As mentioned in my thread in "new members" I've owned a lot of Volvos going back to 122's but never owned one as new as my 2006 V70. I've owned a few 850 wagons and that's what I was after but they are all gone here in Ohio, it seems. It's the basic 2.4L version with an automatic.

First cosmetic order of business is sorting out the scuffed up front bumper skin and hood with a paint blister on it.

Wikipedia tells me there was a front end facelift somewhere around this time but the photos aren't clear how much has changed. What years and models can be a hood or front bumper skin donors for my 2006? Are they getting hard to find? I found one aftermarket Swedish Precision Products bumper skin and I'm wondering if I should just buy that one. Not many cars back into things hard enough to end up getting scrapped.

First order of mechanical business is flame traps...I always replaced the flame trap on every red block as a general rule. I see they are still there, a little more extensive (and expensive) on the 2.4 and FCP Euro has a kit for replacing them. This car was gone through by a second generation Volvo only shop I've known for 20 years and they didn't mention it but I've always replaced them as a general rule. Seem like a good idea to bite the bullet and install the FCP Euro kit?

I hate to even ask this but looking at the owners manual on the web, it shows 5w30 and 5w40 oil for pretty similar temp ranges. Here in southwest Ohio it can be -20 to 110 in the course of a year. I have gallons of 5w40 Rotella sitting around because I have (2) VW TDI's and a Dodge Cummins that takes 3 gallons per change. Anyone use that particular Rotella oil in their 2.4? I realize it's a diesel oil but I've used it in VW gas 4 cylinders for years with no issues so I thought I'd ask.

I need some good winter type front floor mats that fit the V70 to save the carpet....looks like Volvo and Weathertech don't offer them any more.
Do you guys hunt down used mats on eBay, use some Amazon knockoffs, or ????

I also need a replacement OEM 17" alloy wheel because one has some rash on it and I'd like to find one before I buy new tires.
It comes up as being factory correct for a V70 even though the tire label on the car shows a 16" tire/wheel combo. Here is the wheel:
https://www.carid.com/replace/7-i-sp...72&url=1789451
Is this actually a base model wheel or transplanted from a turbo or R?
Were they used on other models I could use as donors?
I could use one or two of these if anyone reasonably close to 45373/SW Ohio has some spares.

The interior fabric on the A pillars by the windshield has come loose. Headliner spray adhesive or is there a better option?

The rubber outside the A pillar by the windshield is cracked pretty badly. Looks like replacements are NLA, is there some other retrofit or homegrown option?

Think that's it for now, thanks!

 

Regarding the PCV system - you didnt note how many miles on it and whether it has had a good maintenance history. Plenty of vids on Youtube for the how to so you can see what the process entails - have you done a glove test to determine whether its needed or preventative? If the car has a good maintenance history and even better, has been running synthetic oil you are probably in good shape.

For the replacement wheel, you can go aftermarket (I got some nice OEM S40 wheels from hubcaphaven.com) or go refurbished (Wheel Collision Center has a catalog with pix) or use car-part.com to find one used (national recycle yard search engine).

As for rubber bits, again try Volvo friendly web stores (IPD, FCP etc) but you may also find something on ebay if the dealer web stores show PNs as discontinued.

Finally my two cents on the oil question: Here in New England, I generally run 5-30 high mileage full synthetic in 2000 S40 - Not that picky about brand but Walmart carries Castrol, Quaker, Pennzoil, Rotella etc all who offer a range of full synthetic products. The thing about the high mileage product is that it has seal softeners to keep older engines from getting weepy (I've had good luck with this approach on both the S40 and before that our 850T. You can also go down to 0-30 if you do a fall/spring oil change schedule (I did this when the car was doing outdoor winters in upstate NY). You'd be find running 0-40 or 5-40 as well, these older cars are not as tightly spec'd as the new cars. As far as a oil recommended for diesels, you can read up on Bobistheoilguy.com to see what the differences are - but my view is just make sure the oil meets the specs in the owners manual and choose the weight appropriate to your driving conditions. I always change the oil on time/miles whichever comes first and I always use OEM (Mann) filters (I buy in bulk from FCP).

 

Thanks for the detailed response.

The car has 168k on it. Timing belt label in the engine compartment showing it was done at 125k. Previous owner said it was serviced at a Volvo dealer in Cinci but I don't have records to verify.

Biggest reason I chose this car was it had just been gone through by a second generation Volvo only mechanic that I've known since he was young and I was working with his dad (the first gen mechanic). We've all bought Volvos from each other over the years and I imagine his dad still has a 245 I'd like to have back. If there is something that needs attention, they will generally find it. The only things found were rear brakes in the near future and an aftermarket gas cap.

I'd assume the flame trap is okay but I want to keep on top of it, I'll look for the glove test online. I've just seen too many good engines fall victim to it.

I like the OEM wheels that are on there so I'll just try to find a matching wheel somewhere. Maybe I'll get lucky and one will show up in a yard around me that can be a donor for the front end and a wheel, if not, thanks for the info on where to find a good used one.

I tried 0w engine oil in an older Euro car once that seemed to have 5w as the "main" recommended oil and the rear main immediately started leaking so I've stayed with the 5w ever since. I'll just do the high mileage 5w30 and save the Rotella for the diesels. It can be 10 degrees here and 70 the next day with tornadoes so trying to go by temperature is tough.

Thanks again for the response.

 

I had the same leaky rear seal on the 850T when I first tried a full synthetic. I then ran the high mileage oil products over the next few changes full dino, synthetic blend then finally 5-40 synthetic. With that said, synthetic for older cars is not the end all - if you have 168K, any wear has already happened and changing to synthetic won't fix that so you can stay with dino or a blend and just stick to a 3K or 5K change interval and you'll be fine. Personally I like 5-30 synthetic since it keeps its viscosity in the cold better than a traditional 5-30 but given the number of super cold days in Ohio is limited. Considering you've already had a weepy seal issue, I'd go with a high mileage 5-30 dino or blend.