Winter runner V70 T5... what could possibly go wrong!
Discussion
Right, having spent the past 2 months loitering around the Bargain Basement thread, Gumtree and the local breakers yard... I've finally sourced myself something small, nible and classy for the weekend. No, wait..
The past few years have been split fairly equally between old Vauxhalls and old Volvos. No pattern either, I've had a couple sheddy 850 T5's alongside some fairly mint old Cavaliers and likewise, I've had a couple of tidy Volvo R's alongside some pretty hopeless Vauxhalls. Until recently I had her rather tidy Calibra, my rather tidy Cavalier SRi and then a rather ruined old V70 Classic diesel. It died leaving two 90's Vauxhalls on the drive.
Good fun, different, upsets the Ibis White Aud driving neighbours but neither the SRi nor the Calibra are suited to the school run, throwing bikes and assorted crap in, covering bigger distances or leaving unattended anywhere. So, loathed to buy something 'nice' just to watch it get ruined through winter I set of looking for a familiy wagon. Her stipulation: No Volvos. Mine: No autos.
I looked at a couple of Vectrs C 2.2 SRi's then remembered they really are kinda terrible. I then looked at a rediculously cheap Vectra CDTi and missed it. I then went back to plan A and went looking for a Saab 9-5 Aero and again missed a couple. So with winter approaching, wet smelly dog doing it's best to ruin the boot of the Cavalier and the Calibra now sporting several parking dings, Gumtree threw up a potential.
£595 worth of Volvo V70 SE T5 with an auto box and about 25 minutes tax and test. Some unseen haggling ensued and with the right noises being made, I figured it would only be right to go have a look and a drive. Turned out to be better than expected plus being roughly 450yds from my door, no costs involved and no 1000 miles round trip to London. Again.
So, here's what you get for roughly the same as an entry level laptop....
Picked it up last night, drove it home and then sat and wondered what she'd say when she returned home to find somebody had parked 19 tons of pig iron on the drive. Not impressed. "But it's got 250,000bhp" I wailed "And look, many many airbags and it has heated seats and a place for your i-phone" No such luck. Bugger it, my mountain bike fits and tyhe wee man gets lost in the back seats. It's all good.
So today. First up it refused to start. Lovely. Quick check and there's no fuel at the rail. Surely it can't be so thirsty it actually consumed what little fuel was in it last night whilst it was sat on the drive? Ah well, Tesco... fuel can in hand. £6.62 (I remember when three quid filled a can) into the tank or er, the tank... and away it went. Went a filled the tank, added 25% more value to it in the process so informed my insurance.
Breakers yard next... she perked up when she heard this though her face dropped when she was informed that no, I wasn't needing a lift back. Headlight wipers, some interior trims, couple of brackets, a rear wiper and a spare air flow meter in hand but sadly no drivers mirror so the cardboard / insulating tape version will need to suffice for now.
The car, well... cosmetic niggles aside it's actually ok. It starts fine, it seems to have plenty power about it, it's smooth, the autobox works for now but that won't last. There's no clunks, bangs, creaks or strange odours aside for the boot. It has four matching Kumho tyres, all the brakes look to have been done recently, the oil still looks clean and it's averaged 8.1mpg so far round town. That's not a typo.
Next, assuming it lasts the week then I'll need to tax it then in early November I'll need to stick it in for an Mot and hope for the best. The dash is iffy, they're all like that sir - characteristic of the car sir... but seemingly somebody smarter than me on the Volvo forum can sort this for little cash. And aside for all that, nothing... drive it, abuse it, throw my bike in it, take it to Cornwall and back (bank loan has been agreed to cover the fuel) and see how long the gearbox lasts.
Wish me luck... I'm away to make a bed on the sofa for the next few days.
The past few years have been split fairly equally between old Vauxhalls and old Volvos. No pattern either, I've had a couple sheddy 850 T5's alongside some fairly mint old Cavaliers and likewise, I've had a couple of tidy Volvo R's alongside some pretty hopeless Vauxhalls. Until recently I had her rather tidy Calibra, my rather tidy Cavalier SRi and then a rather ruined old V70 Classic diesel. It died leaving two 90's Vauxhalls on the drive.
Good fun, different, upsets the Ibis White Aud driving neighbours but neither the SRi nor the Calibra are suited to the school run, throwing bikes and assorted crap in, covering bigger distances or leaving unattended anywhere. So, loathed to buy something 'nice' just to watch it get ruined through winter I set of looking for a familiy wagon. Her stipulation: No Volvos. Mine: No autos.
I looked at a couple of Vectrs C 2.2 SRi's then remembered they really are kinda terrible. I then looked at a rediculously cheap Vectra CDTi and missed it. I then went back to plan A and went looking for a Saab 9-5 Aero and again missed a couple. So with winter approaching, wet smelly dog doing it's best to ruin the boot of the Cavalier and the Calibra now sporting several parking dings, Gumtree threw up a potential.
£595 worth of Volvo V70 SE T5 with an auto box and about 25 minutes tax and test. Some unseen haggling ensued and with the right noises being made, I figured it would only be right to go have a look and a drive. Turned out to be better than expected plus being roughly 450yds from my door, no costs involved and no 1000 miles round trip to London. Again.
So, here's what you get for roughly the same as an entry level laptop....
Picked it up last night, drove it home and then sat and wondered what she'd say when she returned home to find somebody had parked 19 tons of pig iron on the drive. Not impressed. "But it's got 250,000bhp" I wailed "And look, many many airbags and it has heated seats and a place for your i-phone" No such luck. Bugger it, my mountain bike fits and tyhe wee man gets lost in the back seats. It's all good.
So today. First up it refused to start. Lovely. Quick check and there's no fuel at the rail. Surely it can't be so thirsty it actually consumed what little fuel was in it last night whilst it was sat on the drive? Ah well, Tesco... fuel can in hand. £6.62 (I remember when three quid filled a can) into the tank or er, the tank... and away it went. Went a filled the tank, added 25% more value to it in the process so informed my insurance.
Breakers yard next... she perked up when she heard this though her face dropped when she was informed that no, I wasn't needing a lift back. Headlight wipers, some interior trims, couple of brackets, a rear wiper and a spare air flow meter in hand but sadly no drivers mirror so the cardboard / insulating tape version will need to suffice for now.
The car, well... cosmetic niggles aside it's actually ok. It starts fine, it seems to have plenty power about it, it's smooth, the autobox works for now but that won't last. There's no clunks, bangs, creaks or strange odours aside for the boot. It has four matching Kumho tyres, all the brakes look to have been done recently, the oil still looks clean and it's averaged 8.1mpg so far round town. That's not a typo.
Next, assuming it lasts the week then I'll need to tax it then in early November I'll need to stick it in for an Mot and hope for the best. The dash is iffy, they're all like that sir - characteristic of the car sir... but seemingly somebody smarter than me on the Volvo forum can sort this for little cash. And aside for all that, nothing... drive it, abuse it, throw my bike in it, take it to Cornwall and back (bank loan has been agreed to cover the fuel) and see how long the gearbox lasts.
Wish me luck... I'm away to make a bed on the sofa for the next few days.
Edited by Davie on Monday 21st October 18:14
I've opted to only ever open the bonnet when the fluids need topped up and even then, I've considered drilling holes in the bonnet for that purpose. I'm working on the same ethos as my old V70 Diesel... ie only fix what breaks. I suspect this however won't do nigh on 50k with a total repair spend of £450! Still, it was cheap enough that if it does goes terminally wrong, it'll be getting weighed in and I won't be that out of pocket.
Give it it's due, it's already moved several large Ikea derived boxes, picked up an exhaust for a Fiesta and moved my bike... and it's got a 12v socket in the back, as far as the boys are concerned nothing else matters. As far as she's concerned, she's still not warming to the idea and keeps giving one of those looks that I've suggested her sister comes over and joins us in the bath.
She'll be a'reet...
Give it it's due, it's already moved several large Ikea derived boxes, picked up an exhaust for a Fiesta and moved my bike... and it's got a 12v socket in the back, as far as the boys are concerned nothing else matters. As far as she's concerned, she's still not warming to the idea and keeps giving one of those looks that I've suggested her sister comes over and joins us in the bath.
She'll be a'reet...
kapiteinlangzaam said:
Almost identical to my old one!
Is your driveway sloped? If so, keep the tank above 1/4 full - its another 'characteristic'.
At 595 it would have been rude not to, although you if you do any sort of serious mileage then you will grow to hate the petrol station and the associated costs (I certainly did).
Nope, level driveway so much have literally used the last drop on the way home... or there's a hole in the tank! Is your driveway sloped? If so, keep the tank above 1/4 full - its another 'characteristic'.
At 595 it would have been rude not to, although you if you do any sort of serious mileage then you will grow to hate the petrol station and the associated costs (I certainly did).
I paid £400 for it, time I factor in Mot and tax it'll stand me at £575 which is hardly the bargain of the century but it was local, ticked many boxes and should in theory return most of the initial spend if it does indeed go terminally wrong. Mileage wise, I used to do mega miles hence the previous diesel but there days I'm a mile from work so aside for to odd trip to the west, it'll really be getting used for school runs, commuting and taking the dog and the bike out in.
Associated costs in theory shouldn't be too bad. My local breaker usually has a steady supply of these (maybe that's not a good sign!) and as said the tyres, brakes etc all seem fine though I'll get it up on the ramp at some stage and see if there are any horrors lurking beneath the surface. I'm actually liking it, it's very serene and wafty having been driving an old Cavalier which is anything but for the past 4 months.
Davie said:
They're like buses!
Literally...
Really? Low 5s to 60, genuine 150mph top end. Mine averaged around 23mpg which isn't great but for the performance?Literally...
Mate who owned a TVR Speed 6 was impressed by the straight line speed. Cornering whilst at low speed was a bit wobbly, oddly when pushed it seemed to firm up and respond. Amazing cars for pennies.
Great buy. I've owned a T5 850 and loved it. I ended up writing my own maps for it and blowing eerprom's too and it was fun fun fun. Sadly with all that extra boost it ate the auto box alive, at which point I gave it to Jenx who then continued to use until it finally died six months later 
Great writeup to read
Great writeup to read
Davie said:
I've opted to only ever open the bonnet when the fluids need topped up
Every week then, if it's anything like mine! You'll find the clutch slave cylinder seeps fluid, and the power steering reservoir is warped and leaky. Oil never moves though, which is good.Looks identical to mine, though I have the 2.4 non turbo model.
Day two...
Mixed feelings about this. I like it's size, how it drives and the fact I don't have to worry about parking dents and muddy footprints anymore. On the other hand, I have sense of impeding doom - maybe as it refused to start on day one (though it was a lack of fuel) or maybe I just need to get some distance under it's belt and bond with it. Awww, sweet.
Mrs Davie has been using it and following a motorways run last night has proclaimed it feels infinitely better / safer than her Calibra especially given the current, wet weather. Ultimately, that's all it was really bought for... something big, heavy, safe that can be used and abused but still remain interesting enough to save me from getting bored now that the Cavalier is parked up for the winter.
I'm not going to neglect it but on the other hand, it was intended as a stop gap winter car so I won't be getting all luvvie and pampering it with Meguiars and tyre shine! It's here to do a job though it's a temporary contract. If it refuses to turn up one day, it's oot!
Mixed feelings about this. I like it's size, how it drives and the fact I don't have to worry about parking dents and muddy footprints anymore. On the other hand, I have sense of impeding doom - maybe as it refused to start on day one (though it was a lack of fuel) or maybe I just need to get some distance under it's belt and bond with it. Awww, sweet.
Mrs Davie has been using it and following a motorways run last night has proclaimed it feels infinitely better / safer than her Calibra especially given the current, wet weather. Ultimately, that's all it was really bought for... something big, heavy, safe that can be used and abused but still remain interesting enough to save me from getting bored now that the Cavalier is parked up for the winter.
I'm not going to neglect it but on the other hand, it was intended as a stop gap winter car so I won't be getting all luvvie and pampering it with Meguiars and tyre shine! It's here to do a job though it's a temporary contract. If it refuses to turn up one day, it's oot!
Davie said:
It's got a sequential gearbox - same as Rickard Rydell's BTCC 850
Sort of...
the above statement can only qualify once there an intercooler the size of a small Somalian town hanging off the front and the boost is wound to levels that make Chernobyl evacuee's have nightmares.Sort of...
Time for a quick update:
"Whatever you do..." they said "...don't buy an early phase two V70. With a Geartronic box. And T5 flavoured"
Bah, bugger them! So, a week into motorisng suicide and where are we. Well, nothing has fallen off it yet, nothing has broken and nothing has gone wrong. actually, no... wait... Ok, so some stuff doesn't work. The dash seems to do what it like from time to time so a trip to see fellow Ph'er Nick for some trouble code reading and head scratching.
Long story short... many MANY fault codes, most of which all cleared leaving all fingers pointing at a dodgy ABS unit. I put it on my list and then went to Ikea to pick up lots of furniture and then wafted back. 33mpg, yeah baby, yeah! More stuff broke; wiper fell off and the indicator on the n/s f gave up. Minor issues.
Managed to source a second hand ABS unit for free and true to form, the car self healed for a day or two which was coincidental given today was MoT day. Did I mention I bought it with 15 minutes MoT remaining? Awesome. So, with the dash behaving it was to the testing station and the scores on the doors:
1. o/s/f inner steering arm has a little bit play in the knuckle
2. Front brake pads are getting low
3. One of the exhaust hanger brackets has fallen off
4. I have a little nail in one of my tyres
And that's it. It only bloody went and passed. Granted upon passing the gearbox forgot it was actually key to forward motion briefly then it remembered and all was well in my world. I rewarded the car buy replacing the Magic Tree and rescuing £1.20p from under the ashtray.
So, costs so far:
Mot test - £45.00
Magic tree - £1.00
ABS modulator - Free
Two wipers - Free
Next up, should prehaps give it a bit TLC as it has a few miles ahead over the next few weeks so the thinking to a service kit - oil, air, plugs etc, maybe change the gearbox fluid and pop a set of pads in it and generally give it a bit of a once over.
On the whole, liking it... very big, wafty but not as quick as I'd hoped plus the turning circle and sheer bulk of the thing isn't winning it many friends. Haven't warmed to it enough to warrant naming it yet.
Keep finding myself looking at 9.5 Aeros too...
"Whatever you do..." they said "...don't buy an early phase two V70. With a Geartronic box. And T5 flavoured"
Bah, bugger them! So, a week into motorisng suicide and where are we. Well, nothing has fallen off it yet, nothing has broken and nothing has gone wrong. actually, no... wait... Ok, so some stuff doesn't work. The dash seems to do what it like from time to time so a trip to see fellow Ph'er Nick for some trouble code reading and head scratching.
Long story short... many MANY fault codes, most of which all cleared leaving all fingers pointing at a dodgy ABS unit. I put it on my list and then went to Ikea to pick up lots of furniture and then wafted back. 33mpg, yeah baby, yeah! More stuff broke; wiper fell off and the indicator on the n/s f gave up. Minor issues.
Managed to source a second hand ABS unit for free and true to form, the car self healed for a day or two which was coincidental given today was MoT day. Did I mention I bought it with 15 minutes MoT remaining? Awesome. So, with the dash behaving it was to the testing station and the scores on the doors:
1. o/s/f inner steering arm has a little bit play in the knuckle
2. Front brake pads are getting low
3. One of the exhaust hanger brackets has fallen off
4. I have a little nail in one of my tyres
And that's it. It only bloody went and passed. Granted upon passing the gearbox forgot it was actually key to forward motion briefly then it remembered and all was well in my world. I rewarded the car buy replacing the Magic Tree and rescuing £1.20p from under the ashtray.
So, costs so far:
Mot test - £45.00
Magic tree - £1.00
ABS modulator - Free
Two wipers - Free
Next up, should prehaps give it a bit TLC as it has a few miles ahead over the next few weeks so the thinking to a service kit - oil, air, plugs etc, maybe change the gearbox fluid and pop a set of pads in it and generally give it a bit of a once over.
On the whole, liking it... very big, wafty but not as quick as I'd hoped plus the turning circle and sheer bulk of the thing isn't winning it many friends. Haven't warmed to it enough to warrant naming it yet.
Keep finding myself looking at 9.5 Aeros too...
Unfortunately reading has created more confusion than not!
There's several trains of thought - the most basic one seems to be to use 4 litres of LWS3399 (or something, memory fails me) and drain out the 'sump' and refill with the same amount of fresh fluid which in turn seemingly improves matters.
It's changes gear fine, doesn't seem to have any significant issues aside for being a bit dim when cold but aren't we all... there has been a couple of times where it's seemed a bit slow when pulling away, then again I do have an engine management light that comes and goes.
To be fair, I might just leave it if it's a minefield - all it needs to do is get on the M74, sit at 75mph and then get off 450 miles later and then do the same again to get home and it will have served its purpose!
There's several trains of thought - the most basic one seems to be to use 4 litres of LWS3399 (or something, memory fails me) and drain out the 'sump' and refill with the same amount of fresh fluid which in turn seemingly improves matters.
It's changes gear fine, doesn't seem to have any significant issues aside for being a bit dim when cold but aren't we all... there has been a couple of times where it's seemed a bit slow when pulling away, then again I do have an engine management light that comes and goes.
To be fair, I might just leave it if it's a minefield - all it needs to do is get on the M74, sit at 75mph and then get off 450 miles later and then do the same again to get home and it will have served its purpose!
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