2006 Volvo V70 2.5T Bad Luck or Lemon?

[donc]

After a few years driving my 1997 850GLT, I saw an exceptionally clean 2006 Volvo V70 2.5T in triple black with 95000 miles. It had an extensive maintenance history through the Volvo dealer and was traded in on a new SUBARU 4wd!!

At 99,000 miles, the 2nd and 3rd cylinder misfired with bent valves seen upon tear down. Not knowing what else might have suffered damage, I replaced the engine. Bad luck, but so be it, even though the Volvo manual indicates a significantly higher mileage for the major timing service. I also did a transmission drain and fill with fluid sourced at $17/qt from the dealer. Ouch! The CarFax report indicated that this was also performed at the dealer at 80,000 miles. Usual maintenance also included a passenger tie rod replacement.

The other day, I put the key in the ignition and it would not turn past position 1. The car has 120,000 miles on it!!! I'm glad I had a few tools in the glove box to directly actuate the electric portion of the switch or I would have been stranded. A YouTube video by a locksmith indicates that this is a failure of the internal column lock clutch and is a non-repairable item. New column lock from Volvo $250.00.

Really? I had over 300,000 miles on the old Volvo and none of these problems! The engine was bulletproof! The transmission was bulletproof! The key worked just fine! Has the brand depreciated this much? I cannot believe that I got a lemon. Now I read that the Geartronic transmission could go bad without notice. This is big dollar stuff!

One last thing: I purchased this car from a private dealer that closed before I could get a title. The State of Ohio Attorney General will either give me a title or refund the full purchase price plus tax and temp tags to date. I'm really thinking about giving the car back and getting a 1996 – 1999. At this point I'm really frustrated. Any suggestions on how to proceed? Thanks.

[scot850]

We own a 06 XC70, and I had a similar opinion on the reliability of this vehicle when we got it. 3 sets of front rotors and a rotor grind, and a grind and a set of rears in 10 miles. Most were covered by warranty. Vehicle was also purchased from the dealer with 2 year extended warranty and was purchased at 88,000km (55,000miles). At 96kkm (60k miles) car had the $1200 service, all fluids included.

Since purchased 4.5 years ago, the car has required front control arm bushes, upper spring seats and front anti-sway bar links (all under warranty and the upper spring seats were a recall). The brake booster pump (warranty), the emissions pump (not warranty), rear muffler, and it has just had the rear springs and 4-C shocks replaced (non-warranty) as 1 spring cracked (common with these) and 1 shock was weeping.

Car has also had the timing belt and pulleys replaced and also the water pump at 10 years.

Otherwise the car has run well so far, and our son uses it most days to go to university and he loves it. Car now has about 124kkm (77.5k miles).

So is the car a lemon or are they reliable? I am realistic the car does a lot of short'ish journeys, it is over 10 years old and we have temperatures of -30C to +30C and the amount of salt and liquid de-icer (really nasty stuff) they spray on the roads here, perhaps it ain't doing to bad. It is certainly running better now my son is using the car more. Mind you, 1 key transponder has now failed!

Overall, I am not totally impressed with the amount of parts that have failed at this age and mileage, but are other newer cars better?

I have been told by a former BMW salesman that anyone that buys a BMW out of warranty is nuts, and I'd say the same about Audi. Volkswagen anyone???

But to put things in perspective, I have a 2000 V70R with 165k miles on it. I have only covered about 4.5k miles in it in the last 3 years and I have probably spent close to $18k in parts/labor and my graft keeping the car going. The last 9 months it has been under repair and approx. $6k has been spent re-building the rear AWD system.

Would I buy another P80 (98-00) Volvo. The answer would be possibly (as now at least 16 years old), but never another AWD (too many unique and obsolete parts), but it would have to be a NA or possibly a 98 turbo FWD. All P80's I have owned and an 850 had the ignition barrels replaced.

I think you have been incredibly unlucky with the engine failing. Can't say I have heard of this as a regular issue. The key issue again happens like our transponder issue. Does it happen often, I don't believe so.

I have seen XC70's here for sale with over 500kkm on them and running well (over 300k miles) so they can take the mileage. It would appear regular use is the secret and regular maintenance.

Finally, the later P2 cars seem to have fewer transmission failures than the earlier versions, so with regular maintenance you have no more or less likely to have a transmission failure than anyone else, as long as you don't power flush the trans.

Would I buy another P2 Volvo (S60 01-09/V70 01-07/XC70 01-07) the answer is yes, and more likely than the later models with the exception of the V and S60R models. But again, I would probably look at a FWD only or a 05 on AWD possibly.

I can do a lot of the repairs myself, and buy my larger parts from the US as even at a 70c exchange rate from Canada, your dealer prices are way lower.

Volvo now has a lifetime warranty on parts and labor in North America if the parts are fitted by the supplying dealer.

Neil.

[oragex]

To the original poster, I would say the car that you bought had a snapped or poorly replaced timing belt which caused the valves to bend, before you bought it. Often times we hear about someone who bought an 'exceptionally clean' Volvo. It's because the paint job on these cars is indeed excellent and with a professional detailing a used Volvo will look pretty much like a new car. But that has nothing to do with the mechanical condition of any vehicle, although most of us usually tend to think that a great looking car means a car in great mechanical condition.

The ignition barrel can fail if when the steering is locked the key is inserted by force without turning a little the steering to release the pressure on the lock. In the long term, this may cause the barrel to fail and it is expensive. A new Volvo key costs hundreds of dollars, so some Volvo items are surprisingly expensive, indeed. Have a look at this thread http://volvoforums.com/forum/2001-2013- ... tch-65553/

The Geartronic is indeed a ticking bomb alas. Oil change at 80000 miles is good news and that might keep the transmission to work for a while. I don't think however that this Volvo generation will run up to 300000 miles with as little issues as the older Volvos.

[velorider]

My experience with P2 cars is that starting at about 80,000 miles major maintenance is required. I can't compare to other "luxury" cars maintenance requirement, but P2 cars far exceed other "standard" cars. Listed below are the things I repaired after the 80k mark that I would consider not "standard" maintenance for a car between 80K-150K miles, at least for the easy life in Southern California.


Front Lower Control Arm
Turbo Control Value
Inner/Outer Tie Rod Ends
Front/Rear End Links
Ignition Lock
Ignition Radio Antena
All Motor Mounts

I had the same ignition key issue you had. I replaced the ignition switch, an expensive part that most be ordered through the dealer so the existing keys work. Replacement is easy, except for having to drill out the existing bolts that hold the ignition switch to the steering column. I would strongly not use the provided safety bolt, but standard bolt so it can be removed easily next time.





John

[oragex]

Most above items, along with shocks/struts and a few other, are actually 'regular' maintenance items on most european cars of the same price tag. But compared with American or even Japanese cars, these same items would be rather unusual at 80k miles.

[JeffHicks]

If it had bent valves, either the timing belt broke or somebody installed on incorrectly. My guess is the latter.

Also, there are a lot of "maintenance items" that need to be done in the 100,000-120,000 mile range. Primarily suspension.

Beyond that, these cars are not known for transmission trouble, provided you keep the right fluid in the tranny. That was more of a problem from 2000-2002.

[jimmy57]

Agreed on transmission. My 230K mile 2004 V70R with original transmission apparently was a dud. The fuse on this one's ticking time bomb never detonated it.

Did you get this car checked over by whoever services your Volvos? with ANY used car purchase, especially from a non-make seller, you should get it checked. The 99K mile bent valve issue is not normal or a pattern failure. In a very low number of cases the tensioning roller can fail and let belt slip but this is detectable by a tech with experience on Volvos listening and hearing the failing bearing noise. I see many of that year model and age range with a lot more than the recommended service miles with no belt failures (the same part number belt and tensioner were given 150K mile service interval on some models).
Ignition lock issues are rare but I agree that ones I see fail have been accompanied by the owner telling me that they had to have someone turn the key on for them several times in their years of ownership. When quizzed they acknowledged they were parked with wheels turned against curb and they did not know to turn steering wheel to remove pressure on steering lock.

The problem with purchase price refund is that you might buy another used car and still have some items needing maintenance or repair.

[JeffHicks]

The problem with purchase price refund is that you might buy another used car and still have some items needing maintenance or repair.

I'd say the biggest problem is that he doesn't recover the cost of the new engine that was installed - which HAD to be pretty darned pricey.

[donc]

Hi everybody! Thanks for your great advice on this issue. I installed the column lock from Volvo and it sure is nice to just put the key in and start it!

Scot850, I agree with you that even with the repair issues, the car is comfortable, rust-free, and is a pleasure to drive. Sorry to hear about your issues with your R. My issues are minuscule compared with those!

Oragex, the engine problem might well have been the result of some questionable repair techniques subsequent to the first owner trading in and before I bought it. If I can justify it that way, then I can look at the column lock issue as just one of those things. The car did have an extensive Volvo dealer maintenance history, but it was traded in and then wholesaled to the car lot where I purchased it. A lot of mystery can happen on that journey. Trans drains at 80k, 100k, and now more often may help with the transmission longevity. Also, I have several boxes of suspension parts just waiting to be put on the car!

Velorider, I forgot that I put a Turbo Control Valve on, too! I used the IPD Heavy Duty unit with silicone tubing and it does work beautifully! Motor and trans mounts will be replaced next.

JeffHicks, I agree on using the right fluid in the transmission, and not having time to research the topic, just bought fluid from Volvo, as they need the money!

Jimmy57, I wish I would have known to look for a tech that knew to listen to the failing timing tensioner bearing noise as a cause of the bent valves.

When I replaced the engine, I knew it was money that I would never recover, no matter what else happened. My buddy kids me and says if I want to keep putting money into a car to just buy his! I really love the drive-ability, comfort, and looks of the car. I just hope that with the proper preventative maintenance, I can get some more mileage out of this one. Again, thank you all for your timely advice.