Thought I'd post an update regarding my bevel gear leak. Been driving for a couple days and I no longer have oil in the driveway. Although I replaced both RF axel seals and the adjuster nut o-ring, I'm convinced it was just the o-ring. However since I was in there I suppose it was a good idea to rep...

I have an 06 XC70 (160k), just replaced a Bevel Gear Adjuster Nut o-ring due to a leaky BG (one of the cheaper BG fixes). I've been running synthectic oil. Still using original PCV system. Did have a strut coil break (I don't drive hard!). Watch the exhaust hanger near catalytic converter. Mine is o...

I'm still tackling some of the easy Volvo S80 repairs and have replaced the Upper Right Torque Rod Engine mount and Right Eng Mount. I didn't have a lot of vibration and noise except that dealer told me I needed new wheel bearing and I thought I'd eliminate any other potential noise makers before ta...

I know there is a lot of info on this repair but thought I could contribute my experience as an sub average repair hacker! My son's 2007 Volvo S80 3.2 (131k) developed a coolant leak. He was repeatedly topping it off and getting "low coolant" warnings. After we got the coolant out of the s...

I've done a few of my cars by aggresively sanding down with wet sandpaper (best to remove headlights), 400, 600 and 800 grit. Didn't go too fine as I wanted to leave something for clear coat to stick to. Test your sanding by putting water on it to see if you've missed spots. Then I used a two part a...

I nearly broke my leg today working the the XC70 rear hatch struts! Had oil leaking from upper trim above rear windows and hatch wouldn't stay up this past winter. Like an idiot, I removed a strut without propping up the hatch and it came down full force on my hip! Felt the pain down to my toes! So ...

My 2006 XC70 has been giving me a faint whiff of gas smell for a few months. This past week my engine light came on but sadly the new iCarsoft Volvo code reader can't find the fault. I did get a flash on the dash that indicated I had a "Loose Gas Cap". It was momentary and has disappeared ...

Restored the leather on my XC70's steering wheel. Car has 190K on it and the original coating of the leather wheel had worn off down to the underlying leather material. It was pretty disgusting. I used a product called Leathemagic. They offer two Volvo-like colorants called Oak/Arena and Oak. My car...

Got tired of looking at my nasty A-pillars on my 2006 XC70, the trim that runs vertically along the inside of the front windshield. The fabric had pulled away and was saggy and nasty. I tried to find used ones and had no luck (I also remembered that these were used replacements already). I tried to ...

Update; got my new tensioner and installed it. Install went well. I think the tensioner was actually good but the pulley had a dry bearing and would spin quite freely with no resistance. 1. I moved the steering pump reservoir out of the way. 2. Reached in with a belt tensioner tool and a 60mm Torx s...