2010 Volvo XC70 D5 AWD - The formerly scruffy barge
Discussion
Back in March I returned a 2019 Volvo V90 Cross Country that I'd leased through the somewhat infamous Santander deal. It was a great car for a great price and I'd grown very fond of it's comfy wallowing ways, like a favourite old jumper. It was a big departure from the Golf R and M135i that had come before it, but a newborn child had made me value different things in a family car. I've got some history with Volvos, at the time that I passed my test as a teenager my father had a Volvo S80 as a company car, the weirdness of fleet insurance policies meant that 17y/o me was somehow insured to drive it. It was the first large car that I'd driven and felt like a rocket compared to the 57bhp Corsa I was used to driving at the time, I've had a bit of a Volvo affinity ever since.
Sending the V90 back rather than extending the lease or trying to purchase it seemed to make sense at the time, with both myself and my wife working from home indefinitely it seemed silly to have three cars sat on the drive unused most of the time, it needed a relatively pricey major service and new tyres were also on the horizon. At the time you could buy nearly new V90s with more options for a little over £20k from main dealers. I figured we'd use my wife's Mini Clubman as a family car for a while and then pick up a lightly used Volvo or similar if and when the need for something bigger arose.
Fast forward to November and with hindsight that was a mistake. With the chip shortage in full effect those £20k Volvos are now £30k. Maybe that's not so bad if you've got a car to trade in that's also enjoying an uplift in value from the current circumstances, but it seemed a bit painful especially with not knowing if we're in the middle of a bubble. There have been a few occasions recently where two practical cars would have been useful, and we're hopefully expecting a new arrival next year so the pressure was on to pick something bigger up. I looked into some lease deals, the prices were ok and I nearly opted for three years in a Kodiaq or Cupra Ateca, but neither of them really did anything for me and the dealers didn't seem to have much conviction in the already lengthy 6 month lead times that they were quoting.
My scruffy and abused MX5 track car has taught me that cheap high mileage cars can be great. I seem to have cultivated a garage full of tools and a half decent ability for fixing and maintaining cars in recent years, it's something that I (mostly) enjoy, a nice escape from a working life spent behind a keyboard. I've also learnt to love a slightly scruffy car. After years of trying to keep nearly new cars immaculate there's something very zen about having a car that you can feel no stress about receiving a door ding or catching a wheel. The more I thought about it the more sense it seemed to make to pick up something older with higher miles and run it until things settled down. I set myself a budget based on the total cost of leasing a Kodiaq for three years divided down to a single year. If whatever I bought lasted a year without costing much more to run then I'd be no worse off. Presumably, it'll still be worth something to someone at that point which would be a win, or prove to be useful enough that it's kept around as a handy thing to own. The other possibility is that it becomes financially needy and helps us to justify leasing something again. Arguably that's still not a bad outcome.
The older version of the car that I liked seemed to make sense. Some brief internet research suggested that reliability was good and part prices seemed reasonable. In what seems to be becoming a theme in my car purchasing I looked at quite a few online before buying the first car I saw in person because it was the cheapest. The Tyler Hoovie school of car purchasing.
It was being sold by a medium sized trader, from what I can tell he picked it up from Manheim after a main dealer offloaded it as an unwanted part exchange. It's rough, having spent all of its life from new with one family at a very secluded house in Cornwall both sides seem to have spent a lot of time rubbing against hedgerows. The inside is full of mud and dog, the front grilles are cracked from what looks like an animal impact, there are some bits missing and whilst Volvo appear to know how to produce a body that's stood up to the salty Cornish air impressively well, a lot of the bits that are attached to it look a bit cruddy. In addition to the dings and scratches you'd expect of a car of this age and mileage there's a big dent in the bonnet, a light crease in the nearside rear door and the offside rear door has had a dodgy smart repair at some point.
But... it drove really nicely (much nicer than it should after 150k), has been serviced annually and there was a certain honesty about it. It also came back with a clean HPI, unlike another car I'd pondered the day before. I think it had hung around with the trader for a while and he seemed keen to get shot of it, he'd made no attempts to clean it up (I suspect he'd written it off as too far gone in his head after getting it home from auction), which is arguably a good thing - the engine bay and underside was filthy but devoid of any obvious leaks. He'd dropped the price that day to make it the cheapest 2010 XC70 I could find for sale by a decent margin and happily accepted an offer lower than that, I won't say how much I paid for fear of internet ridicule, but it was fair amount below my hypothetical Kodiaq budget which gives me some spending money to get it sorted for the year ahead. That said, I'm sure I've paid an amount that would seem idiotic earlier this year.
Oh yes, it's also a manual. This seemed like a good idea as it's potentially more reliable than the auto box, and might prove useful in an AWD car, but it's quite a sloppy shift (I'll have to see if there's a bushing kit) and you get the impression that little thought was given to the manual cars, certainly in RHD format as bizarrely for such a big car there's nowhere to put your left foot!
As well as being full of mud and dog, it looks like the boot also once contained a muddy dog covered in white emulsion...
It has a compass in the rearview mirror!
And a natty remote control for the very dated satnav!
Along with the latest and greatest in rear seat infotainment! More usefully, it also has the built-in fold-up child booster seats.
It drives a lot like my old V90 did, but with the addition of a grumbly diesel engine (my first) and a keep-fit gearbox. Dynamically it's terrible, but it's very comfy and the cabin is devoid of squeaks and rattles. I love it already. It has enough tech to not be annoying - bluetooth for calls, and I managed to find a cable that would charge a modern iPhone from the built in USB port (intended for connecting classic iPods) whilst sending audio to the neighbouring aux port. I have Waze through my phone on my dash, audio through the excellent speakers and a way of answering calls easily. I was surprised to find that it also has DAB. XC70 specs seem quite variable, I was pleased to find one with heated seats, a lot of them don't. I was also surprised to discover on the way home that it had folding mirrors and rain sensing wipers. Not being a 'Lux' model it's missing HID headlights, they would have been nice to have but not essential, it's also missing any form of reversing sensors, which is a bit odd in a car with plenty of other toys.
I plan to fix anything that's broken, or can be remedied easily and cheaply, and then live with the rest. Apart from the well-stamped service book I received little in the way of receipts with the car, there's no evidence that the cambelt has ever been changed. This was factored into the purchase price and some research suggests it's quite an easy job on the D5 engine. I've unclipped the cover and eye-balled it, it's certainly not new but it doesn't look perished. Once the parts arrive from Autodoc in Germany I plan to replace the cambelt along with both aux belts, tensioners and the water pump.
I've got a long todo list of little jobs that I've been ticking off starting with a deep interior clean, along with lots of parts on order. I'll keep updating this thread as it hopefully slowly improves.
Sending the V90 back rather than extending the lease or trying to purchase it seemed to make sense at the time, with both myself and my wife working from home indefinitely it seemed silly to have three cars sat on the drive unused most of the time, it needed a relatively pricey major service and new tyres were also on the horizon. At the time you could buy nearly new V90s with more options for a little over £20k from main dealers. I figured we'd use my wife's Mini Clubman as a family car for a while and then pick up a lightly used Volvo or similar if and when the need for something bigger arose.
Fast forward to November and with hindsight that was a mistake. With the chip shortage in full effect those £20k Volvos are now £30k. Maybe that's not so bad if you've got a car to trade in that's also enjoying an uplift in value from the current circumstances, but it seemed a bit painful especially with not knowing if we're in the middle of a bubble. There have been a few occasions recently where two practical cars would have been useful, and we're hopefully expecting a new arrival next year so the pressure was on to pick something bigger up. I looked into some lease deals, the prices were ok and I nearly opted for three years in a Kodiaq or Cupra Ateca, but neither of them really did anything for me and the dealers didn't seem to have much conviction in the already lengthy 6 month lead times that they were quoting.
My scruffy and abused MX5 track car has taught me that cheap high mileage cars can be great. I seem to have cultivated a garage full of tools and a half decent ability for fixing and maintaining cars in recent years, it's something that I (mostly) enjoy, a nice escape from a working life spent behind a keyboard. I've also learnt to love a slightly scruffy car. After years of trying to keep nearly new cars immaculate there's something very zen about having a car that you can feel no stress about receiving a door ding or catching a wheel. The more I thought about it the more sense it seemed to make to pick up something older with higher miles and run it until things settled down. I set myself a budget based on the total cost of leasing a Kodiaq for three years divided down to a single year. If whatever I bought lasted a year without costing much more to run then I'd be no worse off. Presumably, it'll still be worth something to someone at that point which would be a win, or prove to be useful enough that it's kept around as a handy thing to own. The other possibility is that it becomes financially needy and helps us to justify leasing something again. Arguably that's still not a bad outcome.
The older version of the car that I liked seemed to make sense. Some brief internet research suggested that reliability was good and part prices seemed reasonable. In what seems to be becoming a theme in my car purchasing I looked at quite a few online before buying the first car I saw in person because it was the cheapest. The Tyler Hoovie school of car purchasing.
It was being sold by a medium sized trader, from what I can tell he picked it up from Manheim after a main dealer offloaded it as an unwanted part exchange. It's rough, having spent all of its life from new with one family at a very secluded house in Cornwall both sides seem to have spent a lot of time rubbing against hedgerows. The inside is full of mud and dog, the front grilles are cracked from what looks like an animal impact, there are some bits missing and whilst Volvo appear to know how to produce a body that's stood up to the salty Cornish air impressively well, a lot of the bits that are attached to it look a bit cruddy. In addition to the dings and scratches you'd expect of a car of this age and mileage there's a big dent in the bonnet, a light crease in the nearside rear door and the offside rear door has had a dodgy smart repair at some point.
But... it drove really nicely (much nicer than it should after 150k), has been serviced annually and there was a certain honesty about it. It also came back with a clean HPI, unlike another car I'd pondered the day before. I think it had hung around with the trader for a while and he seemed keen to get shot of it, he'd made no attempts to clean it up (I suspect he'd written it off as too far gone in his head after getting it home from auction), which is arguably a good thing - the engine bay and underside was filthy but devoid of any obvious leaks. He'd dropped the price that day to make it the cheapest 2010 XC70 I could find for sale by a decent margin and happily accepted an offer lower than that, I won't say how much I paid for fear of internet ridicule, but it was fair amount below my hypothetical Kodiaq budget which gives me some spending money to get it sorted for the year ahead. That said, I'm sure I've paid an amount that would seem idiotic earlier this year.
Oh yes, it's also a manual. This seemed like a good idea as it's potentially more reliable than the auto box, and might prove useful in an AWD car, but it's quite a sloppy shift (I'll have to see if there's a bushing kit) and you get the impression that little thought was given to the manual cars, certainly in RHD format as bizarrely for such a big car there's nowhere to put your left foot!
As well as being full of mud and dog, it looks like the boot also once contained a muddy dog covered in white emulsion...
It has a compass in the rearview mirror!
And a natty remote control for the very dated satnav!
Along with the latest and greatest in rear seat infotainment! More usefully, it also has the built-in fold-up child booster seats.
It drives a lot like my old V90 did, but with the addition of a grumbly diesel engine (my first) and a keep-fit gearbox. Dynamically it's terrible, but it's very comfy and the cabin is devoid of squeaks and rattles. I love it already. It has enough tech to not be annoying - bluetooth for calls, and I managed to find a cable that would charge a modern iPhone from the built in USB port (intended for connecting classic iPods) whilst sending audio to the neighbouring aux port. I have Waze through my phone on my dash, audio through the excellent speakers and a way of answering calls easily. I was surprised to find that it also has DAB. XC70 specs seem quite variable, I was pleased to find one with heated seats, a lot of them don't. I was also surprised to discover on the way home that it had folding mirrors and rain sensing wipers. Not being a 'Lux' model it's missing HID headlights, they would have been nice to have but not essential, it's also missing any form of reversing sensors, which is a bit odd in a car with plenty of other toys.
I plan to fix anything that's broken, or can be remedied easily and cheaply, and then live with the rest. Apart from the well-stamped service book I received little in the way of receipts with the car, there's no evidence that the cambelt has ever been changed. This was factored into the purchase price and some research suggests it's quite an easy job on the D5 engine. I've unclipped the cover and eye-balled it, it's certainly not new but it doesn't look perished. Once the parts arrive from Autodoc in Germany I plan to replace the cambelt along with both aux belts, tensioners and the water pump.
I've got a long todo list of little jobs that I've been ticking off starting with a deep interior clean, along with lots of parts on order. I'll keep updating this thread as it hopefully slowly improves.
Edited by Accelebrate on Wednesday 10th November 21:11
The first repair after getting it home was to attend to the rear boot handle, it was sticking open and had to be forced back into the closed position to allow the boot to latch. The metal bar that the plastic handle pivots on was quite crusty, with some wire brushing and penetrating oil I got it to move freely again.
That evening whilst my wife was out at a yoga class I set about wet-vacing the boot.
It took nearly two hours for the juices to run clear, the plush Volvo carpet can certainly hold a lot of mud. I removed four containers like this just from the boot before I moved onto the footwells.
In the daylight of the next day I was quite pleased with the result, most of the emulsion also came out once the water had spent a little time dwelling on it.
I popped to Euro Car Parts and picked up a new set of front wiper blades, the set that it came with were doing nothing to clear the screen.
The wiper arms were also looking quite tatty and you can see them when sat behind the wheel, so I removed them, gave them a quick rub down with some wet and dry and treated them to a few coats of Aldis best matt black spray paint.
I'm not entirely sure why, but whilst the bonnet was lifted I felt obliged to give the engine bay a quick clean.
The front numberplate screws had suffered from being in Cornwall, there's obviously much bigger issues going on at the front of the car but they're not quite as easily resolved
I've ordered a replacement upper and lower grille, but they're on the slow planes from Lithuanian and Latvia. I don't think I'll do anything about the bruise in the silver splitter for now.
I also attended to the trim moulding that was peeling on both sides. All of my cars seem to end up held together by PU glue at some point, the V90 was no exception after it had a small argument with a deer one morning.
The offside now sits perfectly, the nearside (that had the welding magnet holding it down) had been bent out of shape a little and isn't quite as keen to sit flush. It's good enough. I'll treat the chrome to a polish at some point.
In combination with my wife we've also been cleaning the interior. There's still room for improvement, but it looks a smells a lot better now. A magic eraser has also done wonders for removing the shine from the steering wheel and gear knob, I might try the same technique on the seats.
The car came with a set of mats which went back in after drying from the wet vac.
That evening whilst my wife was out at a yoga class I set about wet-vacing the boot.
It took nearly two hours for the juices to run clear, the plush Volvo carpet can certainly hold a lot of mud. I removed four containers like this just from the boot before I moved onto the footwells.
In the daylight of the next day I was quite pleased with the result, most of the emulsion also came out once the water had spent a little time dwelling on it.
I popped to Euro Car Parts and picked up a new set of front wiper blades, the set that it came with were doing nothing to clear the screen.
The wiper arms were also looking quite tatty and you can see them when sat behind the wheel, so I removed them, gave them a quick rub down with some wet and dry and treated them to a few coats of Aldis best matt black spray paint.
I'm not entirely sure why, but whilst the bonnet was lifted I felt obliged to give the engine bay a quick clean.
The front numberplate screws had suffered from being in Cornwall, there's obviously much bigger issues going on at the front of the car but they're not quite as easily resolved
I've ordered a replacement upper and lower grille, but they're on the slow planes from Lithuanian and Latvia. I don't think I'll do anything about the bruise in the silver splitter for now.
I also attended to the trim moulding that was peeling on both sides. All of my cars seem to end up held together by PU glue at some point, the V90 was no exception after it had a small argument with a deer one morning.
The offside now sits perfectly, the nearside (that had the welding magnet holding it down) had been bent out of shape a little and isn't quite as keen to sit flush. It's good enough. I'll treat the chrome to a polish at some point.
In combination with my wife we've also been cleaning the interior. There's still room for improvement, but it looks a smells a lot better now. A magic eraser has also done wonders for removing the shine from the steering wheel and gear knob, I might try the same technique on the seats.
The car came with a set of mats which went back in after drying from the wet vac.
I attacked the exterior with a pressure wash followed by some snowfoam. Just after I'd finished applying we had some unexpected visitors show up so I ended up washing it off a couple of hours later in the dark.
Not necessarily a bad thing, the extended soak seems to have done a good job at lifting a lot of the moss and lichen that had started to grow in various crevices.
For a quick wash it scrubbed up quite well.
Another quick fix was the offside puddle light not illuminating. It was a pain to remove but was just a blown bulb, even better was that I already had a set in my garage.
Here's the previously mentioned iPhone aux cable, it was surprisingly hard to find one that split at the right end to work in this application and was long enough to run up to the dashboard.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08GK651D9
Not necessarily a bad thing, the extended soak seems to have done a good job at lifting a lot of the moss and lichen that had started to grow in various crevices.
For a quick wash it scrubbed up quite well.
Another quick fix was the offside puddle light not illuminating. It was a pain to remove but was just a blown bulb, even better was that I already had a set in my garage.
Here's the previously mentioned iPhone aux cable, it was surprisingly hard to find one that split at the right end to work in this application and was long enough to run up to the dashboard.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08GK651D9
A slightly scruffy XC70 is a great thing, especially for family duties. I've had mine a little over a year, bought with 200k on it and in proper poor spec (by choice!) and with a equally sloppy manual gearbox.
It's been tremendous... it's hugely comfortable and quiet which suits a sleeping 1yr old. It's proving to be very robust which suits a boisterous 4yr old. It's huge so that suits the all the crap even a simple outing necessitates. It's lighter and easier to drive than a P2 which my wife appreciates, she's hated P2 cars and it's proving to be pretty economical (38mpg AVG) and hadn't thrown up any scary bills yet which suits my sheddy approach.
Each to their own but the big wheels, Uber shiny approach just doesn't work for me... more so as it's had its fair share of off road excursions, in ludu g going to the top of a hill in the Lammermuirs in winter, off piste which to be honest still surprised me. They're just very good tools for family life and can handle pretty much all you throw at them, within reason.
It's been tremendous... it's hugely comfortable and quiet which suits a sleeping 1yr old. It's proving to be very robust which suits a boisterous 4yr old. It's huge so that suits the all the crap even a simple outing necessitates. It's lighter and easier to drive than a P2 which my wife appreciates, she's hated P2 cars and it's proving to be pretty economical (38mpg AVG) and hadn't thrown up any scary bills yet which suits my sheddy approach.
Each to their own but the big wheels, Uber shiny approach just doesn't work for me... more so as it's had its fair share of off road excursions, in ludu g going to the top of a hill in the Lammermuirs in winter, off piste which to be honest still surprised me. They're just very good tools for family life and can handle pretty much all you throw at them, within reason.
Seems Volvos are getting pretty popular here! I've got an old 240 myself, off road for the winter but there's something so satisfying about owning and driving a big Volvo. They're not sporty in any way, and you just don't care because they somehow feel right.
Me personally I'd keep the standard bulbs. Cheaper to replace!
Me personally I'd keep the standard bulbs. Cheaper to replace!
Cracking! We have a similar age V50 for the family duties and it's like ye ol' faithful. Needs a little bit of money spending on it now and to be honest i think we probably will for how good it is to us.
I'd love to get an XC70 next but dont think the missus is as keen but im sure i can persuade her. Shes taken to going camping in the V50 fairly regularly whilst mountain biking in Scotland and i get the feeling the bigger XC70 would make her life easier when she goes off and does this!
I'd love to get an XC70 next but dont think the missus is as keen but im sure i can persuade her. Shes taken to going camping in the V50 fairly regularly whilst mountain biking in Scotland and i get the feeling the bigger XC70 would make her life easier when she goes off and does this!
scottos said:
Cracking! We have a similar age V50 for the family duties and it's like ye ol' faithful. Needs a little bit of money spending on it now and to be honest i think we probably will for how good it is to us.
I'd love to get an XC70 next but dont think the missus is as keen but im sure i can persuade her. Shes taken to going camping in the V50 fairly regularly whilst mountain biking in Scotland and i get the feeling the bigger XC70 would make her life easier when she goes off and does this!
I've got both. I'd love to get an XC70 next but dont think the missus is as keen but im sure i can persuade her. Shes taken to going camping in the V50 fairly regularly whilst mountain biking in Scotland and i get the feeling the bigger XC70 would make her life easier when she goes off and does this!
A 2007 V50 diesel that started off as my the first family car, mainly for my wife as she progressed up from a new Up! to a Mk5 Astra but the space race took over hence the V50. It's been great, I've put about 60k on it (now on 235k) and it was used for the family role but the arrival of the second prompted a switch to the V70's and then latterly, the XC70 and you really notice the extra size. Still have the V50 as a second car, it's just too good at what it does to part with. My wife wasn't that keen on something sort of North Sea ferry in proportions initially either (so to speak) but now drive sit without a second thought, though my relaxed approach to it probably helps... no paranoia about kerbed alloys or car parks dents. I simply don't care, it's a tool. Granted, not as economical as a V50 but more relaxed, bigger and more than capable of coping with tracks, wet fields and Scottish winters (on appropriate tyres!)
Nice cars these, they are just classy in a way few cars are, if that makes any sense at all.
Loving your work so far, I need a wet vac in my life and will be copying you on the Aldi rattle can wiper arms, looks a good result.
Totally get your approach to keeping it slightly scruffy too, it's all about knowing where to stop and where to start!
Loving your work so far, I need a wet vac in my life and will be copying you on the Aldi rattle can wiper arms, looks a good result.
Totally get your approach to keeping it slightly scruffy too, it's all about knowing where to stop and where to start!
I'll have you know that I had a D5 equipped Volvo AND an Mx5 NC first! I have a 2003 S60 and I absolutely love it. Yours looks great in that colour, jealous of the extra boot space and AWD. Something about the ride height as well and the fat tyres that suit the car perfectly. How long until a tow-bar is fitted and you're towing the Mx5 to track days?
Davie said:
It's been tremendous...
That's good to hear 
The Bearded Tit said:
Me personally I'd keep the standard bulbs. Cheaper to replace!
It's funny you should say that...
It feels like a right of pre-DRL Volvo passage.
scottos said:
I'd love to get an XC70 next but dont think the missus is as keen but im sure i can persuade her. Shes taken to going camping in the V50 fairly regularly whilst mountain biking in Scotland and i get the feeling the bigger XC70 would make her life easier when she goes off and does this!
That sounds like a scene from an XC70 sales brochure if ever I heard one!whytheory said:
Loving your work so far, I need a wet vac in my life and will be copying you on the Aldi rattle can wiper arms, looks a good result.
Totally get your approach to keeping it slightly scruffy too, it's all about knowing where to stop and where to start!
Thanks! I bought the wet vac not long after our son was born, it's been kept busy.Totally get your approach to keeping it slightly scruffy too, it's all about knowing where to stop and where to start!
It's a blurry line on the scruffiness, I think everyone has their own definition of what they can live with.
_Yeti said:
I'll have you know that I had a D5 equipped Volvo AND an Mx5 NC first! I have a 2003 S60 and I absolutely love it. Yours looks great in that colour, jealous of the extra boot space and AWD. Something about the ride height as well and the fat tyres that suit the car perfectly. How long until a tow-bar is fitted and you're towing the Mx5 to track days?
I hadn't clocked that you were a fellow Volvo-ist. I should have spotted the special handshake when we met at Llandow 
I was a little disappointed that this one didn't have a factory fitted tow bar, possibly something to add in the future. Now that youngsters can tow it would have been very convenient...
Accelebrate said:
It's funny you should say that...
It feels like a right of pre-DRL Volvo passage.
Just be happy in the knowledge that changing it will take about 3mins... or if you want you can bring the headlight into the warmth of the living room thanks to frankly genius foresight and design by Volvo. It feels like a right of pre-DRL Volvo passage.
Nice to see lots of love for Volvos on here I haven't checked the dimensions but I think the boot might not be quite as deep as the V90 was, but unlike the V90 it's got a proper box shaped rear end, the sloping roofline and rear screen on the newer car really eats into your load capacity in some circumstances.
We took the XC70 for a weekend away at a Cotswold hotel, not far from where we live but I had some reward points that were about to expire.
It was great to be able to throw our large bulky pram in the back completely whole, along with some bags for a night away and still have plenty of space to spare. There were a couple of small issues, neither of 12v sockets in the cabin were working, and the missing load area cover in the boot meant we had no way of leaving anything out of sight in the back.
Back at home I continued with my quick Volvo wins. The 12v sockets were a simple fix, just a blown fuse...
The last MOT had a few advisories, three worn tyres, rear pads and the rear indicator bulbs not being particularly orange. It looks like the previous owner sorted the tyres and brakes, but the indicators still looked a bit pale.
It would appear that the bulbs have leprosy...
I had a spare set of bulbs in my garage, snazzy chrome effect too! I think I might have bought these in about 2005 or 2006. My wife lists my ability to never throw anything away as one of my top qualities.
Another easy fix was the rear wiper. The mechanism has developed some slop over the years and it had a tendency to droop onto the bodywork.
Removed and positioned a few notches higher, much better.
This posh Febreze has done wonders for the smell of dog inside the car...
I haven't checked the dimensions but I think the boot might not be quite as deep as the V90 was, but unlike the V90 it's got a proper box shaped rear end, the sloping roofline and rear screen on the newer car really eats into your load capacity in some circumstances.We took the XC70 for a weekend away at a Cotswold hotel, not far from where we live but I had some reward points that were about to expire.
It was great to be able to throw our large bulky pram in the back completely whole, along with some bags for a night away and still have plenty of space to spare. There were a couple of small issues, neither of 12v sockets in the cabin were working, and the missing load area cover in the boot meant we had no way of leaving anything out of sight in the back.
Back at home I continued with my quick Volvo wins. The 12v sockets were a simple fix, just a blown fuse...
The last MOT had a few advisories, three worn tyres, rear pads and the rear indicator bulbs not being particularly orange. It looks like the previous owner sorted the tyres and brakes, but the indicators still looked a bit pale.
It would appear that the bulbs have leprosy...
I had a spare set of bulbs in my garage, snazzy chrome effect too! I think I might have bought these in about 2005 or 2006. My wife lists my ability to never throw anything away as one of my top qualities.
Another easy fix was the rear wiper. The mechanism has developed some slop over the years and it had a tendency to droop onto the bodywork.
Removed and positioned a few notches higher, much better.
This posh Febreze has done wonders for the smell of dog inside the car...
I managed to find a replacement load cover on eBay. They're surprisingly expensive things, but I got this for a decent price as it's missing one of the release buttons that you only use when removing it from the car. You can still actuate the catch using a finger so it's no big deal, when I've got a moment I'll 3D print a replacement button.
Apart from a few scuffs from the incident that presumably detached the button it's otherwise in good shape, it came from a 2014 car so it should be.
The missing button...
I removed the fancy lift up dog guard, they seem to fetch decent money and we've got no immediate plans for another pet so it'll go on eBay to put some money back into my theoretical cost-of-a-year-in-a-Kodiaq pot.
Apart from a few scuffs from the incident that presumably detached the button it's otherwise in good shape, it came from a 2014 car so it should be.
The missing button...
I removed the fancy lift up dog guard, they seem to fetch decent money and we've got no immediate plans for another pet so it'll go on eBay to put some money back into my theoretical cost-of-a-year-in-a-Kodiaq pot.
Excellent effort. I leave the dog gaurd permanently down in mine. Not only do I have the fear the my kids will be decapitated by a low flying scooter or rouge pair of wellies in a crash but it's also good for suspending an array of noisy and annoying baby toys from in an attempt keep the 1yr old entertained for a nano second more every trip out.
You are doing a cracking job on this 'project'!
Volvos are great: I moved across to them from 330k miles in 3 Saabs when they sadly demised.
Now had my XC60 from new for 7 years now, & frankly I am not certain I will ever get rid of it: still feels taut, I know this year will cost me (cambelt/pads/discs all to happen, & I am no DIY expert, so local Volvo Indy will get some income from me), but once done, that should be the major expenses done for a few more years.
Daughter had her Fiesta stolen a fortnight ago. Fiesta is pretty well the best small motor (IMHO - suited to towns and motorways, space, comfort, economy), and really suited her, but she is understandably nervous about replacing it like for like.......I'm wondering whether a small Volvo might be a good replacement for her. Probably too big, but it is certainly a possibility!
Crack on!
Volvos are great: I moved across to them from 330k miles in 3 Saabs when they sadly demised.
Now had my XC60 from new for 7 years now, & frankly I am not certain I will ever get rid of it: still feels taut, I know this year will cost me (cambelt/pads/discs all to happen, & I am no DIY expert, so local Volvo Indy will get some income from me), but once done, that should be the major expenses done for a few more years.
Daughter had her Fiesta stolen a fortnight ago. Fiesta is pretty well the best small motor (IMHO - suited to towns and motorways, space, comfort, economy), and really suited her, but she is understandably nervous about replacing it like for like.......I'm wondering whether a small Volvo might be a good replacement for her. Probably too big, but it is certainly a possibility!
Crack on!
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