Had it on my T5 from 01 to 05 and now on my V70 D5. Works like
advertised. But be aware that it is not wise to compensate the
additional safety by driving faster.

Absolutely no maintenance issues. It is as reliable as the ABS. In
Europe the DSTC is standard on Volvos since around 2000 or 2001.

Your welcome,

J?rg

It works just as advertized. Had a few moments in Korean winter with
summer tyres. Not that much snow, but it sure was slippery...

Also needed to replace one of the two sencors in our V70 ym.2001 2,4T.
There is apparently two of these and the computer was giving false
signals. So they replaced the other one and it worked, since there was
no warnings anymore. Can't remember if it was under "extended warranty"
or not, since we had a handful of problems with that particular car.
It's gone now and we have a 2006 V70 2,5T now. And that's a completely
different car, believe me!

And yes, please do not fool yourselves to believe that DSTC is some kind
of a miracle maker. Your son will always be the one, who's making vital
decisions between the seat and a steering wheel. DSTC is a nice bonus,
but it doesn't make anyone Kimi Räikkönen or Marcus Grönholm. Young
drivers are always the safety issue on roads, and that's all down to
their inexperience and attitude. Globally :o)

Like others have said,  technology should never be a substitute for
good/safe driving habits. However DSTC may give your son the extra bit of
assistance to avoid a nasty situation.  It DOES do what it is intended to
do.  Put it this way, you will notice a difference in the way the car
performs if you turn it off.

There is a good write up about the technology and it's various guises in
wikipedia..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Stability_Control

Cheers
Mal
Oz

I agree with the comments of others that DSTC is no substitute for
safe driving skills.  I'm concerned that a teenager might use it as an
excuse to push the car to it's limit and get himself in trouble.  DSTC
and similar systems are unfortunately marketed by many car makers
including Volvo as tools that allow you to get away with risky moves
in snowy or slippery conditions.  ABS and STC on the other hand are in
a sense more defensive systems  and well worth looking for on a used
car.

A Volvo is an excellent choice for a new driver  My daughter got
excellent service from one while away at college.