V70 T5 potential purchase queries

[The_Gza]

Hi all,

I'm looking at a 2000 V70 T5 at the moment but a bit concerned it could turn out to be a money pit. It's supposed to just be something practical to get me to work and back, sling the MTB inside without sorrying too much about crap everywhere, and haul stuff around in - which if I've got my sensible head on, should really be something snotty and dieselly. But this T5 caught my eye and I'm quite tempted.

I've had a browse round some of the Volvo forums and picked up a couple of things to watch out for. Can anyone confirm if I've got the right end of the stick with these?

Electronic Throttle Module (ETM) - problems are indicated by an erratic idle, rough running? Expensive fix - need to look for one with a yellow sticker?
Rear brake shoes can delaminate away from the metal and cause all sorts of grief to the rear hubs - fix is to give the handbrake a wee pull now and then at slow speeds to clean them up and keep them dry, especially if the car has been sitting?
Front engine mounts - can fail but are easily sorted by replacing with a PU version
Central locking - check by making sure the doors all lock/unlock properly and stay that way! Occassionally fails and is a relatively expensive fix.

Have I picked these up correctly? Any other things I should look out for? Car has done nearly 120k if that helps.

Also, with regards to running costs - I should expect mid-20's mpg, maybe towards 30's for motorway cruising? Pre-2001 tax should be £210 a year?

Cheers!

Edited by The_Gza on Tuesday 25th October 11:15

[Elderly]

The_Gza said:

Rear brake shoes can delaminate away from the metal and cause all sorts of grief to the rear hubs -

Just had this happen to my V70 but new shoes were only about £30 and there was no damage to the hubs.

[dern]

Front wishbone bushes don't last long. I just replaced the wishbones on mine which has firmed up the front no end. You can simply replace the front bush with a poly one which is what I'll do next time as I've kept the old bones as spares for this purpose.

I get 25mpg on average with mixed driving. If you stick to 70 ish on the motorway you may see 30mpg.

Register with this forum...

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/

...and then use your forum id to get quotes on genuine volvo parts here...

http://www.frfvolvo.co.uk/mo-volvo-parts.asp

They deliver quickly and the parts I've ordered so far are favourably priced compared to ebay cheap specials and will probably be better quality.

Good comfy cars for commuting. Unexciting but plenty of power to overtake with.

I've had my 2001 P2 car for nearly a year and have replaced a pair of tyres and the front discs and pads (all fairly well worn when I got it), the turbo control valve (mine was kangarooing a bit on boost when I got it and it got worse - easy job) and the front wishbones (quite involved).

Mark

Edited by dern on Tuesday 25th October 13:13

[Chingers]

ABS/STC control modules failing is also quite common about this age and mileage. Doesn't affect the driving just throws up lots of messages. Volvo will quote about £600 to replace but I took mine out relatively easily, refurbed and back in for £200. Worth checking whether it's been sorted.

[anonymous-user]

Lots of automatic gearbox problems with cars up to around 2002. They had a "stop neutral" function that shifted the box into neutral when you were stopped with your foot on the brake - this seems to have caused excess wear. You can get a software update for the box that removed this and improves shift patterns. There is also a problem with a flare in the revs on upshifts that can be fixed quite easily. Consensus seems to be that 2002 onwards the gearboxes are much more reliable.

Otherwise it's normal big car stuff - heavy on suspension bushes, tyres and brakes. A few failures of electronic modules but nothing at all out of the ordinary. Good, solid barges and very comfortable. It never seems that fast, it's quite deceptive. I have had mine a couple of months and put about 6000 miles on it already, and both myself and my wife have come to like the car very much.

[The_Gza]

Thanks for the useful feedback

Thankfully it's manual, so don't need to worry about the auto box issues.

[Max M4X WW]

What are the turbo's like on these life wise?

My OH's dad has one on about 130k miles, presumably original turbo and its using a fair amount of oil. About 1L every 1000miles. Is this likely to be the turbo oil seals or something else?

There is a chance I will buy this car in the next few months so just wondering how much of a bill the turbo will be, it also needs a clutch and or release bearing!

Cheers

[Petrolhead_Rich]

The_Gza said:

Rear brake shoes can delaminate away from the metal and cause all sorts of grief to the rear hubs - fix is to give the handbrake a wee pull now and then at slow speeds to clean them up and keep them dry, especially if the car has been sitting?

Just bought an S60 from dealer, they had to replace these before I picked them up, so yes this is a common issue!

If fuel economy isn't an issue, go for it, sensible, practical and stupid in equal measures

[Seeker UK]

Might sound minor but every S60 / V70 I've bought has broken filler flap hinge & spring. If you're lucky, it's held on and flaps about, if you're unlucky the flap is held on by the lock. Cheap to fix but a pain in the bum to replace the hinge unit.

[The_Gza]

Timely posts! Hoping to pick it up tomorrow, and funnily enough the current owner has just had the Volvo garage replace the fuel filler flap hinge/spring bit.

Looking forward to getting my hands on it tomorrow - will stick some pics up when it arrives. Really is in very good condition and cherished by the previous owner.

[dern]

Elderly said:

The_Gza said:

Rear brake shoes can delaminate away from the metal and cause all sorts of grief to the rear hubs -

Just had this happen to my V70 but new shoes were only about £30 and there was no damage to the hubs.

Just happened to mine too. Handbrake became less effective although level travel was about the same as ever. Took it to a garage - out of character but I couldn't be arsed to do it myself. Shoes had worn down very low and friction material had separated from metal. Hubs ok.

[The_Gza]

Well I did get it, and remembered I needed to put a pic here:



Now had it a month and actually really like it!