efetoma: Does any1 know of d issues wit Volvo S70 pls?

Siena:

Could you be more specific, please?

efetoma: How do u mean pls Sienna? If its abt d year,its a 2000 model,auto,4-plugs. Tnx

Siena:

Unfortunately, that tells me nothing. What engine size is it? Simply saying "4 plugs" isn't helpful, all it tells me it's a four cylinder engine.

efetoma: Shuo Sienna,maybe u shld just tell me d details u want pls. tnx

Ikenna351:

It baffles how one would want to own a paticular vehicle without bothering to find out its specifications. Really, it shows some unseriousness. You have the greatest medium of getting any info you want - Internet, yet you want someone to do it for you.

Ikenna.

Siena:

Could you be more specific, please?

efetoma: Ikenna,i still don't understand. I have checked the net & av read reviews&recalls of the Volvo..S70. Its a 2.4L, I5 DOHC 20V FI Engine. All i need is advise on the reliability considering the Nigeria factor. Or is there smth you guys ar asking for that i don't seems to understand? Make una put me thru abeg,na everyday we dey learn o.

efetoma: Ikenna,i still don't understand. I have checked the net & av read reviews&recalls of the Volvo..S70. Its a 2.4L, I5 DOHC 20V FI Engine. All i need is advise on the reliability considering the Nigeria factor. Or is there smth you guys ar asking for that i don't seems to understand? Make una put me thru abeg,na everyday we dey learn o.

leuelliot:

I've had an 850 t5 for 4 years which shares some components with the s70. The first thing that is likely to go bad is the ABS module due to heat and a crappy work by volvo engineers on that particular component,the speedometer would stop working after a year or so after the ABS (they are connected) in my case thats the only thing that has gone wrong besides that its very awesome, durable vehicle i personally love the exhaust note. i would advise against the turbo models mine is turbocharged but it requires some more than average attention the base model naturally aspirated engine is a blessing. i use total quarts 7000 synthetic blend oil. if u eventually buy one, i recommend you use this oil for your servicing.

Trac: You don't have an S70 if it only needs four plugs. As a matter of fact, you don't have a true Volvo if it uses four plugs or more than five. A real Volvo as of today uses 5 plugs and 5 cylinders, L5 configuration. The 850 and S70 is one vehicle. I cannot say anything about the 850 but the core of the chassis is basically the same, save for some chassis enhancements and refinements. The ratio of parts shared is almost close to one (in my opinion).

The issues with the S70 isn't many. The car does have fairly poor cooling but you have the light-pressured turbo and wouldn't be much of an issue. I'm not sure about the year of your vehicle and the driven wheels. The AWD seems to be more demanding in maintenance than the non-AWD models.

Other than interior rattles and plastics breaking, I have no problem with this vehicle. There were certain recalls to the vehicle and as of four or five years ago, the accelerator-by-wire was finally addressed.

The plugs it uses it the multi-leg plug and it is the three prong plug and so far, this is only gotten from Volvo. It is also cheap and should be replaced every year. If you use the standard single prong plug, engine misfires after extended drive or continuous heavy acceleration (or after spirited-driving is completed). The flame-trap at this point would be blocked with oil or soot. The plugs are cheap and each prong functions as designed.

The engine mount will break. This is surety because it is an L5 and the nature of these engine design is the primary and secondary main forces are in balance but to a certain degree. It is one cylinder short, so the consequence (left and right motion) is transmitted to the engine mount. This is the layman's explanation. The engine mount is right in front of you when the hood is opened and it is quite small. The mount itself is not rigid and you will want to stick to that because the frame of the car will be subject to vibration. It is also a high-revving engine and it will be more pronounced. There are some polyurethane bushings but I can't really comment on that.

Suspension: the chassis is sport setup. The tyre is driver-friendly and not tyre friendly in the rear. Vehicle is stiff but not harsh. The springs actually strain negatively. In other words, they sag and shorten. If you have to replace it, a Volvo spring is not the way to go. The dampers aren't that great in quality (my impression) The suspension in general has a shorter lifecycle and will require complete replacement when a suspension is due. The suspension has high performance components. The strut mount seat on the right passenger side always fails. It isn't uncommon to replace it twice a year. The strut mount is priced according to your personal opinion but the labour is another subject entirely. Volvo made it soft to give an acceptable ride but the cost is high due to frequent replacement. I got this solved. The part was replaced with a Mercedes part. I can't remember what I settled for but 7 years later, no issue. I am just remembering now (as I type). Steering also is super-sharp and vehicle doesn't roll/bend in corners; it just leans lightly (except under heavy cornering). To a degree, it doesn't feel like a front-wheel-drive car in dynamics but I can still tell because the front wheel is burdened when steering under heavy braking. This is not obvious.

Brakes - if you have Volvo brakes, they will be replaced frequently. They are softer than the conventional rotors. You have to replace the rotors with the brakes. The O-ring in the master brake cylinders will wear out and an unexpected reaction. I can't remember clearly if it was serious pulsating on the brake pedal but inappropriate stopping or no stopping or brake-travel to the firewall or both. Either way, you will have it fixed the soonest. The problem is simple: use a non-Volvo master brake cylinder. No torque-steer or torque braking.

Electronic stability: the system board in the module (computer) will crack. It is $600 (as of 2005) and the dealer was kind to tell me that it will still break because the Scandinavian climate doesn't get so hot and it is a design that was overlooked. You will have to rebuild what you have and have heat-sinks-wraps embedded in it. It has been 8 years for me and the problem never reoccured. It is very common. When this computer goes out, you loose ABS, Traction Control and ESP with an annoying dashboard light that violates the contrast of the dashboard.

Transmission: It uses the Aisin-Warner transmission fluid. Transmission has to be serviced at major intervals. It is also very strong.

The intercooler shroud or radiator support. This is made out of plastic. In other cars, you have the frame of the car (metal). This houses your intercooler, fan, headlights, headlight washer motor, bumper and a few others that I can't remember. If it is broken, everything is out of alignment. Replacing this is costly and the possibilities that it will be done right depends on who works on it.

Timing belt: when Ford acquired Volvo by '99, Volvo ditched the hydraulic tensioning and switched to the mechanical tensioner. This surely shortened the life of the timing belt service by half. If you are into the '98 models, the first batch of production had the hydraulic and you replaced the timing belt every 140,000 miles. It isn't so for the later '98 and up. The mechanical setup was stricter. You have to replace the timing belt and the mechanical tensioner. Replacing the belt alone gave you time. In about 10,000 miles, the tensioner will fail and you might as well farewell the engine and give it up for a rebuild or get another engine. This definitely was certain. This is the caution. If no date is by the timing cover with respect to the last service, ask questions. If you own it, and you have no record, do that quickly. It's just one of those duties that aren't funny.

Combustion technology is good, multi-port fuel injection and exceptional gas mileage and acceptable performance. Oil used is 0w40 Euro formula or 10w40. If it has been using synthetic, you cannot switch to fossil oil. Engine note is good and also a high revving engine.

Keythumbler: this is so funny, I'll let other discuss this. Maybe, they will share their experiences. It's funny because I wasn't involved. I wouldn't have had mine addressed if the service tech did not pester that on me. It worked most of the time for me.

Subframe mount: this will need to be replaced. It sags! Ride comfort will be compromised also.

I cannot remember the model for the Mercedes where the strut seat was transplanted from but it worked. Don't use another Volvo strut seat. I can't think of anything else besides the piece of plastic between the windshield and fore-dashboard. It is so thin and the sun breaks it. The day-time running sensor moves out of place.

If you plan to purchase a Volvo, be sure it is well maintained. If not, avoid it. Volvo's are expensive to maintain but they work when properly maintained. All the issues that I stated above were at my early years of ownership. I ditched many Volvo parts and installed race or reinforced parts. Truth is that at the time of the S70, Volvo was broke and corners were cut in the production of their vehicles. It is also an emotional car and it was also my daily driver because it was slightly smaller and easier to park than my E-Class. It just wasn't anywhere as refined. It is a car you can also work on. No matter what anyone tells you, when you are about to exit your vehicle, leave the engine running for at least half a minute then kill the engine. This is to prevent coking of your turbocharger and to extend the life. Everyone has their opinions and emotions will run high stating better turbocharger design is what is made today. It is abnormal replacing the turbine after a hundred-and-some-odd miles. It is easy to work on it (compared to Mercedes Benzes).


Overall, it is a strong and very predictable vehicle. I have not had to do much service besides tune-up in many years on it. This also is the only car where I did not use complete Volvo parts in my repairs. As stated earlier, I had to use race, high performance or heavy duty parts for some unacceptable failures. I also had to replace parts that I never knew existed in a car but this is due to the cost-cutting and financial set-back Volvo experienced. Taking this to Nigeria - I'll recommend some suspension changes. The springs and dampers will have to be replaced as a fundamental with non-Volvo parts. Lifetime springs and lifetime dampers is nothing short of the best.


All the best!

efetoma: End Of Discussion! God Bless You Trac.

DEE247: WAO! TRAC YOU MUST BE PART OF VOLVO BOARD OF DIRECTORS!
YOUR WRITE UP HAS ENLIGTHEND ME. KUDOS TO YOU

abdulkadir: @ trac, very educative.
i most confess this is the first time i will read your post once and understand it all, its so simplified. Most times i hav to read your posts more than twice.
anyways, nice one.

abdulkadir: @ trac, very educative.
i most confess this is the first time i will read your post once and understand it all, its so simplified. Most times i hav to read your posts more than twice.
anyways, nice one.

abdulkadir: @ trac, very educative.
i most confess this is the first time i will read your post once and understand it all, its so simplified. Most times i hav to read your posts more than twice.
anyways, nice one.

Ikenna351:


Me too.

Ikenna