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Volvo C70 - Options Chosen or Rejected
Not being personal or inquisitive - but what options are the most sought after, and what are not. I don't mean option packs like Climate etc - but one-off items like Bluetooth, Rear Park Assist. And what about mudflaps all-round? I reckon they're useful on most cars but do they fit the C70 'image'? Are they available even? Maybe Max can help me out on that one.
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You already know exactly all my options because I posted my total order description on a previous post.
I will explain why I did or did not choose some of the other options available, but once again for others reading this post, this should not be taken as a critic. All of these are a matter of tastes and like colors this is very personnal and there is no wrong choice.
Satellite radio is not available in France so is out for me.
Radio package:
I was so amaze by the basic audio system that I found it good enough for me for a car (I only listen to radio and not very often to CDs when driving) and the extra cost for the medium and high end system was really too expensive to me (even if I have 3 decents audio systems at home , two for Audio (downstair and upstair) and one home theatre system for video).
Navigation system: out, because like computers, integrated GPS systems are more or less outdated after 6 months.
In Europe we will soon or later have the Gallileo system that will compete with GPS.
Portable GPS system can be moved from one car to the other and can receive live traffic jam information and on the fly re-routing via the FM Radio.
Telecom package: out because I don't like the idea to have extra microphone, handset visible inside a convertible. In France, some people will not hesitate to brake your car to steal this extra handset for example...
17" or 18" wheels? I only drove C70 with 16" or 17" wheels and found you can already feel most of small bumps on the road with the 17". So 17" wheels are for me.
Rear and front park sensors: yes, it is so confortable to have these.
Automatic gearbox: yes, again this car is not for speed but confort.
Windblocker: yes, for confort again.
Wood trim: Because I found the aluminum finish too "robotic" "computer" like and it goes with the brown cacao leather seats.
I'll be interested to know how you get on with the front parking assistance - I have specified the rear already, but not given much thought to the front, it's a good thing that it can be fitted by the Dealership.
I've also requested the windblocker - but I hope Father Xmas will be bringing me that!
The spare tire was a 0$ option. I took it thinking I will get the Flat tire Kit + the spare tire for 0$. Nobody told me it was Flat tire Kit or spare tire. As a consequence I don't have the Flat tire kit.
If one day I think the flat tire kit is necessary I will buy it.
www.heicosportiv.de
I don't know the company and have never bought anything from them but it looks professionnal.
As an aside, I too have ordered the spare tire, but also asked the price of the inflation kit as a back up. So far, I've not had the price.
If you're looking for a place to get an answer from more of the cell phone aspect check out www.howardforums.com
There may already be a topic about recommended phones with Bluetooth; if not, just create one! I'm sure you'll find an answer there from the many phone experts on that site.
Very clear, never have a problem with people not hearing me.
Not until the car was delivered and I had the opportunity to read the Owner's Manual, did I learn that once a tire has been temporarily inflated with the tire sealing kit, it cannot be repaired and re-used and must be replaced. Requiring the replacement of a tire (or perhaps two to keep the ride balanced) for a simple nail hole, for example, would render the sealing kit a poor choice for me.
Within one day of owning the car, I brought this matter to the attention of the dealership and requested they swap out the sealing kit for a temporary spare a no cost to me. The dealership also responded that they couldn't really comment on the validity of the requirement to replace the tire as they did not have access to the information in the Owners Manual. I was totally flabbergasted by this response.
The dealer wants to charge me half ($250) their cost ($500)of temporary spare. My first very bad experience with Volvo -
I have 'picked up' the odd puncture from time to time (on previous cars) changed to a spare and had the damaged tire repaired, however, my last puncture was so bad that the tire sealant kit would not have been sufficient whereas the spare tire, although inconvenient in some ways, would have got me home and/or to a tire specialist. Your words have now led me to dispel all thoughts of the tire sealant kit, even as back up - thank you again.
As far as Bluetooth goes - although I've yet to try the Volvo system I can say that Bluetooth is superb in many ways. The phone can be left in a pocket or briefcase yet is fully functional for receiving calls via the dash/console mounted switch. The microphone picks up speech clearly and the audio speakers relay the voice of the caller as per any hands-free car kit. Dependant upon the phone used, you can make a call by using voice recognition - which I believe is incorporated in the Volvo system anyway. The only downside as such is that the phone needs to be physically plugged into it's car charger if your battery is about to expire. This would be done automatically on a non Bluetooth system.
"A tire that has been temporarily inflated with the tire sealing kit cannot be repaired and re-used. It must be replaced."
The sealant doesn't provide a permanent repair.
Owners Manuals are written to limit the liability of the Motor Co.
As such, they often err on the side of caution.
Better yet, recall my original premise that the temporary spare is my preference. Had the the dealer been upfront and provided the necessary information, there would have been no issue - but in my case, the dealer - intentionally or not - promoted the lower cost sealant without even mentioning the information in the owner's manual which clearly states the tire cannot be reused. They certainly did not err on the side of caution as far as I am concerned.
Assuming a simple nail causes a flat after 10,000 miles, you would be faced with purchasing two new tires at a cost of over $200. Installing different tires on the left and right sides can significantly upset the handling balance of a vehicle—not to mention its ABS operation. For that reason, it is imperative that tires be installed in front or rear pairs, or complete sets. Those pairs should be the same construction, size, brand and type, with approximately the same tread wear. In most cases, if you have to buy one new tire, you should buy a pair. It is essential that side-to-side pairs be the same and highly desirable that front and rear pairs also be matched, except in cases such as high-performance cars with larger tires in the rear.
I used to use tire sealant on all 4 tires when I was in highschool driving a car with 13 inch rims that seemed to never get a great rim seal -- would lose air without the sealant. The stuff from Volvo might be gooier, but the stuff I used 20 years ago was called "Flat Fix". It wasn't a problem to still get patching for punctures.
IF your tire has a hole that can't be patched, you may have to buy 2 new tires.
That is what happened on my Mercedes, which did come w/ a spare.
The nail was near the sidewall. Guess what?
I had to buy 2 new tires.
BTW, the Volvo temp spare on the C70 is a N/C option. Dealer didn't promote any "lower cost" option.
If you really want one, you can pick one up from a junked Volvo for little $$, but that won't change whether or not your existing tire can be fixed or not.
the Volvo temp spare on the C70 is a N/C option to the buyer.
the Volvo temp spare on the C70 is a higher factory cost for the dealer ($500) which resulted, in my case, in the dealer promoting the tire sealant kit without disclosing all relevant information at the time of ordering.
The seal kit has nothing to do with whether or not a punctured tire can be repaired.
The ONLY 2 things that determine that are the age of the tire and WHERE the puncture is!!!!
My Benz has a spare, I didn't use a sealer kit on it. I STILL had to buy 2 tires because the tire was under 50% tread remaining and the puncture was too close to the sidewall.
Also, the is NO COST to the dealer if the spare is ordered when the car is built. If you buy one out of the parts dept there is a cost obviously.
Seriously, with a car this nice, how far are you really going to be willing to drive on that temp spare?
And seriously, on a car this nice, are you going to skimp on tire replacement if you have a bonified flat.
For a simple nail puncture that is not in a critical area the rubber patch that is inserted through the entire tire is very effective. I have used it twice and it allowed me to drive the tire normally until the end of its tire life.
I went to two tire specialists - one was a highly respected local independant company, the other was one of a national chain of outlets. In other words - the first was protective of his local reputation, the other was quoting company policy.
In both cases, they assured me that the modern sealant (they called it foam) is very different to that used years ago. The original foam sealant could not be removed once it was applied to the punctured tire - hence the impossibility of a subsequent permanent repair. The modern foam however, CAN be removed - and, assuming all other factors are equal (the location of the puncture etc) the temporarily repaired tire can be permanently repaired, using conventional repair plugs as normal.
Are the spare tires specific to a car model, or to the tire size (i.e 17inch vs 18inch tires)?
If you know of a "part #" I can give to my dealer, I'd appreciate that. Thanks for your help in advance.
Typically you see them on Caddies. Big white walled things.
Run flats are available for some cars, not the C70 though. The ride is terrible with them since thir side walls are reinforced.
(My Dodge has variable ratio steering, which gives it a nice stability on the highway. Harsher ride for the amount of body roll it has, compared to this Volvo.)
I've had the car 48 hours now, and it still feels surreal to me -- stunned by how nicely designed and done it is, for what I prefer. Huge chunk of money, but I'm feeling amazed by how much I like this car. Fortunate me.
Thank you to everyone for your helpful postings I've watched over the past 4 months.
Now - please - put it in writing again, on the New Owner Reports, there are some folk out there who need re-assurance that the C70 is all we hope it is, everything you have found it to be.
Am well pleased that your comparisons worked out so well for you - they were very much in line with my eventual opinions when I placed the final order.
Happy New Year in your chosen C70.
Another option I would not leave without is the front object detector. I had the rear as an option from the beginning and the front came as an accessory. Parking this rather big car into small parking spot like we have in Europe is very convenient with these two object/obstacle detectors.
For all the reasons to have a convertible, this option makes the most sense.
I'm a 33 year old Belgian looking into buying a D5.
I still haven't decided on a few things and would like some input from C70 owners.
I would like the Premium Leather seats, but can't decide on the color of the seats:
* I would like the offblack seats in a silver car, but I'm afraid that they will get too hot while driving roof down in the summer. Do they really get hot?
* If the Offblack seats get too hot, another option would be the Quartz (beige) seats. But I heard they get dirty really fast. Are these seats easy to clean?
The windblocker. I know you can allways do without, but for my commute to work I frequently drive +50km @ 140kmph (+-90mph).
What's the opinion of C70 owners? Get the windblocker or not? How long does it take to install it? (just read the previous post where people promote the windblocker - I think I'll order it)
I read somewhere that the RTI system's screen is hard to read. Is this true top-up & top-down?
Thanks in advance for your help/opinion?
The RTI screen is not hard to see. Here in AZ the sun shines 300 days a year. I drove a C70 around w/ the top down and the screen up around all the points on the compass.
The only time you might have an issue is if the sun is low in the sky directly behind you.
As for the seats, we do a fair number of black interiors here, no real difference.
The C70 D5 is a great car and you can see pictures of mine (still with the factory big ugly antenna, but I changed now for a smaller one) with brown leather seats at:
http://volvoc70.blogspot.com/
Brown leather seats (Cacao as they name it) is a good compromise for me between beige (to difficult to maintain clean on the long term) and black (to dark overall for the car interior). But it is only my opinion and personal taste.
The windblocker is highly recommended it takes 1 or 2 minutes to take it from the trunk, take it off the protection bag, put it in form, then 10 seconds to put it in place. Mine is always on mostly because I don't use the passenger back seats. Even with top up I leave it in flat position.
A couple of questions on dealer installed options (I apologize if any of this has been covered elsewhere):
- Is the blue tooth properly integrated with the stereo, or is it something I would better off buying after market (i.e. is the Volvo version worth it)?
- Did anyone get the sunglasses holder? It seems crazy a $40K+ car doesn't come with one. Does the optional holder look decent, or does it look 'tacked on'? The sales guy couldn't tell me what it would cost installed, but he guessed $120?!? The part only lists for $35 on the Volvo web site! Probably goes on with double sided tape...
- I opted for the spare tire as opposed to the inflator and sealant goo -- I assume that this is just glorified can of "fix-a-flat" that I can buy for $2.99 anywhere? Can anyone confirm?
Thanks!
Regards,
SnowFish
Rochester, New York
(Yes, it's 9 degrees F and we're getting something like 2 feet of snow tonight -- perfect convertible weather!)
I have the Volvo Bluetooth and it is really superb. It integrates well with the stereo, muting the sound when a call comes in etc. There are voice prompts to advise of incoming texts and will announce callers numbers or names if in the phone book. My local (UK) Dealer usually fitted after-market units until he saw and experienced mine - he immediately installed the Volvo fitment to all his own company cars. Some have complained about poor performance when in top-down mode, but I had no problems the one time I tried it.
Can't comment on the sunglasses holder other than I recall seeing it somewhere on the Volvo website - a little video on the 'Accessories' list? I can recommend the spare tire - def seems more appropriate than a fix-it can although I would assume that the latter is a little more complex than the cheapy after-market cans.
Hope your gonna love it like the most of us.
Can't inform you about the 'blue tooth' and the 'sunglass holder'.
The default tire sealant comes with a electrical (12V of course) air pump.
But,.. if i'm correct it comes WITHOUT a car jack (someone was complaining about that).
If you are used to change tires in the spring and fall, you might need that.
Where did you get the smaller antenna? I like the idea. Do you notice any difference in performance? Thanks.
there is no difference in performance. You can reach me at my email on my profile.