My 2005 w/ 2.5t is a 7 passenger version w/ the 336 mm brakes so I assume it has the stronger rear springs. At any rate, it rides fine with the novo springs and regular Sachs shocks. If anything, it's still on the firm side.

I posted this on the first page but here it is again concerning springs: "I also have a 2005 xc90 2.5t fwd and after doing some front end suspension work (control arms, struts, etc.) it still had a 'nervous' kind of jittery feel to me. If you put 2-300 lbs. in the rear hatch area, it actually r...

It's possible the timing belt broke and jammed valves against pistons, but easy enough to check. Take the top of the cover off so you can see the cam pulleys. Also, maybe take out the spark plugs and see if it will rotate?

Did it have any oil in it when you got it back? I was assuming it didn't and rod bearings seized or something like that...maybe I'm wrong.

Yeah, I would say it is toast. If you want to find the failure points of a car, let a teenager drive it! LOL Sorry

I also have a 2005 xc90 2.5t fwd and after doing some front end suspension work (control arms, struts, etc.) it still had a 'nervous' kind of jittery feel to me. If you put 2-300 lbs. in the rear hatch area, it actually rode better. What I did was replace the nivomats with 'regular' shocks- and you ...

Love the interior color! Never seen that color combo before. Maybe it's the speakers rattling and not the door panels? When they get blown out from too much bass that can happen. Not sure what's going on with the door panel clips, maybe someone more knowledgable will have a suggestion. I would not h...

I'm sorry for your troubles and hope it is nothing catastrophic like the timing did jump and bent a valve, etc. Anyway, I would definitely check out the timing belt to make sure it's not damaged and to make sure the crank and cam pulleys are still aligned where they are supposed to be. If everything...

Now that I see it is a 5 passenger model, it probably doesn't have Nivos.

Unless you're going to be carrying around a bunch of people or heavy objects, I would replace with standard shocks. I replaced Nivos on my 05 with regular shocks and the ride was much improved. The Nivos always had a 'nervous' feel to me unless I had a couple hundred lbs. in the back. Also, contrary...