New here, new to Volvo. 2001 V70 T5

jruberto · Post by **jruberto** » 29 May 2010, 15:14

Hello all,

I'm recently the new owner of a 2001 V70 T5 (120k w/the 17" wheels, great service record, prior owner did much of the maintenance himself -- over the last 20k he's done/replaced: engine flush, front wheel bearings, timing belt, water pump, serpentine belt, plugs, fuel filter, engine mounts, PCV hose, MAF sensor, turbo boost sensor, turbo control valve). I'm new to Volvo cars, and it's been pretty awesome so far getting to know how Volvos work. Up till now, I've been a Subaru person (I like the station wagon form factor and Subaru wagons are pretty great) but recently got in a real bad wreck, was very lucky to walk away unhurt and when selecting a new car I was really drawn to Volvo's obsessive safety features. Hence my lovely new ride.

Some observations & questions, nothing real important, just grist for the mill I suppose....

- A Volvo appears to be the ultimate "hacker" car. Mods & upgrades aplenty. However, the Volvo organization itself seems to be very "closed-source", I can't count the number of times the manual says "This may only be performed by an authorized Volvo retailer." Really? I can't aim my own headlights? This seems an odd contradiction.

- These cars are a bit over-engineered, and are maybe a bit unnecessarily complex. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but I also see how the interconnectedness of everything can result in a situation where a failure of a simple non-essential part or system cascades into a much larger issue. (i.e. my broken tailgate lock wiring prevents locking the tailgate at all, and prevents use of the alarm system)

- I've not had the car long and have experienced unexplainable intermittent problems that scare me a little. Sunroof got stuck open one day. Seemed like an electrical problem, as the lights next to the sunroof control were not functioning. Checked fuse, not blown. A couple hours hour later and ever since, everything is fine. Should I just get used to stuff like that?

- The seats are COMFORTABLE. Best car seats ever. Wow.

- The T5 engine is kind of awesome. Perfect balance of high performance / fuel economy. Getting about 22mpg on the highway, seems reasonable? Any obvious, easy and/or cheap things to check / upgrade to get some improvement on that? I am running at the top end of the range of tire pressures -- suggested range is 29 to 38 & I'm running at 38 on the 235/45 r17s, the ride is smooth & comfortable enough for me. Prior owner had them a little overinflated (40) & the ride was real stiff.

I have some immediate questions and problems, but I'll start other threads for them. Been lurking here for a couple weeks & just wanted to say hello & introduce myself before jumping in. Looking forward to sharing & learning here.

Cheers,
Jim

Post by **matthew1** » 29 May 2010, 15:54

Welcome, Jim. Post those specific troubleshooting questions individually in the Volvo 2001+ model forum and we'll get you some good answers.

Yea, Volvo makes great seats, and the aluminum 5 has got to be one of the best gasoline engines ever. Best engine ever is in my limited opinion because I'm not a mechanic or tech, but I've owned ten or fifteen cars in my life and know when I have a car with a good engine. I'm going on ten years with my 850.

jruberto · Post by **jruberto** » 25 Feb 2012, 16:56

And I thought I'd just follow up. This car was the biggest waste of money in my life. I had to continually dump money into it starting the day I bought it; I took care of everything as recommended and then experienced engine damage that caused me to have to sell for scrap value. Worst car decision I've ever made. Bye bye Volvo!!

Thanks for helping me turn a big pile of money into a big pile of nothing. Volvo, I curse you every minute that I spend running for, waiting for & riding the bus since I don't have a car at all now. Never again!

Post by **matthew1** » 28 Feb 2012, 16:48

Engine damage? What happened?