I’ve owned a 2000 Volvo S80 (affectionately dubbed “Black Sssnake) for a little over two years now and think it’s a great car! (My wife thinks so too; I bought her a RX300, but she’s always taking the Volvo). Since I bought my car Certified, I have not encountered any of the problems I have been reading about in this forum (Thank God). Although it’s getting on in miles (82K+) I’ve decided to keep this car until the floorboards wear out. Which is how I stumbled onto this forum in the first place. I was entertaining the idea jazzing up an already class act, but was having difficulty finding anything related to customizing a S80 (ala Mercedes AMZ or BMW’s Dinan). There are a number of sites dedicated to the S40 and S60, but zip… nada about the S80. And since I am “mechanically challenged” I could use all the information you can provide me on what to customize first (wheels, engine, interior, exterior trim, etc.), websites that offer advice and tips on customizing cars, places to shop for exterior kits, whatever. I’m not a speed freak or performance geek, I would just like to add a more sleeker eye-catching look to the car, so an engine rebuild is not my number one priority. So any suggestion you might have would be appreciated.

 

Take a look in the general section I made a post with a bunch of links for sites that have parts and ETC.
Hopefully it will help you some.

 

Hey, I have a black, 2000 S80 as well and if you havn't tinted the windows yet, I would really recommend it. The S80 usually comes with a factory tint that's not very dark, if it comes with any tint at all. I just had mine done this week to a pretty dark tint (25% VLT)and it makes it look quite a bit sleeker, if you are looking for cosmetic appeal. You dont have to black them out, necessarily, but a dark tint like around 25-35% VLT (visible light transmision) does wonders for cars like the S80. Make sure you have them done professionally, though. Chances are if you try to do it yourself, the tint will bubble and peel in a few weeks because it's really difficult to get the tint to stick properly if not done professionally. Cost is anywhere from 150-250 bucks usually...mine was about 220. looks great though. check your state listings on how much tint your state allows. Some states are really tough on tint and some have almost no restrictions. my brother has already gotten two tickets in the last two months for having tint that was too dark on his T-Bird. Well hope this helps a little.

 

Thanks for the advice. I live in Illinois and I believe I can get away with about a 20% tint without getting a ticket. So I think I will try that for starters.

 

If you get a shop to do the tint, be sure that they "stamp" your windows with their shop name and info. I life in Texas, and the law states that if the police pull you over for your tint, the shop will be held liable, NOT YOU!