2002 V70 2.4T

[mcgandalf]

Currently own a 2005 S60 D5 S manual. Wonderful, bulletproof car which has only done 70k miles. In a year of ownership I have spent a fair amount of money on fitting premium tyres, getting the timing belt done, fixing the door locking mechanism etc.

I do, however, live in London and drive about 5,000 miles a year (mostly motorway, from home to out of town). Although I treat the car well I do worry about the effect short journies have on the injectors, emissions system, EGR valve etc. I am also paranoid about the clutch and DMF, sitting in the inevitable traffic. I also live in a flat where space is at a premium and could also do with a larger, more practical cargo space where I can hide all my crap from the OHput to good use picking up the furniture my OH keeps wisely buying on eBay.

Any thoughts on a seemingly mint V70 SE 2002 2.4T auto? No clutch, DMF to worry about. Loads of space. It's an SE (not that there is anything wrong with my S - I could do with the HU-860 Dolby stereo). Not a diseasal.

It's also a nicer colour than my S60 Jewish Racing GoldAsh Gold Pearl, which I sometimes think makes me look about 80, not that this matters in the slightest.

Isn't this of the era when these Volvos were renowned for electrical gremlins?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

[VolvoT5]

mcgandalf said:

Currently own a 2005 S60 D5 S manual. Wonderful, bulletproof car which has only done 70k miles. In a year of ownership I have spent a fair amount of money on fitting premium tyres, getting the timing belt done, fixing the door locking mechanism etc.

I do, however, live in London and drive about 5,000 miles a year (mostly motorway, from home to out of town). Although I treat the car well I do worry about the effect short journies have on the injectors, emissions system, EGR valve etc. I am also paranoid about the clutch and DMF, sitting in the inevitable traffic. I also live in a flat where space is at a premium and could also do with a larger, more practical cargo space where I can hide all my crap from the OHput to good use picking up the furniture my OH keeps wisely buying on eBay.

Any thoughts on a seemingly mint V70 SE 2002 2.4T auto? No clutch, DMF to worry about. Loads of space. It's an SE (not that there is anything wrong with my S - I could do with the HU-860 Dolby stereo). Not a diseasal.

It's also a nicer colour than my S60 Jewish Racing GoldAsh Gold Pearl, which I sometimes think makes me look about 80, not that this matters in the slightest.

Isn't this of the era when these Volvos were renowned for electrical gremlins?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

I was looking for one of these recently but my budget didn't quite stretch to a nice one without spaceship mileage, so I bought something else in the end. They are surprisingly expensive for 14 year old cars, but they are so practical and good ones ought to last a while longer. In addition to the normal stuff I would be checking carefully for any electrical issues but I believe they are generally sound cars apart from that. Obviously if you are getting the auto make sure the gearbox is smooth too.

Edit: The above link is to a N/A manual 140 bhp engine?
At least get the N/A 170 bhp engine, the 140 can barely get out of its own way. The 2.4T is brisk but if it were me I might try and hold out for a T5 - more power same running costs.

Edited by VolvoT5 on Sunday 10th April 19:02

[wiliferus]

As above, the link is a n/a 140. Despite the low mileage that does seem rather strong money in my opinion...

With regards a 2002 2.4t, I bought one three months ago, albeit in manual form. It's a great car, I think as already said, brisk is a good description. Bags of low down torque makes for a nice effortless useful turn of pace, and it's a lovely motorway cruiser.
Bad points are electricals as you say. Mine has developed the classic ETM issue (lumpy idle, erratic revs/throttle control particularly when cold) can be cured with a clean but unlikely, more likely to be a fix or replace.
Occasionally mine also throws up an alarm fault, but only occasionally, and also it's just pinged a wheel speed sensor or maybe a reluctor ring as the abs/esp lights are on. None of these are bank breaking fixes but slightly irritating.

That said, I love it. It's so comfortable, mines an SE so the stereo is just awesome, it's massive, and goes well when I need it to. All the car I'll ever need!

[andysgriff]

I have a 2002 170bhp n/a with 116k, check for excessive crankcase breather pressure and if the autobox has had any oil changes. I think this is a second gen car and may suffer from autobox issues of the oil has never been changed but at that mileage would be a good thing to do first. Mine will average 30mpg at best. Brilliant cruiser and load lugger. My drivers heated seat doesnt work and apparently its a big job to fix the seat pad. Sometimes the high beam indicator on the dash doesn't work and this can be a sign of an impending dash cluster failure, although I think these can be fixed..buy loads of spare bulbs as i am always changing them.

Edited by andysgriff on Tuesday 12th April 21:21

[VolvoT5]

andysgriff said:

I have a 2002 170bhp n/a with 116k, check for excessive crankcase breather pressure and if the autobox has had any oil changes. I think this is a second gen car and may suffer from autobox issues of the oil has never been changed but at that mileage would be a good thing to do first. Mine will average 30mpg at best. Brilliant cruiser and load lugger. My drivers heated seat doesnt work and apparently its a big job to fix the seat pad. Sometimes the high beam indicator on the dash doesn't work and this can be a sign of an impending dash cluster failure, although I think these can be fixed..buy loads of spare bulbs as i am always changing them.

Pretty sure you can check the breather pressure by taking the oil cap or dipstick out when the engine is hot and running - if smoke bellows out then there is excessive pressure in the system and it will need doing. I remember on the 850 I had this was a DIY job (with help from an online guide), I don't know if the phase two cars are as easy to work on.

[PoleDriver]

I just bought a 2002 V70 n/a 2.4 140BHP with 119,000 on the clock, full history.
Drives quite well, need to use revs to get a decent bit of acceleration but gets well above legal speeds quite easily and sits there quite happily.
Seems to be a lot less thirsty than my previous 528i. Quiet comfy ride and plenty of space.

I'm happy with it, especially as it was only £500.

[Hoofy]

mcgandalf said:

Currently own a 2005 S60 D5 S manual. Wonderful, bulletproof car which has only done 70k miles. In a year of ownership I have spent a fair amount of money on fitting premium tyres, getting the timing belt done, fixing the door locking mechanism etc.

I do, however, live in London and drive about 5,000 miles a year (mostly motorway, from home to out of town). Although I treat the car well I do worry about the effect short journies have on the injectors, emissions system, EGR valve etc. I am also paranoid about the clutch and DMF, sitting in the inevitable traffic. I also live in a flat where space is at a premium and could also do with a larger, more practical cargo space where I can hide all my crap from the OHput to good use picking up the furniture my OH keeps wisely buying on eBay.

Any thoughts on a seemingly mint V70 SE 2002 2.4T auto? No clutch, DMF to worry about. Loads of space. It's an SE (not that there is anything wrong with my S - I could do with the HU-860 Dolby stereo). Not a diseasal.

It's also a nicer colour than my S60 Jewish Racing GoldAsh Gold Pearl, which I sometimes think makes me look about 80, not that this matters in the slightest.

Isn't this of the era when these Volvos were renowned for electrical gremlins?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Your post made me chuckle with all the contradictions.

The biggest issue with a 2002 auto is gearbox flare. It's a very common issue on these cars, I understand. That said, mine suffers from it and while it is noticeable, it's been doing it for nearly 18 months and I'm not sure it has got any worse. Given the price, I am reluctant to bother getting it sorted out.

I do sit in traffic a lot of the time or end up doing 20-30 in suburban roads and it seems like the perfect car for it. I did go out last night about 9pm and the roads were relatively traffic-free in SW London so it was a weird feeling basically rolling along at 30mph for 15 minutes.

One way to really notice if there are flare problems - come off the accelerator, brake hard for a corner, then accelerate quickly out of it. It will likely not engage the gear, then suddenly jolt/jar as it engages. Not healthy at all for the box - I've learnt to adapt my driving so it rarely happens.

[andysgriff]

VolvoT5 said:

andysgriff said:

I have a 2002 170bhp n/a with 116k, check for excessive crankcase breather pressure and if the autobox has had any oil changes. I think this is a second gen car and may suffer from autobox issues of the oil has never been changed but at that mileage would be a good thing to do first. Mine will average 30mpg at best. Brilliant cruiser and load lugger. My drivers heated seat doesnt work and apparently its a big job to fix the seat pad. Sometimes the high beam indicator on the dash doesn't work and this can be a sign of an impending dash cluster failure, although I think these can be fixed..buy loads of spare bulbs as i am always changing them.

Pretty sure you can check the breather pressure by taking the oil cap or dipstick out when the engine is hot and running - if smoke bellows out then there is excessive pressure in the system and it will need doing. I remember on the 850 I had this was a DIY job (with help from an online guide), I don't know if the phase two cars are as easy to work on.

Yes ive seen the rubber glove over the filler cap test.. Mine blew an oil core plug out the bottom of the engine as the pressure was high. Bit of a job to replace the breather pipe and tank as its an intake manifold off job.

[morgrp]

VolvoT5 said:

andysgriff said:

I have a 2002 170bhp n/a with 116k, check for excessive crankcase breather pressure and if the autobox has had any oil changes. I think this is a second gen car and may suffer from autobox issues of the oil has never been changed but at that mileage would be a good thing to do first. Mine will average 30mpg at best. Brilliant cruiser and load lugger. My drivers heated seat doesnt work and apparently its a big job to fix the seat pad. Sometimes the high beam indicator on the dash doesn't work and this can be a sign of an impending dash cluster failure, although I think these can be fixed..buy loads of spare bulbs as i am always changing them.

Pretty sure you can check the breather pressure by taking the oil cap or dipstick out when the engine is hot and running - if smoke bellows out then there is excessive pressure in the system and it will need doing. I remember on the 850 I had this was a DIY job (with help from an online guide), I don't know if the phase two cars are as easy to work on.

Can be done from cold - you'll also get a slight vacuum effect from the oil cap if the breather is doing it's job

[chris1roll]

My wife has had a 2000 W reg 2.4 170 (one of the first P2's) for 2 years, 20-odd k miles. 115,000-135,000

They suffer from the Magnetti marelli throttle position sensor issues - but there are now people/companies that will rebuild them with contactless sensor that won't fail again. We had it done by www.volvodiagnostic.com for £125 a couple of months after we got it. Post it off, get it back a few days later.

The gearbox occasionally flares as described above. It does it rarely, so we take the old car pragmatic view that as long as the car still physically moves, its ok! (I read an article a while back about one that had done 500k+ miles in total, and was just about to get its 3rd 'box. The owner found you can eke around another 100k out after problems show themselves before replacement is 'compulsory')

It's just decided the ABS is no longer required. On reading the codes it is probably the control module. The same company that did the TPS will repair for £60/£120 depending on model (and you can drive the car with it off if you can ignore the dash lit up like a Christmas tree) so I'll have to sort that before the MOT in July.

Asides the TPS and next the ABS, we haven't had to spend anything else on it than tyres and oil/filters in those 20k miles, so £200 in repairs doesn't seem too bad.

We'd have another one if anything bad happened to it.

Edited by chris1roll on Friday 22 April 14:39