I just bought a used 2002 XC, so is still under warranty. I am relatively handy, so would like to do the very basic servicing like oil changes, filter, transmission oil, etc - some questions for the forum:

1) is this even a good idea since the car is still under warranty? of course, when I spoke to a Volvo guy at the dealer he said other independent shops in the area couldn't even work on the 2002 models since they didn't have "special software" to work on these cars (repair stuff, I assume this doesn't apply to oil changes, etc (hope not!)

2)along subject above, even if I change oil & check stuff like owners manual schedule service says, can I jeopordize the status of my warranty even if I do all light servicing 100% correct?

3) assuming ok for me to service as described above, anything for me to watch out for? what is best grade oil for a XC 2002, based in Northern California coast area

4) last thing, how to I turn off the "regular service light" thingo? I think I saw once in this forum to turn key to "II" position on iginition and push reset once or something -

5) instead of risking trouble with such an expensive asset, should I just take it to the dealer to change oil? the schedule services look like mostly "safety checks" versus doing much, so that is why I am entertaining idea of doing myself in first place...

thanks in advance for your thoughts out there!

Hi Tib, hope your enjoying your car! I have a '98 xc and I do my own servicing. If I had a '02 with low miles I would go to mobil 1 10w-30 and mobil ATF. I would first check what your dealer or independant volvo tech charges for synthetic oil changes, and then just add up what your time is worth. I think your car needs a special tool for your oil filter, so you would need to price that out. As far as your warranty goes, someone else here may be able to give you some facts. I wouldn't hesitate to do servicing because I like to save money for future repairs that go beyond my ability and lack of tools. Volvospeed has good instruction on flushing ATF yourself and easternaerospace is developing their site to give lots of tips as well. For the service light, I think your model does work with the odometer button method. Just do a search on this site with "service light" or similar and you should find something. Stick to the manual recommendations for the rest and you should be fine. Take care! ~Gerald