Volvo S80

johntcallaha

With my 03 S80 2.9 I consistently average between 24MPG and 26 MPG "round town". Highway, I've averaged over 28 MPG. Of course I have to stop every 100 miles or so and replace a light bulb of one kind or other. Have used four headlight bulbs in the last 15000 miles, always low beam. also my S80 seems to be afflicted with a fragile suspension system or it could be the wretched condition of the New York State highways. Two sets of tires and numerous realignments in the past 20,000 miles. Had a fuel pump leave me stranded and cost me near a thousand dollars to replace, plus towing charges. Exhaust system at 38000 miles, seems as if Volvo could afford stainless steel at $42000 dollars a copy. Other than that it's a beautiful, comfortable, well behaved automobile. Keep the Taurus in mind or look further for Volvos. Current economy conditions should make your Volvo dealer somewhat flexible. Good luck!

cet1st

Where can you purchase 2007 Volvo OEM Xenon HID (D1S) headlight bulbs? Do you have to replace them in pairs? Are they difficult to replace? I have heard that they only last ~200 hours. Please advise

irishcasey

I'm hearing a chirping sound when the brakes are applied. I assume that this is a low brake wear indictor? I didn't find anything in the owners manual about this. Can anyone confirm.

Also, I believe I have disc brakes on all four wheels. Does anyone agree or disagree with having Midas change the brakes?

What type of disc brakes are recommended, asbestos, porcelein, etc.???

Thanks for any help!!

volvomax

Low brake wear indicators work when the brakes ARE NOT depressed.
If you are hearing noise from the brakes when you hit the pedal, you could be chewing up the rotors. Not good as Volvo rotors cannot be turned.

I'm a believer in using OEM brake pads on Volvo's. Most of the aftermarket stuff seems to squeal incessantly.

tulsahog

On '02 S80, need to add about a pint of coolant to reservoir. The manual says not to mix with other brands, to use only volvo coolant.

The Prestone Premium coolant/antifreeze says it can be mixed with any brand, any color, on any model. Would this be ok?

itawes

After 3 years of free maintenance, I need to change the oil and filter on my 2005 S80, T6. I looked under the car and noticed a flat plastic piece covering the under carriage. Do I need to take this off to get to the oil plug and filter? Where is the filter. Is it 7 quarts for this engine?

johntcallaha

Flat plastic piece must be removed. Filter is on the passenger side, front of the engine. Manual calls for seven quarts but seven over fills my S80-03. I put six quarts in mine then top off. You'll need a new aluminum flat washer for the drain plug. Drain plug should be torqued to 25 foot pounds, no more. Crankcase is aluminum and deforms easily. Fill pipe has a baffle so I only pour in a quart at a time, easy to spill oil all over the top of the engine.
Good Luck!

itawes

John,
Thank you for your reply. How many nuts/screws to remove the plastic piece? Is the filter removable from the top or from under the car? I only have a jack to lift my car so hope this will be high enough to do the job. You have been most helpful.

unhappy99

I bought a S80 T6 a month ago here in Toronto.
The car WAS leaking and the seller lied to me that it wasnt.
I never bothered to look under the engine. It is a Volvo, right?
Anyway, the first morning I looked under and found a puddle of oil.
This darn thing is leaking everyday and lots.
I took it today to Volvo and got an estimate of almost $1800. to fix it.
They say both Turbos drains need seals, Oil trap seals/hoses and CPV need to be replaced.
What the heck!! Is this what a Volvo is?? This car has 150Kilometers on the eng.
I am totally disappointed and upset about this.
I just want to sell this car now.
I dont know what to do.
Volvo is NOT for life.

unhappy99

Thats a lot of money.
You probably had the work done at Volvo.
Anyway, my T6 is leaking puddles of oil.
They say the Turbos and Oil trap need seals and also cpv.
1800$ to fix it.

Frank

johntcallaha

Six or seven bolts. You'll need metric sockets. I use a set of ramps to elevate my Volvo. Cheap at Walmarts or Sears for thirty dollars or so. Jacks are dangerous for under car work. The filter is removed from under the car. You'll need a replacement cartridge. I removed the filter housing with a strap wrench for a while, doable but difficult. Easier with a filter wrench available at IPD, plastic but sufficient for about twelve dollars or so. IPD also carries filter cartridges suitable for Volvo at about ten bucks.
Glad to be of help.

volvomax

You bought a used car without inspecting it?

I don't care WHO makes the car, you NEVER do that.

A Volvo is a mechanical device like any other. They need to be maintained.
Blaming Volvo because of your inattention isn't right.

johnlow

i bought a used s-80 volvo . it comes with 1- remote , how can 1 programe 1-more remote with out going to the dealer

volvomax

You can't.
You need to download software to the car to run that remote.
That can only be done by someone who has access to the VIDA network, namely the dealer.

david3299

I have a 2001 S80 with 157K. I noticed the temp gauge is reading low as in no deflection and the car is blowing cold instead of warm air. I took the car to a non volvo mechanic to replaced the temp stat. This did not resolved the problem. The mechanic noted that the top hose (upper left) conncected to the radiator is hot and the bottom (lower right) hose is cold after a 20 min warmup, not water sign in the engine oil, he flushed the radiator system.
History, i had the timing belt and water pump replaced @ 120K mile.
Any ideas as to what defective?

Thanks

jimbogene

I have an '01 S60 bought new now 112000 mi. Love the car but lots of maint problems. Thinking about a 2005 S80, wondering what to expect. Any trottle modular problems, suspension replacements, would like to have a better ride than the S60. Anything I should know before I go 100 miles to test drive? Only has 30,000 miles.

rbk4

I have an S80awd 2004. The above instructions are right except for some reason I had to use positions II and III. Worked great.

tulsahog

Had car in for oil change and the Volvo dealer says front pads are down to 1/8" thickness and should be replaced. He said rears are ok. Quoted $97 parts and $98 labor. Asked Service rep at what thickness the warning indicator tells you replacement is needed and he did not know. He said the rotors are ok. Thinking of replacing pads myself. It is time to replace them? Any tips on replacement? I have replaced pads on an american car before.

Also, was told the sway bar links need replacing at $162 parts and $147 labor. How difficult are these to replace and how can you determine if they need replacing?

Car only has 39,000 miles and this seems early to have to replace these items. Have had other cars that went more than twice that mileage before brakes needed repair.

qbrozen

1/8" isn't bad. You have some time. I mean, hell, they only come with like 3/8 new.

I haven't done an S80, but I've done an S70 and looked at my wife's XC90. There is nothing special here. Should be just the same as the american car you did.

Again, have only done endlinks on the S70, but there were a piece of cake. If you hear clunking going over small bumps in the road, they need replacing. Otherwise, you can get under, grab hold, and try to move them. They should be very stiff and move little.

What year is your S80? For $120, you can get these heavy duty endlinks from IPD. I suggest going that route to avoid having to replace them every 30k miles, as was the case on the S70s and V70s.

tulsahog

Thanks for the good info. It is a 2003 and to this point has been the most trouble-free car I have owned.

Yeah, I had looked at the front pads recently and concluded there was probably at least 6,000 mi more wear which is one year for this car. In fact, I think they are thicker than 1/8". Any idea at what thickness the wear indicator starts making noise warning replacement needed? Good suggestion on the links. They should last longer and should be no problem for me to replace.

qbrozen

good question on the brakes. Wish I knew the answer. I would say I try to replace mine at 1/16 or so, just because I'm afraid to get too low and risk scoring the rotors. It is worth throwing the pads away early if it saves replacing the rotors.

tulsahog

At 39k miles and 1/8" pad left, dealer says only need to replace front brake pads. Independent Volvo garage says as a rule also need to replace rotors. Front rotors do not look scored. Appears to be about 1/16" wear on outside of rotors. Opinions please.

Does the brake light in instrument panel come on only to signal low brake fluid level (according to the manual)?. Fluid level is half way between min and max but light has momentarily flashed on and then went off immediately a couple of times the last few days. Happened when turning right if that is significant.

qbrozen

well, low fluid is low fluid. So, yes.

If the DEALER says no rotors needed, then I'd certainly trust that over the indy garage.

tulsahog

According to the dealer service dept, there is no visible or audible warning of low pad thickness. Dealer says 3mm is time to change but I got a copy of the instructions they use and it says change at 2mm. The instructions also say "Do not lube the sliding pins". Reason given by service dept is that the grease attracts dirt.

Just changed the front pads and it was easy except for reinstalling the retaining springs which was difficult.

Thanks for your help.

garyg7

We just got a new 08 S80. There is a hissing sound coming from the steering column when we turn the wheel. It sounds like Darth Vader breathing. The steering effort seems normal. Does anyone knows what it might be?

Thanks

ron128

The passenger controls of the dual climate control doesn't work. The lights on the controls are out and the no heat or air come thru the vents on that side. I pulled the fuses that indicated climate control functions but they are all good, (I even replaced them but nothing fixed the problem). Any suggestions?

dasa1

On my 09 Volvo S80 T6 AWD the sound quality of the bluetooth connecting my iPhone is poor. Any way to improve it?

The incoming calls sound fine, but the outgoing calls are heard by others as scratchy, tinny, wobbly. I had the same iPhone connected to my 07 BMW 525 and it sounded very good. Wondering how to improve the Volvo outgoing sound. Any thoughts?

In Makes & Models > Volvo > S80

maynard1928

I found this forum looking for a maintenance light reset procedure for my 2007 S80 AWD. I am in the repair business and even purchased the latest OTC oil life reset tool for $300 after calling OTC to see if it would work. It doesn't. Called them back and they said that they made a mistake. Evidently only works if you have a key. With regard to your runflat tires I installed Michelin Z rated runflats when the car had 100 miles on it. Still have the OE tires collecting dust. The Michelins make it handle like a Corvette and are a bit stiffer than the stock tires. I think that they are the same size used on a Corvette for the front. I bought them from www.tirerack.com. Michelin are extremely well made in that they spin very true and take less weight to balance than most. You pay for that quality! Car has 30K on it and it looks like they will last at least another 10K miles. I'm very particular about my tires and replace them when they become 60% worn.

maynard1928

Is the bluetooth dealer installed? If so I would ask them if they can reposition the transciever module. It may be too close to something such as the blower and getting noise in the system. I installed one of the bluetooth systems in my V70XC and it's a bit involved. I had a problem loosing connection to my Motorola phone and I was going to try that. Then the phone died and my new LG works fine. Every radio frequency receiver, phone and car end, has signal and noise thresholds that can cause the problem. I would try another phone to see how it works. Hit the center button and ask for setup menu, then connect "whatever you name it", and follow the prompts. You can connect 2 phones to the system.

dasa1

Thanks. yes, it is dealer installed. I'll mention it to the dealer.
Dasa

guntergal

I have a 2001 Volvo S80 with 132,000 miles. It has done the "Performance Reduced" thing twice in the last week. Both times I was driving along a level highway at about 65-70 mph when suddenly my speed dropped to 40-50 mph and the "Performance Reduced" message came on. (Funny how that message is not listed in the owner's manual.) The car ran fine except for going a maximum of 40-50 mph even when I accelerated. I pulled over as soon as I could and when I put it in park the engine idled rough. I turned the car off, waited about a minute, and restarted the car. The message light was gone and the car ran fine. I have had the car since it was new and it has never done this before. Help!

johnlow

i-have a2000 s-80 alarm works ok ,but siren do not sound .does anyone have any input where is the battery powered siren located ,let me know if any one has any input thanks

itawes

How do you turn off the maintenance light that appears on the dash for a 2005 S80?

dickieputt

I owned 1999 6 cylinder S80 (NOT the turbo model). Was real pleased with the 29-30 mpg highway and 25 - 26 around town.
Fast-forward to now - I own 2005 T5 S80. Turbo makes it peppier on pick up but my mpg is now 30 highway and 20 - 21 around town. So I guess that acceleration power comes right out of the gas tank.

Summary: Turbo = improved acceleration but significant loss in fuel economy.

volvomax

i'd be willing to bet you drive the 2.5T more aggressively than you did the 2.9
when you have a sled you don't bother trying to be quick.
IF you drove the 2.5T the same way you did the 2.9 your mileage would be much closer.
You get basically the same highway mileage because you are driving at the same speeds. You must be driving more quickly and accelerating more quickly in town.
Good gas mileage begins with the driver!

david3299

I have the same problem iwth my 2001 S80. Did you ever resolved the problem?

david3299

did you ever locate the siren unit. I too have the same problem.
Thanks

volvowalt13

No I didn't. It just turned 100K and has the airbag message on that I click off all the time.... I get over 20 MPG to and from work...and its paid for...Thinking about a new S60. or 70....But no hurry.

Walt

unhappy99

I fully understand that I should have checked the bottom of the engine.
It is my fault, certainly.
The car looked flawless and I have myself to blame.
Now, the Check Engine red light is on.

doctordick

Hey, you out there!

Has anyone had any really significant problems with the V8?? I have only about 35K miles and mine runs like a top. Yes, the gas mileage is not great, but it's a V8. Responds like a rabbit and smooth. I just want to be prepared if anyone has had problems. Thanks for your responses. doctor dick.

cet1st

I have a 2007 S80-V8 with 40K miles. My cruise control radar had to be replaced. I use it alot on long trips. The most costly item so far not covered in the warranty, bent rims from the potholes in Chicagoland. I have also switched to Mobil 1 (0w30) synthetic oil to keep it running like a top.

cet1st

I have a 2007 S80-V8 AWD with 18" rims with are easily bent from potholes on the various roads and highways. So far I have experienced four bent rims within a year. I am considering replacing the 18" rims with 17" rims in order to keep this great car. What advice or considerations should I consider. Lastly, where can I purchase 17" rims (Volvo OEM or after market)?

qbrozen

Check out tirerack.

Also, what pressures are you running in the tires?

cet1st

These factory installed tires are low profile tires on the S80-V8 AWD. Tires are inflated at their recommended pressure of 36 psi. I have talked to Tirerack.com, and they stated that profile tires and rims are at risk when potholes are involved. They also made the recommendation of switching to 17" tires and rims.

volvomax

If you live in a pothole infested area, 18"s are not the rims to have.

johnlow

hi. i never did . No i didn't locatted alarm siren ,if you do let me know

volvowalt13

I spoke to the dealer and he tells me that the horn is behind the passanger's front tire. You will have to take the by the front wheel. The replacement horn is about 200 bucks.

Good Luck!!

johnlow

Thanks for the information

cet1st

FYI
According to the Volvo rep (who I spoke with today), 2009 S80 outside mirrors have a deactivated motor (we did not address earlier years). In Europe they have the motors activated to retrack the mirrors. At the dealer (parts) you must request the $30 software and pay service (labor cost) for activation.

cet1st

2009 Volvo S80/V8 AWD only comes with 18" wheels. I'm trying to locate a site that sells Volvo 17x8" Meissa wheels. The 17x7" wheels are not recommended for AWD.