[NA] Volvo [NA]

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Mtns2Skies

Final Approach
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Mtns2Skies
Friendly public service announcement... Dont buy a Volvo.

I have a 2007 Volvo XC90 w/ V8. It has ~110,000miles on it. It was handed down to me from my parents.

About a year into ownership the entire lock tumbler system for the ignition broke, the car had to get towed and the lock had to get fixed specially from Germany so the car was gone for about a month.

The main seal has a leak.

The AWD broke (angle drive)... yes, it is now a 2WD vehicle and will cost $1500 in labor just to see what's wrong, and another $1500 or $6000 depending on what's wrong.

The car is built so crappily for maintenance, you have to take off the entire intake manifold just to get to the spark plugs.

Simple repairs such as a mirror run over $1000

Tires are rare and expensive.

The frame isnt strong enough to put a jack under, it's simply thin gauge stamped tubular steel.

As a mechanical engineer... I have to say, Volvo's engineers are idiots and as a young person that will have many years of consumerism ahead, I'll never buy a volvo again in my life.
 
Gotta tell you, the older Volvos are built like tanks. My folks owned a 1976 140 station wagon, and that thing was unbreakable. It drove like a truck and wasn't very fast, but it was pretty reliable.
 
I had a 122S sedan, 123GT wannabe rally car, 222 wagon converted to 223GT, a 164, and finally a 265 wagon. The 164 featured a disastrous jointly-designed (with Pugeot IIRC) aluminum 6 cylinder engine with oiling problems that routinely wiped out camshaft noses. The factory flat rate to fix was based on pulling then engine, but mechanics quickly figured out where to holesaw the firewall so they could R&R a cam quickly and pocket the flat rate. IIRC the 265 had the same engine but maybe with some of the problems fixed.

The old 122/222 series and its B18 engines were solid like rocks.

I no longer consider Volvos because since they no longer make a RWD car and I won't own a FWD. The overpriced Suburu wannabe models are probably fine, but why buy a wannabe when you can buy the Sube?
 
My wife has a 2012 Volvo XC60 and completely LOVES it. Never a moment's trouble. And runs like a scalded cat!
 
The CHP tried using some S70's for a while in 1999. Specs were impressive but in the field they performed like turds, so they went back to the Crown Vics.
 
The old Volvos were good. Starting with the 850, they went downhill fast.

Yours, yep, junk.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
The old Volvos were good. Starting with the 850, they went downhill fast.

Yours, yep, junk.
Click to expand...

Luckily when the new Raptor comes out I'll get a 2010 F150 5.4L V8 crew cab... Just have to survive 9 months with the volvo.
 
And I'm hoping the new generation since Ford sold them will be better (since I bought one!).

My dad had a 1963 144. He loved it and put 120K miles on it. He traded it because it wouldn't stay properly tuned. Later he figured out that the distributer bearings were shot, allowing the shaft to wobble. Too late. He traded it for a 1969 or 1970 144 demo. It was an awful lemon. No more Volvo's for my dad.

My wife and I bought a 2015 1/2 V60 wagon with the new (at the time) T-5 drive train. 4 cylinder, 2 liter turbo charged engine and 8 speed auto. We've now to 26K miles on it and it's averaged 25 mpg for that distance. It's rated at 205 HP and it will scoot. It also handles very well. There is no comparison between to S60/V60 platform they introduced to the US in 2013 (I think) and the old one or the others they sell here.

We do have a couple of issues (it is in the shop as I write this) but they have been very minor.

Here's hoping. I try not to buy the V 1.0 of things, but maybe I'll get lucky...

John
 
Bill Jennings said:
I still have a strange desire to pick up a 240 someday......and do the V-8 conversion.
Click to expand...

That'd be fun. I've been debating on picking up an XJ8 instead of an XJR and throw in an LS1/6-speed. But I think I'll just get the XJR.
 
Back in the day I used to have a Volvo wagon (245: 200 series, 4 cyl, 5 door). '74 maybe? I remember it was orange, and the odometer quit working after about 135k miles. Maybe the speedo quit, too, but I can't remember. And the dash lights quit working at about 150k miles. But at least it didn't leak oil faster than I could add it.
 
Matthew said:
Back in the day I used to have a Volvo wagon (245: 200 series, 4 cyl, 5 door). '74 maybe? I remember it was orange, and the odometer quit working after about 135k miles. Maybe the speedo quit, too, but I can't remember. And the dash lights quit working at about 150k miles. But at least it didn't leak oil faster than I could add it.
Click to expand...
IIRC back then (or maybe earlier) one of their selling points was that they put the sixth digit on the odometer because Volvos lasted so long.
 
We have a 2006 Volvo Xc90 AWD with 130k miles. Never a problem. I've done some preventative myself even the spark plugs. Did not have to remove the intake manifold for it. The only thing I have taken it to the shop for was the timing belt replaced. Even that was not that expensive and was done in a half day. We really like ours and my wife wont get rid of it for nothing. We have had it for 8 years now. Sorry your having problems.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
The old Volvos were good. Starting with the 850, they went downhill fast.

Yours, yep, junk.
Click to expand...

My 850 was fine, though my ex- did get it in the divorce. It finally met it's demise after it was stolen from a service station by a couple of criminals and completely trashed.
 
used to be all the parts were Bosch put into a Volvo bag and marked up. VW was also Bosch and the same part was much cheaper at the VW dealership I learned to drive on a Volvo tractor
 
Bill Jennings said:
Negative, and bonus points if it's a 240 wagon.
Click to expand...

I put over 200,000 miles in three years on a 1991 Volvo 240 wagon standard shift. Great car, I would still own it but it gave its life protecting my daughter in a T-bone crash (which was not her fault - I was in the car at the time...). Sadly! It was a great car.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
The old Volvos were good. Starting with the 850, they went downhill fast.

Yours, yep, junk.
Click to expand...

As a parts guy... I agree. But then the S-series do make decent money with their engines and transmissions.


Surprised the ignition cylinder was an overseas part. When in stock, that's an easy $75 sale.

Let me know if you want help on the drivetrain items.
 
SoonerAviator said:
That's only acceptable if it's a 240Z. :wink2:
Click to expand...

I once got a customer asking for a 28 ounce water pump that would fit a Datsun. A bit of back and forth trying to figure it out, she finally shows me the note from the mechanics, "please go to Denton County Auto Salvage and see if they have a 28 OZ water pump"

Oh, and starting this week, I'm running a special on 710 caps and blinker light fluid.
 
AggieMike88 said:
I once got a customer asking for a 28 ounce water pump that would fit a Datsun. A bit of back and forth trying to figure it out, she finally shows me the note from the mechanics, "please go to Denton County Auto Salvage and see if they have a 28 OZ water pump"

Oh, and starting this week, I'm running a special on 710 caps and blinker light fluid.
Click to expand...

Don't listen to Mike... That crook sold me used muffler bearings and flamduzzy rods ,, and all were worn out...:mad2::mad2::mad2::mad:...:D:D
 
Last edited:
As Click and Clack once said...

All Volvo owners believe that Volvos are well buit dependable cars. And they all think that their own car is the one exception to that rule.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Luckily when the new Raptor comes out I'll get a 2010 F150 5.4L V8 crew cab... Just have to survive 9 months with the volvo.
Click to expand...

Spark plugs, cam phazers:hairraise: Look before you leap.
 
wsuffa said:
My 850 was fine, though my ex- did get it in the divorce. It finally met it's demise after it was stolen from a service station by a couple of criminals and completely trashed.
Click to expand...

How many miles were on it at time of criminals? Seems that once they hit 6 digits, they go downhill.

N801BH said:
Hey..... Bring it out... I CAN do that...:yes:......:idea:
Click to expand...

AggieMike88 said:
Let me know if you want help on the drivetrain items.
Click to expand...

Will do! We'll see what happens. Going to make some phone calls tomorrow. If I go XJ8, plan will be something in the 400+ HP range naturally aspirated (probably 500+), low RPM, high torque, lotsa cubes.
 
This is the only Volvo I've ever owned. It recently turned 800K miles and is the most comfortable big truck I've ever driven.

The truck doesn't have a Volvo drivetrain, though. Cummins N-14 (435 hp) and Eaton transmission and drive axles.

ecGOAiHl.jpg


Mark
 
AggieMike88 said:
I once got a customer asking for a 28 ounce water pump that would fit a Datsun. A bit of back and forth trying to figure it out, she finally shows me the note from the mechanics, "please go to Denton County Auto Salvage and see if they have a 28 OZ water pump"



Oh, and starting this week, I'm running a special on 710 caps and blinker light fluid.
Click to expand...


Lol, yeah I bet that would cause some confusion. My first thought on your story was they mistook a harmonic balancer for a water pump! You might stock up on muffler bearings, too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Had a 245 from 80k to about 200k. Needed a water pump and a headgasket. The gasket was an easy job as everything bolted right on and off. $450 iirc including labor. I had done a water pump on my brothers 240 a couple of years earlier and decided it wasn't worth busting my knuckles. Its one of those jobs that is 20min with the right fixture.

Brother in law had a 2004 XC90. Ran it to 180k before it was traded. It had the Yamaha V6 and except for an oil-leak at one point it was trouble free.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
How many miles were on it at time of criminals? Seems that once they hit 6 digits, they go downhill.
Click to expand...

Dunno. By that time it was a couple of years solely owned by my ex. Probably 50K or so. It was a fairly early 850 (second or third year of production).
 
I bought a used 2007 XC90 in 2009 and had it for 5 years. The only expensive issue I had with it was a locked up AC compressor. It did have a flat tire once, but the frame was able to handle the jack just fine, and I discovered that tires were quite common. I also owned a 2001 S60 for 8 years (which I traded in 2009 for the XC90) and I never had any mechanical trouble with it at all. I have owned my current XC60 for a year and a half, and the only problem I have with it is that I have to add half a quart of oil manually between the recommended 10k maintenance visits. So, from my experience at least, Volvos are quite reliable and dependable. But I'm sure I'm the exception to the rule. ;)
 
My buddy has a 2009 volvo hatchback with over 250,000 miles (he does ALOT of driving). We were talking about the maintenance on it this past weekend. Has it serviced every 8k and thats it. Runs smooth still.
 
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