Purchasing a 2007 V70R

wackenhut · Post by **wackenhut** » 12 Mar 2019, 22:27

Hi,

Looking into getting one of these with about 90K miles. Anything I should be worried about or need to consider? Also, what is a good purchase price?

Thank you!

Post by **SuperHerman** » 12 Mar 2019, 23:36

12 year old car. Timing belt, transmission fluid, steering fluid and coolant should all be changed. Forget about mileage, especially with the timing belt. You don't need to do the water pump and related unless they are showing signs of pending problems. Just the belt for now. I think the interval is 10 years or 105k miles - just do it unless it has a sticker showing it has been done or paper work which satisfies you.

Transmission fluid - two drain and fills a few hundred miles apart. Don't buy into the lifetime fluid story - change it yourself - it is very easy. There are numerous write ups on the forum. Coolant most likely has not been changed - it is also easy. Wouldn't hurt to look at the steering fluid and hoses - if they are good the steering fluid could use a changing. Maybe look at the brake fluid and change that out.

Inspect the PCV system. Search for "glove test". June has posted good information on this. If it fails that has to be addressed fairly quick.

Do an oil change unless it has been done recently. You want to establish a ground zero reference point. Switch to synthetic unless that is what it has in it now and it has been done within 1,000 miles. Remember ground zero reference point. Check your oil level and condition every few gas fills and keep an eye on any changes to make sure it is behaving correctly. Generally the car has no issues in this area, but until you know for sure it is best to keep an eye on things. If you have a solid service history you can adjust.

Service history is important to know what has been done or not done and how the prior owner cared for the car.

Other than that - look at the tires for strange wear and adequate tread, check the front and rear suspension components to make sure they are behaving correctly and do not need replacement. Check for oil drips/leaks on the front and back of the cam shafts. If you want to go in deep pull off the plastic runner that goes to the turbo and check for excessive oil - a possible sign your turbo is aging (could be PCV system). Check the condition of all the rubber hoses, especially turbo related. Give the car a good sniff test after running it. Engine for coolant, oil and/or gas smells which are out of the norm, behind the middle seat near the middle for gas smells (signs of a cracked fuel pump top), and the exhaust for any coolant smells. Would not hurt to follow the car and watch the tail pipe when the engine is kicked down for puffs - also at start up.

Have the car scanned for codes. There should be none. Drive it three cycles (turn on - drive - turn off equals one cycle) of 5-10 minutes at highway speed (normal driving) and have the car scanned for codes again. On Volvos you can clear the codes and no check engine light will appear until 2-3 on/off engine cycles are performed. In other words by clearing the codes one can hide the problem on certain codes and in a few days it may reappear.

2007 is a solid car - my main maintenance thoughts would be timing belt, coolant and transmission fluid as things that have to be addressed at that age and mileage. Wouldn't hurt to change out the serpentine belt as it will come off anyway - check it regardless because if it fails it can take out the engine by getting wrapped up in other parts. Of course you have the normal wear items like, belts, hoses, brakes, rotors, shocks, control arms, tie rods ...

In the back of your mind keep the oil pan o-rings as a thought. These fail, usually at higher mileage, and oil pressure is lost. In some cases resulting in serious engine damage. Usual sign is oil pressure warning light that goes away after start up - don't be fooled. The engine has a problem. One forum member had the o-rings fail out of the blue - no signs - and he lost his engine. Just keep it in the back of your mind if you have that light come on - usually it can be addressed without issues.

Post by **oragex** » 13 Mar 2019, 02:03

Not sure about the price, but you'll need some extra thousands for eventual repairs and maintenance items, as mentioned above.

I don't remember on which year the AWD was reinforced, but test it on grass see if the rear wheels start spinning (means it works)

Your main concern besides any neglect or damage to the engine (a compression test is wise), is the transmission. The manual ones fail at the slave cylinder - engine out job and costly. Usually shows as leaks under the transmission and low brake fluid reservoir.
Automatic transmission also needs tested carefully, usually the Geartronic 6 speeds with manual shifting, make sure the car has been driven at least 20 min to warm the transmission fluid (ask the seller to come to a meeting point) - that's when it starts acting, feel for any weird gear change.

May also look here to get a quick general idea www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3bawaBMMk

Post by **SuperHerman** » 13 Mar 2019, 11:20

The automatic transmission was changed over in 2005 with the facelift to the AWTF-80 C (a six speed automatic - similar to XC90). Any problems this transmission has will be similar in the 2007 V70R. There are a number of posts with people having issues with the transmission on this forum, mainly XC90 forum. Here is the wiki on the transmission, you will see all the models it was used in: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AWTF-80_SC.

It is a rare car - I saw a post stating only 342 were sent to USA in 2007. Expect to pay a heavy premium.

KurtL · Post by **KurtL** » 17 Mar 2019, 11:31

I bought a 2005 V70R in June 2018. It had 101K miles. I paid $7,100.
After a week I had to replace the radiator so I had the timing belt, serpintine belt and water pump replaced. I replaced the control arms, the front 4C struts and the top motor mount myself. I have done 3 drain and fills to date. The transmission is shifting better.
I had some bodywork and paint done after repairing the split in the front bumper myself. Also did an oil change with Castrol Edge synthetic along with an air and cabin filer replacement.

I also replaced a cracked rear tail light lens and replaced the hatch struts. I had the wheels refinished and the tires replaced. The only other thing I had the mechanic fix was a split PCV hose.

When my daughter gets it back from college this spring I need to service the Haldex, bevel gear and differential and do another drain and fill. I also need to get the wonky radio looked at along with bleeding the brakes.

Looking back i paid too much but now have a great looking car that should be reliable. I wouldn't recommend it if you can't do a lot of the work yourself.

Post by **matthew1** » 26 Apr 2019, 17:38

Wackenhut, did you buy it/one?

wackenhut · Post by **wackenhut** » 26 Apr 2019, 18:04

Unfortunately, I have not purchased the vehicle yet. Do not want to go overboard with cars since I already have 3 volvos. I know this is a unique one, but figured the maintenance might be too much. It is a beautiful car. Blue exterior/Atacama interior. Would it be foolish to pass it up? Not sure what they are going for.

Post by **abscate** » 26 Apr 2019, 18:47

Those are indeed coveted in that combo.

Post by **matthew1** » 26 Apr 2019, 19:52

abscate wrote: ↑26 Apr 2019, 18:47 Those are indeed coveted in that combo.

Agreed

Georgeandkira · Post by **Georgeandkira** » 28 Apr 2019, 10:33

I'm holding my breath to see what happens.
Is the car local to the OP?
Has the OP even seen it in the flesh?
Condition specifics?
Are these truly rare chariots?