I have a 2001 V70 with 33,000 miles (yes, that is not a typo, it was truly driven by an old lady). Because of the skewed mileage for the age, I'm not sure on how to handle the scheduled maintenance. She had the car serviced at the local stealership and I've gotten the records from them and it was well maintained. Should I go ahead and follow the Volvo recommended maintenance for the mileage or do I modify it in some way? Also, the MPG seems low (20.4 city, I've really not had the vehicle out on the highway for an extended distance). Stealership recommended Seafoaming the fuel since the vehicle sat for a while, but the MPG really didn't improve. Any thoughts?

 

Keep in mind that whatever you do to the car will be pricey, its a Volvo so you might want to find a local or really reliable mechanic that can possibly do the maintenance for a little cheaper (which i have done and has saved me thousands of dollars)

do a full tune up. (ipdusa.com)
even if the car has 33,000 miles on it its still 10 years plus.

alsoooo keep in mind that these do have tranny problems, so a tranny flush might be needed .. dealership will tell you that that is a big no no but honestly its something that will need to be done.

if your riding on 16 inch wheels id try craigslist for 17 or 18 original volvo wheels it will help the struts and mpg.

Struts and ball joints will have to be replaced as well.

Premium gas also helps, little pricier but itll help. (BP Gas)

 

I think a highway trip of a good distance and higher speeds will do that vehicle the world of good. With the mileage it has it clearly has been used for small runs and as a shopping basket basically.
Onc she has been run hot at good speeds i am sure you will notice an improvement in fuel economy and probably overall performance also.
Check the records you have obtained for mention of a timing belt replacement as that really need to be done after 10 years irrespective of the mileage.
Do a 'glove test' to check the PCV system also as short runs may have allowed the motor to sludge up a bit.

 

+1 for timing belt if it has not been done. That much time regardless of miles or lack of can cause dry rot.

 

I agree with most of the above, but would strongly suggest ordering the tranny flush "kit" from IPD rather than going to a transmission shop to do it. The tranny shop will hook up a machine that introduces "unusual fluid flow" as part of the process, and it's not uncommon for that to liberate some sludge that causes a whole host of new problems. The IPD kit will allow you to do essentially the same thing, but just pumps out the fluid in the normal manner, not "backflushing" anything in the process. You'll spend less than $100, no more than an hour or so, and will end up with essentially all new fluid (as opposed to the drain and refill option that will change about 40% of the fluid every iteration). The 2001-2002 models were known for having quirky transmissions, so I would also suggest installing an external inline magnetic filter while you're flushing the tranny (it goes in the cooler line you pull anyway).

 

Please don't Seafoam it, I'm surprised the dealer recommended it. I know people out there are satisfied about Seafoam and alike stuff, but that's not good for the oxygen sensor.


33000 miles is very low. Since the lady had the car serviced by Volvo dealer, you can be sure everything is mostly up to date, because Volvo dealers are maniac about making people pay. I bet they maintained the car more than needed.

The thing I'd been looking now is the timing belt. It's 2014-2000 (year of sale of a 2001 model) 14 years old. It got plastic like stiff. I would replace only the timing belt, not the idler and the tensioner, and not the water pump. Also check the accessories belt.

Basically, all other fluids, inspect the bills and if everything has been done in time, there's nothing to replace. I would only replace the transmission fluid as it most surely not has been serviced by Volvo which considered is a lifetime fluid - the reason why most Volvo cars in the scrap yards have a nice running engine and a broken transmission.

As for the MPG, could be the piston rings that are gummed up because I guess the car wasn't moving for extended periods of time, or it was only driven for short distances. Not much to do about this, nothing will dislodge gummed rings. Nothing else could explain a low MPG at this miles besides the fuel pressure sensor that is known to fail and was probably already been replaced under recall. 20 MPG is about normal in city driving with lots of stops or lights.

 

Change the oil. Check the PCV system. Check the air filter and replace if necessary. Replace the timing belt (including the idler and tensioner- don't cheap out). Brake fluid is due to be changed every two years.

Spark plugs are due at 60,000 miles but might not be a bad idea.
Fuel filter is due at 105,000 miles but also might be a good idea.