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Saddamnit posted:Are Volvos really this unreliable? I'm thinking of getting one for my next car, but it seems like every other post in this thread is about another problem that someone has encountered. Doesn't seem worth it to me. Coming from a country where Volvo is easily the most common brand (and not at all a luxury brand, they've just started to brand themselves as that the last couple of years), they have in no way a reputation for being unreliable, on the contrary. Certainly there are some "known issues" but that is more just "the statistically most likely failure point / thing to check before buying used" rather than "something that commonly makes car break down". There are some exceptions though like the strange little V8, anything BiFuel (LPG) as well as some older-gen AWD V70/XC70. I know plenty of people driving their Swedemobiles year after year, with nothing but changing wear items (brakes, fluids, tires, belts, that kind of thing). That's certainly an anecdotal biased statement and there are other brands that are just as good, but I am pretty sure Volvo is not a generally unreliable car.
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Jul 3, 2017 11:37
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ionn posted:Coming from a country where Volvo is easily the most common brand (and not at all a luxury brand, they've just started to brand themselves as that the last couple of years), [...] Sorry, I forgot. The Volvo=luxury brand is more of a US thing. Taxes and import fees and whatnot kill the profit margin on the lower end stuff, so only the higher-end models end up over here. I think BMW is the same way; in the US it's an aspirational brand, whereas in Germany I'm pretty sure it's the default.
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Jul 3, 2017 16:57
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Saddamnit posted:Are Volvos really this unreliable? I'm thinking of getting one for my next car, but it seems like every other post in this thread is about another problem that someone has encountered. Doesn't seem worth it to me. Yeah you're reading in to the negative. Volvos have a long history of very bulletproof cars, with the occasional model or drivetrain version that is the exception. For example, 240s are all really loving bulletproof except the V6 models. S60/V70's are extremely reliable except for the 5 speed auto trans from 00 to 03. And even those can be made reliable. There are minimal chronic problems with the P1 series S40/V50/C30/C70 except maintenance things. In fact, those are unique in that there are one or two maintenance items that, if left undone, will just loving blow the whole engine. But it's not the engine's fault, it's the $12 AC belt that wraps into the timing and throws the main timing belt. Or the $100 hose assembly that leaks out all your coolant and instantly warps the whole head. I drive nothing but Volvo and in the last 10 years or more I've never needed a tow. I guess the best way to put it would be that all cars, but Volvos in particular, respond really well to preventative maintenance.
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Jul 3, 2017 19:03
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Saddamnit posted:Are Volvos really this unreliable? I'm thinking of getting one for my next car, but it seems like every other post in this thread is about another problem that someone has encountered. Doesn't seem worth it to me. Completely the opposite. I idiotically drove my C30 down the side of a mountain road once and it's still on the road.
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Jul 3, 2017 19:10
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Volvos are cool and good, especially after you finish all the deferred maintenance the PO left for you.
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Jul 3, 2017 19:18
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Here's the maintenance log from my 01 V70 which is regarded as one of the less reliable modern Volvos. This is over 8 years and 109,000 miles. I sold it at 192k. You tell me if this is particularly problematic.quote:Date Mileage Service
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Jul 4, 2017 01:52
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Hell even when they break they can still be driven usually. I drove the 850 for 9 months after it ate a valve (PCV maintenance is super important on fwd models) and it never complained.
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Jul 4, 2017 02:53
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LloydDobler posted:There are minimal chronic problems with the P1 series S40/V50/C30/C70 except maintenance things. In fact, those are unique in that there are one or two maintenance items that, if left undone, will just loving blow the whole engine. But it's not the engine's fault, it's the $12 AC belt that wraps into the timing and throws the main timing belt. Or the $100 hose assembly that leaks out all your coolant and instantly warps the whole head. Could I get links to writeups on these, when they should be done, that kind of thing? I'm browsing swedespeed but they don't have the most helpful layout. I was in the market for a new car when your V50 thread was progressing, which put them on my maybe list, then found a decent one on craigslist within budget. Fly & drive, 400 miles home in an unknown car with 170,000 miles. That was 3 months ago, biggest annoyance so far is that the V50 didn't get an aux jack until the year after mine, so I'm back to CDs again. Oh right, other annoyance: can't just buy a service manual or a Haynes or whatever, that's pretty annoying. TheNothingNew fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Jul 4, 2017 |
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Jul 4, 2017 03:52
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TheNothingNew posted:Could I get links to writeups on these, when they should be done, that kind of thing? I'm browsing swedespeed but they don't have the most helpful layout. If your v50 had the option of an external cd changer you can buy a Bluetooth/aux adapter that plugs in where the CD changer would have, and your steering wheel controls will even send commands to the Bluetooth connected device.
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Jul 4, 2017 04:51
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GEMorris posted:If your v50 had the option of an external cd changer you can buy a Bluetooth/aux adapter that plugs in where the CD changer would have, and your steering wheel controls will even send commands to the Bluetooth connected device. Haven't the foggiest. Where am I looking?
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Jul 4, 2017 05:37
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TheNothingNew posted:Haven't the foggiest. Where am I looking? this interests me too, the cd player in my v50 has died so I've been using a bluetooth dongle thing. e: this? or possibly the Dension Gateway 500, costs a few hundred but emulates a CD changer. sebmojo fucked around with this message at 06:26 on Jul 4, 2017 |
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Jul 4, 2017 06:15
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If it's an 05 with Premium audio like my daughter's there are literally zero options for it. Even the aftermarket poo poo won't work. I'm going to install an additional amp to plug an aux in to it and wire it direct to the speakers. Maybe the bluepower whole head unit replacement thing but it's like $800. As far as the service manual, blow a wad and buy the DICE unit with VIDA. Factory manual with interactive diagnostics and everything. A bitch to install and set up (and learn) but it is amazing in terms of information and testing. LloydDobler fucked around with this message at 07:02 on Jul 4, 2017 |
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Jul 4, 2017 07:00
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LloydDobler posted:If it's an 05 with Premium audio like my daughter's there are literally zero options for it. Even the aftermarket poo poo won't work. I'm going to install an additional amp to plug an aux in to it and wire it direct to the speakers. Yeah, 06 with what I think is the base level audio. I'm looking long and hard at that guy who soldered in an aux jack but I'm not great with an iron. http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?105447 Hey, the VIDA-DICE unit isn't as expensive as I thought. Though then I have to buy a laptop since nothing I own has Windows 7.
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Jul 4, 2017 17:03
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TheNothingNew posted:Haven't the foggiest. Where am I looking? This kind of thing, if one is available for your head unit. I used one on a pre-aux Mazda and it worked great, but my post-aux Mazda doesn't have the option. A lot of late 90s to mid 00s cars have the option to piggyback this type of thing by tricking the car into thinking it is an external cd changer.
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Jul 4, 2017 18:52
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Yeah, there's a couple of those on IPD for a range of models, but strangely not the v50.
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Jul 4, 2017 19:35
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rarbatrol posted:Yeah, there's a couple of those on IPD for a range of models, but strangely not the v50. That's weird; I thought IPD was reselling the Grom stuff; Grom usb for 2005 premium stereos seems to be available on their website. Been really happy with the BT/handsfree/linein/usb features in my 2005 v70R, except I need to open the dash up to change my micro usb to type C.
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Jul 6, 2017 05:30
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Just found out today my turbo is dripping some oil...so here's to a new turbo and complete turboback exhaust overhaul $$$..
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Jul 6, 2017 07:03
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If it's just dripping oil it's probably the oil drain line, they go bad and leak all the time.
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Jul 6, 2017 20:29
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Yeah, at least on some models/years (including like everything up to early 2000's) that almost always starts leaking at some point. If it's dripping I'm betting that's it, other oil-turbo-related problems usually lead to smoke in the exhaust or fire. It's typically the o-ring where the drain line goes into the block, but it can be very awkward to get to depending on model. You need long yet slender hands and fingers, and with almost no room for a wrench you need to open up a pair of bolts (I think they're T30 or thereabouts) into the turbo itself that have been subject to high heat cycles forever. I believe there's a copper crush washer on the turbo side, that should probably be replaced too while you're in there.
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Jul 7, 2017 00:29
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It's a 2006 V70R with 115k miles. Haven't really been seeing any smoke, except a little bit when it was cooler out. Only recently noticed the oil drip here in the last few weeks because I did my oil change about 3 weeks ago. Of course it had to happen on vacation... I'm hoping it's just the oil drain line, I'd rather not pony up +$4k like I was originally thinking... Might still do the exhaust though either way, it's pretty corroded from the winters. When the car was up on the lift, looked at the new rear tie bars that were put in last year and already pretty heavily corroded from the salt/snow.
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Jul 7, 2017 06:11
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Any tips for replacing the turbo-to-tcv vacuum hose on an 850? The dang thing snakes way down there and out of sight. Is it accessible from underneath the car?
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Aug 2, 2017 02:54
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There are 3 hoses that go to the turbo area from the TCV. One goes in the cold side housing, one goes in the intake tube and one goes to the wastegate. the trick is to remove things in your way and it gets real easy to see. Remove the over engine pipe and upper torque restraint and you'll see just fine. https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6941
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Aug 2, 2017 03:41
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LloydDobler posted:There are 3 hoses that go to the turbo area from the TCV. One goes in the cold side housing, one goes in the intake tube and one goes to the wastegate. Yeah, it's the cold side housing one. I assume removing the heat shield helps too?
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Aug 2, 2017 04:06
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Not really, what's actually in the way is the drat intake tube. It looks like a nightmare but is surprisingly easy to R&R. Try to feel your way down. I looked at some pics to see if maybe you could get it from below but the motor mount is just like right there.
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Aug 2, 2017 05:35
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I've inherited a 1999 V70R from a relative that passed on. Anything in particular to look out for on these? Already have some new struts, plus some tuneup items, on the way and one of the nivomats on the rear is bad. Cripes those are a pricey shock absorber.
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Aug 4, 2017 07:08
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Rebuild the PCV system ASAP unless it came with recent receipts for it.
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Aug 4, 2017 13:14
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Prescription Combs posted:I've inherited a 1999 V70R from a relative that passed on. Anything in particular to look out for on these? Already have some new struts, plus some tuneup items, on the way and one of the nivomats on the rear is bad. Cripes those are a pricey shock absorber. Seconding the PCV...also timing belt and water pump if you don't know when it was last done. Other potential things to check: 1. subframe and transmission mounts if you're getting a lot of vibration 2. viscous coupling to check if awd is working 3. trans flush depending on how well it's shifting/condition of trans, you might not want to possibly 4. rear gate lifts, tend to wear out if used heavily or slammed a lot 5. upgrade the air filter to a K&N if not already 6. basic tune up (plugs, wires, etc) if you don't know when it was last done or it's running rough 7. keep on eye on the electronic throttle unit if it hasn't been replaced...there were a bunch of faulty ones out there 8. parking brake is probably rusted if you're in an area that gets weather and/or don't use it everyday 9. heater core/blower motor is a bit of a job if it's not heating well (not as bad as the 240 though) 10. make sure to run Mobil 1 or similar synthetic in it...Mahle filters are typically the best to use
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Aug 4, 2017 14:25
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My only disagreement with that list is the K&N. Sometimes they oil up the MAF and it's not good. Use it if you like it but there is nothing wrong with the stock paper filter, these cars have a nice big high flow airbox. The 99 is generally pretty reliable, but they suffer from deferred maintenance due to high costs. Like the driveshaft is fairly spendy to repair so a lot of people just pull it out. Is it a good color?
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Aug 4, 2017 15:14
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my 90 760 turbo has a faint gasoline smell from the engine compartment when the engine is cool which goes away as day heats up and the car is driven. i looked all around and don't see any visible leaks, any insight on where else the smell could be coming from?
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Aug 4, 2017 15:24
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I would start by examining the hoses to/from the evap. canister and then check your injector seals.
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Aug 4, 2017 15:47
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Also the fuel pressure regulator right on top of the fuel rail. Pull off the vacuum line and sniff it. If it smells like gas, replace regulator.
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Aug 4, 2017 16:11
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LloydDobler posted:My only disagreement with that list is the K&N. Sometimes they oil up the MAF and it's not good. Use it if you like it but there is nothing wrong with the stock paper filter, these cars have a nice big high flow airbox. I've only ever heard of that happening when someone puts too much oil on the filter..it's only supposed to be a light spray, not a soaking.
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Aug 4, 2017 21:10
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LloydDobler posted:Also the fuel pressure regulator right on top of the fuel rail. Pull off the vacuum line and sniff it. If it smells like gas, replace regulator. Or, in the case of my 240, when you pull the vacuum line off there's still liquid gasoline in it. But if this was happening your car should be running like garbage.
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Aug 4, 2017 21:14
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Terrible Robot posted:Rebuild the PCV system ASAP unless it came with recent receipts for it. Good to know. No receipts and it's pretty oily back by the turbo. edit: oh my grod this is not a simple PCV system to replace. edit2: fuuuuck, little bit of blowby out the dipstick. PCV clogged as heck. fcpeuro to the rescue. Oxphocker posted:Seconding the PCV...also timing belt and water pump if you don't know when it was last done. Good stuff. Thank you. Trans has been shifting OK until today when it hung in 2nd or 3rd for a bit then shifted hard in to the next gear. LloydDobler posted:My only disagreement with that list is the K&N. Sometimes they oil up the MAF and it's not good. Use it if you like it but there is nothing wrong with the stock paper filter, these cars have a nice big high flow airbox. Silver with beige as heck interior. Prescription Combs fucked around with this message at 06:56 on Aug 5, 2017 |
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Aug 5, 2017 00:00
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Earlier this year I sold my emerald green V70R because the engine was having oil pressure problems and I didn't feel like loving with it any more. Another 2000 R with 135K on the odo just popped up for sale near me - the seller hit a deer with it and their insurance totaled it. It needs a hood and both front fenders, but the rest of the body is straight with only a few minor dings and the interior is mint. It's silver like my '98 XC that I can't decide whether to fix or part out, and I could mine the XC for all the damaged body parts. Think it's worth snagging for $1K and fixing up? Even though it was a pain I really miss my R and this one has the potential to be much nicer. I just wish it was a cool color instead of silver.
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Aug 20, 2017 00:06
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zundfolge posted:Earlier this year I sold my emerald green V70R because the engine was having oil pressure problems and I didn't feel like loving with it any more. Another 2000 R with 135K on the odo just popped up for sale near me - the seller hit a deer with it and their insurance totaled it. It needs a hood and both front fenders, but the rest of the body is straight with only a few minor dings and the interior is mint. It's silver like my '98 XC that I can't decide whether to fix or part out, and I could mine the XC for all the damaged body parts. Think it's worth snagging for $1K and fixing up? Silver is plenty cool  While not as cool as the laser blue, it does blend in better so when you're doing +10 mph of the speed limit, much less likely to get noticed. A stealth color for a stealth car. I think it's one of the defining things about R owners, despite some well known flaws, once you start driving them it's really hard to imagine driving anything else. I'm sure this happens with other specific cars and their owners too, but I had to smile when you said you missed your R. I think the real question here is how much wrenching do you want to do and is it going to be your daily driver? I don't know if I personally would want to take on that much work, but then I'm not super skilled at wrenching. I've replaced brakes and filters and plugs and things like that...but to really take on some body work I don't know about that. Could go for something like this: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...&modelCode1=V70 2006 V704 for $20k, 48k miles, Blue
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Aug 20, 2017 16:12
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Obviously there's gonna be some broken poo poo that I can't see but I inspected it yesterday and it wouldn't be much more complicated than unbolting the fenders, hood, and core support, doing the same stuff on the XC, and moving the parts over. From comparing some photos I took with my XC, it looks like the only thing that got bent was the hood latch brackets. I've done a ton of wrenching on P80 chassis cars so I know how to do pretty much everything it needs. I have a 2006 V50 T5M that I daily drive so this would either be a flip or a second car. I've thought about it but I'm not quite ready to make the jump to a P2R, especially not a $20K example. 
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Aug 20, 2017 20:09
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This Volvoooooooooooooooo P1171 code I've been chasing just won't go away. Replaced the MAF, went through the entire intake track and found no leaks, o2 sensors on the way. I hope the o2 sensors fix it. What else could it be? P1171 = Long-term fuel trim. Upper limit.
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Aug 20, 2017 22:18
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zundfolge posted:Obviously there's gonna be some broken poo poo that I can't see but I inspected it yesterday and it wouldn't be much more complicated than unbolting the fenders, hood, and core support, doing the same stuff on the XC, and moving the parts over. From comparing some photos I took with my XC, it looks like the only thing that got bent was the hood latch brackets. I've done a ton of wrenching on P80 chassis cars so I know how to do pretty much everything it needs. That one is really low miles and has quite a bit of upgrades on it which is probably why they are asking $20k. I got my 2006 with 74k miles back in 2013 for $15k, but it had no upgrades at all. The P2Rs are nice, but the turning radius is terrible so if you're in a major city I wouldn't recommend it. But on the highway it's fantastic...I can get almost 29 mpg average taking it easy on the highway.
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Aug 20, 2017 22:42
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Prescription Combs posted:This Volvoooooooooooooooo Maybe a leaky fuel injector? Or vacuum leak around an injector or manifold gasket? Intake manifold gasket is not terribly hard or expensive to replace if you want to rule it out. Just remove the radiator fan first. Oxphocker posted:
$20k for a sonic blue automatic? Even with the miles that's a crack pipe price. None of those mods are particularly expensive or value-adding. zundfolge posted:Even though it was a pain I really miss my R and this one has the potential to be much nicer. I just wish it was a cool color instead of silver. I agree 100% yes to all this. I'm really sick of silver myself. Also with the XC you have a complete spare AWD setup. The ideal parts car. But it is a great buy for $1000. Put in a good intercooler and downpipe, throw a Hilton 20 psi tune on that 19T and it will blow your mind, and dust most other cars on the road.
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Aug 21, 2017 06:18
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