V70 D5 Geartronic - any gearbox issues?

[hugh_]

Evening,

I'm in the process of buying my first house and the Alfa GT just isnt going to cut it for collecting furniture from ebay etc. so I'm looking at V70s.

My budget is around £4k, and you seem to be able to get a slightly newer or lower mileage auto for that money. How bullet proof is the auto 'box? Do they have any servicing requirements in the same way you might expect to change the clutch at around 100k on a manual?

It will also be used for towing a trailer full of rowing boats (~1.2T), again is the gearbox up to it?

TIA
Hugh

[Busamav]

I have a geartronic box on my T5 , with 170k otc and it gets to pull a double horse trailer .

In my opinion it is an excellent box

[nigel mansell]

dependant on gearbox variant,around 2003 year there was major problems with the valve bodys.

[hugh_]

Thanks for the replies - Nigel is there a way to tell the 2003s apart other than chassis number?
Hugh

[dave_s13]

I've got a 52 plate D5 auto (not geartronic) on 112k and the box can sometimes clunk into neutral when slowing right down to a stop. I'm getting the oil flushed and changed next week so will see if that does anything.

A read on the Volvo forums tells me that changing the fluid at circa 100k is good practice.....can of worms though.

[halo34]

I am pretty sure I read somewhere that heat can build up in the older boxes when towing - my last v70 which was an 06 failed @ 60k.

I didnt tow with it but it had a towbar fitted by the previous owner which might point towards that being the cause (who knows).

Cars of that era seemed to have the valve issue on the gearbox and if its the diesel, injector problems.