Should I buy this 07 V8 S80?

[jimmy57]

If you change the pulleys they are $48 ea. If you knock out the old bearing an press in a new one the bearings (203FF in many makes, $6ish) much cheaper. The belt is $35 range. There are two fixed pulleys and the one on the tensioner arm. Find a belt routing illustration via google or make a good sketch before starting. The tensioner has a 19 mm (3/4") hollow aluminum boss you use a socket and breaker bar on as you will need the leverage. DO not get too brutal as there is a damper and the tensioner will move slowly.

[gtopaul]

Thanks! Will probably buy the parts from Tasca and they come to around $330. Might try it myself or let the Volvo guys change them when I have it in to get the DRL's turned off next week. If they want to charge more than an hour of labor then they'll have to explain why.

[oragex]

Was the geometry inspected ? Are suspension bushings in good condition front and rear?

[gtopaul]

It's due the 90k mile inspection soon so will have that checked. Also replaced the steeing servotronic module nehind the glovebox which controls the variable steering feel with no significant change. The car is nice to drive but the ride is still noisy, front seats are not that comfortable (feels like sitting on top of them vs sinking down into them. Bus seats. LOL) Changed the serpentine belt and tensioner pulleys although Volvo wouldn't change the lower pulley "because we'd have to disconnect the engine mounts, and lift the engine, to get it past the frame rail." Wimps. Will also have the alignment checked to see if that's contributing to the heavy steering.

[oragex]

The alignment could explain the tire wear and/or noise. I don't think it's related to heavy steering.

For heavy steering, as above, have a mechanic release the tension on the serpentine belt, then ask him to check by hand that all pulleys run freely and easily (no need to remove the belt). If a pulley is about to seize, it will cause hard steering at lower rpm such as parking lots if the belt starts slipping.

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1064 ... ering-flaw
http://www.volvo-forums.com/t20932-prob ... eering.htm

[Volvo S80]

I don`t know what brand tyres you installed on your car, I find my car a lot softer and a lot quieter on Michelin brand tyres also they seems to last longer on my car compared to Continental, Kumho and awful Pirelli.

[gtopaul]

I have Sumitomo tires on it now and have had prior good experiences with them. When I had the car in to change the serpentine belt and pulleys they gave me a new V60 T5 Sport Package loaner and it also had similar road noise. Since it had the 19" wheels it even road a little harder. Also just ordered the Elevate cat back exhaust system so will have that installed around the end of the month (hate those wimpy oem tailpipes).

[shiloh51933]

Thanks for the heads-up on the steering effort. It was set on the most effort so reset it to the lowest effort and it's much better. The road noise does vary by road surface but is present on both rough and smooth surfaces.

As far as the road noise I'd look into weather seals as they get worn you'd be surprised by the amount of exterior noise they keep out. Suspension was my first thought upon reading your thread.