Faulty radio replacement - 2006 V70 T5

Post by **scot850** » 30 Apr 2025, 08:49

My buddy just bought a 06 V70 T5. Car is great, but the radio is doing weird things and different sounds come from different speakers. I believe the head unit is a HU-850.

Do these have a separate amp or is it integral to the head unit?

I have read various threads on sites that say that head units may or may not fit depending on year and model. Is there any actual information that can help identify areas to possibly check for issues, or what head units can be fitted, obviously the same one would be ideal but can any HU-850 be used?

Thanks,

Neil.

Post by **cn90** » 30 Apr 2025, 11:14

My 2006 S60, I just swapped a "new" radio from the junk yard...

Post by **scot850** » 30 Apr 2025, 15:39

The info I have read is that certain years will not fit, ie; A unit from a say a 06 may not fit an 04 and vice versa. There was a case where an owner asked on another forum about replacing an HU-803 unit in their car. The response (which I think included good old JRL (bless him!) stating there were actually 3 versions of the HU-803 and were not interchangeable. Why I have no idea as for the P80's all radios can be fitted with exception of the SC-900/1 as they have to have the external amp and cable as they have in internal amp which the other models do.

Does anyone know if the P2 units have an internal or external amp? I know for a wagon you can get a sub-woofer that fits in the spare tire in the trunk, but other than that and you can get units with a single or multi (4?) CD changer built in and possibly even a version for earlier P2, with a cassette possibly?

Like many things I think there may be some truths but possibly a lot of myths built up over the years which may hold some truth but may be due to lack of knowledge.

Thanks,

Neil.

Post by **abscate** » 01 May 2025, 16:37

I miss JRL and his gentle way of putting things right in Volvo land.

RIP, Jim.

cmayo1 · Post by **cmayo1** » 06 May 2025, 17:06

The P2 2005+ models are HU-650 and HU-850. The HU-650 does not require an external amp where the HU-850 does. The 650 has two connectors one gray and one green, while the 850 has one green.

The amp came from the factory for the models with the "Premium sound package" and can be either 200W or 300W. If yours already had the 850, then you'll most likely have the amp. It's located underneath the drinkers side front seat. The 850 only has a preamp for the center channel, which the "non-premium" package doesn't have. The 650 has four internal amplifiers for left and right. Models without premium still have a gray harness for the amp behind the radio, but it requires extra wiring which I haven't done.

Regarding what year, I believe the biggest point of contention is certain features still working, usually pertaining to steering wheel controls and the face plate not having lights. There are some that believe the radio needs to be programmed to the car, but I believe that is hearsay as most people don't have that problem. I also believe the problem is more directed to the Pre-2005 models. For best performance, try to get the same year. Hope this helps!

Cheers

Post by **scot850** » 07 May 2025, 16:37

Thank you very much for all the info. That is very helpful. I need to confirm that it is an 850 currently. So the amp for the 850 is under the front seat. Drinker's seat? Passenger seat?

The P80's with an amp, they were under the passenger seat, so I assume that is the same here. I'll pass the info on and again, I appreciate the help from you all.

Neil.