Volvo S70

qbrozen · August 2006

was this a mechanic experienced with volvos? I hope he replaced the tensioner, too.

asika · August 2006

He is experienced and I'll ask for the sake of being on the safe side.

lweiss · August 2006

My 1998 S-70 is running well with 113K. And after the warranty expired, I found a good independent repair place that specializes in Volvos and Saabs- and they are trustworthy and knowledgable- I urge you to find a place like that. And they tell me that Volvos are of course more expensive to maintain but they are safe and have a long life expectancy. Just like Mercedes and BMW's- similar in the sense of expensive parts and all, but good longevity. But even with the age of my car, it does not rattle or feel loose like many American and cheaper Asian cars, the seats are still comfortable, the mileage is still decent, and the repair costs are OK. Better than going for the $5,000+ depreciation per year of a new car at this point for me.

pigeon20 · August 2006

my 1998 volvo s70 glt with 121,000 miles is not running all too well. when i start up the car, the "service light" turns on and will remain on for about a minute. then it will go away. does anyone know why it is doing this??? thx!

qbrozen · August 2006

the service light is just that ... service. It doesn't mean anything is wrong with the car. Its telling you to go get your oil changed.

Is the car really not running well? Or is the only problem the service light?

If its not running well, we'd need ALOT more details to even venture a guess as to the problem(s).

lweiss · August 2006

I take my Volvo to Jiffy Lube for the regular oil changes and fluid fills. And they don't have access to (or don't know how to) reset the service light, it seems that only Volvo dealerships or specialty shops can do that. So I just ignore it.

qbrozen · August 2006

or you can get yourself the nifty little service light reset tool from IPD.

asika · August 2006

On 1998 - 2001 C70, S70, S80, V70, S40 and V40, the service light reminder comes on at 7,500 mile interval or 750 hours of driving indicate oil and filter change is scheduled. It will stay on for 2 minutes. To reset that light, try:
1. Turn ignition off, press and hold the trip odometer reset button.
2. While holding the button turn ignition on (without starting the engine).
3. The service light will start flashing after 10 seconds.
4. Release the trip odometer button within 4 seconds.
5. The instrument cluster will produce a sound when the reset is complete and the light will go out.

*If the button is not released with 4 seconds, the light will not reset;; but it will stop flashing.

qbrozen · August 2006

I can tell you firsthand that it doesn't work on a '98. Only a special tool can reset the light.

billhead · August 2006

I have had the same problem. Can anyone give us any suggestions on how to correct the problem.

Also the compressor and the fan motor work independently but not together. Please adivse.

billhead

tlhjay · August 2006

I have a 98 Volvo S70 GLT w/about 130k miles, and the driver side window will not roll up, is this an unusual problem with this model, if not is it usually the motor or could it be the switch? Help! I get wet when it rains. Oh yea, is there anyway I can roll the window up manually until I get it fixed?

pigeon20 · August 2006

i tried this on my 1998 volvo with no luck. but thanks anyway for the advice.

pigeon20 · August 2006

is there any way i can increase the HP and torque of my 1998 volvo s70 glt without shelling over too much money?

qbrozen · August 2006

what? you didn't believe me?

qbrozen · August 2006

how much is too much money?

You can get it chipped for a few hundred bucks. Produces tremendous results on a turbo car.

Just don't go running it on a track until you upgrade the exhaust, though.

There are plenty of chip manufacturers. I personally had planned on going with upsolute on my T5 ... but never went through with it, and now the car is gone. oh well.

anyway, what i liked about upsolute is that you could get an option where they give you a remote control to change the program to either stock or boosted. I thought this would be great if you either lend your car out or use valet parking. I believe it was around $400-$450 for this particular setup. Just the standard chip without the remote is maybe $350-$400. I haven't checked their prices in a while.

qbrozen · August 2006

it could be the motor or the switch. Easy enough to diagnose by taking the door panel off, putting a test light on the motor, and hitting the switch. If power is going to the motor, but nothing happens, then its the motor.

I'm not sure about manually putting it up, but I'd imagine this would also involve removing the door panel.

Have you tried holding the switch and gently pulling up on the glass. Any result? Usually if the motor is just tired, you can get the window up this way.

volvomax · August 2006

ipd is probably your best bet to increase the power of your S70.
They represent TME, which is a Swedish tuning co.

qbrozen · August 2006

well, the poster did say they didn't want to shell out alot of money. IPD is about twice the cost of just about any other chip option. I won't get into whether its worth it or not, because we both know that's been debated to death elsewhere. But let's just say, at this point, on a '98 S70 GLT, "protecting your investment" becomes less of a concern. It would be one thing if we were talking about a $20k car, or even a $10k car ... but we're not.

volvomax · August 2006

ipd isn't that bad. Plus, the customer service is great.
I had a bad experience w/ upsolute so I'm leery of them.

qbrozen · August 2006

Would you please share your experience with upsolute? Like I said, I never got around to doing mine, so it would be good to have the info for future reference.

IPD is GREAT! Don't get me wrong. They do a tremendous amount of legwork for the volvo aftermarket scene, and their products are typically top notch. I just don't use them that much, personally. I purchased their stainless brake lines and some other odds and ends over the years. I just could never justify buying the more expensive stuff from them or even the common repair items (FCP Groton or alloemautoparts were much cheaper for the same stuff).

volvomax · August 2006

upsolute fried the ecu on my C70. Thankfully they bought me a new one, but still it was very aggravating.

qbrozen · August 2006

did it fry while you were driving it? Or did they fry it while installing the chip. I can see the latter happening. I mean, that's a risk you take by soldering onto a circuit board.

Did you have to mail yours out? The other advantage that appealed to me about upsolute is that there was a dealer near by, so I could just drive there and have him do it on the spot.

volvomax · August 2006

it was done during the install.
I had my service dept overnight a new one.

qbrozen · August 2006

ok. so an installer mistake, then. Not something I would hold against upsolute as a company, personally. That would be like writing off Volvo because one tech didn't fix your car properly.

volvomax · August 2006

the reason the problem occured in the first place was because upsolute had the wrong security code for the cars ecu.

pigeon20 · August 2006

why does my 1998 volvo s70 glt have squeaky brakes??? is there any way to fix it? its sooo loud. i can see pedestrians walking on the street annoyed by the sound when i brake near them. advice is appreciated. thx!

qbrozen · August 2006

when is the last time you changed the pads?

There are several causes of squeaking. Old pads, new pads, missing or broken retainer spring, lack of that pasty stuff the installer should put on the back of the pads, glazing, and probably other issues I'm failing to mention.

jud_e · August 2006

I'm having the same problems you describe. I took my S-70 to the dealer and they upgraded the software for the Throttle. I'm still having problems and they said it could be the antenna ring. Did you get your car fixed?

volvomax · August 2006

Most of the time it is dust between the pad and rotor.
You need to hose off the calipers regularly.

jaymoka · September 2006

The "Check Engine" light recently came on in my 99 S70. I took it to the mechanic, and he said the computer showed that both my O2 sensors need to be replaced. I looked for them on the Internet, and it seems that there are universal O2 sensors and OE (Original Equipment) sensors. The price difference between the two is very high. I want to know if the Universal ones are just as good as the OE ones or not. Moreover, any difference between brands (Bosh, Denso, Walker)?

Thank you for your help...

Karen_S · September 2006

A reporter seeks to talk with longtime Volvo owners. Please send your daytime contact info and a sentence or two about your Volvo ownership history to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than Wednesday, September 27, 2006.

Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com

eddy4good · October 2006

My S 70 ('99, 152k) sometimes fails to accelerate. RPMs will remain constant or slowly decrease for a couple of seconds before it switches back into 'normal mode' and starts accelerating. This situation occurs irregularly and at various speeds (of up to 60-70 mph). I had the throttle body replaced about 2 years ago and the dealer replaced the ETM several months ago when I had issues with "car idle hunts". Any advice?

qbrozen · October 2006

so you step on the gas and the rpms actually drop or stay the same?

I'd have to say that's a throttle issue ... again. Its not responding to your inputs. If the ETM was just replaced several months ago, I'd go back to the same dealer and let them know you think you are having a problem with their replacement unit.

eddy4good · October 2006

Thanks
Yes, RPM go down and engine starts to stutter for a couple of seconds at low speeds. More specifically, if I am driving at more than 25-30 miles, I just feel temporary loss of engine power which corrects itself within 4-5 seconds -- and car starts to accelerate thereafter.

Differently, and when driving more slowly (i.e., after a complete stop) the engine will actually decrease RPM and it will be difficult to accelerate -- so that I actually pulled to the side of road..........

Separately, sometimes engine shuts down when I have no gear engaged (manual transmission). It also sometimes idles irregularly (between 800-1000 RPM) although not as wild as experienced two years ago (and when they changed throttle body).

Do you still recommend to go to dealership indicating issue with previously installed ETM unit (ETM was replaced free of charge in June 06 with following invoice indication: ETM was replace RO#247772)?

By the way can you direct me to a source to learn more about basic functionality of ETM unit?

qbrozen · October 2006

unfortunately, I can't find a source that isn't a forum, which I'm not allowed to post.

If you search this board we are on now for ETM and ETS (the ETM is part of the ETS system), you'll find quite a bit of discussion right here.

Speaking of which, you may want to get yours cleaned and see if that fixes the problem.

If the problem is consistent (meaning the rpms ALWAYS drop when sitting still), I suppose it could be something like a vaccuum leak, but that would be tough to track down. Since the ETM is a known problem that crops up time and again on these cars, that would be the first place I would look.

pat · October 2006

You can post a link to a forum for specific information (as opposed to saying "go to this forum to discuss" something). Yeah, things have changed.

But your suggestion that eddy4good search this discussion is a great one. Too often people don't think to do that and the "Search This Discussion" is a powerful and very useful tool.

qbrozen · October 2006

ah, ok, thanks for letting me know that, Pat.

Back aways in this discussion, I did repost some info from another forum on the ETS, though, so i'll leave it at that. Anything else I could post from another forum at this point would only support that same quote I posted. So we're good (for now).

eddy4good · October 2006

Thanks for the advice on the search function. Right On!!! Found more info on ETS/ETM than I could digest.......

Before going back to the dealer for ETM cleaning, is it usual that the dealer charges a fixed amount ($105) for each diagnosis (i.e., noise/malfunctioning, warning light, etc.) that I ask them to investigate? vs. running the clock on all combined issues and charging an hourly rate alltogether?

On a visit several months ago, I ended up being charged 2-3 diagnosis fees of $105 each even though I got some of the items fixed during the same dealer visit......

I addressed the issue with the service manager but he referred to their customs and a sign in their office stating the minimum diagnosis fee. While I can understand a minimum diagnosis fee for "looking at the car", I can't see any reason for such excessive charges. Are there any VOLVO service standards that would apply to each dealership?

qbrozen · October 2006

definitely not. I find that atrocious.
I don't believe I've ever heard of such a high diagnosis fee and certainly not charging multiple fees for one visit.

The common practice I am used to is a minimum charge of a half hour of labor. Sounds like $105 is their per hour charge, so the diagnosis fee should be $52.50. Alas, each dealership is an independent business, so they can set their own rules. I suggest finding another dealer or an independent mechanic who specializes in volvos.

Where do you live?

Since the host OK'd it, I'm going to point you to a "database" of sorts where people have rated various shops and dealers. You just need to find your area in the list.

pgb3 · October 2006

I own a '98 S70GLT, and have had the "Check Engine" light come on several times. THe dealer has told me that it was due to the gas cap not having been properly tightened after a fill-up (must get two clicks after it tightens). They wanted $20 to reset the light. I just took off the battery cables, waited 20 min., and replaced them. The light did not come again. The light will come again if it is truly the O2 sensors.

qbrozen · October 2006

correct, but that does give a different code when you put a reader on the car. Hopefully jaymoka's mechanic is honest enough that he's telling him the truth. But who knows?

By the way, if you keep getting the light, I suggest replacing your gas cap. I had the light on mine on occassion when I first got it. As the car got older, it happened more frequently. Finally at near 100k miles, the light would come on EVERY time I got gas. So I paid $7 or so for a new cap online and never had the light again.

pgb3 · October 2006

On a different note, my '98 S70GLT recently shut down completely while stopped in traffic at a red light! It re- started w/o a problem, but I had to reset the radio using the program code, but no problem since. Unexplainable?

qbrozen · October 2006

HUH??

man, that's kinda scary, huh?

geesh... i dunno. If you had to unlock the radio, it sounds like it lost all power. So I'd be looking for a bad connection. Not to get you worked up or anything, but that would have me really worried. I'd be afraid to drive it right now without knowing what happened.

robsoo · November 2006

Note: I sincerely apologize to all forum members as I made a mistake by posting errorneously my message as a New Discussion topic. My message should appear in this forum instead.

To the hosts: Please delete my discussion topic. I am sorry again.

Does anyone know how long is the airbag warranty for a 1998 S70 GLT?

Here is my dilemma:
====================
In May 2005 (mileage: 104,000), the SRS light came on. Dealer said the code was 222 and said that the passenger side airbag was faulty and had to be replaced. Total Cost: $1,900.

Recently the SRS light came on again (mileage: 108,000). My mechanic pointed out to me and ask me to look at the driver side of the car. Printed out there was something about driver/passenger airbag and it stamped out Jan 2007. My Volvo was manufactured in June 1997. Does that means that my airbag is still under warranty?

Took it back to the dealer and pointed out the information by the driver said and they said that their computer says 5 years.

Can anyone in this forum help me out?

Thanks in advance.

volvomax · November 2006

SRS warranty is 5 yrs.
The system needs to be inspected at the 10 yr mark, and replacement is sometimes in order.

pat · December 2006

A reporter with a national newspaper is hoping to talk with consumers who have received or are giving a luxury car as a gift for Christmas. Please reply to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Friday, December 8, 2006 with your daytime contact info.

Thanks,

Chintan Talati
Corporate Communications
Edmunds Inc.

238ks70 · December 2006

I have a 1998 s70 with 238k the srs light came on twice about 1200 miles ago, that was it came on twice and has never come on since.

238ks70 · December 2006

i have a 98 s70 w/238,000 miles a/c blows cold then stops working for a couple of weeks. i took it to a volvo shop who specialize on imports and told me i neede to replace the a/c module which is housed inside the main computer box and since its inside there they would just replace the computer because its all one unit $1450.00 but what if its just the compressor . Any one else been told the same thing?

qbrozen · December 2006

wow. That's expensive.

Well, I doubt its the compressor because the compressor usually either works or it doesn't. I've never heard of a compressor working intermitently.

I can't give a definitive answer to your problem, but I can say I wouldn't pay $1450 to fix it. If nothing else, I'd be looking for a replacement computer from a junkyard, Ebay, or a cheap wrecked parts car from an individual seller.

238ks70 · December 2006

I've never thought of purchasing something like a used computer from someone else i guess if the vehicle was wrecked i could get a good deal on it. thanks for the idea.

Volvo S70

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