What did you do to your Volvo today? Topic is solved

[June]

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Use proper summer and winter tyres respectively and you won't have that issue. And you'll have more grip to go around as well. All season is a pure marketing ploy, only good enough of you haven't tried the alternative.
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I'm not so sure that's the case. The Michelin compound still goes rock hard after about 30 K miles. Even if I go to dedicated snow tires, when I put the Michelins back on in the Spring after 30k miles, they'll still be rock hard and have abysmal wet weather traction. So, I might not have poor snow traction, but I'll still be slipping all over wet roads in rain (unless somebody makes dedicated rain tires).

Don't get me wrong, I loved that MIchelins lasted forever, I just hated that they had poor traction (and a noticeably harsher ride) after a while.
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That's because you were not using a summer tire for summer. The Michelin Primacy 3 was a summer tire and was wore out at 30K. Same sticky rubber throughout the tread. All Season tires are different than Summer tires. June

[WhatAmIDoing]

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Use proper summer and winter tyres respectively and you won't have that issue. And you'll have more grip to go around as well. All season is a pure marketing ploy, only good enough of you haven't tried the alternative.
[/quote]

I'm not so sure that's the case. The Michelin compound still goes rock hard after about 30 K miles. Even if I go to dedicated snow tires, when I put the Michelins back on in the Spring after 30k miles, they'll still be rock hard and have abysmal wet weather traction. So, I might not have poor snow traction, but I'll still be slipping all over wet roads in rain (unless somebody makes dedicated rain tires).

Don't get me wrong, I loved that MIchelins lasted forever, I just hated that they had poor traction (and a noticeably harsher ride) after a while.
[/quote]

I use to love Michelin as well, but the last 3 sets of Michilin touring tyres I've owned all got downright scary after 30k miles in the rain. I have a pair of Durals on my T5 right now I bought used at half tread and they still have 50% life left and do great in the rain 4 years later. In terms of performance, tread life, and cost, Nokian has become my go to tire. They are on my work van right now and still functioning well after 45k miles. One of my friends only buys nokian tyres for his Volvos and claims to be getting over 80k miles when rotating every oil change. I'll be buying Nokians next time I need tires.

[June]

Can't get this video to attach properly, but the Youtuber is Engineering Explained, and he does a great job explaining the three types of tires from a engineering perspective Winter/All Season/Summer tires. If a moderator can get the video to link I would appreciate it. June

[kallekula]

I tried plastdip to rejuvenate old belt moldings

Also used this dope c4 trim restorer on some motor plastic

[mrbrian200]

Not my car.. Sis' XC90. Brought the DIM back to life. Replaced board mounted voltage regulator, capacitor, inspected board for NFO/cracked solder joints: saw a couple that looked suspect and reworked them by hand with a fine pencil iron. It was probably the voltage regulator.
Does anybody know.. on the MY04, the voltage regulator has a crazy big aluminum heat spreader 'assembly' attached to it, but lacking thermal conductive transfer tape or paste that I'd normally expect to find between parts of this nature (I also work on/repair computers up to some light board level repairs such as this). Is that what they changed on the later years that aren't as prone to this problem (they added thermal paste/tape?). I'm wondering if I might want to perform a 'preemptive strike' on the DIM on my own 2006 S60, which would involve taking the DIM apart to apply thermal paste as I did on Sis' DIM when I reassembled it to prevent a similar failure down the road.

Edit: added pic of the two little bits I replaced:

DSCF1084.JPG (65.13 KiB) Viewed 528 times

[bmdubya1198]

Interesting, it sounds like it's not too complicated of a fix!

Tagged the '03 S60 today, took it on its maiden voyage to the junkyard. It drives well, but it definitely needs a suspension refresh and the B4 servo cover update/ATF change. It shifts a little weird, and once it's up to temperature, it has a BAD flare into 3rd gear. I plan on taking care of that ASAP.

[Peevarino]

Swapped out some nasty end links yesterday

[ndphotonl]

Those were ready for replacement

[bmdubya1198]

Sold the S90 today... I wasn't really expecting to sell it, but it gives me one more driveway space and some cash for a new turbo for the R.

But let's be realistic... I'll probably somehow end up with another Volvo on the driveway by the end of the week

[brunocerous]

All this talk of summer tires got me interested in seeing whether I should have a set to complement the winter tires I got last season, and of course the online tire retailer I checked out doesn't even offer one for the base V70 (of which I have two). They do carry them, and quite affordably, for the 1998 V70 T5 that I had expected to be my project car.

I drove the T5 around 200 miles over the past couple of weeks, including a few highway runs back and forth from Queens, and I have to say that I'm very impressed at the smooth power it delivers and how effortlessly it allows me to pass other cars at 60-70mph. (Plus, the AC works perfectly!)

Hooked up the compression test and the numbers weren't so great, with PSI (dry) readings of 152, 155, 160, 155, 145. The T5 also has a power-steering leak from the left axle, needs brakes and suspension on all four corners. I could garage it for now and work on it bit by bit, hopefully having it ready to go by next spring. (My track record isn't so great, though, with a VW Eurovan that needed new timing chains now going on more than two years. Now, it's the fuel pump, then it's going up for sale.)

Today, it has a no-start, no-crank condition. I'm hoping it's just the antenna ring.

The latest conundrum is a 2004 XC90 T5 with 80k miles that my family's mechanic is selling for a decent price. The low mileage and the increased safety for carrying our three little ones is so tempting. Can anyone talk me into it?

Sold the S90 today... I wasn't really expecting to sell it, but it gives me one more driveway space and some cash for a new turbo for the R.

But let's be realistic... I'll probably somehow end up with another Volvo on the driveway by the end of the week

Nice! I live vicariously through your Volvo adventures!