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'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Thanks
The 2000 S70 had a microchip in its keys which would transmit a code to the cars ignition allowing the engine to start. If the code wasn't recived the engine would start for a second and then shut down.
You might want to have your dealer look into that system.
I thank you, once again. I hope you are correct.
the problem still occurs... has any one seen this.?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
But I've heard that most European makes are like that- they run a long time, are safe with great features, but need frequent and expensive maintenance along the way.
Am I right?
My Volvo dealer charges $55 just for an oil change. That's why I don't go there, either. With no dealer in the equation, my Volvo has been no more expensive than any other car I've owned (so far). Things like brake pads, wires, rotor, plugs, distributor cap, air filter, fuel filter, etc, etc cost no more than any other car in my stable.
There have been, however, a couple of common failures I've had to deal with, but the minor oil leak caused by the turbo oil return lines (costs about $2 for a new seal and takes 30 minutes to fix) and the failed ABS controller ($180 to get it fixed by mail) really haven't been tragic.
I don't know what there is to be afraid of on your S70 base model. That ABS controller is about the only thing you can count on going wrong. Anything else is just as reliable and costly as any other car.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Your points are well taken and yes, I have found a great independent Volvo/Saab shop close by and I trust them (they were recommended to me and I recommend them to other people). When I took my S-70 to the Volvo dealer, I was really charged and they always seemed to keep the car longer than they had estimated. Are the rates at the independent really low- no, but their quality is high, I don't mind paying a few hundred extra per year for good maintenance.
But interestingly, the latest issue of Consumer Reports came out, and they confirmed what has been going on for quite some time- the European makes (especially BMW and Mercedes, but the Volvo S-80 also) have much worse reliabilty records than the Japanese makes, even worse than many of the American vehicles (cars and trucks included). So it seems to me that you are getting a reliablity/cost tradeoff to get the excellent engineering and safety that the Volvo provides. Too bad you can't get that with the low everall maintenance record of a Honda or Toyota.
Out of curiosity, do they detail how they compile their data? I'd love to know. I can think of a dozen ways the results could be misinterpreted or compiled incorrectly. I would hope they have a strong system, but you never know.
Also, what kind of timeframe is that "reliability" based on? Are they comparing, for instance, 200K mile Accords to 200K mile S70s and 200K mile 5-series all from the same year? And did they survey the same percentage of owners of said vehicles (which would mean surveying many more Accord owners than the other 2 since many more were sold in any given year). Its very tricky to compare something like reliability.
I have heard that Consumer Reports does some sort of "initial quality" or "initial reliability" survey, which, to me, is useless. Personally, I don't care much about the years while under warranty (unless we're talking about a real lemon). I care about how a car will be when its out of warranty.
Now, of course, personal experience is what sways folks the most. Take the last poster, for example, he believes Nissan and Honda are lumped together for reliability and Volvo is falling behind. My personal experience tells me otherwise. Which, I suppose, brings me back to my point that I don't look at Consumer Reports.
edit - i just went forward through my subscriptions, and they are also talking about this subject on the S60 board. Someone said that consumer reports rates the S60 as good. so kinda conflicting data.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
And by the way, even under warranty, I don't like the hassle of taking in a car for frequent maintenance, getting appointments, dropping it off, all that. I guess I want my cars to be like my refrigerator- nice features and so reliable that I don't even think about downtime with it.
But the tradeoff (that I made) is that the safety and engineering of the car may outweigh the additional maintenance, (if it's not too bad). I just read that in whiplash injuries, the Volvo's (as usual) were rated best. That counts for me anyway.
Well, like I mentioned, I'd prefer to see something like "we randomly surveyed 1% of owners of these cars with between 80K and 150K miles and here's what they said." I know its not easy, but its really the only fair way. Anyhoo, like I said, this is why I don't rely on consumer reports for the most part.
This is interesting to me to discuss, but I guess we're way off topic.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Sorry for the lengthy discourse.
Well, good thing for you they don't make the S70 anymore, so you need not even concern yourself with buying another.
Yeah, ok, I assume you meant "another Volvo." But, in any case, as many consumers do, I think you are writing off a brand based on one poor service department. If you had brought this to another dealership... who knows? They may have fixed it in one shot.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I'm getting scared off by all the posts on this board about a very wide variety of expensive problems.
This isn't the place for an unbiased opinion, but I'll ask a couple of questions:
Does anyone here have an S70 AWD with over 150K miles? If so, be honest: exactly what out of warrantee repairs did you require, and how much did they cost?
Are all S70 AWD Turbos automatic? I'd really rather have a 5-speed, if possible.
Do the XC70 wagons have the same issues?
I can get a 1999 MB ML320 for about the same price, but I see a lot of traffic about their problems, too. Auto only for that vehicle, too.
What problems there were were minor. Mostly headlight bulbs failing,squeaks and rattles.
The 98 V70 XC's had some driveshaft issues, but those were addressed by 99.
Maintenance won't be cheap. Timing belt needs replacing every 100k, plugs every 30k.
By and large a good car, that will last a long time if cared for properly. Just don't expect japanese style low running costs on ANY European car.
So just know what you are getting into. But I also am pretty confident that my car with go for 100K more miles easily, maybe more.
I change my own oil and filters, brake pads, etc. Are you actually incurring that much in maintenance or are you talking about repairs?
Lweiss just reminded me that I had to fix my antenna, but that only cost me about $25 (FYI, you can get a new mast/nylon gear thingy online and take apart and rebuild the unit - its a big PITA, but obviously saves quite a bit of cash).
But that illustrates why my cost is low. I have done most of the work myself. Other than $29 oil changes at the local Volvo independent mechanic and the 2 trips to the dealer for sensors I couldn't diagnose (about $200 average per trip), I've taken care of the rest. To date, I've done 2 full tune-ups, a timing belt, shocks/struts and mounts, all pads and rotors once, then front pads and rotors again along with one seized caliper, and the cabin filter a couple of times. I think that about covers it. Oh, and 3 tranny flushes (which also had done at dealer, so add that to the list of non-self-performed maintenance).
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I'm new to this site and am having trouble locating the info. I need. I have a 99 S70 with 95,000 miles on it, and I notice that when I turn, doesn't matter, left or right but usually when pulling into a parking space, sometimes I notice a strange noise. I had it in once and they told me that something called splines (??) were rubbing together, so they fixed it by gluing them back in place, but it seems that didn't really help after all. People I've asked seem to think it could be an axle problem, which sounds expensive to me. The car is under warranty until May and is due for a 97500 checkup in April. Any ideas on this noise?
Also, the dealership just sent me some "coupons" and I have no idea if they're good deals or not. Disc brake special that includes replacing brake pads, inspecting brake rotors and calipers, and inspecting parking brake operation costs $139.24 per axle. I'm looking at the owner's manual trying to figure out exactly what they're going to check on the car when I take it in, but unfortunately I don't have it right in front of me right now. I didn't think they were doing anything but checking the pads for this checkup, so is this $139.24 a good deal? Any thoughts? Basically I need to get a Volvo for Dummies book because while I've had the thing for 2 years and it's given me very minor problems, it's now getting older and I want to be sure that I don't get taken by the dealers....everyone's nightmare, I suppose. So any guidance, help, etc. will be greatly appreciated.
Usually, when you get noises turning the wheel at low speeds (like parking), this is just a matter of the steering stops needing grease. Mine got to the point where the noise was VERY harsh, and I didn't think just greasing the steering stops could possibly fix such a noise ... but I was wrong.
So... $270 to do brake pads and a brake inspection? Sounds kinda pricey. Maybe check with a brake specialist kinda place like Meineke (or is it Midas?) and see what they would charge for such a service. They also warranty the brakes for the life of the car after they do the job, so don't forget that added bonus.
For more in depth technical info on your particular car (mine is a '98, which is a bit different), you may want to check out swedespeed or volvospeed. There is also a list of maintenance information and instructions on the latter.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Thanks again for your help!!!
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Also, I seem to have broken the drivers door lock last night by manually locking the door. Electric lock still works but the stem not longer seems to be attached to anything. Is there some unspoken Volvo rule against using the door lock manually?
I do have a good independent shop I used back in the '80's when I owned 2 Volvo's.
No CD player?? I had absolutely no idea this was even an option. Well, the best solution I can think of is to pick up a whole new head unit off Ebay. I see them all the time. there are various models, but a couple of the numbers I can think of off the top of my head are SC-816 and SC-901.
Since I never heard of no CD player, I have no idea if your particular car can take the CD changer.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I'm thinking I'll put a nice Alpine system in, should sound nice with those 8 speakers.
FWIW, I absolutely love my stock stereo. Its the best sounding system I've ever had. 7 years old and still going strong, too.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Thanks for your response.
I do have a few questions... I have noticed a few things 1) the intenna makes noise when i turn off the car, but does not descend into the car... what does that mean? 2) Are michelins good tires to put on the car, if so what kind? 3) I read that for the turbo, which i have, that changing the oil every 5,000 miles is normal... really? 4) Finally, Should I take in the car for a 100k check up.... is that normal.
I am such a novice, so any advice would be great. By the way i love this car. Life seems, at least, a little better in a volvo.
Michelins are fine if expensive. Continentals and Falkens are cheaper alternatives.
Oil change interval for the S70 turbo was every 5,000 miles.
You do need to find out if the timing belt has been changed, if not it is time to do so.
Good luck
BUT, I wanted to expand on the oil change interval. IF your driving habits fall into the more severe category (short drives, commonly cold temps, stop and go traffic), you should change it more often. I would say if you are 75% highway driving, then 5K miles is fine ... as long as you don't go to JiffyLube-type places.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Not dangerous, just annoying.