Volvo repair est.

[AlanS]

So, I had some issues with my 2006 XC70- Brought it to the dealer (I have an extended warranty). These are the findings:
Fuel system- injectors need cleaning
Middle exhaust bracket- P/L= $420
Fuel filter- P/L= 237
Breather Box hose- P/L= $445
Plus at 70K they want me to do a timing belt and water pump- $1500

OK...not letting them do any of these...BUT...how do I clean the fuel injector system? The Breather box hose is $38...why $400 for labor? Is it that difficult to change over? I will use a local mech for the T-belt.

They are covering the front and rear motor mounts on the warranty.

[MadeInJapan]

They are talking about an entire PCV (breather box) and related hoses over-haul...which our cars typically do need at some point. The exhaust (ummm, corrected below in a different post- the INTAKE, not the exhauset- thanks for that!!) manifold has to come off to do this. The breather box is under there and does eventually get clogged up....but there is very iffy stuff on the list including an early timing belt...but it has been 10 years...so... Go to an independent mechanic. Don't show them that list and ask them their opinion on what your car truly needs right now. Btw, I would be tempted NOT to let them do the just the mounts either. They are bound to come up with other things your car "needs." Go to another dealer for your warranty items. Fuel injector service? Pffff... buy a bottle of STP fuel cleaner and add it next time you buy gas. This dealer is incredible, but come to think of it, even my tire rotation place wants to push the injector cleaner service- it's a gimmick to make more money in my opinion.

[abscate]

You could defer that TB if you are a mild risk taker and think you might run the car 5 more years.

Volvo warrantys the exact same parts for 15 years/150k miles if you happened to buy the same car in a PZEV state.

I calculate you are only putting on 7k per year, so 5 years driving would put at you 105k. Either way that TB job is 400-500 at good indie with Volvo parts

[chrism]

"...The exhaust manifold has to come off to do this...."

Make that the intake manifold.

[AlanS]

I did this job on my 850...wasn't too bad/ non-turbo and there was not a whole lot of stuff to remove. I heard that on the XC70, the alternator, etc has to be removed...doesn't sound 'easy'. And possibly a 'knuckle buster'. Anyone do this job?

[chrism]

I've done a PCV service on both of our cars - a 2005 S80 2.5T and a 2003 V70 2.4 NA. Pretty much the same routine for both except for some minor difference in the vacuum hose arrangement. I didn't have to remove the alternator on either one.

I'm going to make the assumption that the breather box hose they are talking about is the one that comes out of the top of the box, runs in between the manifold runners and attaches to the top of the engine underneath the plastic cover. The original hoses are known to bust open just above the box however the replacement hoses are a slightly better design. With a flashlight, peek down the hose between the manifold runners and see if it's split open half way between the manifold and the box. At 70,000 miles, I would be inclined to try just replacing that hose and then see how well the crankcase breathing works. My experience is that a full PCV service wasn't necessary until around 140-150,000 as I recall. This depends on how the car was driven, what kind of oil was used, etc. (Walmart full synthetic oil is my friend.) Anyway, that hose can be replaced without moving much, if anything, out of the way. You may want to remove the throttle module just for a little extra working room, plus it's a good idea to clean out the throat periodically. The hardest part is probably removing the oetiker clamp where the hose connects to the box. A long skinny screwdriver may work to pry the clamp open. A regular worm screw clamp can be used to reassemble.

If it turns out that the the PCV system requires more work, then it will be necessary to remove the manifold. For me the toughest part of the whole job was accessing the last manifold bolt that is partially hidden by the thermostat housing. You have to use just the right combination of socket, extension, universal extension, etc. On both cars I could not completely back the bolt out due to interference with the thermostat housing, so I had to cut a slot in the new manifold gasket for that bolt only. The lower manifold bolt holes are already slotted so that's not a problem. If I ever do this job again I am going to explore the possibility of using a torx head bolt in that position in order to lessen the interference with the thermo housing and allow the use of a skinnier tool to R/R the bolt. A slightly more radical mod would be to reduce the manifold thickness at that bolt hole by about 1/8", reducing the flange thickness from 1/2" to 3/8", and use a shorter bolt accordingly. But that may be a bit extreme.

Good luck.