Forgive me if this was discussed before, but I couldn't seem to find any info for this specific car.

I don't have pics yet so I haven't formally announced I have my new/used 2001 V70 , but I have a question.

While the dealer rep was driving my car home (followed behind me) I noticed both front wheels had a tiny bit of negative camber. Is that normal for this kind of car? I know some cars have that intentionally. It would only be noticable to someone who had an eye for it, but it's there.

I have the touring package and 17" wheels, factory, not aftermarket.

Any info is much appreciated. Thanks.

FYI, it has 66,000 miles on it.

 

Ifyou can actually SEE front camber, it's too much, have it aligned

 

Not necessarily... the camber and castor on the 17" alloy rims the V70 has a particularly "agressive" stance and is visible if you look carefully.BUT the rule of thumb is have it checked if you are unsure.A quick indicator is to checkyour tyre wear, if it's even accross the tread then you don't have a problem if it's worn to the inside on each wheel then there may be an issue with allignment BUT V70s are particularly prone to premature wear of front tyres through other issues namely worn steering joints, shot wishbone bushes etc.

If the vehicle has a tendancy to "tramline" i.e. it will grab whitelines, tar joints and generallydrive like a pig in a straight linethen 9/10 the front wishbone bushes are FUBAR'd, this is a common issue. Volvo (certainly in the UK) deny that there is a design issue herebut funnily enough no longer sell the standard wishbone bush replacing them with the police spec bushes instead... given that my T5 bushes WERE the police spec ones anyway and they were equally as shot I just plumped for polyeurethene bushes instead which cleared the issue totally but highlighted that the steering arm ball joints are on their way out (very subtle vibration under power) and .... you guessed it premature inside edge wear of the tyres -not critical but there is a difference.

One thing to bear in mind is that tyre wear will vary depending on your driving style, a more "progressive" driver who uses the vehicle to it's full capapbilities will wear the inside of tyres more quickly than a more genteel driver.

 

Thank you for that response! The alignment is perfect, but I believe I have the bad strut mount(s). The knocking isn't too bad yet, but when I jack the car up, the struts sink a bit into the mount, which I'm not sure is the movement people speak of when they go bad, or if there is movement from side to side.

The camber is equal on both sides, the car does not pull and the wheel is perfectly straight. Also, the tire wear looks fairly even.

 

Ach... just wait until the top mount gives way completely and comes out through the top of the bonnet and lands in yer lap! that will be the time to change it!

I take it the clunk is only when the car goes "light" over a crest?

 

yes, more so over the lighter bumps then the bigger ones which I thought was a little odd.. The strut is OK I believe now from listening a little better and watching the tire from outside the car going over a bump.