I'm interested in buying an XC70, but since we only drive about 5k a year on vacation, we don't need anything expensive. We love the form-factor of the XC70: its size is huge inside (big enough3 kids) but the exterior dimensions won't make it the defining feature outside our house.

Anyway, my father knows the service manager of a Volvo dealership and he says to be cautious of any XC70 that has the viscous coupling rear end. Apparently they updated the system a few times but made a major update sometime in 2003. This guy said that they may not last 5 years' driving (esp. if the tires are not exactly matching, i.e. if someone replaces JUST a blownout tire) so pre-2003 cars have more than their fair share of $3k+ bills to fix. I asked this guy if it was possible to detach the rear-end and turn the vehicle into a 2WD car in order to save myself a few thousand dollars... he said he didn't see any reason why not.

Has anybody successfully converted their XC70 to 2WD as the result of avoiding a massive repair bill?

Thanks.

 

1. I doubt anyone has.

2. Why don't you just buy a regular V70 that is just FWD?

By just buying a regular V70 FWD model your getting exactly what you want.

 

It can probably be done, but why? If it aint broke, don't fix it.

 

Anything can be done yes. But it will cost a lot of money. So why not just buy a FWD model V70 and be done with it.

 

All you have to do is remove the driveshaft. Look under the car and you can see it.

 

I do it every summer on my 1999 v70 xc. it's as simple as removing the driveshaft. it saves big time on gas $.

 

I did remove my rear drive shaft and made my XC70 a 2WD. This was probably the best thing I have done to this car to prolong it's life. Better milage, less strain on the transmission, better fuel economy, and better acceleration. No more rear end worries. I too liked the look and room of the XC70 and got rid of my 2WD V70. I also live an area where I do not need an all wheel drive car.