Hi to everyone, I just joined this forum. Nice to meet you all. After 2 month of having my 2000 volvo c70 turbo Im getting told to sell it due to some fixes I have to do. Im seeking some advice from volvo owners. My car has around 115k miles. I havent done much to my car since I got it I just got tires and did a tune up. I noticed I had to be refilling my coolant so i got told i need to replace my water pump.Also that i need a brake job that they wanna charge me $400. Also that I need new motor mounts. A mechanic told me that I will be constantly be having problems with my motor mounts is that true? Im just having a hard time between fixing my car or just selling it. Also it has the ets light on and the oil light comes on and off even when i had changed oil. Also one of the spark plugs I couldnt change because it really stuck in there.

 

First of all why is the ETS light on? It might be that it just needs a basic throttle body cleaning, try this first. If your water pump has gone out it might have affected the oil temperature and may be a reason the oil light goes on and off. You have to think about all the parts working as one. If one part goes out they all start to fail so its best to fix it from the start. Changing the oil alone has no effect on the oil light on, it just means its low. Any mechanic will tell you that you will always be having problems with something or another. Its true to a certain extent. You mentioned your car has 115k. So its not like it needed new motor mounts at 0 Miles. Yes you might need new motor mounts in another 115k Miles but it is a 2000, its 2013 im sure you can afford some new ones in the year 2026? Am i right? Same goes with the water pump, it gave out after 115k Miles so expect the same out of a changed one. Most parts only have a certain amount of life in them add or take a few thousand miles on maintenance. As for the spark plug, all you need is wd40 just make sure to air out and clean the spark plug area before starting your car. One last thing whoever wants to charge you 400 dollars for a brake job is nuts. Mercedes brake jobs are $320 at the dealership why would volvo be more its nonsense.

 

Thanks...Well when I bought it the ETS light was not on. It came on after a week. I haven't tried the body throttle cleaning. If after doing the cleaning and the light continues what would it be? As for the water pump i will be changing soon. I have to be putting coolant every third day. Not sure if is safe to be driving it. I only drive it to work and back home and no freeway.Yea I believe in 2026 i should be able to afford new motor mounts. its just i got told that in a few month i will have same issue not in years. They said this car will give me a lot of problems.

 

It might be a number of things. First start with the basics and work your way up. No need to stress about what might be's. If the coolant is being refilled every 3rd day i would recommend not driving it more than 25 minutes. The temperature in a car starts to rely on the cooling of the cars cooling system for a sustained amount of time so it would be wise to keep it below this running time. Car isnt 100% safe since the waterpump may go out at any moment. I do not know the amount of miles you drive to work and back. I do not know how much wear is on the waterpump. So i cant tell you how long it has left. However I would suggest changing it ASAP if your going to change it anyways. No reason to have your engine overheat and then its worthless. I would check my coolant daily to be sure. Anyone who tells you that you will have issues with motor mounts in a few months has no clue what they are talking about. In 12 months you will probably drive 12000 miles. Thats not enough time to wear out new tires, how do you thing pieces of reinforced steel just holding an engine, will wear out in a few months? Of course if you buy those cheap chinesse parts. I only use authentic Volvo parts on my car but thats just me. Any car with unproper maintanence will give you problems. If you plan on taking care of your car you will be ok. If you just abuse it and dont maintain of course it will give you a ton of problems.

 

Welcome to the forum.

First off, you really need to know where that coolant is going. It could be anything from a hose leak to a heater core leak to a radiator leak to a head gasket problem. The water pump could be leaking but should have been replaced at 105,000 miles with the timing belt. Wait, has the timing belt been replaced?

As for motor mounts, if you get good mounts they will likely last more than 70,000 miles. If you get cheep mounts, they will likely last 20,000+ miles.

Do a search about the ETS. I don't know much about those other than they go bad and people have them replaced. It may have already been replaced.

Brakes can easily run $500 on any car that needs pads, rotors, new fluid, etc. You can change pads yourself pretty cheep.

If you don't do some of your own work, these cars can get expensive to maintain. They are great when properly maintained but you will have to pay if you don't do it yourself.

 

The water pump has nothing to do with the oil pressure. The oil pressure light is probably oil pan seals or sludge in the motor.

 

Ok I will start by fixing one thing first and that will be the water pump. I really like my car, that said I do plan on keeping it for some time. I dont drive far to work is about 1o minutes or less of a drive. My car has not over heated the temperature is still at a good level. I do check my coolant everyday before taking it out for a drive. Well now the mechanic said that ok the motor mounts will last me but that the engine shakes due to needing motor mounts. He gave me this example that he will fix it but in a couple month the engine will make this vibration again and that might mess up something else. Witch did not make since to me. Also I have taken it to 3 different mechanics and all said the same. Only one mechanic offered to buy my car at that moment. Well in my way of finally finishing my purchase with this car I knew it was going to need some loving. I got told this car had just been parked for a couple months and it just got moved from one street to another. In a way my mind was set I was going to have to invest money into. I just wanted to wait a few months but the sooner the better.

 

Thanks,
I honesty dont know any history on this car. I wouldnt be able to tell you if the timing belt has been replaced. A few days ago I was checking my car and i started to see there was a leak. I could see the drops coming down. At first I wasnt sure what it was, but it was leaking right from the bottom of the water pump. Thats when I decided to go get it checked and they said it was the pump.About the ets light yes i have done some research and I read it that it might need to be replaced or it can just need a throttle cleaning or it could be it just need a software update. I noticed how much people want to charge you and arm and a leg just because a volvo car. Everyone says how hard and expensive is going to be to maintain this car. I found someone that will charge me $90 to change my brakes. That sounds way better than $400 but maybe I should learn how to do them on my own.

 

I guarantee you aren't getting the same thing for $90 as you are for $400. $90 is probably some low quality pads and that's it. They will probably squeak like hell and may even cause a hard pedal. I can't yell you how many customers need brakes but decide to go elsewhere because they just look at the price. Then they come back here and say "You said I needed brakes, I got new brakes and now my car squeaks/ its hard to stop!". And then I explain what the other shop didn't tell them and they buy brakes again.

 

. Glad i was able to help. What that one mechanic is saying is just mechanic nonsense dont listen to him. Hes speaking as if everyone was retarded. You seem to know your way around your car well for a girl. Its just how i stated before you take care of your car and you will be good.

 

Thanks, Im trying to learn about my car. The water pump got fixed now. But yesterday I was driving it and it started to smell like burn and smoke came out. There was a car shop where I stopped and they checked it, they said it was just oil dripping nothing major. It didnt seem normal to me.

 

Where was the drip from? was it smoking from the exhause or from the engine bay? What color smoke was it? Blue? Grey? white? black? You dont give enough details to help you out. At this point you seem to be pretty novice at this, I would suggest that you get assistance from someone with more knowledge than yourself. You mention the waterpump was fixed, when installing a new water pump you move the timing if the timing is off that may be the reason of the smoke. If its coming out of the exhaust. If its coming from the engine i recommend you get it inspected immediately. You need someone you trust to give you a good idea of whats really going on with your car. Was it smoking before the water pump got installed? I just cant help you you dont provide any real details.