So I bought a 2004 Volvo S60 2.5T, drove it off the lot and noticed the alignment was off and the headlamps were slightly misaligned. No big deal. Got it home and popped the hood to find the interior trim code (buying some parts on eBay) and noticed the grill wasn't attached to the body - the six clips that would attach it were missing. Odd.

Let me just say that I really like the car. I bought it because you don't see a whole lot of Volvos where I live and it has a reputation for "boxy but safe" (as my boss likes to joke), but I think the S60 looks sharp - kind of an understated luxury/sport look. And despite being safe it has plenty of acceleration - I took it up a mountain road at about 5,300' elevation and was able to pass cars on the uphill portion with absolutely zero effort.

Anyway, I decided to take it in and have an inspection done on it based on the grill issue and an odd "chirping" noise I heard and they came back with a couple of things:

1. Turbo not working at all. They don't know why. They want $227 to "diagnose" it, of course with no guarantee of any fix. Included in that price is a "Vida Subscription". Wouldn't that be something they should have anyway?

2. Bushings completely torn. They recommend replacing the lower control arms for $833 (incl. labor).

3. The other stuff is minor - they said the brake fluid had probably never been replaced since new (49.5k miles now). The transmission fluid needs to be flushed/replaced (is $410 high or about right for that?).

I guess I'm trying to figure out if the dealer was a little dishonest in their representation of the car (they said it was inspected and completely clean) or if the inspection place is inflating things a bit or what.

I will say that the only two things I dislike are a very harsh ride going over bumps (it's almost like there aren't any shocks or springs to dampen the ride) and handling on mountainous roads is not quite as agile or "tight" as I expected. Perhaps replacing the control arms/bushings will resolve this? The alignment is off too but I'm told not to fix that until the control arms/bushings are replaced.

Can anyone share any advice on repair costs, whether control arms/bushings will soften the ride over bumps, and what kind of upgrades I should be looking at that might improve handling?

And yes, as my parents were quick to point out, I should have had the vehicle inspected before purchasing it. I bought from a large dealer in Phoenix Arizona with a reputation for excellent sales/service support. I'm hoping they will make things right if in fact there are issues.

Thanks in advance for any information or advice you can share with me - I want my first Volvo experience to be an excellent one.

 

I'm no expert and have very limited mechanical knowledge, but here is my input on the following:

1) If the turbo wasn't working at all, the car would probably be blowing white smoke from the tailpipe, not have any power and probably run/idle very rough.

2) That's really high. You can find the lower control arms from IPD for $85 each and I can't imagine the labor to be much more than an hour or two to do this job. I need to do this as well which is how I know. My car is going in on Tuesday to have this done.

3) The quote for the trans. fluid flush is insane. Get a case of ATF 3309 fluid. I got mine from the Toyota dealership for $30. Do a drain/fill, not a flush. Three times is recommended to make sure you've drained all the old fluid but I only did it twice since I was a bit on a budget. Overall it cost me about $120 with labor.

I think it's safe to say the handling with be fixed when you get the control arms and bushings replaced.


Where did you get these quotes? A stealership or an actual mechanic? My advice: find another shop. Those rates are astronomical.

 

If your turbo wasn't working "at all" you'd KNOW it. You definitely wouldn't be passing people on the uphills with no problem. Based on that statement alone I'd say that the shop you took your car too is a complete scam. I've had my turbo hoses pop off before (forgot to tighten a hose clamp after some maintenance) and the car has almost NO power. The car will idle and run fine, but it feels like you're trying to tow a 40 foot Danzi with Smart car.

I suspect that handling will improve drastically when the bushings are replaced.

The suspension on these vehicles it pretty stiff... they're "luxury/sport" cars.

 

Ok i not sure how mechanical you are but doing some of these things are very easy and can be done in your drive way with just a few hours and simple tool kit.

1.If you have a AutoZone around you go to them and have them check the car for any codes(Its free) if there are any present most can be found on the net with just a Google search.
2.The lower control arm is something that is you are not a "car" guy should be done by an expert they can be a little ruff to do in a drive way alone.But the cost seems a little high.The arm is $100-150 for a OME one(http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-S60/Susp...-404-933-5441/)
3.That Trany flush is HIGH the Fluid and Flush kit you can get from IPD for $125 (12-14 quarts and flush kit)and it takes 20-30 mins with the help of another person just to turn the car on and Off.

You will find that with most problems on the S60 there are a lot of guys with knowledge and willingness to help get you threw most issues and even post step by step with Pic to do most jobs.

 

Nataku, MTNBKR, and MYS6T - Thank you very much for your responses!

It sounds as if I can probably get all of this done for about half what the independent service place quoted - even if I pay to have someone else do it.

The turbo thing is bizarre - I was even commenting to friends how great the acceleration was, and by what you guys have said it should be very obvious if there were any issues. Not sure why the local service guys thought there was a problem...

I may pay the "official" Volvo dealership in Phoenix to do an inspection, or at a minimum quote me repair estimates for the same items to see how they compare price-wise. I really need to find a reputable local service place.

I'll spend more time reading through the threads on here to learn more about the control arms/bushings (I see IPD offers both Volvo and another brand).

I'm afraid as a new Volvo owner (and a decidedly non-mechanical one at that), I won't have a whole lot of information to share, but as I attempt to do more on my own and read more on here I look forward to being more engaged.

Thanks again for the feedback - it's very helpful to a new owner!

 

My best advice to you is to look into your local Euro scene. See if there are any Euro performance shops or garages they would recommend. For the twin cities, we have a club with an online forum and for your area there may be something similar.

 

When did you buy it? Did you buy it "as-is", or with some sort of warranty from the dealer? If you have issues immediately after you bought it, I would take it back to the dealer you bought it from and get them to fix the issues - after all, you bought a car in good faith...

If you bought it "as-is" and you didn't take it to the Volvo Dealership to have it checked out by their mechanics prior to signing any paperwork, slap yourself on the back of the head <wink-nudge>...

 

Wow. It's like deja vu all over again. I bought a 2001 2.4T with 52K miles two years ago and have almost the same issues/experiences. Bought the car from a private party but had it checked out at a reputable European car shop. Later discovered many issues that should have been found during the inspection. I should have taken the care to a Volvo dealership for the inspection.

2) Control Arm Bushings - the dealership should have caught this and repaired the issue. This was the one thing that was caught during my initial inspection. If they represented the car as clean or not needing any repairs, they should make it right. I had mine done and paid $575 (Northern California, suburb of San Francisco at an Independent Volvo repair shop), but got another estimate for $465. Your car will drive/ ride better after you do this.

My opinion of the cornering is it is a little soft while the ride is 'harsh'. From what I have read, having 17" wheels makes the ride significantly harsher than the 16" or 15". Partly for that reason, I have my 17" Pegasus wheels on the sell/trade forum. If you are driving really tight turns, the turning radius which is the worst I have ever experienced could affect your perception of 'agility'.

My experience with the car so far is that it is expensive to maintain, but then again this is my first European car. In two years/ 18K miles I have replaced/ repaired: alternator, sunroof, control arm bushings, ALL engine mounts, radiator, sway bar links, radio antenna, and more to the tune of $5500 (does include $60k service and minor services). Tires and brakes are around the corner.

I really haven't enjoyed driving the car due the harsh ride and crappy road on my daily commute and the engine clunking around in the engine compartment for a year before the engine/ transmission mounts were all replaced/ re-torqued. After getting the engine to stay in one place, it is much more enjoyable to drive.

I will be moving to Manhattan in the fall and selling my S60. If I wasn't moving I would probably be sell it anyway due to the cost of maintenance and the harsh ride. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have bought the car.

Now that I've totally rained on your parade, some positives. My car is fast, yours is faster. It is a beautiful car. It is also very comfortable (on smooth pavement). Understated elegance is a perfect description. I was seduced by the looks of the car and cache of driving a European sports sedan. If the ride wasn't harsh and it didn't cost so much to repair or I could do some of the work myself, I would love the car.

Best of luck with your repairs and I hope your experience with the car gets better.

 

calbear: I think that your experience with the Volvo would indeed have been much better had it been taken to the Volvo Dealership for a thorough inspection prior to purchasing it - if I were in your shoes, I'd be upset, too... I can relate: I bought a BMW from a dealer and after about 5 months the control arms had to be replaced; the power door locks stopped working, one of the key's remote lock/unlock stopped working and there was an electrical problem even BMW couldn't fix (it would, without explanation or prior warning, loose all power - now you're driving 15km/h..) but would have been happy to attempt to fix by replacing the power harness to the tune of $3600... a little too expensive for a 'might fix it'... thankfully I had an OBD scanner and when the power was gone, I reset it and it worked fine again.. oh yeah, I also had to replace the a/c - $1500 later .... so I can relate and I would not buy another BMW w/o factory warranty... Live and Learn, I suppose