V70 P2 'BOX - what actually fails?

[taters]

Guys

As per title I've read a lot of stuff about the auto box being a liability and many seem to rescue theirs with a flush of the oil. Some cough up for a recon unit or rebuild.

What I would like to know is this; what is it that fails in the box?

Why does it require a rebuild?
What wears out?
What breaks?
What causes the above?

Ive heard a lot of blame being laid at the door of the 'sealed for life' opinion and in reality the ATF needs be changed

Any opinions please chaps?

[Chingers]

When my g'box was rebuilt after such a failure the feedback I got was that all the bushes were severely worn. Which particular bushes and whether more frequent oil changes would eliminate the problem is hard to tell.

[Axionknight]

One of the main causes of gearbox problems is the fluid, check it out, if it stinks or looks burnt then there may be trouble ahead, it can be changed but its best if it is totally flushed through with three or four bottles of ATF.

Volvo touted the gearboxes as "sealed for life" which was frankly laughable.