1998 S70 210K How long will it last?

dsvahn · Post by **dsvahn** » 21 Apr 2008, 07:14

Just suffered first highway breakdown (faulty coolant sensor). Dealer says engine fine. I love the car. wife says it's time for a new one. What's been the experience of others with this car? When do engines need to be replaced, etc.?
Thanks for any information.
David

chuckcintron · Post by **chuckcintron** » 21 Apr 2008, 08:51

That's a very hard question to answer, and depends a lot on driving conditions and obsessive attention to scheduled maintenance. The 300K mark should be easy to reach on the motor and transmission. The question will be, do you want to spend money on replacing various suspension items? Seems to me that approx every 100K miles everything but the sway bar and springs needs to be replaced (to keep the car in good driving and safety condition, anyway). Water pump every 150K miles should be preemptively changed as well (IMHO).

Also, not meaning to stir up a debate here, but technically after a certain time (check the stamps on your door jamb, I think it's 10 or 15 years) you are supposed to replace all the air bags in the car since they can't be tested and there's a (very small) chance they've lost pressurization over time. That's not an inexpensive proposition, either.

Not sure where you are located, but I'm in just about the worst of the rust belt. This is the first car we've ever owned that hasn't rotted away, so frame/body integrity shouldn't be a problem. The electrical systems on these cars seem to be pretty solid as well.

-Chuck

dsvahn · Post by **dsvahn** » 21 Apr 2008, 08:57

Many thanks for useful info. I'm also in upstate NY
DS

jacksd3 · Post by **jacksd3** » 21 Apr 2008, 12:24

I'm in Western Mass not far from Albany, NY.

We've got a 98 V70 with 207k miles on it. It's been really reliable but I second the post about suspension wear. In the last year I've replaced both ball joints including the A arms, rear shocks, front struts, and tie rods, I also replaced the sway bar drop links because they were a bit loose. The parts are cheap if you can do the work yourself.

I had my temp sensor fail about 50k miles ago.

My wife wants 500k miles out of her engine but I think that's optimistic, I'm hoping for about 300k - 400k

Best of luck to you!

dsvahn · Post by **dsvahn** » 21 Apr 2008, 12:35

Thanks. I also needed a ball joint and tie rod recently No evident other suspension problems but may be wise to think about picking up a new Volvo next year on a planned family trip to Sweden. They live near the factory!
D

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 21 Apr 2008, 13:31

but may be wise to think about picking up a new Volvo next year on a planned family trip to Sweden.

Volvo has the best European delivery program in the business - no one else is even close. It just takes it a while to get to its new home.

...Lee