rubber/plastic hoses/fittings and cleaning the related systems as required; neglect this costly service and you will start blowing out your oil seals and cause further damage. You can easily check to see if your PCV system needs servicing by pulling the engine oil dipstick when the engine is warm and running. If you see smoke/vapors coming from the tube, your system is clogged and needs the service. Also, more often than not, your "check engine" yellow light will be on because of this. The Automatic transmission needs it's fluid replaced at regular intervals to keep it shifting as designed and be reliable; it's a very simple service; just requires pulling the transmission drain plug, draining the fluid and refilling; no filter change is required. One note: you will only remove 3 or 4 quarts of trans fluid with this procedure and therefore, will need to do this at least 3 times to adequately flush out the old fluid. I run the car for 50 to 100 miles and do the drain and refill again; keep doing this until the trans fluid is a reddish/pink color, not the brownish color it probably was before. After this, you will notice the transmission will shift much more positive/firmly; the way a European car should and if done on a timely basis, will help the trans last the life of the car. There are many more examples but you get the picture and I'll say it again; only Volvo specified parts or you're taking chances.

So when you hear people complain about these fine cars or say they're trouble-prone, costly or unreliable; please remember; Volvo's safety/performance/reliability does come at a price. I think it's well worth it.

just got the car about 3 weeks ago. it was a gift from my darling brother. loves the way that it drives, just all of the warning lights that keeps on popping up.