Issues with my '99 C70
 

Hi guys, I hope someone will take the time to answer these questions. I bought a '99 convertible C70 about a year ago and I love it...I'm swedish so I guess I went back to my roots since back in Sweden I always drove my old 142's.......cheap and reliable..never failed me, just rusted apart.....

1. Aren't the gears supposed to light up? You know, when you switch gears between D, P, N and so on.....so you can see at nighttime what gear you're in? Maybe the light is out? Or was this not lit in the first place? No big deal but just curious.......

2. I've read that the shocks are really rough on the C70's....but every pothole, ever bump I run over, it's like the car wants to fall apart......is it that bad?

3. The top is still working...but the right flap sticks.....it's not moving all the way without my help, I have to manually push it down underneath the lid of the top compartment....(see attachments)......I read a while ago that the top electrics could "re-set" itself if I disconnect the battery for a while, can someone confirm this?

Hope to get some answers here....

Thanks guys........

there is not a 'light' to show what gear you are in. Struts must be shot. My old 02 with 40,000 miles rides well still. I have no answer re: your top issues as my c70 is a coupe.

r.

Not sure what you are saying
 

I have the same car. I can't tell what you are trying to show in your pictures. Does the back panel not latch down, or is it just a problem with the little flaps?

And no, the electrics do not reset. Pretty much any real top problem has to fixed at a dealer or good indy shp because it requires Volvo's software. But if the top works, you probably don't need that.

There is a light.
 

And yes, there is a light to show waht gear you are in. You have to pull up the center console to get to it. I can tell you how if you want to change it.

I have a 01 C70 convertible. And I haven't seen a light on my gear panel either. My top flaps do the same thing. The right one needs a little "help" going back down when I put the top down. My shocks are tough also but I just chalked that up to being a convertible.

It's just the right little flap, the lid/panel latches and locks just fine.....but the flap is supposed to go down right before the panel so that the panel seals above it, but they go down at the same time and sticks together. (The pictures shows them stuck together).
Then I have to get out of the car and press the flap down manually so that it goes underneath the panel....

The gear light is no big deal, just an annoyance......but if it's an easy fix, please let me know how to do it, Doug.

Thanks.

The little flaps are just on a hinge and get pressed down by the back panel - they do not move on their own. It's a bad design because the part of the flap that rests under the back panel barely catches, depending on the car. You can adjust the flap some by the torx screws that hold it on. To know how to fix your problem would require looking at your car, but it should not be too difficult. My flaps did not go flush, so I glued a block of black foam under the leading edge of the back panel to press them down more firmly.

As for the light, it's pretty easy once you know how - 10 minutes if you have done it before, 20 if you haven't. You can find pictures online, but here's how. Your whole center console is held on by only three screws. You don't have to totally pull it out to access the bulb.

1. Grab your rear seat cusion about 8 inces in from each end and yank up quickly to release.

2. Remove two screws under the cushion holding the center console.

3. Open arm rest and remove black fuzzy cover in storage area (not the OBD-II cover).

4. Remove screw under cover.

5. The only other thing that holds the console on is two little plastic "hooks". Where the hard plastic center console meets the softer padded console of your main dash there are two hooks or clips molded into the hard part of the console that hook under the back edge of the softer part down at the bottom by the carpet of the foot well. In other words, at the bottom of the seam where the two pieces meet sort of by the shifter but down by the floor. Knowing these two hooks are there helps you think through the process of pulling up the console.

6. Although not totally necessary, to give you a bit more clearance, grab the coin holder from the back insde the little storage area and roll it towards you to remove. Then reach inside that hole and pop up the two seat warmer switches. They just pop out.

7. Grab the center console and pull up at the rear while easing it towards the rear of the car. Pulling up at the rear while pulling back is what will cause the hooks to slide off where the two pieces meet.

8. Once you get a gap at the seam where the two pieces meet, look in the gap below where the shift indicator is and you will see a while plastic housing sort of like a long white triangle. The bulb presses into the bottom of that.

9. Reassembly is the reverse, except you do not need to worrry about reengaging the hooks as you put the console down. Just put it back with the hooks on the outside. Then as your last step give them a quick slap and they will reengage. Takes less time to do than to type.

Edit: Forgt one step. Grab the gray plastic trim plate around your emergency brake handle and pull it straight sideways towards the driver seat. Then just pull the boot off over the handle like taking off a t-shirt.

One more thing.
 

If you have the wood trim on your car, just be mindful not to flex it too much as you pull up the console. Sort of lift it up around the sides at the front by the seat warmer switches as you raise th rear part and just watch to not not bend that front part too much. I don't knwo how much it can bend, but I just wanted to make sure not to crack the wood.