Desperate for 1999 2.8 s80 Tune-up Advice!

YoungVolvoOwnerSeaWA · Post by **YoungVolvoOwnerSeaWA** » 31 Mar 2011, 01:03

Hello!

Happy to be a new member to the board.

Heres my situation, bought a volvo when I found out I was going to be a dad. I'm only 22, and have ZERO experience working on cars, or even learning about them. I replaced the Serpentine belt on my old ford explorer, that's about it. My car is seriously falling apart, and it's only got 139k on it. It's shaking from 40-60mph, and the gas mileage is seriously way way down. Lot's of other issues, but I'll save it for another thread! Anyways, I'm tired of forking over tons of cash to the dealership, I want to do my 120k service (tune up) myself. The dealership quoted me at $849.00 for this, and they said I NEED IT considering I've owned the car for 2 years, and there has never been a tune up, just some oil changes.

I definitely have a feeling my car would run a lot better after a big tune up, and I'm guessing my mileage would improve? Is this all correct? And can someone please please tell me what this tune up consists of, what parts I need to go get, and how to do this myself. Is this something I can realistically do myself?

Thanks so much guys, hopefully I can keep learning, so I can contribute one day to a fellow Newbie!

Post by **precopster** » 31 Mar 2011, 03:45

Can you tell us exactly what the dealership quoted you for?

The average amount of parts required for a "tune-up" can vary depending on what's required.

Spark plugs, oil & filter, air filter, accessory belt, fuel filter, new coolant, oil filler gasket & new brake fuid are some of the obvious lower life components. Oxygen sensors have a life expectancy of around 140K. You may want to change those if they haven't been done yet.

Then you get into some of the sub-categories such as coolant hoses, oil coolant hoses, expansion tank cap & thermostat.

How's the timing gear on your car? Do you have any history about the timing belt and tensioners, idlers and water pump?

Are there oil leaks on the car? If so you may require cam seals (which can be changed as part of the timing belt service)

For the shaking, take it to a tyre place and have the wheels balanced. Does it shake during braking or just when coasting or when accelerating? This tells a lot about what it may be.