Volvo tech

[specVogel]

just incase there are any volvos on the board i thought i'd lend a hand to them. i am a certified volvo technician with 5+ years on just volvo and 4 of 8 ASEs. so any questions feel free to ask.

[TROLL]

nice, can you post up some common tutorials or other tech info? if you want to take the time compile as much as you have and i can sticky it.
thanks!
bryan

[specVogel]

with the amount of info that i know and have at my fingertips it would be much easier to help question by question. i work at a dealer and can help with everything from buying a car to fixing it.

[dolphinS4]

Wife just got '06 XC90 2.5t, any issues or common problems I should be on the look for? How about getting some more power out of the 5t? Any chance without blowing warranty?
Thanks,
Mike

[specVogel]

the 2.5t is a solid motor that volvo has been using in one form or another for over 10 years. not alot of major issues with the xc90s. keep an eye on the tires for abnormal wear because ive seen a few go through tires in 12k, and they arent cheap. as far as getting more power out of it i dont know of any aftermarket parts for them. you could adjust the wastegate on the turbo but that will just throw a check engine light and void your warranty. enjoy the new car.

[9 Ball]

Originally Posted by specVogel

with the amount of info that i know and have at my fingertips it would be much easier to help question by question. i work at a dealer and can help with everything from buying a car to fixing it.

I absolutely love the R! My mother is trying to decide between the V70 R and the VW Tourage. I don’t really know much about the R in terms of reliability etc, however, I know Volvos have a history of being rock solid vehicles. She drives long distances, and likes comfort, however, she very much wants a car that “holds” the road. I recommended the R… it would seem to fit her needs.

What’s your opinion on the infamous R… reliability, comfort, safety, handling, etc.

Thanks.

[dolphinS4]

Thanks, I look for the tires. Is it an alignment issue or any other correctable problem?

[specVogel]

Originally Posted by 9 Ball

I absolutely love the R! My mother is trying to decide between the V70 R and the VW Tourage. I don’t really know much about the R in terms of reliability etc, however, I know Volvos have a history of being rock solid vehicles. She drives long distances, and likes comfort, however, she very much wants a car that “holds” the road. I recommended the R… it would seem to fit her needs.

What’s your opinion on the infamous R… reliability, comfort, safety, handling, etc.

Thanks.

the r is an awsome car both wagon and sedan. i personally would love to have one if i had the money. in terms of reliability they are rock solid. never heard of any major problems. the motor is a redesigned version of dolphins4's inline 5, and like all of the volvo motors is basically bullet-proof. as for comfort, in my opinion the suspension is a little too stiff for your basic soccer mom types, although there is push button suspension settings, comfort, sport, and advanced. safety is not even questionable. just like all volvos they are second to none. ask anyone what is the safest car and they will say volvo. just look at their track record. they developed the first suv with roll over protection, first with advanced airbags, etc.. handling is a dream in the car. on advanced setting body roll is almost nonexistant. the one thing that we get complaints about is brake squeal. but i believe its the way people drive. the car has brembo calipers all around with oversized rotors. and on alot of cars with brembos you need to use the brakes properly i.e. not riding the brakes and allowing buildup. i would recomend that your mother takes one for a test drive and see how she likes the ride.

[silver05bullet]

Question for you i got a 2003 Volvo S-40 and my power seat stopped working do u guys see alot of that happening if so what is the most common cause might try to fix it this weekend

[specVogel]

Originally Posted by dolphinS4

Thanks, I look for the tires. Is it an alignment issue or any other correctable problem?

yes most of the time its alignment problems, but its not a problem from the factory. alot of people see it as an offroad suv and can drive over anything and not worry about it. the car's chassis is a modified version of the s60, v70,s80, which is why its a suv that drives like a car. so just like any other car its a good thing to get an alignment at least once a year. if your xc90 has the pirelli scorpion tires there were some people complaining of premature wear and were getting reimbursed from pirelli. so no worries.

[specVogel]

Originally Posted by silver05bullet

Question for you i got a 2003 Volvo S-40 and my power seat stopped working do u guys see alot of that happening if so what is the most common cause might try to fix it this weekend

is your car still under the four year 50k warranty if so its still covered. if not most of the time the problem was with the switch which just needs to be replaced. i would also check the seat tracks to make sure nothing is jammed in there.

[silver05bullet]

Nah the car is at 103000 miles i do alot of driving my 2005 Evo is at 36000 miles right now, i think it almost definitely has to be the switch do u happen to know approximate price for it?

[specVogel]

Originally Posted by silver05bullet

Nah the car is at 103000 miles i do alot of driving my 2005 Evo is at 36000 miles right now, i think it almost definitely has to be the switch do u happen to know approximate price for it?

the switch is probably between one and two hundred. you will need to know if the seat has memory, and its not that hard to replace yourself. also dont forget about replacing the timing belt and tensioner at 105k.

[9 Ball]

Originally Posted by specVogel

the r is an awsome car both wagon and sedan. i personally would love to have one if i had the money. in terms of reliability they are rock solid. never heard of any major problems. the motor is a redesigned version of dolphins4's inline 5, and like all of the volvo motors is basically bullet-proof. as for comfort, in my opinion the suspension is a little too stiff for your basic soccer mom types, although there is push button suspension settings, comfort, sport, and advanced. safety is not even questionable. just like all volvos they are second to none. ask anyone what is the safest car and they will say volvo. just look at their track record. they developed the first suv with roll over protection, first with advanced airbags, etc.. handling is a dream in the car. on advanced setting body roll is almost nonexistant. the one thing that we get complaints about is brake squeal. but i believe its the way people drive. the car has brembo calipers all around with oversized rotors. and on alot of cars with brembos you need to use the brakes properly i.e. not riding the brakes and allowing buildup. i would recomend that your mother takes one for a test drive and see how she likes the ride.

She’s taking her 1998 V70 xc in for service tomorrow. We’re gonna drive both cars then. Thanks for the write-up.

[TROLL]

hey, if you dont mind, i'd be interested to know the interworkings of volvo's 5 cylinder engine... why they do it and how it works and pros and cons, photos, whatever other info you have.

also, how about some good info on the sweet sweet S60R? love that car to death.

of course both of these topics would warrant new threads. just giving you ideas if you have time, i'd be interested to hear more about these. thanks,
bryan

[9 Ball]

Originally Posted by TROLL

hey, if you dont mind, i'd be interested to know the interworkings of volvo's 5 cylinder engine... why they do it and how it works and pros and cons, photos, whatever other info you have.

also, how about some good info on the sweet sweet S60R? love that car to death.

of course both of these topics would warrant new threads. just giving you ideas if you have time, i'd be interested to hear more about these. thanks,
bryan

Heh, heh. I’ll give you my driving impressions of the R tomorrow.


Incidentally, the Acura Vigor was an inline 5… I wish they stuck with that motor.

[2point4DSM]

I forget the actual engineering techno ligno to describe it but anytime you have an odd number of cylinders the motor gets smoother and the reason the inline 5 is so nice.

[specVogel]

Originally Posted by 2point4DSM

I forget the actual engineering techno ligno to describe it but anytime you have an odd number of cylinders the motor gets smoother and the reason the inline 5 is so nice.

i am pretty sure all inline motors are smoother due to the fact they are easier to balance as aposed to v motors where you have the offset to fight with.

[specVogel]

Originally Posted by TROLL

hey, if you dont mind, i'd be interested to know the interworkings of volvo's 5 cylinder engine... why they do it and how it works and pros and cons, photos, whatever other info you have.

also, how about some good info on the sweet sweet S60R? love that car to death.

of course both of these topics would warrant new threads. just giving you ideas if you have time, i'd be interested to hear more about these. thanks,
bryan

yeah id be happy to start a few threads about them. ill just need some time to get some data together.

[9 Ball]

We took a test drive the other day. My mother got her 2000 XC70 SE (not a ’98… my mistake) serviced on Thursday. We went to the Volvo dealer in Devon PA. They didn’t have a V70 R (wagon), however, they did have the S60 R (sedan.) The car was silver, but like both R models (wagon and sedan,) as soon as you approach the car you can tell it’s something different.

On the outside, the most noticeable difference would be the wheels and brake package. As you move towards the front, you notice the bumper is much larger and protrudes out to house the intercooler. Step inside and the interior is top notch. The seats and leather are fantastic. I love the blue gauges which also help to set the car’s interior apart from its’ siblings. They only had an automatic, but it wouldn’t have made a difference… my mother has driven manual trannies most of her life.

It was raining so we really weren’t gonna punch it. I was more concerned with how the car handled the road. My mother drove for the entire time, however, I got plenty of information as a passenger. On the “A” roads, the car felt somewhat like the other high end Volvos. The ride was pleasant and comfortable. The salesman directed us towards the “B” roads, and this is where you could feel the dramatic difference in the R. There are three suspension settings, Comfort, Sport, and Advanced. On the “A” roads, my mother kept the suspension setting to Comfort, however, as soon as we hit the “B” road, my mother switched to Advanced.

From the passenger seat, I could feel the suspension stiffen up. As we drove along, taking all of the twists, turns, and inclines, the R took everything with very little body roll. As a passenger, I got the feeling the car was very “sure footed” and the driver was in complete control at all times. With the setting on Advanced, you have a sense of confidence. My mother acknowledged this because she briefly switched back to Comfort, and then immediately reverted back to Advanced. This car is truly at home on the “B” roads... I felt like we were on a brief road trip. Even after we got back on the “A” road, my mother still preferred the Advanced setting: content with feeling every ripple in the road and receiving as much information from the car as possible.

Great car, and very much worth the $42,000 sticker price. In contrast, the 2006 XC70 was $43,000 (with less power and extremely soft suspension.) The Volvo SUV XC90 was also around $43,000-$44,000. So it would be a no brainer to grab the R instead.