Hello Everyone,

I have a '99XC. According to the owner's manual, the timing belt should be replaced at 105,000 mile intervals. The car presently has about 55K on the clock. My two '96 950s (both non-turbos / 5 speeds) require that their timing belts to be replaced at 70K intervals. As you know, with the exceptions of a low pressure turbo, automatic transmission and AWD, the engines (though displacement is different) are very similar.

Has anybody let their '99XC or later model go to 105K before replacing the timing belt? Has this occurred without incident or damage to the car? 105K seems a long time to hold onto a timing belt, especially since the prior replacement schedule was at 70K intervals. This situation kind of makes me think how the Volvo Owner's manual recommends oil & filter changes at 10K intervals, unless the car is subject to heavy duty or extreme use. Based upon what I read here, I don't think anyone lets their own oil and filter changes go for that long. I suspect most people change their oil & oil filter at 3K or 5K intervals.

So I would like to hear other people's opinions with regard to when they feel the timing belt on a '99 XC should be changed. Thank you in advance for your responses. Your input is very helpful.

Hugh