Hi, my name is Sanel and im new to European cars in general. I just got a gift by a friend who saw me taking a liking to her Volvo and when she bought a new car she decided to give it to me to do as i like.

I read some reviews on Edmunds.com and most have been negative but im sure its by non-enthusiasts and older folks that dont take good care of the car and go to the dealer for any little code. I read few by some people that dare work on their Volvos themselves and i liked what i heard. I dont know, do i make it my project car since i love the lines of it and spend some money to get it in tip top shape or do i just drive it until it gives me problems then sell it?

Its a 2001 V70 T5 Manual transmition
It was a weekend car, driven on highway but long distances (N.J to Washington - Washington to Hamptons in Long Island N.Y)
The leather seats are worn out, i would like to re-upholster them, re-do the interior.

I don't know where to start, how costly will the fix-ups be and is the car easily maintained. I owned and worked on American cars i had and Japanese on occasions but never on Euro cars.

I was thinking of buying Actron CP9185 Elite Autoscanner Diagnostic Code Scanner With Live Read, Record and Playback Capability For OBDI and OBDII Vehicles to make sure i keep up with electronics and any codes i get instead of going to the mechanic to do it all the time. Also i wanted to get a set of tools since on american cars i use american measurement tools so for european i might need slightly different set of tools (or maybe im a tool)

All in all, i got a few scratches i would like to take out, maybe if i can find (cheaply) a better set of rims, like the V70R has and maybe the front bumper and the rear spoiler but im afraid that might cost me a lot. Also the interior has to get re-done as it wasn't maintained and while the Engine and Transmittion arent making any problems and seem smooth Engine bay is real dirty and i think the engine might use some re-freshening. I just love the way it drove and it handled.

What do i do? Where do i start? Is it a keeper?

 

Welcome to the club.

You're lucky that someone just GAVE you a Volvo.....!

The CP9185 is a bit pricey but if you plan to do most of diagnostic, then it may not hurt. You would also be contributing to the economy (I believe Actrons are still made in the USA with the exception of cheap models).

I have never done refurbishing on the leather upholstery and I would either try to locate a used one at a junk yard or bite the bullet and buy a new seat (maybe not from the stealership, as they probably quote one for $1,000 or more). The leather used for the seats seems a bit fragile, and they need to be refreshed by leather care products once/year (I would do it once every 6 months).

Volvos are straightforward to work on. Make sure to buy a set of metric wrenches/sockets, and Torx tools are a must for Volvo.

I would go over the routine items/consumables first (fluids, filters, brakes, tyres & light bulbs), and NEVER neglect on the timing belt replacement intervals.

Hop over either to the V70 forum or General Volvo Chat for further technical questions.


JPN

 

Thanx a lot brother, im soo excited that i want to transform this car into a beast that can be daily driven. I wanna try and make it look like V70R and hope that i can find the back spoiler, bumpers and side skirts. Also the rebuild of the engine and maybe a bigger turbo might be in works, ill keep you all updated

 

Welcome.