Comfy Volvo Content
Discussion
6 months. Thats all I lasted without a Volvo.
You may remember my V70R, and those longer standing members may recall I also had a XC70 Ocean race for 18 months before (which I purchased by accident), but that thread no longer exists.
Well I couldn't stay away from the pipe and slippers brand and have just picked up another XC70. This time a 2007 D5 with the 6 speed auto box. I'd forgotten how boat like it is, but I think this one looks ace! It was pretty cheap too, considering how much I've been watching others sell for over the last few weeks. Its on 141k and wears them miles well. Its one of the later versions and has the pop up sat nav, sunroof and the upgraded HU850 headunit. It was also pretty local, so I've just collected on my lunch and driven the 11 miles home and it seemed to run well. I'd forgotten how awesome the seats are. So comfy.
I'm not sure there will be much interest, but I'll keep the thread updated. First things on the list are new tyres all round and to polish the crazed headlights. Its recently been serviced which is a bonus, but I'll probably fit new discs and pads all round too as they've seen better days. Then I'm into wafting central. Feels much more me than a Panda 100HP, however much fun thats been over the last 6 months.
Few (rubbish) pictures where it will remain till I've sold the Panda. Anyone want to buy a Panda?!
You may remember my V70R, and those longer standing members may recall I also had a XC70 Ocean race for 18 months before (which I purchased by accident), but that thread no longer exists.
Well I couldn't stay away from the pipe and slippers brand and have just picked up another XC70. This time a 2007 D5 with the 6 speed auto box. I'd forgotten how boat like it is, but I think this one looks ace! It was pretty cheap too, considering how much I've been watching others sell for over the last few weeks. Its on 141k and wears them miles well. Its one of the later versions and has the pop up sat nav, sunroof and the upgraded HU850 headunit. It was also pretty local, so I've just collected on my lunch and driven the 11 miles home and it seemed to run well. I'd forgotten how awesome the seats are. So comfy.
I'm not sure there will be much interest, but I'll keep the thread updated. First things on the list are new tyres all round and to polish the crazed headlights. Its recently been serviced which is a bonus, but I'll probably fit new discs and pads all round too as they've seen better days. Then I'm into wafting central. Feels much more me than a Panda 100HP, however much fun thats been over the last 6 months.
Few (rubbish) pictures where it will remain till I've sold the Panda. Anyone want to buy a Panda?!
kapiteinlangzaam said:
Haha. Volvos are a disease!
1hr spent buffing up those front lights will make a world of difference.
Did you ever buy a copy of VIDA with a Dice machine? Certainly worth doing. I had that engine in my XC90 and they can be prone to sensor errors.
One correct diagnosis via your own VIDA more than pays you back the investment cost. You will also be able to manually regen the DPF and other such things.
Good luck! You know as well as me by now that they are great when they work, but expensive when they don't. To be honest, an 07 is really getting on for one of the last, and the niggles were more or less ironed out.
Will be a good car I reckon!
That was my theory. Get a late one and it should be pretty sound. Never got VIDA but my friendly local has all the proper Volvo gear. One thing I have noticed is on the drive home yesterday the MPG was pretty poor. 30 average. Did wonder if something wasn't quite right.1hr spent buffing up those front lights will make a world of difference.
Did you ever buy a copy of VIDA with a Dice machine? Certainly worth doing. I had that engine in my XC90 and they can be prone to sensor errors.
One correct diagnosis via your own VIDA more than pays you back the investment cost. You will also be able to manually regen the DPF and other such things.
Good luck! You know as well as me by now that they are great when they work, but expensive when they don't. To be honest, an 07 is really getting on for one of the last, and the niggles were more or less ironed out.
Will be a good car I reckon!
flakeypaul said:
kapiteinlangzaam said:
Haha. Volvos are a disease!
Yep, I just chopped in my 160k 2003 S80 2.0t SE for an 80k 2003 2.4 SE.I've never owned the same car twice, let alone one after the other!
seiben said:
Anything you need to look out for with the auto box and/or AWD system?
Tons! The earlier ones came with a 5 speed box which goes wrong. This one had the more desirable 6 speed box. Earlier ones AWD is prone to breaking, this one has upgraded stuff as it's a later model. Edited by S100HP on Saturday 20th January 11:40
JQ said:
You sound like an expert, I'm sure I'm going to regret asking this, but is there anything to be weary of on the 3.2 auto? As mentioned I've bought it on a bit of a whim, without doing sufficient research, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed - due to pick it up in an hour.
Far from an expert, kapiteinlangzaam is the man you need!I'm a bit of a fanny about tyres and I like to have matching all round, especially on a AWD car. Unfortunately my Volvo had 3 different brands on it. Two of the same on the front and a different one on each of the rears. These cars were originally fitted with the Pirelli Scorpion 4 season tyres from the factory and I did investigate replacing them all, but they were coming out at nearly £350 for a set. Given my recent history of changing cars every 6 months I decided to go onto eBay and see if I could find some alloys with tyres fitted, but found nothing suitable.
My search then progressed to 2nd hand tyres but didn't throw up any Scorpions, but did show me a set of 4 Pirelli SottoZero winter tyres for £120 delivered. They had about 6mm of tread all round but the feedback of the company was positive, so I purchased them. Impressively they were couriered overnight from Scotland and arrived this morning. £40 to the local tyre fitter and they are on the car and have made it feel significantly nicer to drive. I plan to use them year round as I can't really see any downsides to this especially when you consider the car. A diesel Volvo estate is never going to set the world on fire, so losing a bit of handling when the temp gets up to 20 deg is a small trade off IMHO.
My search then progressed to 2nd hand tyres but didn't throw up any Scorpions, but did show me a set of 4 Pirelli SottoZero winter tyres for £120 delivered. They had about 6mm of tread all round but the feedback of the company was positive, so I purchased them. Impressively they were couriered overnight from Scotland and arrived this morning. £40 to the local tyre fitter and they are on the car and have made it feel significantly nicer to drive. I plan to use them year round as I can't really see any downsides to this especially when you consider the car. A diesel Volvo estate is never going to set the world on fire, so losing a bit of handling when the temp gets up to 20 deg is a small trade off IMHO.
Edited by S100HP on Thursday 25th January 12:55
xcseventy said:
Looks a really nice example. Should be pretty unstoppable with a set of winters as well.
Always though this 2nd gen looked more "purposeful" than the 3rd gen.
That's the plan. I can confirm AWD is working too. Tried it this morning climbing up a bank then back down another with no slippage. This is prior to fitting the new tyres too.Always though this 2nd gen looked more "purposeful" than the 3rd gen.
JQ said:
Glad I'm not the only one who's funny about tyres. Mine has come with Scorpions fitted, but I do intend to keep an eye on Ebay to see if I can slowly collect spares for when they do require replacement. £40 a corner fitted is a great price. Can you chuck the old ones on EBay to recoup a few extra quid?
Which reminds me that I've got an old repaired tyre off my Golf in the garage which I need to stick on Ebay.
How has yours turned out?Which reminds me that I've got an old repaired tyre off my Golf in the garage which I need to stick on Ebay.
JQ said:
S100HP said:
How has yours turned out?
Love it. It's got every toy imaginable and feels really planted to drive. I won't be doing any trackdays in it, but it's a nice change to my previous cars which have all been quite nippy. Certainly doesn't feel like it's done 220,000 miles - it is absolutely immaculate.Only one issue, it's got the upgraded stereo, but for some reason no sound comes out of the two drivers side speakers - front and rear. It's not a huge issue as I mainly listen to Radio 5 in the car, but if I can determine an easy fix I'd like to try and get it sorted.
Thanks. There is something about them I do like. Nothing stands out (except the seats) but as an all round package they work for me.
Having only just purchased it I did the sensible thing and took it from Southampton to Wookey Hole today with zero preparation. 150 miles in filthy weather along the A36 mostly. It was absolutely fine and gave me a good chance to get to know it on all sorts of road.
The handling is a little boaty on corners but the suspension does a good job of ironing out imperfections in the road surface which is an acceptable trade. The engine feels good and strong but is still only averaging 33mpg and the gearbox feels spot on and certainly works with the relaxed nature of the car. I'm struggling with the noise of a diesel having not owned one for many years but as an all round package it certainly works well together. I particularly like the slightly raised driving position along with the seats (did I mention the seats)
On the way home the conditions were challenging and to add to that I had to stop off the beaten track to collect a boot tray from someone. I can certainly see why he has an XC70. He lived right out in the sticks, down narrow single track roads that had been covered in mud and floods from the rain today. You know the kind that if you move too far to one side as passing another car you're stuck! Anyway, boot lining collected and I set off again to be met with a low coolant warning! As soon as it came on it went again. This happened another few times till I managed to find somewhere where I could top the car up. It only needed about 500ml, it was right on the cusp of setting the sensor off, but certainly something to watch.
Anyway, rambling over, no pictures to add as I forgot to take any in the Mendips, but 250 miles down and I'm pleased with my purchase. Hopefully today got it suitably filthy for the dirty Cars thread.
Having only just purchased it I did the sensible thing and took it from Southampton to Wookey Hole today with zero preparation. 150 miles in filthy weather along the A36 mostly. It was absolutely fine and gave me a good chance to get to know it on all sorts of road.
The handling is a little boaty on corners but the suspension does a good job of ironing out imperfections in the road surface which is an acceptable trade. The engine feels good and strong but is still only averaging 33mpg and the gearbox feels spot on and certainly works with the relaxed nature of the car. I'm struggling with the noise of a diesel having not owned one for many years but as an all round package it certainly works well together. I particularly like the slightly raised driving position along with the seats (did I mention the seats)
On the way home the conditions were challenging and to add to that I had to stop off the beaten track to collect a boot tray from someone. I can certainly see why he has an XC70. He lived right out in the sticks, down narrow single track roads that had been covered in mud and floods from the rain today. You know the kind that if you move too far to one side as passing another car you're stuck! Anyway, boot lining collected and I set off again to be met with a low coolant warning! As soon as it came on it went again. This happened another few times till I managed to find somewhere where I could top the car up. It only needed about 500ml, it was right on the cusp of setting the sensor off, but certainly something to watch.
Anyway, rambling over, no pictures to add as I forgot to take any in the Mendips, but 250 miles down and I'm pleased with my purchase. Hopefully today got it suitably filthy for the dirty Cars thread.
Edited by S100HP on Saturday 27th January 18:46
kapiteinlangzaam said:
If that's a genuine 33mpg (and not OBC lies) then I'd say it's pretty much spot on.
They are big and heavy and the AWD and slush box sap the economy.
My 90 with the same engine averaged 26mpg over the time I had it. Mainly motorway miles too!
Nope, it's the OBC. I dare not work the real numbers. I was able to see 36 on a run in the R which is why I'm surprised this is so poor. I was expecting circa 40. 26 is awful!They are big and heavy and the AWD and slush box sap the economy.
My 90 with the same engine averaged 26mpg over the time I had it. Mainly motorway miles too!
MJK 24 said:
Ex Volvo UK with that reg!
Where was it PDI'd?
Is that a good thing?Where was it PDI'd?
It appears I made a school boy error with my purchase. I knew cambelts were 100k or 10 years and given the car was on 140k I assumed it had been done. It appears it had not.
Today its been off with the trusty local Volvo man who has just changed it, along with water pump and aux belt for £370. Oops. Would it have made a difference to my purchase or adjusted the price? Probably not. At least I know its been done now. To celebrate I went and drove down a muddy track near my house. Its ridiculous that a Volvo estate can navigate such lanes. It's now muddy.
Edited by S100HP on Tuesday 30th January 16:30
MG-Steve said:
Brilliant cars, had mine two years and now up to 140k. Just sailed through another mot.
Managed to get mine stuck at the top of the north Pennines a few weeks back in the snow for the first time. Three foot snowdrift at the top of Teesdale that I couldn’t see due to drifting snow. 5 mins with a spade and winter mode engaged and we were off again.
Thats impressiveManaged to get mine stuck at the top of the north Pennines a few weeks back in the snow for the first time. Three foot snowdrift at the top of Teesdale that I couldn’t see due to drifting snow. 5 mins with a spade and winter mode engaged and we were off again.
I did my normal number plate thing this week. Can't stand flags, borders or any form of writing/slogan on them. Nice clean plates fitted.
Edited by S100HP on Thursday 8th February 10:22
I'm 6 weeks into Volvo ownership and I've done a few bits to the car since my last update. Namely new wiper blades all round and replaced the wing mirror glass on both sides as it had the horrible cheap replacement stuff that didn't actually fit correctly. It also had an MOT yesterday which it passed with only a few minor issues (couple of bushes and a nail in the newly fitted tyres!). I've been using it quite a bit and its just ticked over 143k, meaning about 1100 in the last 6 weeks or so and its been faultless. Quite a bit of commuting and a couple of longer runs in all sorts of weather and its averaging 30mpg, which is only 1mpg less than the OBC.
We even got treated to a dusting of snow down here in the New Forest meaning I got to try out my winter tyres climbing a snowy bank this morning. The forecast suggest quite a significant (for the South) amount tomorrow so looking forward to that.
Snapped this early this morning at -6, currently loving the heated seats.
Up next will be trying to get the sat nav working (I purchased a replacement disc but i think the laser is dirty) and probably a change of front and rear engine mounts as I think they need replacing due to age.
We even got treated to a dusting of snow down here in the New Forest meaning I got to try out my winter tyres climbing a snowy bank this morning. The forecast suggest quite a significant (for the South) amount tomorrow so looking forward to that.
Snapped this early this morning at -6, currently loving the heated seats.
Up next will be trying to get the sat nav working (I purchased a replacement disc but i think the laser is dirty) and probably a change of front and rear engine mounts as I think they need replacing due to age.
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