Discussion
DPF wasn't an issue for ours, 80k when we bought it and it spent three years puttering to town and back with my mum on the Isle of Wight where there is no motorway - never had a problem
Injectors and DMF are consumables but haven't really shown any signs of failing early, DMF usually gets replaced when clutch slave cylinder fails and it's worth replacing the whole clutch/flywheel at the same time due to the labour of removing it - mine went at ~95k iirc, expensive job but only needs doing once every 100k or so...
Which model is it you're talking about, phase 2 or phase 3? They brought out a new one around then? Normally the advice is to buy the last generation of a particular Volvo model, rather than the first
Injectors and DMF are consumables but haven't really shown any signs of failing early, DMF usually gets replaced when clutch slave cylinder fails and it's worth replacing the whole clutch/flywheel at the same time due to the labour of removing it - mine went at ~95k iirc, expensive job but only needs doing once every 100k or so...
Which model is it you're talking about, phase 2 or phase 3? They brought out a new one around then? Normally the advice is to buy the last generation of a particular Volvo model, rather than the first
manual much nicer, but the geartronic does the job, can make the car feel sluggish off the mark as it is a run of the mill, dim witted torque converter auto, but there is the advantage of it not having a dual mass flywheel to worry about. On the 2007 model most issues had been ironed out of them by then. DPF can be a problem but the D5 is one of the most robust modern diesel engines out there - regular servicing and plenty of oil changes with decent oil will see it run trouble free for years and years.
Look out for uneven tyre wear on the front (check the inner edges) they benefit from having a full wheel alignment done, noisy air con pumps (bearing known to go on them), that its had a cam belt change, any clonking from the suspension (they are quite heavy on suspension components.
Fine cars though and much better than many of the alternatives, 163bhp is marginally better on juice but the 185 has obviously better performance and from my experience a meatier sound to the engine
Look out for uneven tyre wear on the front (check the inner edges) they benefit from having a full wheel alignment done, noisy air con pumps (bearing known to go on them), that its had a cam belt change, any clonking from the suspension (they are quite heavy on suspension components.
Fine cars though and much better than many of the alternatives, 163bhp is marginally better on juice but the 185 has obviously better performance and from my experience a meatier sound to the engine
morgrp said:
manual much nicer, but the geartronic does the job, can make the car feel sluggish off the mark as it is a run of the mill, dim witted torque converter auto, but there is the advantage of it not having a dual mass flywheel to worry about.
After ~20k in a manual V70 and ~15k in a geartronic XC70 I'd disagreeThe D5 is never going to be a sporty engine, the auto suits it and for a TC autobox it's not bad, has a tendency to downshift a little too keenly for my taste but the car is undeniably quicker so it's doing what's asked
My current XC70 is much faster from a standstill than my old V70, but that's because it's AWD and pre-tensions the centre clutch before the power comes on, the biggest problem with the V70 is getting power down, especially in the wet, even with premium quality tyres it'll just spin the fronts
OP - best idea would be to go and drive both, I did that an chose the auto as it suited me for what I needed the car for and how it drove, you may hate it...
One thing to look out for is that many people who don't know the cars will tell you the autos are prone to failure, this simply isn't true but I get tired of typing out the same response:
the_lone_wolf said:
Matt UK said:
the_lone_wolf said:
Bought my XC70 in Feb with 122,000 on the clock..
Good to read. An S60 is very high up my list. Just keep reading that the autoboxes have many problems as the miles pile up.The problem is not the gearbox, the box is manufactured by Aisin Warner (now Aisin Seiko) and they produce boxes for just about ALL car manufacturers, according to wikipedia 55 worldwide vehicle producers
The problem is Volvo - they specified the box as "sealed for life" - the issue being that after 150k NO oil could be in a fit state to perform the duties asked of it, and you have catastrophic failure issues - Volvo dropped the ball by saying a box produced with drain and fill ports will run forever on magic oil!!
The truth is that the transmission used in the Phase 2 (~2000-2007) Volvos is essentially solid, save for a few minor niggles in the very first few production years, and the problems that people experience are usually through lack of maintenance (not their fault as not is specified)
When you buy, if the gearbox is OK, no flaring (especially 2nd>>3rd), clunky changes, noises etc etc it should be fine - you can change the oil once you get it, then every 50k and it'll last as long as anything else on the car
Hope that clears it up a bit, the notion still persists, having done heavy miles in both manual/auto D5 and replaced the DMF - I'll take the auto box, with proper maintenance and oil changes
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