I hope that someone can give me a definitive answer concerning the suspension of my 2005 S60 2.5T.

My car has 48k miles, and runs very well. I bought the car used in April, and lately, I have noticed that when I hit a large bump or pot hole, the car seems to bottom out. It does not hit the roadway but I really FEEL the jolt but no vibration through the steering wheel. In other words, the jolt feels like the shock pistons have been compressed to the max.

Smaller bumps or pot holes, the shocks or suspension seem to absorb with some transferance that I feel.

The dealer tells me that this is normal for the car because it has a firm suspension, and I had my local tire guy check with the usual bounce the fenders test, which it passed, and he too, told me that this is normal for a firm suspension.

I have been putting 35psi pressure in the tires, and one person suggested that I try 32psi instead to ease the jolt. Do not know if this will help.

I keep thinking that there has to be a bad shock or other suspension component like a rubber bushing that has gone bad but everyone tells me that it is too early for the mileage on the car.

Is this normal, or do I need to start replacing the shocks or other suspension components?

I come from American cars so I am used to more of a soft ride but my last car, a Mercury Marquis had the same problem, and I was told that the cause was bad shocks and control arm bushings.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Searchlight55, we had the same issue with our '07 S60. It felt just like really bad shocks would on any other car. A little research online and with this forum, especially, revealed that the front upper spring seats are an early failure point on these S60's, XC90's, and whatever other cars share this platform. I am surprised that a Volvo dealer wouldn't know about this and suggest replacement. They even have a heavier -duty part that they all sell now instead of the original one for these cars.
Here's how to check if your upper spring seats are torn. Under the hood, the tops of the struts are visible as a large black plastic cap surrounded by three smaller fasteners. Pop off the plastic cap with a screwdriver and you will see a large nut on the shaft of the strut. 19 mm, I believe; maybe larger. Put an appropriate wrench on it (an adjustable would be okay; you wont need much force). Try to turn that nut CW and CCW. That nut should move just a little bit, with increasing resistance until it stops. If you find that the nut spins easily without any stops, then that mount is broken.
It is doable to replace that mount by an advanced DIYer; there is a good tutorial on the XC90 forum just search.
I also replaced my struts once I got the springs off because they had less bounce and jounce than I was used to seeing; but not completely shot like I have seen on some of my cars. There was a big improvement in the ride with the new Gabriel Ultras that I replaced them with.

 

Thanks for the reply. I went to the original dealer where I purchased the car used, and called several others, and they all told me that the firm ride is normal for the car.

I was becoming disgusted, because from owning American cars, I know that when a car bottoms out when you hit a large bump or pot hole, that something is wrong with the shocks or struts and/or related assemblies.

That being said, for the hell of it, I took the car to my local Good Year dealer, and had him check the car, and he could not find anything loose or broken. He stated that with car being 9 years old, and with 48k miles, by 50k struts and shocks need replacing as the internal oils may start to dry or a piston may be shot even if none appear to be leaking.

Reluctantly, I told him to replace the struts in the front and shocks in the rear. Now, $1,000 later, the car rides FIRM like I was always told but does NOT bottom out. I feel the bumps with some firmness but no jolts under my rear end.

There is a difference between a firm ride, and bottoming out. I too, am disappointed that no Volvo dealer looked to pursue this further. I was very close to trading the car in because I would not accept the fact that this type of ride is normal and acceptable.

If others experience this situation, my suggestion is to seek a second or third opinion. I plan on keeping the car so I feel that the money was well spent, less than if I traded the car in to a dealer for something else, where I would have had to pay more.

To repeat, yes the ride is firm, and you will feel the occasional bumps but you should not have to accept that it is normal for the car to feel as if it bottoms out. It is all in the communication, and knowing how to listen to your car, when it "speaks" to you.

BTW, what tire pressure do you put into your tires? I have 35psi but some have suggested that I lower it to 32psi to soften the ride a little further.
Do you agree?

 

Check your gas door for the recommended tire pressure. Mine says 29 PSI for one or two passengers and 38 PSI for 3+ as I recall. Once you are set at the minimum recommended pressure for your passenger count anything above that depends on personal ride preference. I choose to sacrifice a bit of ride quality for better handling and fuel economy and set it at 35 PSI despite almost never having anyone with me. I tried 38 PSI for a while, but just found the ride too harsh.