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-   -   Volvo S60 - T6 | The Swedish Mr. Hyde (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/286928-volvo-s60-t6-swedish-mr-hyde-3.html)

After playing around with several config options and getting comfortable with the VDASH software tool and it's use, it was then time for the big one -- the stage 2 remap.

Before the remap, I decided to get oil change done. This 3L S60 takes in approx. 7.3 - 7.5 Ltrs of oil and I found TOTAL QUARTZ 8000 5w-30 Synthetic to be the EXACT specification that this engine recommends (ACEA A5/B5). Also had a Liqui Moly oil flush used and then Liqui Moly Ceratec added during oil change.



Post the oil change it was all about software and clicks on the laptop. You select the remap you want.


VDASH hits you with a friendly warning: “Mess this up and don’t even think about blaming us, buddy.” Message received.


One you hit the "I Agree" & "OK" button, then the only thing you can do is pray and watch and hope that no wire / connection gets loose or any such thing! The software goes into its own song and dance routine with the car booting/rebooting several times.


Erasing the ECM’s memory (goodbye, old personality), and uploading the new map (hello, Mr. Hyde).


Several minutes later the fresh map is getting "uploaded" into the car


throwing light shows like it was auditioning for a DJ residency.


Minutes felt like hours as I watched the progress bar crawl. The car kept playing musical chairs with its systems, and I sat there like an anxious parent during a school play.


Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, VDASH hit me with the magical words: “ALL DONE.” Green ticks everywhere. It was like getting a perfect score in your favorite video game! The Stage 2 map was locked and loaded, and the car was officially reborn.


The stage 2 map is now shown as the default map on the car in VDASH. If I want to go back to stock, it will be a matter of 5 minutes, and it would be like the remap was never ever done!


I checked for any DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Codes) because, well, who doesn’t love surprises? Thankfully, it was just the usual suspects—Driver Aid and Active Bending Lights—nothing catastrophic.


Now, the million-dollar question: How’s the car?

Life’s been hectic, so I haven’t had nearly enough time to fully unleash the fun. After 300 km of driving (and a shamefully small number of "pedal-to-the-metal" moments), here’s the verdict so far:

• In normal mode, the car’s still the same charming gentleman who will politely hold the door open for you.
• But press that pedal with intent, and the car transforms into an angry cheetah, ready to lunge at the horizon.
• The real fun? It’s all in S mode. Suddenly, you’re not driving a car; you’re piloting a rocket that forgot to pack its chill pills.

Need to find more time to enjoy the car, find open roads and have fun!

Fantastic report. Congrats to another fellow T6 owner! I found mine here in team-bhp almost 8 years ago - and what a ride it has turned out to be! By far, the most sensible AND the most fun car I ever had. There are very few cars in the world that combine these two characteristics.

You saw this disclaimer and you still didn't back out. You Sir, have steel ball bearings. This is a sleeper car like no other. Not as shouty as the bimmer but nearly as much fun.

Happy motoring.

Brother, your post is rather enlightening yet fun to read at the same way, such that, I might plan on doing something similar but not so much drastic on the off-chance I happen to get my hands on a nice, sleek S60 like yours.:p

Wow. Around a 30hp increase is pretty good, considering its already had 300 to begin with. Did the remap change how the gearbox performs as well?

Took the Volvo out for a well-deserved picnic… at Race Wars India! Because what’s a better way to relax than some good old-fashioned tyre-screeching, engine-revving, speed-chasing mayhem? The event was held at Buddh Circuit, and I signed up for the 0-100m drag with unlimited runs -- basically, unlimited chances to embarrass myself in front of speed junkies who do this regularly.

Now, this was my first-ever drag event. My past experience? Crawling over rocks and tackling slow-speed off-roading. So yeah, jumping into a drag race was like trading a calm yoga session for an intense HIIT workout -- big shift, much excitement, and lots of confusion.

Arrival: Early Bird Gets the… Empty Track?
Being the eager beaver I am, I reached before the organizers. Yep, first to arrive. Even the Volvo was like, "Bro, are we too early?" The winter morning drive was smooth, the car was happy, and I had a whole place to myself for a bit.


Once the organizers showed up, registration went smoothly.


Got my bands, car access pass, and an entire sticker collection -- basically turned my Volvo into a moving billboard. Stickered up, feeling official!


With my car looking the part, I took a stroll and admired the tuner cars flexing their mods for the autotrack event.


Meanwhile, the crew was busy setting up the drag equipment, testing the beams and computers.


Prepping the viewing and the drift area, which later turned into a full-on smoke show.


Then, the drag lineup opened. Cars started rolling in, and some of them were:

BMW M340i – Fast, and the driver was nailing an avg of 0.4xx second reaction times with 0.2xx seconds on several runs!


X4 M40 – Absolute rocket. This thing launched and kept on going and going and going till the end of the strip!!


Audi TT 45TSI – Classy, sporty, and quick.


And finally, yours truly in the Volvo, casually pulling up to the line.


The Drags: Reaction Time? What’s That?
My runs? Let’s just say the Volvo had the legs, but my reaction time needed some serious work. While other cars took off like fighter jets, I was out here contemplating life for an average of 0.9 seconds before hitting the throttle.

That said, once the Volvo got going, it did make up for the slow starts. Managed to outpace a BMW 330i and an Audi TT 45TSI, which was honestly unexpected with my skills. The real showstopper was a fully modded Skoda VRS in the OPEN Class -- that thing was lightning fast (and the fastest car of the day), but hey, I was only 0.917 seconds behind it. Not bad for a 13-year-old Volvo!

Key Learnings from My Drag Racing Debut

• Master the Christmas Tree Lights -- Staring at them like they owe me money isn’t helping. Must react faster.
• Improve Launch Technique -- Apparently, launching at zero revs is not the way to go. Holding revs for 2-3 seconds makes a difference.
• Find the Perfect Transmission Mode -- Tried manual S1 & S2; felt weird. Found regular S mode worked best. More testing needed!
• Volvo = Sleeper Beast -- It recorded the 5th fastest time overall, across all categories/classes. Fellow racers were shocked at how quick it was, and several came to me after the runs to ask about the car. A 13-year-old Volvo giving modern cars a hard time? Priceless.

Drift Action & Tyre Carnage
Between runs, I wandered over to the drift area -- because watching cars violently destroy their tyres is always entertaining.


More drifters waiting for their turn to burn some rubber


Rubber was burnt, tyres were shredded, and a pit crew was on standby to tend to the cars and do rapid tyre swaps. Absolute madness.






Did few more runs and as the day wrapped up and the circuit lights came on, it was time to head home -- happy and loaded with new racing wisdom.

Final verdict? A Sunday well spent. The Volvo proved itself, I learned a ton, and next time, I’ll come back sharper, faster, and hopefully, with better reaction times.

Replacing the Infotainment Control Module

I like my car’s interior to be spotless, but one thing that constantly poked me in the eyeballs was the Infotainment Screen. Functionally? Perfect. Visually? It was so scuffed up that it looked like someone had done twelve rounds with a pack of sandpaper. No amount of polish or TLC could make it look new again.

Now, you’d think the solution was as simple as "just replace the screen." Ha! If only. This isn’t just any screen; it’s the Infotainment Control Module (ICM), which talks to multiple other modules, and Volvo has security measures all over. Swap in a "non-authorized" screen, and the ICM shuts down every two minutes, just to remind you who's boss.

Enter VDASH, the savior! With VDASH, I could create a digital "clone" of my existing module and convince my car’s security system that the new screen was, in fact, the same old scuffed one -- just much better looking. Or, for a more permanent solution, VDASH also has a magical option to simply switch off ICM security altogether. Guess which route I took?

Armed with this knowledge (and an extremely generous friend who shipped a used ICM module all the way from the US to India), I set off on my mission.

Remove the old sand-papered ICM (which was easy… but also not SO easy).


The pre-loved ICM from US, courtesy the generous friend


Pop in the used-but-fresh-looking ICM screen


Basic tests to see all functions work!


Run VDASH coding to make "clones" and finally did the "security bypass" for ICM.






And voila! A brand-new, fully functioning infotainment screen that is now worthy of looking at!




Moral of the story? Where there’s a will -- and some clever software -- there’s a way!

Thank you for sharing. Is it possible to get BLIS and Rear cross traffic alert retrofitted on the present generation S60 which was brought as a CBU to India but was discontinued only after an year or so ? These features were ommitted from the car probably because of Chip shortage owing to Covid but are available on the S60s sold internationally. I am ready to pay fees / charges for the same if someone can do it for me. Thank you.

Update: Spark Plug & Coil Pack Swap

No real reason to get this done, honestly. Just one of those "might as well" moments before the car itself decides for me. Better to enjoy peak performance now rather than later.

The original spark plugs were a gift from the previous owner, while the coil packs (and Brembo brake pads) were sourced through a friend in the US.

Spark plug and coil swaps are as easy as making instant noodles -- if you have the right tools. Unfortunately, I lacked the magical spark plug bit-set, so went to a FNG where I supervised the whole operation.

Some of the plastic wire covers are starting to age -- they're brittle, breaking off, and there's not much I can do about it.


First spark plug out! Looks… well, "experienced."


New OE plug -- shiny, fresh, full of promise.


One down, five to go.


Almost there...


And done! Six fresh plugs, six happy cylinders.


Bonus Round: Brembo Brake Pads
Got the front ones swapped in. Rears are on standby for another day when I feel like being extra.


The signature Brembo red? Oh yes, it's there.


Compared them to the old pads -- still had some life left but I want the best for the rest of my time with this car.



The Verdict
Spark Plugs & Coils: WOW. Did NOT expect this much of a difference. The car starts smoother than ever, settles instantly at ~600 rpm idle, and the throttle response is now much sharper. Feels peppy and I am super happy that I did this change!

Brake Pads: Well, they need some time to bed in. Right now, stopping takes a bit more real estate than before. Hopefully, after 100-odd kms, they settle in and stop behaving like they're on a break.

What’s Next?
Touch wood, almost nothing that impacts driving experience. Just enjoy the car and have fun!

Thanks for the regular updates, Khan. Always a pleasure reading through this thread.
Agree with your foresight in preventive maintenance with this gem. Owing a truck of 15 years I definitely understand why a stitch in time saves nine.

Noting the below for my records:

Even after wheel balancing, alignment, brake rotor skimming, and brake pad replacement, I still noticed a slight shudder during braking at high speeds. Determined to resolve this, I opted for a front brake rotor replacement. Sourced 316 mm (16.5-inch, as per Volvo's specs) rotors from a vendor in NCR (Kashmere Gate) and had them delivered to my location. They are heavy and each rotor is approx. 9.5 Kg in weight.



Trivia: For the S/X-60 of these vintage models, Volvo used three brake rotor sizes: 300 mm, 316 mm, and 336 mm. My vehicle came equipped with 316 mm rotors. While I considered upgrading to 336 mm, it would have required replacing calipers, dust shields, and brake pads, so I decided to stick with the original size.

The replacement was done at a FNG in just 30 minutes and was just a matter of removing 2 bolts holding the caliper assembly, removing the old rotor and putting in the new rotor.






The OLD rotor:


Result: no more shudder, and high-speed braking feels confident and smooth.

While there, I also got the car a quick foam wash.

Hi, can you share the seller details for the Rotor. I need to replace one on my v40 too. Also which FNG did you use for replacing the rotor?