Login Register

What Would You Do If You Were Me?

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70-XC
1997 - 2004 C70
Post Reply
JeffHicks
Posts: 270
Joined: 22 October 2013
Year and Model: 1989 240 Wagon,
Location: United States
Been thanked: 1 time

What Would You Do If You Were Me?

Post by JeffHicks »

Alright guys, I think most of you know that I had a Cardone re-manufactured steering rack from FCPEuro lock up on me, in a way that could easily have been fatal.

If you were in my shoes, what would you do with the car?

Would you sell it as is - as a fixer-upper or for parts?
Would you replace the steering rack, then sell it?
Would you fix it and keep driving it?

It's a 1999 V70. Just over 200,000 miles and runs great. Silver, with no rust but your typical dings and scratches for a car that age. A tiny bit of hail damage. Interior is okay - not perfect, but clean and not bad at all. Nothing to be ashamed of. This is the car - obviously some dinguses "gift wrapped" it at camp a couple weeks ago, but you get the idea. It's a nice ride.

Image
1989 240 Wagon, 1999 V70 Base, 2002 XC70, 2005 V70 T5
Top
shaker_chi
Posts: 400
Joined: 29 June 2009
Year and Model: 94 850, 98 S70T5 M
Location: Chicago
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 3 times

Post by shaker_chi »

I feel your pain. I had a 1994 850 5 speed with 230,000 miles on it and the straw that broke the camels back was the steering rack. I gave it away to a fellow Volvo enthusiast who recently lost his job. I was in the middle of flipping a house and didn't have the time, plus it was winter here in Chicago and that makes things even worse. If you have the time, space, etc. then go ahead and replace the rack. It is a #$$@!^& of a job. Regarding the rack itself, I would go with a different vendor. I don't know who manufactures the O/E part for Volvo, but it would be worth your while to find out. They typically last around 200,000 miles so you know it will be the last time you have to do it Good luck!!!
Top
User avatar
E Showell
Posts: 3275
Joined: 16 October 2008
Year and Model: ‘07 S80 3.2
Location: Long Valley, N.J.
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 111 times

Post by E Showell »

Atlantic Enterprises rack (somewhere in the mid $300 vicinity as I recall) from EEuroparts. Pay an independent to install and Bob's your uncle. Drive the car for another 200K miles. I had the exact same Cardone rack experience a while back.

My '98 V70 is at about 332K miles, but I'm cheating since it is on its second engine. I only kept it because it is a stick, but it is awfully nice to have all that carrying capacity. Plus, they're such babe magnets. . .
'98 V70 NA FWD 5 spd, silver sand metallic (sold)
'99 V70 NA FWD Auto, dark blue (sold)
'99 S70 NA FWD Auto, black (sold and resurrected -- Don't cry for me Argentina . . . )
'07 S80 3.2 FWD Auto, Barents Blue Metallic
'06 V70 R AWD Auto, Sonic Blue Metallic (sold)
'04 XC70 Ruby Red Metallic (sold)
'95 855 auto (sold)
'86 245 manual (sold)
'05 V70 T5 M (totalled)
'06 V70 FWD Auto (totalled)
'02 Honda Insight CVT
‘04 Honda Insight CVT — “Yesterday’s car of tomorrow” (sold)
‘06 Honda Insight CVT
Top
kahl
Posts: 943
Joined: 27 October 2012
Year and Model: 2000V70XC
Location: columbus ohio
Been thanked: 10 times

Post by kahl »

I would replace the rack and keep the car. You know what you have. Any car you get will have some type of issues. With FCP return policy you can send the defective rack back and get full credit for a better rack or just a refund if FCP does not have the rack quality you want.

Be aware I have 3 of these P80 cars so I have a slight bias.
Top
User avatar
E Showell
Posts: 3275
Joined: 16 October 2008
Year and Model: ‘07 S80 3.2
Location: Long Valley, N.J.
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 111 times

Post by E Showell »

3 P80s here as well, Stew. Not fancy, but they get the job done. Yet to find more comfortable car seats for a long trip.
'98 V70 NA FWD 5 spd, silver sand metallic (sold)
'99 V70 NA FWD Auto, dark blue (sold)
'99 S70 NA FWD Auto, black (sold and resurrected -- Don't cry for me Argentina . . . )
'07 S80 3.2 FWD Auto, Barents Blue Metallic
'06 V70 R AWD Auto, Sonic Blue Metallic (sold)
'04 XC70 Ruby Red Metallic (sold)
'95 855 auto (sold)
'86 245 manual (sold)
'05 V70 T5 M (totalled)
'06 V70 FWD Auto (totalled)
'02 Honda Insight CVT
‘04 Honda Insight CVT — “Yesterday’s car of tomorrow” (sold)
‘06 Honda Insight CVT
Top
crlande
Posts: 368
Joined: 27 July 2013
Year and Model: 240DL;850;S70
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 36 times

Post by crlande »

Keep it. Just watched my boss' 2012 BMW suv $6500 transmission get replaced. Coworkers 55,000 mile Jeep MOPAR engine get replaced, both due to manufacturing defects. Honda recalling more than a million cars, Takata airbag recalls, etc. I am not looking forward to the day when I have to get a new car with all the new electronics getting reprogrammed every once in awhile and me not being able to fiddle around under the hood. Damn I dread that day.
Top
PS78
Posts: 186
Joined: 6 February 2016
Year and Model: 2000 S70
Location: Northeast PA
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 3 times

Post by PS78 »

Keep your car and replace the steering rack. It's a miserable task replacing it and I can feel the frustration myself right now remembering it all..lol but better the devil you know than the one you don't. I'm in agreement wit crlande about the newer vehicles floating around. Rampant recalls, power train and component failures. My sister's new acura mdx is at the dealer seemingly every other week like some kind of failed NASA project.
Always first off the line, while all the cool people are still staring at their phones.
Top
Cees Klumper
Posts: 358
Joined: 28 December 2013
Year and Model: 2002 S80 T6
Location: De Luz Heights, Southern California
Has thanked: 40 times
Been thanked: 28 times

Post by Cees Klumper »

Unwrap, Fix and keep, from the sounds of it.
Top
User avatar
Clemens
Posts: 1932
Joined: 3 September 2015
Year and Model: 96 855 R + 94 855 T5
Location: Austria
Has thanked: 473 times
Been thanked: 219 times

Post by Clemens »

Buy a rack from a different vendor, have an indie do it. They love challenges, I hear. Seriously, I've been down that road with a nice VW Golf wagon, gave up after 3 steering racks under warranty. If it happened to one of my Volvos I would go the route I suggested.
As others said: you know what you got with this one. Every new car is a new adventure and additional costs.
Summer: 1996 855 R
Winter: 1994 855 T5M
Donor: 1995 854 10V
Top
User avatar
abscate
MVS Moderator
Posts: 35267
Joined: 17 February 2013
Year and Model: 99: V70s S70s,05 V70
Location: Port Jefferson Long Island NY
Has thanked: 1497 times
Been thanked: 3809 times

Post by abscate »

Jeff..if you've got the four rivers touch to do a steering rack these are great cars for you.

I'm coming up on 200k on my 99 but I always need an airport car to run 15 miles twice a week, so it really fits the bill for that. I am going to take it off the long day trip runs soon though. I will miss that seat on those trips
Empty Nester
A Captain in a Sea of Estrogen
1999-V70-T5M56 2005-V70-M56 1999-S70 VW T4 XC90-in-Red
Link to Maintenance record thread
Top
Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “850, S70, V70, C70, V70-XC 1992-2000”