I am thinking of purchasing a 2002 or 2003 S60 2.4T AWD.

I own a seadoo boat with a tow wieght of 1,800lbs.

Volvo claims towing capacity of the S60 is 3,300lbs.

I'm wondering about the turbo? Is towing with a turbo good practise?

Also, anyone out there have a hitch installed on their S60? Does the install look Ok?

Some cars just aren't meant for having hitches on them.

Never thought I would be looking at purchasing a car again, thought I would be heading in the SUV direction but I am impressed with Volvo (my dad just bought his second XC70).

Any advice would be great.

Regards,

 

Hi CDNSVTGuy.

For that sort of weight you'll obviously need a braked trailer - does your estimated tow weight include the trailer?

Usual considerations such as quality & rating of the tyres and increasing tyre pressures will apply.

AWD will assist with traction & handling. Brakes will need to be in tip-top condition & if it's unclear whether the brake fluid has been changed in the past 2 years it would be best to change it & upgrade from DOT4 to DOT5.1 (handles increased brake temperatures better & is more suited to heavy duty/high performance motoring).

Turbo should be absolutely fine, so long as you:-

A) Use a suitable high quality fully synthetic engine oil & quality filter - standard Volvo filter is good.
B) Change the engine oil & filter more regularly than you would for standard motoring conditions/use.
C) Always allow the engine to tick-over for at least 3 minutes before switching the ignition off, to allow coolant flow to cool it - the turbo spins at incredibly high rpm and if you simply switch off the ignition immediately, the water pump halts & circulation of coolant stops, so heat is not carried away from the turbo, so it overheats and deterioration occurs.
D) Keep the cooling system in good condition e.g. check condition & tension of water pump drivebelt, ensure that the coolant has been changed within the past 2 years, keep radiator free from clogging leaves, insects, trash etc., cure any hose/radiator/pump leaks, ensure coolant level is correct.....

Finally, the transmission will be under a lot of strain, so a transmission flush & refill with fully synthetic fluid of correct grade is strongly recommended - ensure that rear differential on AWD system gets new fluid.

Hope this helps.

BB
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Thanks for the advice on the fluids. I will certainly have them looked into, if I buy the vehicle.

Yes, the tow weight of 1,800lbs includes the trailer. It doesn't require a brake assisted trailer.

Called the dealership, ouch, the hitch assembley and harness for the S60 isn't cheap..........at least through Volvo.

 

I'm not surprised that the cost of the towbar assembly from Volvo is high, but quality of parts & fitting should be high too. No doubt an independent specialist can supply & fit cheaper.

Clearly there are different towing regs in U.S.A. - in Europe, towing more than 1,650 lbs unbraked is considered dangerous & is illegal, see:-

http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/towing.shtml

Amongst other things, it reminds us:-

"Towing limits

The maximum gross (fully laden) weight of an unbraked trailer is 750kg, or half the kerb weight of the vehicle - whichever is less. The gross weight of a braked trailer should generally not exceed 85% of the tow car's kerb weight. Refer to your tow car manufacturer's manual for the kerb weight."

As I say, this refers to European regs only, but does otherwise give sound advice.

Regards.

BB
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