Early morning commuter car hunting..Volvo S60 D5?
Discussion
So 2 weeks in and 1000 miles down
It still amazes me how little I paid for this car and quite how good it is!
Plus:
• Comfiest seats ever (heated which is doing wonders for my bad back)
• decent fuel economy
• the noise... Greatest Diesel engine ever imho
• no one looks twice at it, gets dumped all over the place and blends in
Minus:
• cruise control dents the mpg but sometimes is necessary
• steering is odd, still have the odd feedback on tight right bends
• is going to need a wheel bearing soon and some lower arms as well
Saving on my parking charges, at £6 a day it's building up well!
... And introduced it to its older brother
Shows how big the 940 is!
So I now have
A family car (for an incoming sprog)
A work car (s60)
A "doing work" car (940)
.... And no fun car!
It still amazes me how little I paid for this car and quite how good it is!
Plus:
• Comfiest seats ever (heated which is doing wonders for my bad back)
• decent fuel economy
• the noise... Greatest Diesel engine ever imho
• no one looks twice at it, gets dumped all over the place and blends in
Minus:
• cruise control dents the mpg but sometimes is necessary
• steering is odd, still have the odd feedback on tight right bends
• is going to need a wheel bearing soon and some lower arms as well
Saving on my parking charges, at £6 a day it's building up well!
... And introduced it to its older brother
Shows how big the 940 is!
So I now have
A family car (for an incoming sprog)
A work car (s60)
A "doing work" car (940)
.... And no fun car!
Volvo has cost me money...
£2.99 for a pair of rear number plate bulbs! Plastic housings were both incredibly brittle so required some superglue to put them back together.
Can anyone advise on headlight positions? The switch has "0" and then a dipped bulb light ... Both seem to do the same? I leave mine on all the time regardless
Edit: I've also just ordered a Bluetooth equipped GROM unit. Not sure if I can swing the DIY install!
£2.99 for a pair of rear number plate bulbs! Plastic housings were both incredibly brittle so required some superglue to put them back together.
Can anyone advise on headlight positions? The switch has "0" and then a dipped bulb light ... Both seem to do the same? I leave mine on all the time regardless
Edit: I've also just ordered a Bluetooth equipped GROM unit. Not sure if I can swing the DIY install!
Edited by croakey on Tuesday 3rd May 11:18
Well the GROM is in.
My misspent youth down halfords car park was brought flooding back fighting various bit of interior trim to hide cables and pull the head unit out etc.
Seems to be a good bit of kit albeit I've only used it sat on the drive to check it works.
I leave my lights in "on" I.e position 2 and they turn on and off with the ignition?
Next up is to tackle the wayward handling... And if I can find one for a sensible price a remap. I'd like an MTE one but begrudge shelling out £400+ on a car worth not a huge amount
My misspent youth down halfords car park was brought flooding back fighting various bit of interior trim to hide cables and pull the head unit out etc.
Seems to be a good bit of kit albeit I've only used it sat on the drive to check it works.
I leave my lights in "on" I.e position 2 and they turn on and off with the ignition?
Next up is to tackle the wayward handling... And if I can find one for a sensible price a remap. I'd like an MTE one but begrudge shelling out £400+ on a car worth not a huge amount
well the message has since disappeared - i expect for it to make a full return in a matter of days however!
So far ive identified the following as needing doing:
So far ive identified the following as needing doing:
- service
- lower arms
- drop links
- what ever is bringing up this error message
- possible leaking injector.
Update time!
So the d5 has been in my ownership for just over 2 months and 6k miles (and zero washes) so figured it was time to update the thread and keep a track of it.
The Good
For what it was bought for this car is beyond perfect for it. It thumps up and down the motorway at unsociable times in the utmost of comfort. I defy anyone to find a car more suited for this role excluding thirsty barges in this budget bracket.
The heated seats are a god send with a bad back and cruise control makes progress so much more dignified at 2am. MPG isnt too bad at 49mpg on DIS but i'll cover that more in a minute. Coming from a much newer much nicer Audi i thought the d5 would be a step back - reality is it holds its own on a long slog.
Also as a plus side I've paid for station parking ONCE since i've had this car so its already recouped £235 in parking charges...unfortunately its acquired some parking wounds but that was expected.
The Bad
All the good doesn't come without bad does it.... and neither do Volvos!
It would seem that whilst this car was low mileage and well looked after it appears dogged with common s60 issues including:
The car is booked in this week for my trusted mechanic to go over - he's a closet Swedish fan so knows his stuff. He's going to run it on his OBD scanners etc to ascertain what exactly is going on. The plan will be to do the major stuff now and slowly chip away at the list.
You'll notice that all the above is under the skin - I'm not going to pretend i'm overly fussed if it picks up the odd knock as that was largely expected.
...However I did give it its first wash in my ownership
(Yes you can hate the plate....)
Having spent some time with it today i've discovered a number of cosmetic bits i may or may not look at rectifying...
The head lights are very faded - i've seen others successfully polish these back so will be looking for a renovation kit. I've also got a side marker bulb out which bugs my OCD.
Roof Rails are lacquer peeling - Not fussed by this and most likely will sling some roof bars on it shortly.
Rear bumper has some odd peeling and paint defects , i'd hazard a guess its had some paint at some point. I've had a nose under and inside and fortunately it would seem if it has been bumped it was of a low enough speed to not cause any structural defects.
So plans?
As things wear out I intend to upgrade them, the brakes for example can be upgraded to 305mm or a beefier 320+mm using OEM bits and bobs.
I tend to run winter tyres owing to my commute times so will at some point be looking for some cheap alloys or preferably some 16" steels.
As i said roof bars ... annoyingly the expensive WhispBars i have for my a4 wont fit this car despite them advertising the fact its only ever the feet that need swapping.
So in conclusion a £2500(ish) Volvo is a decent buy for a motorway bruiser... but dont expect it to be cost free
So the d5 has been in my ownership for just over 2 months and 6k miles (and zero washes) so figured it was time to update the thread and keep a track of it.
The Good
For what it was bought for this car is beyond perfect for it. It thumps up and down the motorway at unsociable times in the utmost of comfort. I defy anyone to find a car more suited for this role excluding thirsty barges in this budget bracket.
The heated seats are a god send with a bad back and cruise control makes progress so much more dignified at 2am. MPG isnt too bad at 49mpg on DIS but i'll cover that more in a minute. Coming from a much newer much nicer Audi i thought the d5 would be a step back - reality is it holds its own on a long slog.
Also as a plus side I've paid for station parking ONCE since i've had this car so its already recouped £235 in parking charges...unfortunately its acquired some parking wounds but that was expected.
The Bad
All the good doesn't come without bad does it.... and neither do Volvos!
It would seem that whilst this car was low mileage and well looked after it appears dogged with common s60 issues including:
- ABS/Stability control service required - This seems linked to the hesitation going left , Volvo Beards tell me its common and can be either ABS rings / Sensors / Or a slightly more costly Brake Control Module. Luckily Volvo parts arent anywhere near as pricey as Audi ones!
- Dodgy Handling - An s60 is not an a4 (which admittedly isnt the most involving of drives) , this seems most likely to be worn out suspension components. I'm looking at acquiring some scrap OEM arms and then getting PowerFlex bushes pressed in , ride will suffer marginally but longevity will be a big step up. There's then drop links , anti roll bars etc etc. Fortunately my commute is largely one straight line.
- Stuttering - This seems to be a tell tale sign of an iffy injector. I've picked up a second hand (and allegedly tested) injector from a Volvo breaker on eBay for the grand total of £34.
- Air Con whine - Could be the pump clutch going and could be low on gas, or could be a million other things. Fortunately the stereo is proficient at drowning this sound out when it appears.
The car is booked in this week for my trusted mechanic to go over - he's a closet Swedish fan so knows his stuff. He's going to run it on his OBD scanners etc to ascertain what exactly is going on. The plan will be to do the major stuff now and slowly chip away at the list.
You'll notice that all the above is under the skin - I'm not going to pretend i'm overly fussed if it picks up the odd knock as that was largely expected.
...However I did give it its first wash in my ownership
(Yes you can hate the plate....)
Having spent some time with it today i've discovered a number of cosmetic bits i may or may not look at rectifying...
The head lights are very faded - i've seen others successfully polish these back so will be looking for a renovation kit. I've also got a side marker bulb out which bugs my OCD.
Roof Rails are lacquer peeling - Not fussed by this and most likely will sling some roof bars on it shortly.
Rear bumper has some odd peeling and paint defects , i'd hazard a guess its had some paint at some point. I've had a nose under and inside and fortunately it would seem if it has been bumped it was of a low enough speed to not cause any structural defects.
So plans?
As things wear out I intend to upgrade them, the brakes for example can be upgraded to 305mm or a beefier 320+mm using OEM bits and bobs.
I tend to run winter tyres owing to my commute times so will at some point be looking for some cheap alloys or preferably some 16" steels.
As i said roof bars ... annoyingly the expensive WhispBars i have for my a4 wont fit this car despite them advertising the fact its only ever the feet that need swapping.
So in conclusion a £2500(ish) Volvo is a decent buy for a motorway bruiser... but dont expect it to be cost free
It's back from the garage...
One leaky injector replaced has seemingly cured the running issues.
Both front ABS sensor rings were completely destroyed - fingers crossed these have now rectified the esp/brake issues.
Mechanic says it is the best one he's worked on and it was a steal at £2.5k.
He did pick up on that the rear tyres are perishing and the lower arms are goosed... But did say he reckons powerflex bushing them is the best option.
All in all im pleased
One leaky injector replaced has seemingly cured the running issues.
Both front ABS sensor rings were completely destroyed - fingers crossed these have now rectified the esp/brake issues.
Mechanic says it is the best one he's worked on and it was a steal at £2.5k.
He did pick up on that the rear tyres are perishing and the lower arms are goosed... But did say he reckons powerflex bushing them is the best option.
All in all im pleased
The illustrious Volvo continues to impress...
MPG is still showing a wildly optimistic figure - I reckon if I could be bothered to work it out I'm getting 43-44mpg in the real world. Which for an old Diesel engine this size is good enough.
It's due a service about now which should help tidy up any obvious loose ends... One I discovered the other day was all 4 tyres being inflated to varying levels. A total disparity of 18psi being recorded. Now all where they should be it drives a tad better with improved steering feedback.
A friends golf 4motion decided it didn't fancy being a car anymore and dumped its engine contents out. This conveniently happened 30 miles from home.
Step in the Volvo
Never used a flat tow style bar before and am impressed. If I was doing more id go for a damper assisted one to avoid feeling like you've been rammed when changing gear!
So it continues its daily duties
MPG is still showing a wildly optimistic figure - I reckon if I could be bothered to work it out I'm getting 43-44mpg in the real world. Which for an old Diesel engine this size is good enough.
It's due a service about now which should help tidy up any obvious loose ends... One I discovered the other day was all 4 tyres being inflated to varying levels. A total disparity of 18psi being recorded. Now all where they should be it drives a tad better with improved steering feedback.
A friends golf 4motion decided it didn't fancy being a car anymore and dumped its engine contents out. This conveniently happened 30 miles from home.
Step in the Volvo
Never used a flat tow style bar before and am impressed. If I was doing more id go for a damper assisted one to avoid feeling like you've been rammed when changing gear!
So it continues its daily duties
Edited by croakey on Wednesday 17th August 13:44
10000 miles.
The Ovlov has now been with me for 10000 miles and somewhere around 4-5 months and I still love it.
Service is required ASAP as in the previous owners care it was serviced by him so unsure when it was done.
Ordered some winter tyres for it (my commute sometimes begins at 0430hrs or ends 0230hrs... Joy of shift work... So I'm often one of the only cars around).
Ordered Nankang SW2's based on reviews that they're impressive for the money or I'll die sideways. Bad news was I intended on getting them for the 17's and actually ordered 16's. So if any of my fellow d5ers have a set of manky 16's lying around sell them to me!!!
The Ovlov has now been with me for 10000 miles and somewhere around 4-5 months and I still love it.
Service is required ASAP as in the previous owners care it was serviced by him so unsure when it was done.
Ordered some winter tyres for it (my commute sometimes begins at 0430hrs or ends 0230hrs... Joy of shift work... So I'm often one of the only cars around).
Ordered Nankang SW2's based on reviews that they're impressive for the money or I'll die sideways. Bad news was I intended on getting them for the 17's and actually ordered 16's. So if any of my fellow d5ers have a set of manky 16's lying around sell them to me!!!
jogger1976 said:
These are great cars for the motorway hack. And they have the best seats this side of a Saab. Just one question OP;where are you parking the car when at work,as the area looks a bit "gritty"? 
It is the Arse hole end of dartford/Medway on an industrial estate near to a train station. The road has on it... A car wash, a truck tyre yard, a fencing company , at least 6 or 7 aggregate yards and is best described as a dump.But it saves me £100-£150 a month in parking fees.
cannondale said:
Try a little bit of Cif on the headlights before buying expensive headlight restoration kits. It worked incredibly well for me.
Too late... Got a 3m kit here for when I get bored next.Also looking at upgraded headlight bulbs- what's the consensus on these new fangled LED ones?
dandam said:
Something very satisfying about not caring about a car, whilst actually caring a little bit !!
Oh I care for it and intend to maintain it to the highest of standards.However I accept that over its lifetime it will receive war wounds - and I'm ok with this unless they look REALLY shabby
Still looking for 16's
yonex said:
I still have some OEM arms kicking around (i think) which are ripe for polybushing. If they're of use to you let me know 
Cheers mate Ive not forgotten - trying to figure out if polybushing is worth it, a lot of beards seem to suggest OEM arms are a more sensible perishable part?Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff