hey everyone,
I just bought a 04 C70 convertible and I love it. I was just wondering since I bought it off someone who did not use it very often or take meticulous care of it, are there any recommended maintenance I should do with it to maintain it running smoothly. It seems like quite a finicky car and want to start to learn what’s important on it. Also if you have any reccomended modifications please let me know.

 

How about mileage and service history - that top is going to need to be replaced - rear window is coming loose -

 

140k mileage and not too sure about service history. No lights on and sounds good. Was hoping I could just get it filled with a sort of seal by the rear window. It’s honestly tightly on just convertible weather seal ripping.

 

I also just bought a C70 convertible an 01 fixer-upper. Rear window gone, and Micky mouse attempt to glue vinyl. Anyway, I found that there's a zipper all around the window so yours may, too but the glass is probly fine, right?. If your window problem is the fabric around the edges, then a shop that makes outdoor fabric lawn furniture and awnings may be able to help. Drive over and ask them. Or a sailmaker, they make really strong stuff.
2. Lubrication. I lubricated every metal contact points in the top mechanism with lithium lubricant (spray can with long nozzle or tube of goo. Anyplace metal touches metal, lube it, I used the spray because you just cannot reach with goo. If you are fastidious about overspray just wipe it. Lithium or silicone. PreventspPrematurrfailure. I also lubed the outside power mirrors, hood latch (does yours have the mickey mouse latch release?), seat rails. Lube the power windows, which requires removing door panels which is probly pita. Put new antifreeze in, change oil and filter but if you change trans fluid don't change more than half. Leave 2/3 original fluid in there. Make sure your spare tire is inflated and the jack and wrench are in there. I also keep a 10x10 inch piece of wood with spare jack in case the ground is mushy. How obsessive do you wanna be? Is there some kind of top fabric liquid treatment? Check all lights and signals. Tire pressures, irregular wear. Make sure power is getting to the chick magnet on the hood.

 

Smart; good advice. Most people would not think of this I don't think.

 

I'm sure there are other sites, generic not Volvo, that have good checklists on car maintenance, some youtubes, too. Tell us if you find a particularly good one.

 

I have that roof too bad you dont live closer to me. I just bought a 2001 with 52k on it. i bought a parts car (1999) because it was cheaper than buying the drivers window assembly which didnt work. Changing the window assembly wasnt bad because i had another one to look at. The volvo guys i know are all saying change the trans fluid. I was surprised at how fast it is, even with the lower hp engine

 

I have a very clean '04 with under 40K miles I rescued wrecked on Craigslist and put her back together. For the most part, its a generic P80 in terms of maintenance but anything related to the roof is a PITA (inc power windows). A few things I learned:

-MY03 and MY04 have a different front facia and set of headlights, they are made of glass and referred to as "jewel" headlights. The jewel headlights are expensive and rare, 97-02 headlights will not fit in the 03/04 but the jewels will fit in the 97-02 C70/S70/V70.

-The power windows have plastic gears and will break. The window regulator for a generic P80 is $200 or so but I was quoted $1,000 from Volvo at least for the convertible's driver side window regulator. When I bought the car I knew the power window wasn't working, my indy (who ran a dealer service department until 2006) informed me the power window was "part of the roof" and had to be rectified. We sourced an entire door from a yard in Beaver and I trucked it to his shop to remove the used regulator and replace the existing one. I was told the job was five hours start to finish.

-There is a special dealer tool to interact with the roof, I was told it is not the DICE tool but its predecessor but I have never physically seen it to confirm. A friend of my indy seemed to have -acquired- the dealer tool from their shop after it was bought out, I was told the tool was normally several grand when it came up for sale.

-Volvo offered specialized training on the C70's roof repair, I have yet to see any manual or literature on it. My indy employs one of his former dealer techs essentially as the "lead" mechanic, this man was the C70 specialist at their dealership at least for the MK1. The C70s are not and were never common in my area (know of three for sure, my guess is only a dozen left in Pittsburgh), and I know anything to do with a C70 goes to this man.

-Not long after I bought it the roof mechanism started acting up, it only seemed to want to retract or close on a level surface. I read the car will beep when the roof button is held down and there is an issue, but mine has yet too and this chime can be disabled.

-In October the roof went down and would not come back up, since the car was garaged and only came out on sunny days it wasn't a huge issue at first. My indy disassembled the rear seat and initially misdiagnosed the problem as the right roof motor, however I was then told to order part 8614950 which is the motor which opens the roof's top door as it had died (about $350 online, dealer quoted $480 and told me they only had two in the whole system). The car is at the shop right now but I was told last night we had the correct part and it was going to be finished this evening.

-The original roof was made in Germany and was something like $4,000 from the dealer to replace when it was available. Chinese made roofs I believe run about $1,200 but I can't speak to the quality. Since your roof is intact but slightly damaged I recommend you find a way to repair it (and baby it) if its the original roof, I've read the glue can dry out/come off of the rear window glass which seems to be your issue.

-I recently ordered a factory wind screen from England on E-bay's UK instance, under $2 bills shipped despite currency conversion. US E-bay has aftermarket ones for more and factory ones for higher, I don't think you will need one but I know I have felt the difference it brings in different convertibles.

-There is a transaxle software update I don't have for the later C70s, my transaxle has issues shifting on occasion despite low miles. Since the car hasn't seen the dealer since 2009 (15K miles) I know its software is either factory or at best from 2009. Yours may have already been updated.

-My indy does not want me to mess with the transaxle fluid in the C70, due to 1. old mechanic's wisdom of if its not changed on schedule leave it and 2. the fact I don't drive it much and it has low miles so the chances of transaxle failure are remote. In doing research on my 240, the fluid specs for the P80s are very specific and correct fluid from the dealer is something like $20/quart vs the 240's Dexron III which is nearly free in comparison. The pan is mounted sideways and is difficult to access to even check the dipstick, but I have seen a procedure on Youtube to exchange the fluid from a trans cooler hose going into the radiator. The best practice process seems to be exchange smaller amounts of fluid over time using this process instead of a pan drop and full exchange.

-The power antenna extends whenever the radio is powered on, there is a workaround using a switch added to the dash to cut off power to the antenna when the head unit is still on (i.e. playing a cd). I plan to install this next year.

-When I started it last night, it hesitated as if the battery was getting low (its from April 2021). The car hasn't been sitting very long (maybe two weeks) so I may have a drain somewhere or perhaps a combination of that and colder weather in the garage (?). I am going to buy a tender for it moving forward, she sits across from a 240 and the contrast between hammer simple old school and fancy PITA new school is very ironic.

-I've noticed its easy to sink money into these, but know the wholesale valuations are not very high for the MK1, but are for the MK2. Fortunately much of the car outside of the roof is DIY, but that roof can be a gotcha (though I imagine its no different cost wise than a similar Jag, Mercedes etc.).

I'm going to shut up now but feel free to ping me about the C70 MK1, the 200s, or anything else automotive related. I'm not a mechanic but worked wholesale cars in the mid 00s and keep up with all things in the car world.

 

This is hilarious to me.

 

the car was only 400 and i learned how it went together taking it apart The window job only took 2 hrs and the "good" car had 3 pairs of vicegrips holding the window up.

 

the power train is same as other similar year Volvos (V70s/S60s etc) so maintenance for stuff other than the roof is pretty well documented.

Things I'd consider doing:
1) change the oil annually or 2X a year even if you don't make the mileage
2) keep other fluids current ie brakes, coolant, PS steering - again keep a time schedule not miles. ie brake fluid / coolant every 2 years etc. Power steering is easy to do the turkey baster routine. Buy a quart of fluid (see owners manual for type). Use a baster to suck the reservoir dry, refill with fresh. Start car, turn lock to lock 3-5 times. Repeat until you use most of your quart, then fill to the line. If you've never done the transmission fluid, have a drain fill done. You can use a similar drain strategy as the turkey baster, ie drain a measured 2 quarts from the tranny, replace with the exact same amount. Start car/drop into drive to circulate the fluid. Repeat 3 more times. Double check the cold/hot fluid levels after final drain fill. This should make you good for another 50-100K miles.
3) If you don't drive for long periods use a battery tender (aka trickle charger) or install a cable switch
4) Keep rodents away. if you see droppings on the top of the engine, consider traps, poison blocks etc. Mice love wire insulation. go figure.
5) Keep tire pressure high (say 35-40 PSI) to avoid flat spots.