Volvo V70 Wagon Experience

mikenk · January 2002

Rex,
I agree totally with your synopsis. On my former 850 turbowagon, it never failed that any stop resulted in a multi-page service page for lots of money. Assuming I had to be near the end on repairs, at 80k miles, I went to a independent Volvo service shop for a checkup; he explained all the things I should expect by 100k. It was $6000 more, and nothing was on the base engine. I sold it shortly thereafter.

Just my experience.
Mike

jameshayden · January 2002

Thanks for responding so quickly. I looked on the TSB list on Edmunds as REVKA mentioned but could not find the particular TSB. If either of you could supply the name and city of the Volvo dealer that fixed your noise, I will give them a call. I appreciate it. By the way, do the dealers have access to more TSB's than we do? Just asking because if I can't find it, I'm not sure he will.

Thanks
James

kulfon · January 2002

I have been reading your posts regarding the "clicking noise" I have a
2000 V70 & seem to be feeling/hearing noise coming from the steering
column (only in the morning when it is cold out). Obviously when I take
it to the dealer the car is warmed up & nothing can be heard. How did
you describe it to them, given you are talking about a similar problem.

Thanks

Kulfon.

PS I will not get into the cliking noises coming from my auto. transmission!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mstssc · January 2002

Owning premium European cars is an addiction that can't be satisfied with domestics (yet) or Asian designs. However, be prepared to feed the addiction with unusually high service costs despite the brand. Maybe the answer is to buy/lease no longer than the warranty period.

rex_ruthor · January 2002

Had the latest/greatest GT software upgrade ( i think its FID668) applied. Car seems to be more responsive off the line, fixed the harsh 2-1 downshift problem, everything else as before.
They also readjusted the gear selector since it was sticking.

jameshayden · January 2002

I described the clicking noise like this...

- always at startup but not every startup
- could be driving fwd or rev
- number of clicks varied from 2 to 5 times
- disappeared once underway (by the time I reache d the end of my driveway)
- not temperature or humidity dependent

Hope that helps.

James

sondagsakare · January 2002

This is a well-documented problem with poorly finished surfaces within the telescopic steering column. There is a TSB that you should be able to review with your dealer.

jameshayden · January 2002

I'm taking her in on Monday and I'll let you all know how it goes with the clicking noise. I'm gonna push the tech to find the TSB but if CPIKE1 or DUNKA can let me know the dealership they were fixed at, that would really help. Sorry to sound desperate but I just want to walk into the service area on Monday armed with all the info I can get. Thanks.

By the way, I just received my volvo oil filter wrench from IPD and it works like a charm. No more damaging the oil filter sleeve and it comes off quite easily.

kotz1 · January 2002

I have a strange problem on my early 2001 V70T5 (May 2000).
The symptom occurs only sometimes, especially on cold days. It affects the rear right door, and sometimes the tailgate lock as well.
I open the door locks using the remote control or the internal central locking button. I can visually see that the door lock levers pop up on all doors. As a person tries to open the rear right door using the outside handle, I can see how the door lock lever pops down all by itself, and the door locks itself! It happens over and over again - as the person on the outside pulls the door handle - the door locks itself...

Any advise?

revka · January 2002

In addition to the feedback here, you should also check in Edmunds' Maintenance Guide to see if there are TSBs (technical service bulletins) that may be related to your problem. Taking a quick glance, I did see at least a couple that were related to the 2001 V70 T5 door locks and power accessories. Hope this is helpful. Good luck.

Revka
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kotz1 · January 2002

I found out that The following SB's might be relevant... 613451, 621834, 614225, 621870, 616749.

How do I get the full text of these SB's? All I can see are the 2 line descriptions.

BTW - Of course I already went to the dealer regarding this issue, and of course I received the standard answer - "we can not recreate the problem and there is no reports of similar issues"... but then again who trusts dealers?

kotz1 · January 2002

I like it. Did not have any special issues with the exception of the ISOFIX recall (I actually use an ISOFIX child seat) and this annoying door lock issue. Oh - and light bulbs do burn often...

Clocked ~28,000 miles to date. MA roads are bad for my tires... I have the P6000 (early V70, as VONN1 said) - and already had to replace 2 tires -both due to road damage. One developed a nasty bubble, the other was a bad flat.

revka · January 2002

This Edmunds article explains how you can get more information on TSBs: You, Your Vehicle and the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB). In particular, you may want to check out their information about alldata.com which seems to be the least expensive option.

Btw, sometimes just giving dealer the basic nhtsa TSB description/number, from our Maintenance Guide, may be enough. They can follow it up with any corresponding manufacturer information they may have in their computers.

You said: "Of course I already went to the dealer regarding this issue, and of course I received the standard answer..."

Have you tried addressing this issue with someone higher up the ladder (i.e. service manager)? That might be more effective. If that doesn't work, my next suggestion would be to try a different Volvo service. Good luck, and please keep us posted on your situation.

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards

kotz1 · January 2002

Thanks for the advise. Found out that the dealership service manager gets a full body
rash when a customer mentions writing to Volvo
in NJ to complain about their service... I have
a meeting set with him for later this week.

I gave him the TSB's numbers and asked him to get me a copy of these.

Will update... thanks again.

dunka · January 2002

My apologies for the delay in responding. Have not been on the board for a week or so. My dealer which took care of the clicking problem is Stutz Volvo in Salem, MA 978-744-8555. Craig or Jeff are the two service advisers who should be able to help. George is the lead tech who took care of the problem.

Over 25K and everything is fine. Took of the 17" P6000 and put on the 16" Michelin Artic Alpins for the winter. I am not having a problem with the ISOfix/Latch system, I am using it with a century smartfit base, I purchased a separate strap that century sells. We have a britax on the other side that is not able to use the ISOfit. The care is now a two adult car but we saw that coming.

vonn1 · January 2002

Dunka, how do you like your Artic Alpins on the T5? I put a set of Blizzak LM-22's on this winter, but I wonder if I would have been just as happy with the Alpins. I put a set of the Alpins on my Mazda 626 this year and I really like them. The LM-22's are much better on dry pavement, even better than the P6's that came on the car (as I've said before, the P6 should not be on the V70 T5). Anyway, the snow traction of the Artic Alpin is outstanding and I was wondering how they work with your T5.

As for your P6000's, I have a set on the Mazda and I had to replace two after last winter. Both front tires had slipped bands. I will not be buying these again when they all wear out.

alwaysed · January 2002

I've had the same lock problem with '01 T5(Dec.'00, but it was on the right front door. I never took it to the dealer because it was intermittent and only lasted a few weeks. Finally, it just went away. Sorry, I could not help.

kotz1 · January 2002

My problem is also intermittent... today, for example, we are in the 50's here in Boston - and the lock works just fine.

I think that my problem is related to static electricity... but am not sure. It seems to be aggravated when it is cold and dry, and I have a child in my arms (thus "charging" myself with the friction of winter coats - like shuffling your feet on a carpet in a dry day).

It also seems to happen more when the car is dirty (road salt etc.) - which leads me to think that one of the solutions is to wash it every week :-)

Have you noticed any specific conditions when it happened in your car?

alwaysed · January 2002

kotz1: My best recollection was the lock problem occurred late Fall, when it was rather dry here in St Louis. So, there may be some validity to your theory.

Also, although a little far-fetched, it may be related to the well documented problem with the remotes and the security system.

dantlo · January 2002

We too have the door lock problem on 2.4T V70. The first time the dealer said they replaced the whole driver side door switch. Last week they could not dup the same problem. Nothing is fixed.But now I have been playing with it, and it works fine?!!

Dan

dunka · January 2002

Vonn1 - Not sure if makes a difference but my snows are pilot Alpins. This is my 2nd season with them and with the limited snow we have had so far here in the Boston area they have been great. They proved themselves numerous times last year in snow and ice conditions and I find them to be solid for dry pavement. The P6000s have not given me trouble yet - I think the Pirellis are noisier than my winter Michelins though. What do you folks recommend, should I decide to replace the P6000 - of course I want a good tire with out paying a fortune.

rex_ruthor · January 2002

Check out the Firestone Firehawk SZ50-EP. They are a really nice tire. I run them on my 5-series BMW. Great traction wet or dry and an excellent sidewall, very rigid and provides really nice handling.

vonn1 · February 2002

Dunka, In all my searching I have never found an inexpensive tire in the 235/45/17 size. When I replace my P6's it will be with Bridgestone S-03 Pole Position tires from the tire rack for 177.00 a piece. With Snow tires for the winter I want a summer performance tire. I would like to replace the P6's asap, but it is doubtful my wife would go for it.

rex_ruthor · February 2002

Actually, Kumho's are relatively inexpesive in that size $110-115/tire.

rex_ruthor · February 2002

Has anyone changed the cabin air filter? I need to do that, plus the other 15K mile checks on fluids. I dont want to pay $150 for the service at the dealer, since they only visually inspect and top off fluids.

peterz2 · February 2002

I'm, considering buying a 98 V70 XC AWD wagon. About 80K miles on it and the dealer is asking $21k. It rides great and looks like new. Heard some noise in turns but the dealer says they fixed it. I've always thought Volvo's had great reliability so I was surprised to read in Consumer Reports that they at average at best. Any opinions on 98 wagons? Is the 2WD standard model a more reliable choice? Thanks for any help.

rex_ruthor · February 2002

The generation of V70's prior to 2001 was fraught with mechanical and electrical gremlins, although depending on which owners you talk to, the cars are either great, or a nightmare. Its kinda luck of the draw. IF you do decide to get the car, I would recommend having it inspected by an independent mechanic prior to purchase as opposed to taking the dealers word for the condition of the car.

The asking price is a bit steep. At that mileage, Edmunds has a $2300 downward adjustment to TMV. You should use the calculator to find out what the TMV is in your area, with the options that are on the car. In mine, it was under 20K.

mstssc · February 2002

I keep hearing that pre styling change (ie before 2001) there were lots of electrical and mechanical glitches although my 99 GLT has shown none. What I would like to know is what makes the 2001 and 2002 better in this area? Are they still there but do not know about them yet as they are relatively new or did Volvo fix them, Just wondering.

jrosasmc · February 2002

I think the 850s were decent; the 70 Series went downhill as soon as they began.

vonn1 · February 2002

I believe that the answer to your question is that we do not know yet. Those of us with 2001 and up V70's are praying that Volvo has fixed a lot of the problems shown in earlier models. I only have 7300 miles on my 2001 V70 T5, so it is to early to tell on mine.

rex_ruthor · February 2002

Sometimes, all this stuff is just design related...ie, the electrical system lay out. If the wiring harness isnt manufactured up to par, you can get shorts and voltage fluctuations that mess up things like PDL and radio and dash lights. Hopefully, thats all it was. I have 18K on my 2001, and its had no major problems to speak of.

vonn1 · February 2002

I'm not sure all the problems have been solved. I had a module for my fog lights burn out at around 3000 miles. No problems since though.

hansry · February 2002

Unless you really need awd, I would stay away from the 98-00 xc's. They are good cars, but require a lot of attention when it comes to the tires. The awd system requires that all 4 tires need to remain very close as far as wear goes. It is not uncommon for a tire with 10k on it to blow and then you have to replace all 4 in order to get the other 3 in line with the replacement. Not doing this can blow a linkage in the awd system. Very expensive to repair.

The 2 wheel models are a better bet. Check the technical service bulletins and recalls, and make sure all those have been done on any s/v70 you look at. If so, most of the problems will most likely have been sorted out in the warranty period. Volvos are pretty reliable from a "not leaving you stranded" perspective, but they have their share of annoying electrical issues that can drive you crazy if you let them.

rex_ruthor · February 2002

the guys down at Americas Tires must LOVE you. Tire wear, on the same size tire, is not a significant enough difference to harm the differential. Its less significant that the differences in inflation pressure that most people drive around with daily.

rickpct · February 2002

....as quoted from planetark.org...maybe we all need to wear tinfoil suits...:>

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/14597/story.htm

.....have electromagnetic fields up to 80 times higher than levels considered safe, a study published last week said....

rex_ruthor · February 2002

the article says the cars have the engine located in the back with a power cable to the front. Is this some kind of hoax newspaper, like The Onion?

Also FYI, the static electromagnetic field of the Earth itself is 25 microtesla. You can look it up.

leili547 · February 2002

It's no hoax but they made a typo in the article, it should read "the battery located in the back" and not the engine.

Volvo has drawn a power cable from the +node on the battery to the stuff in the front of the car. The magnetic filed coming from the current in the cable is around 1-18uT, depending on where you measure it. The original article don't say anything about the frequency charactheristics of the field so one can not tell whether it's safe or not. If it's low frequent or even static it should be no problem, but if it mostly high frequent the measured values can be considered a bit high.

rex_ruthor · February 2002

Where is it, under the rear seat? Thats how my BMW is too. They must have run the power cable inside the car, on top of the floor pan.

mstssc · February 2002

The article didn't state year. I assume 2001 and newer. My 99 V70 has the battery under the hood, left front.

rex_ruthor · February 2002

I will have to check. I think its under the rear seat. I know its in the trunk on the S80.

I am wondering how we can independently verify these claims of high EMF. There are several other vehicles with batteries located either in trunk or rear seat and i have not ever heard of any concerns regarding any vehicle but the Volvo. It seems to me that it is something that would be evident on all these cars, not just Volvo.

leili547 · February 2002

When having the battery in the back you should not only have one cable as Volvo has, instead you should have another cable for the return current. If these cables are put close together they will more or less cancel each other out. Volvo has installed this second cable in a couple of cars and it reduced the magnetic fields by a factor of about 5-10. The estimated cost of installing this cable was around 700 dollars. It will be too expensive for Volvo to call back all s80's, s60's and new V70's and fix this so they will not do it.

sondagsakare · February 2002

I see on another Volvo message board that the estimated charge is 2000 kroner (about US $200) in labor costs. Better if true.

rex_ruthor · February 2002

where does it attach to the battery? there are only two connection points. Ground and current. Ive never seen a battery with more than two terminals.

vonn1 · February 2002

The battery in the 2001 V70 is way in back by the spare tire. It is to the left if you are looking in from the back.

tombarb3 · February 2002

I have been looking at SUV/minivan hybrids and had almost settled on Buick Rendezvous (want to stay around 30K or less). Discovered local Volvo dealer has 4 "program" 2001 FWD V70s with 15000-20000 miles - 1 2.4T around $30K, the rest 2.4s at $28. They are "certified" with 100K "exclusionary" warranty.
Obviously the Volvo seat comfort, ride, and overall "grin factor" blows away the Buick. My concerns are reliability, repair cost, seating space with a child seat (does the child seat in the middle really eliminate the other 2 seats?), and reports of Volvo's indifference to disatisfied consumers. Any advice on problems to look for on these vehicles before buying? Opinions on whether to turbo or not? As a former BMW owner, I could stomach high repair costs because they were infrequent, and I knew high resale value was in the bank. Is Volvo in the same category?

rex_ruthor · February 2002

They are usually abused beyond all belief...either used by the dealer personally or for demonstrations, or for loaners, sometimes all three.

I have a child seat in my 2001 V70 and yes, one seating position is eclipsed by the child seat, if you mount the child seat in the middle (safest) position. In my car, its the right rear that is unusable due to the seat covering the latch for the seat belt. Maybe Volvo has addressed this problem in the 2002 model, but I havent checked.

mstssc · February 2002

I have three child seats across the back of my 99 V70. Two front facers and a booster. I don't think the newer models are any smaller. However, you need to buy the narrowest you can to keep them inside the seat belt buckles. I would take in a seat and try this out before buying.

Yes, go with the turbo. Can't comment on US service but my service in Canada has been very good. Little problems with the car. I doubt resale would be as good as BMW, but you won't get a similarly equipped or size BMW for the money anyway.

While you are at it, take a look at the Saab 9.5 wagon. I have a 2001 9.5 sedan and love this car. Should be able to get a base turbo wagon well equipped for $30k US I would think maybe a bit higher. However, the Saab is a heavy depreciator so lease only I suggest, or look at used ones. The Saab wagon does not have a third seat option like Volvo is this is important.

I can't comment on a 'program' car but would generally stay away from loaners or rentals unless heavily discounted (>20%), especially with turbos as they may have been ridden hard and put away wet

.

leili547 · February 2002

The second cable is for the ground connection. Today the ground on the battery is connected via the chassi, i.e. the return current from the front of the car goes to the battery via the chassi.

rex_ruthor · February 2002

I dont believe they are passing current through the car chassis. That would never be allowed. Much too dangerous.

mgopalkr · March 2002

I have a 99 V70 XC and have 2 irritating problems. Anyone else experience these?

1. I can feel vibrations in the steering wheel and even in the throttle at speeds above 50mph - The dealer has always claimed that my wheels are out of balance and I have had these rebalanced thrice in 36000 miles at $40 a pop. The wheel balancing seems to mitigate the problem somewhat, but not entirely - which leads me to believe that there are other problems. I also find it hard to believe that anyone would design a car that is so sensitive to wheel balance. The dealer could any problems with the suspension. Any thoughts?

2. The wind noise is awful at speeds over 40mph. It seems to be roof related (may the rooof rack). Has anyone had this problem and if so has removing the roof rack solved it?
Thanks,

Volvo V70 Wagon Experience

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