So I was surfing on Ebay, comparing the 2023+ shifter to the one in my car and they sure do look close. Even the connectors look the same. I could not find any information on if this was done before (sorry if someone beat me to this), but I’m gonna try it. Fingers crossed.
I saw a few videos on taking the center console apart and it looked like a big chore. It turns out,the XC60 T8, isn’t that bad.. If you do it right, it can be (Mostly, see my notes below) removed in about half hour. With the console removed (but not taken apart), I was just able to wiggle out the connector and plugged it into the new shifter and… IT WORKS!
So the fine print… Man Volvo sucks balls. The center console is easy to remove in one piece and there are only a few electrical connectors. I was so jazzed about just pulling out the whole thing and doing the shifter swap on the comfort of my sofa.. But no.. Volvo has 4 black wires (I assume they are grounds) that have no connector. WTF? I tried to follow it down under the passenger side carpet but it just kept on going. So I had to take apart the entire console in the drivers seat with the damn thing tethered. Such a PIA. So many screws.
There are two different screw lengths. Make sure you keep track of which ones go where. This took me forever to figure out where I used a few short ones where I shouldn’t have. Also make sure you get the whole thing back together before you put it back. I did not do it right the 1st, 2nd or even the 3rd time.. Back hurts now and it got very hot in the car. Also if you are going to do the drive select mode retrofit, this is the time to do it. I will do this in the near future.
The only gotcha I got from my test drive is that if you slam it into drive (or reverse) you will only get neutral and will have to double tap it. I don’t know if this is normal for a 2023+. Shift it normally, feeling for both detents, it works everytime. I only did a short (in pure mode) test drive and I was able to cycle between brake and normal modes. I even switched it back to hybrid and saw that brake mode had the “+” and “-“, so manual mode should work also.
The new shifter I think looks better, its hollow instead of having a plastic chrome cap. Its no longer leather wrapped but other than that, its a win win for me.
Here’s a pic of the shifter that worked for me.
Thanks
Ken
