Volvo C70 Convertible - 2006 and Newer

jtrego

I will defer to you on whether hand assembly vs. machine assembly is better or if that even played a role here...my concern is more with quality control. Try a near 50k car that they only make 12,000 per year. NOt much margin for error, especially when there are other cars out there now that can compete to some degree with the c70. It was't nice of them to fix anything...its their part of the deal.

qbrozen

12k per year?

hmmmm... maybe its been posted, but do you have a source for this? I could see 12k just in the states, but 12k worldwide would be downright silly planning on Volvo's part.

and, yes, they needed to fix the leaking line, but they didn't necessarily need to put in a whole new turbo (unless maybe the threads that were messed up were in the turbo).

jtrego

If there was low oil pressure for a time could that not damage the engine? or what about the damage that a bad thread can cause down stream if metal or dirt gets into the engine?

Again, I understand that bad things can happen in production, but we sure are hearing of quite a few problems with relatively few cars actually out there to be driven. I only personally know one person with this car and the ignition failed early leaving them stranded. Many have posted the A/C problems. Granted some of the other problems may be design related but this is a fairly disturbing trend for an expensive vehicle that sees relatively lower production than most vehicles out there.

As to that, I don't really know the exact numbers, but I was told by two different dealers that production was only 12k per year. I categorize that as low production. Max in this very forum has added that Volvo didn't want to saturate the market.

Again, I love the car and don't think there is one out there that looks better except the two seater Mercedes SLK, but I really struggle with the reliability issues. No one wants are car this expensive or this nice sitting in the garage or at t he dealer all the time. Hopefully, that will not be the case for the c70.

volvomax

The number is closer to 15k per year for the world.

The C70 is a niche car and so will never be subject to the numbers that a true mass produced car will.
Also, the Uddevala facility is very limited in the number of cars that can be built.
Finally, no cars quality control procedure can fully edit out human error.
I have NEVER encountered a car line that didn't have some sort of error or issue in assembly or delivery.
Even the japanese overlook things.

morgenthaler

We picked up our car on the 6th along with two other couples in the morning. Ours was the first appointment, around 8:30AM. I was prepared for a lengthy process of going over documentation to prove I was the buyer. All they wanted to see was my passport. Ten minutes later the car rolled out and within another few minutes we were driving out the door around the parking lot several times. We were only able to drive the car for three days, but what an experience. The last day we had the top down the entire day. The only minor negative thing was the drive side seat vibrated a lot until I rolled the back window up. Hopefully with the wind screen that will go away. Our car is Celestial Blue with the off black leather interior.

This experience has sold me on buying a car overseas from Volvo. First class experience all the way.

Can anyone explain how to attach pictures to this site?

qbrozen

15k is certainly low. Well, at least you can look forward to NOT having to deeply discount it.

jtrego

I am glad that the c70 is a niche car and that there aren't many out there...but as a customer who has to wait 6 months and pay 46k for this car, I would expect that there would not be major production errors like oil lines rupturing or ignition failure. I have never known any problems with any vehicle I have ever owned or anyone in my family or friends to have a car strand them with that kind of issue within the first few hundred miles. Production design errors that are worked out later are acceptable because no one can predict how their product will perfom in the real world.
When one in every 500 cars has a major issue that is one thing, but when 1 in every 50 or 100 has a major issue, and that error is random, then to me, that suggests a lack of quality control, poor workmanship and not a design error. But even my Ford F150, i have had two within the past 15 years, has never left me stranded. And that is a Ford

volvomax

Well, your C70 is the only one that I have heard as having an issue like the turbo oil line.
So it is hardly 1 in 50. Or even 1 in 500.
That is not to excuse that it happened, but it is not an indicator of the cars overall quality.
I'm glad your F150 has treated you well, if everyone elses Ford experience was that good Ford would out sell Toyota.

jtrego

Not my c70, I don't have mine yet, am still waiting. Stanwict had the oil line problem and my friend had the ignition failure. I am not wishing bad things on Volvo, this is a car I want to purchase afterall. But Volvo, along with almost all of the other european cars have more repairs claims per unit sold than most of the Japanese cars and Korean cars. toytoa may outsell but why is that? Does it have to do with reliability or because they just like the Toyota better? I don't really know but that has nothing to do with what I am trying to say. Those are all mass production vehicles...we are talking about a low volume high cost vehicle that is apparently (correct me if I am wrong) assembled by hand. I would think that all those factors would result in one of the most reliable vehicles out there (but the previous c70 was not) here's hoping the new c70 will be at least as dependable as the s40.

qbrozen

low numbers and hand assembly don't equate to high reliablity. Just ask the owners of vehicles like Rolls Royce and Ferrari.

jtrego

What is the advantage to hand assembly, why do it?

volvomax

For the record, the current C70 is not hand assembled. The previous one was.
An assembly line was installed at the Udevalla plant in order to crank out more C70's than what was possible prior.

There really is no advantage to hand assembly, other than the belief in craftsmanship.
People like the idea of handmade things over machine made.
When assembly line robots were a new thing, it was felt that human eyes would be better at spotting mistakes in the assembly process. Robots have gotten alot better.
The Udevalla plant dates from those days, and Volvo Cars prior belief that hand assembled, or at least team assembled cars would be better and have higher quality.
Hand assembly limits the number of cars you can build, because it takes alot longer to build a car by hand.

volvomax

The reason why Volvo's and other European cars have higher repair instances are two fold.
One, japanese and korean cars are not very advanced technically. Something that is simple has less chance to fail than something complex. European automakers routinely push the boundaries of what is possible in a car. The japanese and koreans choose not to for cost reasons.
Two, European car owners tend to be more perfection oriented than owners of other brands. Most of the issues you hear with Volvo's are minor. Things that are annoying not things that casue the vehicle to fail to operate.
For instance, the previous C70 was quite reliable. It started and ran, the top worked, it did all the things a car should do.
Now, it did rattle sometimes and shimmy sometimes, but that was a function of the cars chassis limitations. It had nothing to do with reliability.
people that buy lesser cars are more apt to be forgiving of minor issues because they don't want to go to the dealer.
They don't get a loaner and they can't afford to take the time.

jtrego

Thanks, max, appreciate the feedback. Makes sense to me, which is why I am again surprised to hear of these major failure problems. Personally, I am not a nitpicker, whirring and blowing and rattling dont bother me, and how the armrest feels or whatever. On the other hand, old fashioned reliablity and good service mean more to me. I want a car that can perform conisistently, is well crafted and I want good customer service. Hopefully, the new c70 and Volvo will succeed on these accounts... time will tell.

So how automated is the current production process?

cureme

morgenthaler - Can you post pics when you get a chance. I ordered the same color combo (Celestial Blue/Off Black) and it arrives at the end of November. I made a last minute decision and changed from a Silver/Off Black combo so it would look a little more unique, but every now and then I worry about what it's going to look like.

Thanks.

morgenthaler

I'd be happy to send them only I haven't figured out how to attach them to this site. Can you help. When the car is inside under artifical light the car look silver, but outside it can be light or a darker blue depending on the weather.

cureme

I believe the only way to do it on the forum is to have your images hosted somewhere (most ISPs give you a little space on their servers). Once the images are in your personal web area, you can click the "Img" button in the forum message compose area and it will insert a beginning image tag that looks similar to this:
img src=" (but with a )

after the ", you just enter the path to your image that would look something like this:
http://yoursite.com/imagename.jpg

and then click the "Img" button again and it will finish the tag with a:
">

It's easier than it sounds if you already have some personal web space. If not, I completely understand and will be pleasantly surprised when my car arrives ">

freddy8

Hi, I'm considering a C70 order, and have trouble finding a car to test drive. Any opinions out there about ordering the stock or the larger wheels? I know the larger ones look cool. I wonder what the drive is like, the one versus the other. I'd be very appreciative of your opinions. Thanks, Freddy, Los Angeles

jtrego

I only drove the 18 inch version and found the ride to be a bit stiff, very sporty, you can really feel the road. Ordered ours with the 17 inch wheels but still waiting. In the pictures at least, I didn't think the 18 inch wheels looked any sportier so saved some money and hope for a slightly less abrasive ride as some have posted here as well.

tsk1

We drove a demo unit with the 18 inch wheels. While on smooth road surfaces they had great feel they do ride hard. On uneven surfaces, they seemed to be harder to control and sometime felt like you were riding on rails, needing to more aggressively steered to get them out of the grove they wanted to follow.

Thus, we ordered with the 17 inch wheels, which after 2200 miles are much easier to control, less harsh and still have great road feel. Perhaps it is just the difference between the two cars, ours also has very little torque steer (which was noticable on the first unit).

guest

freddy8

Thanks. That sounds more like the kind of ride I'm wanting in this convertible -- experience the surroundings, not so much the road surface.

johnh7

Like a lot of people Volvo has me totally confused.

I placed my order this summer (black with black leather). I had tons of time to change my mind because my car is due for a Dec delivery and hasn't been built.

I backed off the black and black and went with the flextech in order to get a less severe look. Now I see an "off black" as an option. The color shown in post #833 looks like a grey tone, but I think the owner says it's off black.

Volvo has a lousy website site and because cars aren't in the showroom, what seems pretty basic actually has a lot of people confused.

Am I crazy or 1) wasn't the leather choice back in July a true black 2) is off black that grayish tone shown in post #833 3) or is that quartz.

From a marketing standpoint Volvo should improve its website or find more basic names for these colors. People generally understand black, gray, cream, beige etc. Calcite and quartz are just confusing unless the site really displays those colors much more accurately.

So - any owner or dealer know if that color displayed in the referenced post is off black or quartz. Thks. I have only 3 or 4 days to swithch my order.

jtrego

I couldn't agree with you more about the confusion. We have been trying to get a good feel for the Celestial Blue color for a long time and the website really doesn't help.

I have seen two different c70s now with the off black leather with the black exterior and I think the combo looks great. There is enough difference in the colors to provide contrast exterior to interior. The great thing about the off black leather interior is that it best matches the other interior colors (panels/dash, etc.) We also considered the flextech, but ultimately chose the more time classic off black leather. My wife and i had reservations about all the stitching in the flextech (ie more to rub, fray and catch on things) Also, others have posted here that the flextech is very hard to clean, hence the leather easier to maintain as well. I actually like the feel of the flextech better.

johnh7

Thks - one last question though - are the pictures posted in post #833 representative of off black or distorted?

The #833 pics are exactly the color I'm hoping off black represents.

jtrego

that is Stanwict's car in #833 and I am sure he said black with off black interior. I think his pics nicely show the contrast between the two black colors (ext/Int) The quartz is really much lighter.

volvomax

Volvo has never offered a true black leather for the C70.

There are 3 interiors for the C70.
Calcite, which is the off white
Quartz which is light grey
Off Black, which is very very dark grey.

johnh7

Thks again

johnh7

Volvomax - you would probably know better than me, but my friend has a red with black leather and I'm sure it's not that grey color in the Pic. I've been in his car many times. That's how I initially got interested. I also looked at a black/black this summer that my dealer was having prepped for another customer. The interior was not the dark grey depicted. It was black. These were 2006 cars, not 2007s.

Again - maybe I'm crazy (or maybe the 2007s are different)but my wife was with me and saw both those cars. She didn't want the black/black because - well .... it was black leather. But I showed her the Pics posted on this site and she loved that look.

Claires

morganthaler, since you already have a CarSpace, you can just upload the photos there. Then come back here and post a link to it. Let me know if you need any help.

morgenthaler

I am still in the dark as to how to attach the pictures from "My Pictures". I'd appreciate any help you can give me.

Mark

flheat

Get the URL from where you picture is located (hosted) and copy it. When you go post a message press the IMG button at the bottom of the screen--it will type some characters. Paste the URL right after those characters and press the IMG button again. The correct format should look like the Format Help example at the bottom of the message box when you are done.

tsk1

Having seen at least 50 C70s (2006 & 2007) and perhaps 14 with the Off-Black Leather and a couple with the Haverdal Flextech Off-Black, the Off-Black Leather is always dark grey! Lighting makes a huge difference on the how dark - black vs dark grey appears. With the top down the interior always seems dark grey. With minimul light and the top up appears much darker.

The same can be said for many of the metallic/pearl exterior colors (especially Zanzibar Gold, Celestial Blue). They look way different dependant on the lighting conditions.

There are 3 interiors for the C70.
Calcite, which is the off white
Quartz which is light grey
Off Black, which is very very dark grey.

volvomax

The gray and off black interiors aren't close.
The gray is very light, the off black isn't.
Volvo has no black interior for their cars.
If you were to put the C70 w/ the off black next to a car w/ a true black interior you would see the difference.

Claires

Morganthaler, here's how to upload photos from your computer to your CarSpace:

*On your CarSpace page, click on "Manage Albums"
*Click on "morganthaler's album"
*Click on "Add Photo"
*Click the "Browse" button to find the photo on your had drive.
*Once you've found the photo on your hard drive, click its name. The file name will automatically be entered in the window.
*Move down to the next browse button for each photo you want to upload.
*Once you've found all the photos you want to put in your album, scroll down and click "Add Photos"

That's it :-)

blamb3

My C70 has been shipped and is due to arrive at port in Baltimore on 10/19. If it is not seriously delayed in port does anyone know approximately how long it will take to go from port to Wisconsin?

empty1

Blamb... how can you tell your car was shipped. My C70 is due at the dealership 11/8 when is yours due.

blamb3

This web site was give to us in a previous post. You can track your car if you know the vin#. While tracking your car you can get the ship name. You can then get the ship's schedule. My dealer eta is 11/10, but I'm told that's not neccesarily accurate. Sorry I can't turn this into a hyperlink, but I'm not very computer saavy.
http://schedule.2wglobal.com/AppTracking/searchCargo.do?trackType=Auto

blamb3

I guess I am computer saavy.

empty1

FYI.. The Sunday New York Times has a review of the C70. The author Jeff Sabatini hates the car.. calls folding roofs a fad. Most of his dislikes are with the stying which I suppose are subjective . I personally like the styling. He doesn't like that the car is constructed to be safe (I have no idea what that is about). Look the car isn't for a teenager or young adult. It's for a more mature driver who values safety, comfort and occaissionally wants a little air. I think its a nice package and I look forward to receiving my car in November

blamb3

I also like the styling - it's one of my top reasons for buying a car (I guess I'm in touch with my feminine side). I also have a granddaughter and over the years I have been involved in enough accidents that safety is a major concern. I intend to own only 1 vehicle and seating 4 was a must. I do tend to go around 80 mph on interstates, but how long it takes me to get to that speed, when the difference are measured in seconds, is of no concern to me. The last time I raced anyone from a standing start was 40 years ago and then I owned a corvette - who in the world buys a Volvo and expects it to go from 0 to 60 in under 7 seconds? Besides so many drivers are now driving through red lights, who wants to tear away from a stop sign - yellow lights have become a time to speed up not slow down. Better to surround yourself with a stylish tank that cruises smoothly.

qbrozen

who in the world buys a Volvo and expects it to go from 0 to 60 in under 7 seconds?

*raising hand*

my S70 T5 could get to 60 in well under 7 seconds. It was one of the main selling points.

flheat

Here's a negative review by the New York Times: link title

Also, in comparison a favorable on the VW Eos: link title

They definitely favor the VW:

The Eos 2.0T test car certainly caught my eye with its sinuous, voluptuous lines; its sultry, deep Red Pepper paint; and its supple, embracing Corn Silk Beige leather seats. But the thing that said, “Marry me!” was its window sticker: $30,620 nicely equipped. That’s roughly the same price as the far less appealing Pontiac G6 convertible, and about $17,000 less than a full-zoot Volvo C70.

Or in the case of the C70:

The styling treatment that works so well on four-door Volvos just doesn’t on the C70. The curved beltline crease that runs from nose to tail — rendering the S40 tough and the S60 sexy — leaves the C70 looking like a battleship. An upright grille and a tall stance flesh out the image. (Is it just me or does the C70 have more ground clearance than most compact S.U.V.’s?)

The haunches — ones that only a butcher or a hungry coyote could love — make it look twice its actual size. And this isn’t a svelte car to begin with, bearing more than a nominal resemblance to the final Buick Riviera.

They also point out the common complaint: The car is comfortable and relatively quiet with the hardtop up. Unless, that is, your C70 has the same asthmatic bird trapped in its air-conditioner system that my test car did.

qbrozen

I favor the EOS based on price, as well (who wouldn't).

but I definitely disagree with them on the styling. The C70 is much better looking, IMHO.

jtrego

i read both articles, the c70 one is not a review, it is pure editorial and opinion and like a lot of the crap that the Times publishes. This guy hates Volvo and hates the whole idea of hard top retractables. (which would included the Eos)

The Eos article is more objective but when you exerpted comments from the article you failed to mention the guys bottom line that VW reliablitiy has been a huge issue. You cant say they favor the Eos because its not the same person reviewing/comparing both vehicles.

blamb3

I stand corrected. I should have said "most volvo buyers don't expect their car to go 0 to 60 in under 7 seconds". I guess if performance was way up on my list of priorities a front wheel drive car would be way down my list. I'd opt for a BMW. I love the sound of the BMW engine, it sure beats the sound of turbo whine. However, for my current needs/wants the C70 is the best package, its shotcomings are not in areas that are major concerns to me.

qbrozen

different strokes for different folks. I love the sound of a turbo.

although, i'd probably also prefer a BMW, at the time, I couldn't touch a decent one that performed as good as the volvo for the money I paid for the volvo. PLUS, I needed a car that I could drive in any weather. Volvo offers good compromise in alot of areas.

stanwict

I've got almost 1000 miles on my "C" and I'm very happy so far. I love the handling and there is enough power for me. My only complaint is still the interior door handle. It's not a problem with jacket, tolerable with a long sleeve shirt and very annoying with a short sleeve shirt. Other minor annoyances are access to the back seat. Why there is a latch release on the seat I have no idea because they only swing forward a few inches and it's annoying to wait for the seat to slide forward and back. But I really don't care because rarely is anyone sitting in the back seat of mine (though it is a pain when you are putting something in the back seat with the top up). I also don't want the windows to go up after the top has been put down - YOU WILL NEVER SEE ME DRIVE WITH THE TOP DOWN AND WINDOWS UP! I might just see if there is a way to get that reprogrammed. The NY Times article is junk. I didn't buy this car because it has a hard top and/or because its safe, I bought it because I like the way it looks. Maybe I'm just in the minority of the 2,545 owners on that, who knows. …and my car does not have the barking breaks or the asthmatic bird trapped in the AC. As for the EOS, it does not appeal to me and I'm a three time VW owner ('75 Super Beetle, '85 GTI and '99 Cabrio). Also, if it's so great, why do most VW dealers have them in stock ready to deliver???

empty1

Remind us again what your issue is with the door handle? :confuse:

qbrozen

Also, if it's so great, why do most VW dealers have them in stock ready to deliver???

Well, this is just a theory on my part, but I believe VW actually did the right thing and had cars ready to go by the time the official release date rolled around, unlike many other manufacturers, including volvo.

HOWEVER, the numbers below tell a bit of a different story and my theory may not even be necessary...

As far as my area goes, according to dealer websites, there are 11 EOSs at the 7 dealers within 30 miles.

For comparison, the 6 volvo dealerships in 30 miles (1 nonworking website) claim to have 11 C70s, as well. Go figure.