V70 - first Volvo, very impressed

[Dog Star]

I've had to get rid of the OHs C klass Merc coupe ; lovely car, drives beautifully, but the rust on the body panels is shocking. I couldn't bear to be seen driving it. Total cost to repair properly (new panels and full respray) was around £2K. Not worth it.

So until she gets a brand new car next year we got her a V70 as a stopgap; we'd always liked the look of them and what an ace barge for camping. It's a 54 plate 2005 model (facelift) 2.4 170bhp and it's mint. I will accept that the gearbox isn't as good as a Merc and it feels slower than her old C220 CDi but in every other way it is absolutely fantastic. Beautiful leather interior, great sound system, sunroof, heated electric seats, 17" alloys, cavernous. Build quality as good as a Merc in my opinion.

Only downside will be the fuel consumption (I suspect), however I'm really impressed so far.

[BigNige]

Wait until the ABS pump goes west - it will.

There is a design fault that Volvo will not acknowledge whereby you get an "Anti-skid service needed" warning on the dash.

Assuming your man can get into the diagnostics (and it's by no means guaranteed that they can be interrogated) then it will give endless codes but not actually tell you which fault is actually the problem.

It could be a number of things including; brake switch, brake light, cruise control, external abs pump sensor, internal abs pump sensor or the pump itself.

A replacement pump (to get at the sensor) is about £800.

Go here instead
http://www.ecutesting.com/volvo_c30c70__s40_v50_abs_.html

Ask me how I know...go on ask me...

[BlackBeastT5]

Invest in a Dice unit with Vida and you can do most things a dealership can do when it comes to code reading. Obviously you cant do any software updates but Dice is worth its weight in gold if you have an ME7 equipped Volvo.

[dufusmuppet]

I also have a 170 volvo v70 and im sorry to say its the worse handling car ive ever driven,its gearbox is not smooth and its so juicy.Absolute hatefull thing,but i also have a 98 model 10v v70 which is a totally different beast,handles well due to the stiffer suspension,much better mpg and certainly quicker..
As im finding out quickly progress in the motor world isnt always a good thing!!

loving the old beast but if anyone wants a free v70 20v (no tax or mot) get in touch

[markbuck14]

[quote=Dog Star]I've had to get rid of the OHs C klass Merc coupe ; lovely car, drives beautifully, but the rust on the body panels is shocking. I couldn't bear to be seen driving it. Total cost to repair properly (new panels and full respray) was around £2K. Not worth it.

Had an E320cdi. Same serious rust issues along with various gearbox issues, constant electrical gremlins and three "fail to proceed" occasions in the space of a year. Without a doubt the most unreliable piece of junk I've ever owned. Now bought a C70 T5 and very pleased with it too, far superior build quality. Shame on Mercedes, never again.