I bought a 2002 V70 - no turbo - with 40 k miles on it a month or so ago. Car looked very clean and seemed to drive nice. After buying it, I realized that it drove a bit rough - something I did not pick up right away. It seems to vibrate, and it is also a bit loud. In a word, it drives a bit like an old truck. Passengers don't seem to mind, but the driver feels it. I took the car to 2 dealerships and they did not find anything wrong. Cleaned the throttle body, checked the engine mounts, checked the exhaust for leaks...

I am at a loss. The driving experience is subpar. My old 240 DL with 260 k miles drives better (seriously). Both the gas and the brake pedals vibrate so since I have my foot on either one of them I get the feeling the entire car vibrates. as a matter of fact, it seems that those pedals amplify ANY vibration: if a loud car or a bus goes by, I can feel the vibration in the pedals. Same if I play loud music. And then, the car is loud.

I am sure all of this sounds rather stupid, but I don't enjoy driving this car at all because of this.

Any idea what could be the cause? Anything I can do to improve the driving experience (besides for driving with 3 in. thick soles and ear plugs...)?

 

The v70 is not the most comfortable car on the road. I have owned better and worse. As for your vibrations, I couldn't tell you without driving it. See if your tires are over inflated. We pumped ours a little higher when gas went through the roof. It really affected the ride. Other than that, I have no clue. I am sure you will get some opinions and help from others on the board.

 

I would have the tires checkd for roundness.

 

Thanks, I will check the tires this weekend. But I am thinking if there was an issue with the tires then the entire car would vibrate. My problem is really only related to the vibration in the pedals. As soon as I put a foot on the gas pedal, it feels like I have put my foot straight in the engine. I don't know why that it, I am assuming it should be fairly simple to isolate the pedals from all those vibrations... BTW this is mostly apparent at low speed (city driving). When cruising at decent speeds on the freeway, I can't tell anymore.

 

It sure sounds like engine mounts. Are you sure they're not aftermarket polyurethane? They can be harsher than OEM. They are cheap enough to replace and not too bad for the DIYer.

Other possible culprits: Maybe subframe mounts (not engine mounts), control arm bushings

http://www.ipdusa.com/ProductsCat.as...483&RootID=629

I know these cars do ride a bit harsh and you'll never get a glass smooth ride from them. For a smoother ride, I'd also check out the suspension (including mounts) and perhaps change to a smoother shock/strut if they're up for replacement. Lastly, see if you're overinflating your tires. If you can safely drop them a couple of pounds that might help. Don't know what kind of tires you have but perhaps changing to a touring tire might help. A lot of folks run 55 series rather than the lower 50 series in order to get a better ride. Don't know how much that would help but maybe it's something to consider. Good luck!

 

"V70 drives like a truck"

That's called 'Working As Designed" in the software industry!

 

I am finding my 98 v70R AWD drives a lot like my wife's 2001 Suby Forester. I don't know or think the V70 was marketed as a luxobox, I mean it's just an upgraded 850, but I think over the yuppie years people have come to think of Volvo as a lux-mobile. The only thing really lux about it is the price. I'm a short time owner of a pretty bad V70 and have just started driving it today in fact. It's nowhere near as smooth riding as my 89 Mazda 929, but it is better than my 83 MB 300D. I find the V70 has a lot more mechanical vibration coming through the pedals and the body overall. It does handle nice for a wagon though. The equivalent Audi rides a lot nicer but its an Audi, not a Volvo. For my money, the best riding Volvo was the old 262C Bertone sedan. The sweetest car they ever built.