Questions about Maintaining an 850t

[polskamafia mjl]

The torn CV boot is a must fix. With the boot cracked, or torn, dirt and other junk will get into the joint as grease comes out. With enough time the joint will seize and you'll be in for a real bad day.

Diagram of inner and outer CV boots

cv_diagram.jpg (37.99 KiB) Viewed 753 times

CV boot replacement -> https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=29716

The bent link rod is a term I'm not familiar with but it sounds like they are talking about your sway bar end links. The end links are important in keeping the car level and help prevent excessive roll around turns but if its not bent too much you may be able to get away w/o replacing it just yet. If you can post a picture for us someone will be able to tell you how bad it is. I'm really interested in why it's bent in the first place; not a common occurence.

Sway Bar End Link Replacement ->

Again, Solid M Mount is not a common term so I'm guessing again but that may be your upper motor mount. They all go bad and should be replaced to keep the motor from thrashing around but you can get away w/o replacing that for a while as well.

Upper Motor Mount Replacement ->

[starbug]

Thank you! This helps a lot.

I'm taking the car to a repair shop for an oil change in the morning, so I'll see if I can get details on these jobs.

I should get the CV boot taken care of this week, I think.

Will look for more details on the other 2 problems and post more tomorrow.

[abscate]

Starbucks...spend some time finding a Good independent garage that knows Volvo. Check the Garage Forum for your area..there are quite a lot of enthusiasts down there too - hit them up for a recommendation.

Dealers are great, but ....

Problem - V70 AC compressor clutch

DEALER .... Official sanctioned solution...reshimming clutch at 400 USD

Indie/MVS....3 bread clips and superglue and 10 minutes....repair lasting >3 years and holding

[starbug]

So I did end up finding an independent garage. Actually, my Dad's mechanic. My Dad trusts him with his cars and my uncles do, too. So it turned out to be better than heading back to the dealer.

The car got a new CV Boot, 2 outer tie rods, 1 new motor mount, 2 front sway linkage bars, and a refitting of the tailgate panel (though we still can't seem to get the upper trim panel in place because the tiny clips that hold it in place are broken; I'm thinking of seeking new clips/fasteners through the ipd website). It was a hefty maintenance/repair job (costeise, anyway; timewise, it took a day and a half) and it cost about $1250, which I had to borrow from my parents. :/ However, it sounds like not properly maintaining these parts would have meant risking nasty and expensive repairs later.

At this point, nearly everything in and on this car has been replaced when worn out, so I hope it lasts a good long while because I like this car.

Looks like I might need new brake disks in the next six months (they don't match) but, it's maybe optional. I hope this means the car is safe and sturdy again after these repairs. It was running just great before, but I wanted to ensure it would continue to do so.

Thanks for the advice! I'll update again once I find a way to put that panel back in place!!

Any advice on what I should look or listen or feel for that might indicate a problem with these repairs/ replacements?

[starbug]

Oh, I never did figure out why the sway bar/link rod item was bent. I wonder if it had to do with towing a heavy trailer (which this car did during my care) or a problematic tow (which happened once with the previous owner). It ended up being a 400 dollar repair.

[jpr0204]

Hi starbug,

Just want to make sure I read that correctly???

$1,250 for 1 torn CV boot, 2 outer tie rod ends, 1 motor mount, 2 sway bar end links, and a tailgate re-attachment?

I've been doing this for many years, and in my opinion, that price is VERY high for the work you got done. Figure it like this...

Even if he pulled the axle to replace the boot instead of using a "split boot" figure 1 hour labor.
2 outer tie rod ends figure a 1/2 per side equals 1 hour of labor.
1 motor mount even the most difficult mount on this car equals 1 hour of labor.
Lets give the benefit of the doubt and 1 hour for both sway bar links.
And we'll also give an hour for tailgate refit.

So lets go 5 hours labor total and that is working slow...
Avg. labor rate is $75 an hour.
$75 X 5 hours = $375.00

As far as parts:
Figure about $30 per link
About $20 to $30 bucks for a boot
About $80 for the most expensive mount
About $15 to $20 per tie rod end
And a few bucks for clips for the tailgate.

At most parts should total:
Around $220 bucks

So, $375 labor + $220 in parts = $595 + tax

Seems he charged you DOUBLE.

Again, just my opinion...

Did he set the toe on the front end for alignment after the tie rod ends?

[starbug]

Oh, man. It did seem like a hefty price. Yes, it was 1250. The mechanic said the parts were 665 and the labor was 495.

Not sure about the alignment. He said he did the alignment, but I'm not sure what exactly was done.

He also said that my alignment was off because my front brake disks were not identical and that he'd charge 300 to replace those brake disks and put new brake pads on the car. :/

I'll dig up my itemized receipt in a moment, but I'm dismayed to hear that this could have been done for half the price. It's less than the dealer quoted me, so I thought it might be fair. Now I'm bummed out.

I don't detect any difference in my car, though. Should it drive differently after all that work in any discernible way?

Maybe I'll seek out a new mechanic or technician for potential future repairs. The Houston Recommendation thread kinda fell silent, but I'll see if I can start a new one...

[JimBee]

I agree with the previous post that prices you paid for labor and parts were too high. The tech you took it to probably values what he does at those rates (plus hefty markups on parts). Had you taken it to a franchise shop you might have been charged similarly. Nevertheless, competent mechanics can be found who charge fair rates and reasonable markups on parts (they all markup part prices).

The main lesson here is if you want to maintain an older car you need to build skills and do most of it yourself. You might not do everything yourself, but you can do most of it with some practice. So now you have a practice car. It's time to get busy.

Those front rotors and pads would be a good place to start. You can get plenty of help on this site for the details. If you don't have tools, you can buy a good starter set for this job and even with parts you'll spend less than $300.00.

If you don't have access to a good set of tools, you'll need to buy a socket set (1/2 inch drive) and a long (about 16 inch) "breaker" bar for leverage. You'll also need good pry bars, such as these. http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-pr ... 66840.html

Also pick up a 3/8 drive socket set and a star bit set such as this: http://www.harborfreight.com/9-piece-14 ... 67914.html
A set of adapters (3/8 to 1/2 inch and vice versa), and a few 3/8 extensions.

You may or may not keep this car for a long time. For brake rotors you can start off with a low cost brand such as Raybestos. I've used them and their fine. They're available online and probably through your local auto supply store. Organic pads will be fine for starters.

You need to work safely. Many people use jack stands. Those are fine if you are working on a flat and level, concrete or paved surface. Personally, I do not use them, partly because I often work on a gravel or packed earth surface which isn't perfectly even. Instead I use pieces of timber I bought at a lumber yard. I have a couple of foot long pieces of 10 x 10 beams, some 2 foot pieces of 3 x 6 lumber and a few short pieces of 2 x 6 and 2 x 4 lumber. And a good floor jack that I bought at Harbor Freight. I place a piece of plywood under the jack and even with the wood supports I place under the car, I also leave the jack in place while I'm working. That combination makes for a zero chance of the car falling.

You can do it!

[abscate]

Don't be bummed, now you are educated!

I don't think it was "you got screwed too high " it was "retail price" high

Parts quoted here are usually best price available and the garage does have to mark up to stay in business

Labor rate in cities nowadays is over 100 per hour.

6 hours total labour for that stuff is long but if reasonable with Frozen or damaged parts to remove.

I want to claim I did my 1999 front pads in under one hour in my driveway...I thought I wrote a thread on that? Disclaimer...not my first rodeo and I've done that very job 5 times on this car, IIRC

Truth update...I did caliper change in under one hour when things went perfectly , and technically didn't bleed system thoroughly as one should.

[jpr0204]

Hey Starbug,

+2 to what JimBee and Abscate said...

Don't be too bummed. "Live N' Learn" ya know?

For what it's worth, I started out as an entry level tech whan I was 18 out of college and though I had been tinkering with cars for a while with my dad, I thought I knew everything back then. Turns out I didn't know S#h!T. LOL... But as the years have gone by I have learned an incredible amount of things working on all different makes and models. In this field as a tech, you something new EVERY day. Just from being a member on here at MVS since Decemeber, I've learned more about Volvos from all the wonderful people here than what I had already known about them to start with.

How do you thing I feel? Just this week I had to "bite the bullet" and pay $400.00 bucks to a garage to have to have my fuel pump replaced in my 00' V70 Cross Country. I didn't want to spend the money. But... with working 60 to 65 hours a week, taking care my daughter, and expecting a new son any day now, not to mention not having convienent access to lift, there was NO WAY I had the time to perform that job.

Now, back to the topic at hand... With all the great people here we will be more than had to help get you up to speed to be a proficent Do It Yourselfer and you will be able to save a good amout of money on labor that you can put towards other parts your vehicle may need.

Feel free to drop a line if you need anything else.

- Joe