Well, I grew up in volvos, and now I'm straight otu of business school and went and bought myself a beautiful 1998 S70.....I have only had it for 2 months nad some major problems have shown up. I spoke with the dealer nad he is going to cover the labor but I need to pay of the parts, bright side is I can bring them in myself which means I"m bargain shopping.

I need:
Both axels replaced.
Power Steering Rack replaced.
Mass Air Flow Sensor Replaced.

Are you crying yet? Bc I certainly was!! Its been two months!!

If you knwo any online stores that you ahve purchased good volvo parts at, please please please let me know! I NEED HELP!

Aside from that, I'm happy to be on board here!

 

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on finishing your education.

My reply for now would be short, as I'm on my way to work.

Before the dealer starts taking things apart, request them that they lift the car, and make them show you the "bad" parts. They may be trying to sell you unnecessary parts, which is common among some dealers, especially if they figure out you don't know much about cars.

So, be sure to make them show you both axles and make them explain why they need replacement (if there's a damage or recall, make them show them to you, and ALL recall items must be covered by the dealer, without charging the customers). The steering rack doesn't need replacing often, unless it's physically damaged, leaking fluid, or you have steering problem. Make them show you where in the part is failing.

MAF sensor may need replacement, as they are noted to go bad sometimes, but most of the time it's the electrical wiring that gives problems, as there is a sharp turn at the connector and the wiring at the turn may get damaged after years.

I hope this gets you started.


JPN

 

Also look in the general section there is a post there with links to sites.
There is a lot of parts sites that will help you.

https://volvoforums.com/m_38606/tm.htm
Here's the link.

 

In reply to "Mcmahome" :

I'll be the bad guy here and tell you that as a business grad you off to a rough start.

I have seen this movie many times, I was a service manager for a Alfa/Fiat/ Lancia dealer in a past life. Whenever someone abused a car to the point the car needed several thousand dollars in service, It would disappear for about 2 months. They would trade the car in for a new Z-car or Mazda RX7 and then a few weeks later "POOF!" magically the car would reappear (usually on the back of a flatbed) in my parking lot along with the sad faced new owner. They would ask me to look at the car and I would procede to tell them exactly what was wrong with the car and how much without ever leaving my desk. With astonished faces they would ask how I knew, I would say " Hell, I looked at this car two months ago and it needed 3K in work , I doubt the car has fixed itself".

Volvo's are no different. Most people IMO don't get rid of their Volvos until they either rot, wreck or get a $5000 repair estimate. No legitimate car dealer is gonna take a worn out 9 year-old Volvo ,pump money into it, then sell it on their lot and warranty it. No they will send it to auction and then one of the pay-day dealers will buy it and then sell it to someone who is young and not yet savvy. If you had run a Car-Fax you would have probaly seen an auction transaction on the report
This car had problems when you bought it . You just didn't notice them until the "honeymoon" was over. Do you think the dealer is doing you a favor by letting you buy the parts and he eats the labor? Hell no! you are spending about a couple of grand in parts and he will have some $9 an hour tech school dropout with a cresent wrench and a hammer banging on your car.

This guy isn't doing this because he is a nice guy, I suspect he is trying to make you happy long enough to get you pass some lemon law or state imposed warranty deadline.Your profile says " Richmond", assuming that is Richmond Va. Virginia has a pretty fair lemon law that applies in some cases to used cars and in Va attorneys fees are recovered from the defendant (dealer-manufacturer) so there should be a phonebook full of attorneys that do Lemon Law work on contingency.

First thing you need to do is search "lemon laws" for your state and look up the State Attorney General's website. secondly look again at what you signed when you bought the car, Was it sold "as-is"? Most states require a car dealer to post the warranty terms on the window. Some states require a dealer to warranty any used car they sell for 30-90 days. You need to find out what your rights are before you do anything.

You also need to take the car to a Volvo dealer or well regarded independant Volvo specialist to have it looked over, I am gonna bet they will find more problems.

And finally don't sign anything that even remotely sounds like it releases the dealer, read the fine print !!!

Good Luck

rick

 

JPN

Where should I check to see what may have been recalled on my car?

 

Try this site, which lists all mfgs & all vehicles. Select the model year of your 850.

http://automallusa.net/1993/volvo/850/recalls.html


Happy holidays,


JPN

 

If you are looking for parts try FCP Groton. They are one of the best for Volvo parts.

 

I agree with some of what Rick said.I would not trust a non-Volvo dealer to fix this car giving you the labor free. I would be taking it to a Volvo shop and find out what is wrong with the car. You should always have a prepurchase inspection BEFORE buying used Volvos. If the inspection shows too much wrong, look into the lemon law like Rick stated.

A 98 S70 is a 10 year old car, and you have to expect to have to fix some problems. It's also one of the best years for Volvo's, so consider getting the car fixed if there is not too much wrong. Just be careful who you let work on the car.

 

I'm curious, How many miles on the car?