2003 Volvo V70 D5 Auto Gearbox Longevity?
Discussion
Hello,
In the market for a circa 2003-2005 V70 D5 Estate and am torn between the luxury of wafting around in auto comfort versus the expected longevity of the auto box compared with the less common manual version, especially as most in my price range have more than 125k on them already.
Could anybody who knows about these things please advise as to how reliable the autos are generally and whether its sensible to buy a auto box with such mileage. I would intend on hanging onto the car for sometime so it would easily be expected to do upwards of 200-250k in my ownership.
Appreciate the time.
Andrew.
In the market for a circa 2003-2005 V70 D5 Estate and am torn between the luxury of wafting around in auto comfort versus the expected longevity of the auto box compared with the less common manual version, especially as most in my price range have more than 125k on them already.
Could anybody who knows about these things please advise as to how reliable the autos are generally and whether its sensible to buy a auto box with such mileage. I would intend on hanging onto the car for sometime so it would easily be expected to do upwards of 200-250k in my ownership.
Appreciate the time.
Andrew.
Soft Turbo hoses, failed engine mounts, weeping intercoolers, droplinks are a regular item, heavy on suspension parts so look for play in wishbones etc.
I would avoid the geartronic like the plague tbh.
The best ones seem to be on the changeover year 2004/2005 as many of them have the facelift and better interior combined with the more reliable, less thirsty, less complex Euro 3 engine.
The way to tell is the Euro 3 has a black engine cover, Euro 4`s are grey.
Mines had all the big issues and I`ve spent a fortune on it but mainly because I didn`t do my homework first.
Good cars but there are plenty around so be fussy!
@ 125k they should have already had an intercooler, if not budget around £200 to replace it, check for swelling or oil seeping from it.
Good luck, mines been a labour of love and they are great cars, I would have binned any other car but I`ve now brought mine back from the brink! (2002 S60 D5 Manual, 146000mls)
Have a good read of the S60 D5 Owners thread below if you haven`t already as most of it applies.
I would avoid the geartronic like the plague tbh.
The best ones seem to be on the changeover year 2004/2005 as many of them have the facelift and better interior combined with the more reliable, less thirsty, less complex Euro 3 engine.
The way to tell is the Euro 3 has a black engine cover, Euro 4`s are grey.
Mines had all the big issues and I`ve spent a fortune on it but mainly because I didn`t do my homework first.
Good cars but there are plenty around so be fussy!
@ 125k they should have already had an intercooler, if not budget around £200 to replace it, check for swelling or oil seeping from it.
Good luck, mines been a labour of love and they are great cars, I would have binned any other car but I`ve now brought mine back from the brink! (2002 S60 D5 Manual, 146000mls)
Have a good read of the S60 D5 Owners thread below if you haven`t already as most of it applies.
A lex said:
A tough decision.
A WELL maintained example (auto) should see 200-250k without hassle, but by well maintained I mean an example that has had the fluid changed regularly since new, and finding one of those is going to be tough.
They live or die on the quality and frequency of the fluid changes.
Earlier cars from 01-03 had the most serious issues, with Volvo getting it somewhat under control from 04 onwards. When test driving a car look for receipts of fluid changes and give it a very extensive test drive, as the problems only tend to manifest themselves when the gearbox oil is fully up to temperature - ie. after a good 30 mins of driving. The most serious problems will manifest themselves as flared shifts, most commonly between 2-3 and 3-4.
They can also clunk heavily when coming in and out of neutral (neutral stop) but this can often be fixed with a software upgrade to disable the neutral stop).
If buying an auto, irrespective of any receipts and service schedule id get it booked in for a full fluid change (with JWS3309 fluid) and then have the 'adaptations' done so the box can relearn the shifts. Id then ask for the neutral stop to be removed and any other software updates to be done.
Basically, tread carefully and sensibly. The boxes are prohibitively expensive to repair, and good look finding a good 2nd hand unit - the most common reason for these cars to go the scrapyard is for the g'boxes.
My 01 T5 auto had its box changed under warranty at about 3yrs old (90k) and when I sold it at 150k it was on its last legs again. I now have a manual D5, and whilst in general they are sturdier than the autos, they are also not without their problems (DMF for example).
Or buy a manual A WELL maintained example (auto) should see 200-250k without hassle, but by well maintained I mean an example that has had the fluid changed regularly since new, and finding one of those is going to be tough.
They live or die on the quality and frequency of the fluid changes.
Earlier cars from 01-03 had the most serious issues, with Volvo getting it somewhat under control from 04 onwards. When test driving a car look for receipts of fluid changes and give it a very extensive test drive, as the problems only tend to manifest themselves when the gearbox oil is fully up to temperature - ie. after a good 30 mins of driving. The most serious problems will manifest themselves as flared shifts, most commonly between 2-3 and 3-4.
They can also clunk heavily when coming in and out of neutral (neutral stop) but this can often be fixed with a software upgrade to disable the neutral stop).
If buying an auto, irrespective of any receipts and service schedule id get it booked in for a full fluid change (with JWS3309 fluid) and then have the 'adaptations' done so the box can relearn the shifts. Id then ask for the neutral stop to be removed and any other software updates to be done.
Basically, tread carefully and sensibly. The boxes are prohibitively expensive to repair, and good look finding a good 2nd hand unit - the most common reason for these cars to go the scrapyard is for the g'boxes.
My 01 T5 auto had its box changed under warranty at about 3yrs old (90k) and when I sold it at 150k it was on its last legs again. I now have a manual D5, and whilst in general they are sturdier than the autos, they are also not without their problems (DMF for example).
(owner of a 2001 C70 convertible manual!)
I got a 2001 2.4T for £500 last july at 70k miles by some fool.
car currently at 140k miles now.
so far I've had a couple of coil packs go on me,
changed all the plugs.
transmission oil changed (and will continue to do so)
Ac unit pack in, took the aux belt with it.
More consumable items really expected at 100k really.
I do a lot of long distance motorway driving in it along with the short commute to work and tend to find the oil gets nasty pretty quickly, not good at £40 for 4 liters
but nothing to expensive for a budget of a 20 year old.
car currently at 140k miles now.
so far I've had a couple of coil packs go on me,
changed all the plugs.
transmission oil changed (and will continue to do so)
Ac unit pack in, took the aux belt with it.
More consumable items really expected at 100k really.
I do a lot of long distance motorway driving in it along with the short commute to work and tend to find the oil gets nasty pretty quickly, not good at £40 for 4 liters
but nothing to expensive for a budget of a 20 year old.
A lex said:
Indeed, I have a manual D5 now, but to say that they are without their own ailments is not telling the whole story.
DMF
Slave cylinders
Clutch plate.
A new LUK clutch and DMF will set you back over £1k even at an indy specialist - however overall they are much more reliable than the autos IMO.
Yep.DMF
Slave cylinders
Clutch plate.
A new LUK clutch and DMF will set you back over £1k even at an indy specialist - however overall they are much more reliable than the autos IMO.
New clutch, slave and DMF in mine came to £1260 inc labour
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