Steering Rack issue on 2006 XC70

[DeadEric]

You mentioned hard steering, that will add wear and tear on the power steering system. If you're debating shipping options, I wouldn't pay extra. If you're debating this year or next, I'd say the sooner the better.

[oragex]

The steering stiffness is what makes this issue strange.. is the steering stiff 'all the way' when turning, or rather only at the moments the noise happens ?

I have to say, as mentioned in a comment above, cheap parts can turn out to last surprisingly short time but also to cause strange issues. If I understand well, there is no information about what was already done on the car. I was talking with a Volvo owner who replaced the strut bearing plate with a cheap part off ebay - this is the plate on top of the strut assembly with a bearing that has to take the whole weight of the front end of the car. The owner say the cheap part caused the steering to be really stiff which is not surprising, a cheap bearing can't cope with a 1000lbs load or so.

In the video the shiny portion of the strut bearing plate appears to be strangely free of rust for a Chicago car..looks like it's a replacement part

[fontoledo]

Hello all! Coming back to this topic, as I managed to get my Volvo fully inspected by the STEALership, just to get a precise idea of what needs to be replaced. First 3 were mentioned above already:

• Replace left and right front strut bearing plates, spring seats and bump tops.
  Replace both front sway-bar links

Total: $1,600 USD

However, they also mentioned these other 3:

• Replace left front lower ball joint
  Replace right front lower control arm bushing
  Replace left front lower control arm bushing

Total: $1,400 USD

As you can see, the total cost of doing all this at Volvo is 3k, which is almost what I paid for the car. So, no way. For the moment, i'd like to at least get rid of the cranking, which I believe has strictly to do with the Strut bearing plates + Sway bar. Would you guys agree? Can I skip the second list of items?

What I want to do is buy the parts myself and get a quote for installation at a friend's mechanic. However, i'm debating between

1. Buying the specific pieces that require repair according to the Volvo

• Spring Seat x 2: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo- ... s-30683637
  Sway Bar: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo- ... p2sblkf2p2
  Strut Bump Stop x 2: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo- ... -8672087-1

Parts: $130 USD + Mechanic Installation work (~500 USD?): Total ~$650 USD

2. Buying the whole strut assembly + sway bars, which should lower the installation work cost but would also revive the whole suspension.

• Strut Assembly x 2: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo- ... sac-033084
  Sway Bar: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo- ... p2sblkf2p2

Parts: $550 USD + Mechanic installation work (~300 USD?) Total ~$800 USD

What do you guys think? Any other alternatives, advice?

Thanks!

[abscate]

2000 bucks to get a good P2 into 100k mile shape I see pretty typical. If you are 5k all in, you are doing well

What you paid for the car isn’t relevant to repair costs. Any used car is cheaper than new payments And depreciation

[fontoledo]

Point taken, but I´d like to make sure i´m doing the investment in the right order, and in the most cost-effective option. I won´t do all at once, hence the request for advice.

[abscate]

The ball joints and lower control arms are safety items, so I would do those first if they have play in them

The sway bar bushings are worth a picture- if they are worn but not too loose, again, you can get life out of there by driving conservatively and wait for a sunny day.

If the struts and bearings are just clunky, and are OEM parts, you can drive those for a while.

All of this stuff is bolt on/bolt off. If you escape Urban rates of $125 an hour for labour with guided DIY, these cars are economical to fix.

The only pressing thing to sort out is the PS rack - that has to put right.

[xHeart]

Point taken, but I´d like to make sure i´m doing the investment in the right order, and in the most cost-effective option. I won´t do all at once, hence the request for advice.

These are among the best cars. But any penny invested in an out-of-warranty vehicle will neither appraise nor return, but it may reciprocate in other ways -- becoming a DIYer yourself.

Also, check out pgill's $10,000 S80 Challenge for maintenance targets viewtopic.php?f=31&t=87687.

[fontoledo]

Hello all again. I´m about to purchase all the parts needing replacement but before doing so, wanted to quickly check with you guys, to ensure I´m choosing the right parts and brands. See attachment for the image of my Cart in FCP Euro.

I appreciate the advice, everyone!

[oragex]

My take on this, is to spend only money on the known worn items. Reason is, after 100K miles there is always money to spend on something , so better to save it for the necessary repairs.

The say bars and the ball joints are good in Lemforder, but I would only replace them if they have play to them. It is very easy to test these at an honest garage (notice I didn't name the main dealer). For the control arms, buy only the full arm Lemforder, not the bushings alone - assuming your arms are worn - see here www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1QaJbyjr2s )

For the Corteco kit, the spring seat is Sachs=good, but not sure about the Corteco strut mount

For example, in this other kit the spring seat is Rein but the strut mount is Lemforder and is very suspiciously cheap - https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo- ... atkit1-oem

What's more the reviews downvote this strut mount by Lemforder.
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo- ... 68#reviews

Rein/CRP and Sachs make the genuine spring seats for Volvo (same part with the 'Volvo' name scratched off)

I would recommend testing any original part when removing it and not discarding it, just in case.

[chrism]

Odd that the problem only arises after driving for 40 minutes. That would suggest it may be heat related. Have you flushed the fluid recently? Volvo recommends the Pentosin type fluid. Also, is there any chance the serp belt is slipping in the pump
pulley when it gets warm?