Hi all
I purchased a 2002 v70 1 year ago and immediately replaced the timing belt, a sway bar, cv boot, and a few other things that added up to 3k. Now, one year later the transmission just went out, along with an engine mount, and some other things that are going to run me another 6000. The car has 95k miles on it and is in good cosmetic shape. The mechanic tells me that if I do the 6000 in repairs it should be a good car for the next 5 years, aside from routine maintenance.

I'm trying to figure out if it's that's anywhere near true and if its worth it to put another 6k into the car. I paid 6500 for it then put the 3k and also just bought 600 in new tires last month.

Of course, if I don't repair it I can probably only get about 1000 for it in its unrepaired condition.

Any advice? thoughts? Will it be a good car for another 100,000 miles if I do the repairs?

thanks!

 

Hiyo Silver, I have the same car and have pondered over the same questions countless times. Mine has 112K miles on it. I recently did the timing belt and the transmission has just begun to act up. I think one obvious question has to be answered and the rest follows more easily - how much do you like the car? The first year I owned mine I was on the fence about it - somedays I loved it, other days I wished I'd never bought it. Somewhere along the line it really grew on me and the quirkiness (constant blown bulbs, swaybar end links rattling, etc.) subsided. I've decided I'm keeping mine and probably handing it over to my Son for college. What other 10 year old wagon looks cool enough that a teenager accepts it gladly - can't think of another.

There may be options to lower your $6K estimate, that seems awfully high. My independent Volvo guy says he can replace the valve bodies for $1,400 and stated that is generally the issue. I've read a lot in this forum and the swedespeed forum about transmission issues and I may even try the drain and fill 3X approach before replacing the valve bodies. I think it's worth a case of Toyota Type 4. The other option I'm looking at is a replacement transmission from Erie Volvo. They cost $1300, $150 shipping, my Volvo guy will put it in for $700, and it comes with a full replacement warranty as long as I own it. I wonder if I'm missing something here, but this appears to be a winner. My Volvo guy is skeptical about the warranty, so I may need to ask more questions.

Only you can answer the question as to whether the $6K is worth it. If you like the car fix it, otherwise cut your losses.

 

I would not put $6,000 into a car that is only worth $6000. Check the value at www.NADAGuides.com. There is a guy on here that put a tranny in last year and just lost another. Your model year car is know for having bad trannys.

I had a tranny put in mine for under $600. Pray real hard and shop around if you have a little time.

 

thanks for the responses. I decided not to fix the car after going back and forth a few times. I did really like the car, it looks great, inside and out. A really luxury interior, great lines, intuitive layouts. But looking at the cost of repairs in general, and this one specifically, it seemed ridiculous. When I bought the car I had the idea that I probably need to put some money in it and it would run another 100,000 miles. And it probably would but now I realize the amount of money it would take would be too much. And what if someone runs into it and totals it, like my last car, and the insurance company gives me 2k for it? I've always wanted a volvo wagon. Probably should have bought a 240.

Somehow when I was researching this car, I thought the tranny problems were mainly in the XC version and not this one. My mechanic says the re-manufactured tranny from the dealer is $3500 plus his labor adds another $1500. I did the expensive tranny fluid flush last year when I bought the car. That didn't help apparently. I've read that putting in a used tranny not from the dealer can end you up with the same problem down the road. So, the options seem pretty slim. This model car seems mostly doomed to the trash heap except for those true believers who put the money into it. It's a shame. I spoke to a guy who buys used cars and the first thing he said to me is that these cars have notorious transmission failures. I had just put 4 new goodyear tires on it 2 months ago. So it cost me almost $10k ($6500 to buy, $3k + in repairs + $ 650 tires/alignment) to drive this car for one year. I ended up trading it in at a toyota dealership for $2k. Quite a loss. I didn't know how much longer it be drivable so felt I had to act quick.

Yes, I bought a prius. no more car troubles.

 

Expensive tranny fluid flush? That was likely the beginning of the end.

 

well, I took into the volvo independent shop and they said the tranny fluid had never been changed and it was dark as mud. Apparently the actual fluid that has to be used is very expensive and it takes about 6 gallons or so (I forget the exact number). They said this should be done on all these cars much sooner even though volvo doesn't reccomend it. The forums online also suggest the same. The car was at about 82,000 miles at the time.

Are you suggesting that that was the cause of the failure or rather just a sign that failure was imminent? Even though I've already sold the car, Im curious and I also think this can be useful info for people thinking about buying a v70 in this range.

 

I have 126,000 on my V70 24T. I got it with 50K on it and did the tranny flush as soon as I got it. I have been doing them every 15K max which kind of sucks at $250.00 a pop but the tranny has been doing pretty good. I'm actually surprised with all the bad feedback I have heard on them. The car has been pretty good to me though. Just changed the timing belt this week along with all the coils (three went out earlier this week) and the plugs. I love the car. Too bad yours didn't work out. I'll die before I would buy a Prius!

Nick

 

well, your car might!

hopefully you caught it in time or are one of the lucky ones.

 

6 Gallons, maybe 6 quarts.

Yes I saying that the tranny flush caused the transmission failure. Most 850 owners do gradual fluid changes. Shocking a old dirty tranny with a "flush" and all new fresh fluid will cause failure. I'm not sure why the early 2000 V70's have such high transmission problems but it is an issue. I would likely do the service every 25,000 miles, more than that might be a waste.

 

yes, I meant quarts not gallons. my mistype.

Do you have any reference for the idea that the tranny flush caused the damage? Because it was my Volvo shop that insisted it be done. It would be very interesting, if not completely depressing, if all that money I paid them caused my transmission to die!

 

A tranny flush on these cars is easy. The first time it took 90 minutes. Now I do it in less time than it takes to change oil. And it's all done up top. No ramps or crawling under the car.

Check out IPD site. They a have kit. The later cars need special fluid (12 quarts). About $60. The older ones used regular ATF. About $30.

Make sure you use the correct fluid or the Trans is toast!

 

Where are you located and who does your service? The price numbers you quote for some of the repairs seem awfully high. For instance, I bought an '02 with 102K miles for $5850.00 knowing it needed a timing belt almost immediately and that the tranny issue may eventually come up. Before I bought, my mechanic quoted me $600 for the timing belt and also referred me to a local tranny guy who has developed his own valve body kit and will do the work for $900-1000. I figured with that and the inevitable, costly PCV replacement at around $600, I will have a pretty solid car on a projected repair budget of $2700 over the next 3 years. I haven't had any tranny issues yet, so I think I will commence with the 3.5 quart fluid replacement method real soon.

 

Im located on the east side of Los Angeles. The repairs and prices I mentioned were done by Bertone Volvo in Alhambra, including the tranny flush. From the research Ive done it seems unlikely that a $1000 tranny fix will hold, but Im certainly no expert after this experience. It's well-known that trannys are the weak spots in these cars thought and from what I've read only a factory rebuilt one will be solve the problem without further trouble. When I bought the car I felt like from what I read I wanted to go the route of a good volvo independent shop and do all the required maintenance to keep it going for a long time. That seems to have been the wrong approach in this instance. If I had only replaced the timing belt and blew off the other repairs it might still be going -- or atleast I wouldn't have wasted around 3k in repairs and 600 tires!

Not sure how you predicted your budget but it seems like around 100k so many things start to go and need repairs and atleast in this part of the world they are not cheap. I hope your v70 experience is a good one though! I sure miss it when I see others on the road!