850 T5 Project - Ivy
Discussion
So, I recently - and very sensibly - decided to sell my ultra-reliable, cheap to run Toyota Corolla and buy a 180,000 mile 1995 Volvo 850 T5 for shed money.
I've been eyeing these up for months now, and they've been on my dream car list since I was 7 and we were getting our 940 Turbo serviced at a Speeds dealership - they had a poster of the BTCC 850 on the wall and that was me hooked... of course that was powered by a very high strung version of the N/A 2.0 but the T5 was always the one I wanted.
Haven't had much of a chance to sort pictures out yet, and only got round to giving her a quick bath this evening before it got dark - better ones will be coming! But for now, introducing (a dirty) Ivy...
Mechanically she seems well sorted, displaying none of the symptoms linked to common issues with the 850s (clogged PCVs, leaky oil seals, broken top motor mounts, milky emulsions on dipstick/oil cap, splits in CVs/steering rack gaiters, smoke on boost), and she's almost entirely rust free - including in behind the wings which is a really common spot for them.
Every time I drive her she puts a silly grin on my face. They almost seem like they have two personalities; keep the revs below 3000rpm and she'll just drive along serenly, exactly what you'd expect from a boxy Volvo estate....but then you drop your foot, take the revs up past 3000 and the whole car wakes up and just flies. I may have only come from a meagre Corolla but this thing feels properly quick when it gets going.
She's not without her faults, by any means. So far, the list of things not working and needing replacement includes:
- Saggy headliner...
- Rip in bolster...
- Rear exhaust mount has rusted away (only rust I could find, actually)...
- Heated seats don't seem to work...
- Cruise control doesn't work...
- All speakers on the N/S of the car don't work...
- Both front indicator lamps are cracked...
- Alloys are in dire need of a refurb...
- O/S/F door check strap needs adjustment
In the two days since I've had her, I done some work on her already. When I first viewed her she had been sitting for a couple of months and had a dead battery. Tried changing the battery but the dealer couldn't get past the immobiliser and said he'd give me a call when it was sorted. A few days later I went to view it, whilst a test drive revealed that it felt fairly sorted mechanically and had me giggling....so of course I ended up buying it.
When I got it home I discovered the central locking wasn't working, so my first port of call was to check the fuses. I found Fuse 6 (fuse for central locking) was missing. Plugged it back in and voila, the central locking worked again...but the car was immobilised. Right. Dealer hadn't fixed the issue at all then (wonder what other issues I'll come across). Anyway, I reset the immobliser by pulling Fuse 15 (remote central locking) followed by Fuse 6, and then replacing them in reverse order. So now I have both central locking and the immobiliser working, winner.
I also discovered the windscreen washers weren't working properly. Turned out there was a sizeable air bubble in the system....flushed that out and now they're working like a charm too. After sorting that I figured I'd better clean the interior which was decidedly dusty and had plenty dirt present....
Before:
After:
In terms of my plans for her....well, the list is ever growing but looks something like this atm:
Fixes:
- Headliner... Likely going to get it re-trimmed in a leatherette or similar for easy cleaning - if anyone has recommendations around the Chesterfield/Nottingham/Sheffield area please let me know.
- Fix the rip in the drivers seat - planning to just get the section repaired.
- Replace the broken rear exhaust mount.
- Fix the lack of audio on the N/S.
- Slowly work my way around auxilliaries like the heated seats/cruise control depending on how hard a fix they are... didn't have them in my last car so won't miss them if they don't work.
- Stage 0. A car with this many miles, despite a very full folder of service history and a full stamped book will no doubt benefit from a refresh of things like plugs, distributor cap, ignition leads, fuel filter, etc, and I'll slowly be working my way around those.
Modifications/Other:
- Alloys. The keen-eyed among you will have noticed these aren't the rims that she would have come from the factory with. So, I'm looking to replace them either with Columbas or Volans (both OEM on the 850 T5 wagon).
- Headunit. No CD player is my biggest gripe with the car, so Im tempted to swap in an aftermarket HU. The added Bluetooth would be nice too. I'd considered by an SC901 HU and swapping that in but they are going for almost the same price as an aftermarket double din so not sure about that. My only concern is that if I went double din I'd have to shave the HU mounting rails which would mean I'd be unable to refit an OEM HU in the future.
- Badges. Need to source some new badges for the rear as the ones on it have worn away on 3/4 wheels.
- Suspension: Dealer drove the car personally for a few months and replaced the suspension with what I believe are TA-Technix (spelling?) coilovers. I like the ride height and they certainly let her grip, but they're definitely a bit firm for the crappy roads we have on my commute. They'll probably get replaced by either Koni or Bilstein when funds allow.
- Touch-Up: Needs a good decon and machine polish and there are a few scuffs I'd like to get touched in.
So that's the plan for now, plug away at bits and pieces slowly and as funding allows. I can't justify big spends on her all at once as I've only just bought my first house 4 months ago which always requires some spending and I'm only a mere student! I'll get some more pictures up soon too, ones that do her some justice.
I've been eyeing these up for months now, and they've been on my dream car list since I was 7 and we were getting our 940 Turbo serviced at a Speeds dealership - they had a poster of the BTCC 850 on the wall and that was me hooked... of course that was powered by a very high strung version of the N/A 2.0 but the T5 was always the one I wanted.
Haven't had much of a chance to sort pictures out yet, and only got round to giving her a quick bath this evening before it got dark - better ones will be coming! But for now, introducing (a dirty) Ivy...
Mechanically she seems well sorted, displaying none of the symptoms linked to common issues with the 850s (clogged PCVs, leaky oil seals, broken top motor mounts, milky emulsions on dipstick/oil cap, splits in CVs/steering rack gaiters, smoke on boost), and she's almost entirely rust free - including in behind the wings which is a really common spot for them.
Every time I drive her she puts a silly grin on my face. They almost seem like they have two personalities; keep the revs below 3000rpm and she'll just drive along serenly, exactly what you'd expect from a boxy Volvo estate....but then you drop your foot, take the revs up past 3000 and the whole car wakes up and just flies. I may have only come from a meagre Corolla but this thing feels properly quick when it gets going.
She's not without her faults, by any means. So far, the list of things not working and needing replacement includes:
- Saggy headliner...
- Rip in bolster...
- Rear exhaust mount has rusted away (only rust I could find, actually)...
- Heated seats don't seem to work...
- Cruise control doesn't work...
- All speakers on the N/S of the car don't work...
- Both front indicator lamps are cracked...
- Alloys are in dire need of a refurb...
- O/S/F door check strap needs adjustment
In the two days since I've had her, I done some work on her already. When I first viewed her she had been sitting for a couple of months and had a dead battery. Tried changing the battery but the dealer couldn't get past the immobiliser and said he'd give me a call when it was sorted. A few days later I went to view it, whilst a test drive revealed that it felt fairly sorted mechanically and had me giggling....so of course I ended up buying it.
When I got it home I discovered the central locking wasn't working, so my first port of call was to check the fuses. I found Fuse 6 (fuse for central locking) was missing. Plugged it back in and voila, the central locking worked again...but the car was immobilised. Right. Dealer hadn't fixed the issue at all then (wonder what other issues I'll come across). Anyway, I reset the immobliser by pulling Fuse 15 (remote central locking) followed by Fuse 6, and then replacing them in reverse order. So now I have both central locking and the immobiliser working, winner.
I also discovered the windscreen washers weren't working properly. Turned out there was a sizeable air bubble in the system....flushed that out and now they're working like a charm too. After sorting that I figured I'd better clean the interior which was decidedly dusty and had plenty dirt present....
Before:
After:
In terms of my plans for her....well, the list is ever growing but looks something like this atm:
Fixes:
- Headliner... Likely going to get it re-trimmed in a leatherette or similar for easy cleaning - if anyone has recommendations around the Chesterfield/Nottingham/Sheffield area please let me know.
- Fix the rip in the drivers seat - planning to just get the section repaired.
- Replace the broken rear exhaust mount.
- Fix the lack of audio on the N/S.
- Slowly work my way around auxilliaries like the heated seats/cruise control depending on how hard a fix they are... didn't have them in my last car so won't miss them if they don't work.
- Stage 0. A car with this many miles, despite a very full folder of service history and a full stamped book will no doubt benefit from a refresh of things like plugs, distributor cap, ignition leads, fuel filter, etc, and I'll slowly be working my way around those.
Modifications/Other:
- Alloys. The keen-eyed among you will have noticed these aren't the rims that she would have come from the factory with. So, I'm looking to replace them either with Columbas or Volans (both OEM on the 850 T5 wagon).
- Headunit. No CD player is my biggest gripe with the car, so Im tempted to swap in an aftermarket HU. The added Bluetooth would be nice too. I'd considered by an SC901 HU and swapping that in but they are going for almost the same price as an aftermarket double din so not sure about that. My only concern is that if I went double din I'd have to shave the HU mounting rails which would mean I'd be unable to refit an OEM HU in the future.
- Badges. Need to source some new badges for the rear as the ones on it have worn away on 3/4 wheels.
- Suspension: Dealer drove the car personally for a few months and replaced the suspension with what I believe are TA-Technix (spelling?) coilovers. I like the ride height and they certainly let her grip, but they're definitely a bit firm for the crappy roads we have on my commute. They'll probably get replaced by either Koni or Bilstein when funds allow.
- Touch-Up: Needs a good decon and machine polish and there are a few scuffs I'd like to get touched in.
So that's the plan for now, plug away at bits and pieces slowly and as funding allows. I can't justify big spends on her all at once as I've only just bought my first house 4 months ago which always requires some spending and I'm only a mere student! I'll get some more pictures up soon too, ones that do her some justice.
Pictures will be coming, when the weather and daylight hours improve. At the minute I leave and arrive home in the dark, and when I do get back in daylight its peeing it down with rain... Turbo tip shed sounds about right too, she will definitely be a workhorse, and I do about 15-16k pa so this might get interesting...
Small update: Cruise control is now working - scratch that from the list! Having used it today I'm not sure it does much for fuel economy but certainly makes for a more relaxing drive and takes away worries of any speed cameras. Checked and reseated the fuse for it, checked the vacuum lines and the wiring into the cruise control relay and couldn't see any issues. So went on my commute and thought I'd just try it out again. Little bit of wiggling and turning it on/off and it kicked into life... I guess it was just a bit stiff from not being used in a while and the contacts needed a slight clean.
In celebration, have a few pictures in dull light and on my hideous drive (which will be getting a makeover shortly).
(This pic highlighted another bit of trim I need to source).
and the important (but filthy bit):
Lastly, something that caught me by surprise in the car park today. I know MINIs are far from that nowadays, but almost everything I park next to - including my old Corolla is noticeably taller than the old brick. The MINI is almost as wide as well!
In other news, the ABS light came on today. Dropped the dealer an email and he's agreed to look at it this Sat. I'm hoping that like with the P2 V70 my parents have its just going to the plastic collar on the ABS wire that got knocked/broken when the hub was replaced, rather than the ABS.TRAC ECU being shot - I'm now off to look for repair and replacement options in case its the latter.
Small update: Cruise control is now working - scratch that from the list! Having used it today I'm not sure it does much for fuel economy but certainly makes for a more relaxing drive and takes away worries of any speed cameras. Checked and reseated the fuse for it, checked the vacuum lines and the wiring into the cruise control relay and couldn't see any issues. So went on my commute and thought I'd just try it out again. Little bit of wiggling and turning it on/off and it kicked into life... I guess it was just a bit stiff from not being used in a while and the contacts needed a slight clean.
In celebration, have a few pictures in dull light and on my hideous drive (which will be getting a makeover shortly).
(This pic highlighted another bit of trim I need to source).
and the important (but filthy bit):
Lastly, something that caught me by surprise in the car park today. I know MINIs are far from that nowadays, but almost everything I park next to - including my old Corolla is noticeably taller than the old brick. The MINI is almost as wide as well!
In other news, the ABS light came on today. Dropped the dealer an email and he's agreed to look at it this Sat. I'm hoping that like with the P2 V70 my parents have its just going to the plastic collar on the ABS wire that got knocked/broken when the hub was replaced, rather than the ABS.TRAC ECU being shot - I'm now off to look for repair and replacement options in case its the latter.
Great info, thanks. Yeah, I'm quite certain it's the module. Will wait and see what dealer says, might even offer to replace it - though that is unlikely. I don't mind soldering, got a range of tutorials bookmarked for that already!
Regarding the wings, it's definitely something I want to do, just need to find the time and a good guide for removing them.
Don't suppose you know if the Haynes manuals for these are any good? Or can recommend somewhere to source parts?
Regarding the wings, it's definitely something I want to do, just need to find the time and a good guide for removing them.
Don't suppose you know if the Haynes manuals for these are any good? Or can recommend somewhere to source parts?
Some more minor updates.... namely getting the tracking sorted (£28, seems pretty reasonable. Wheels straight had the steering wheel at about 2 o'clock, and the toe was 4' on one side and 14' on the other. Clearly never got adjusted after getting new lower arms a while ago...)
Next up was new wipers front and rear, £20 - seems a good price to me. They were definitely needed too!
Then another £18 on some eBay mats, fit really well surprisingly, smarten the interior a tad too.
.
Next up was new wipers front and rear, £20 - seems a good price to me. They were definitely needed too!
Then another £18 on some eBay mats, fit really well surprisingly, smarten the interior a tad too.
.Managed to get home slightly early today, and was pleased to find the new indicator lamps I'd ordered (from Germany, on Tuesday at 11pm...) had arrived. Old ones were cracked, had algae growing in them, and were crazing over so wanted to sort those out..plus for £16 delivered for both it was hard to say no. Swapping them out was as simply as unclipping an S-shaped tensioned spring. Yep, that really was it... shocked me.
I've also contacted a guy breaking an 850 about the rear centre brake light cover that I'm missing and a replacement gaiter - we'll see what happens there. Cover is surprisingly irritating, actually, as there is a pin hole so when driving at night braking illuminates the whole rear interior.
Anyway, some pics:
Nastiness:
Shiny:
Installed:
I've also contacted a guy breaking an 850 about the rear centre brake light cover that I'm missing and a replacement gaiter - we'll see what happens there. Cover is surprisingly irritating, actually, as there is a pin hole so when driving at night braking illuminates the whole rear interior.
Anyway, some pics:
Nastiness:
Shiny:
Installed:
Yours looks fantastic! Love the colour on those Volans too, looks great.
Not much to report so far on Ivy. Just been driving it (550 miles since purchase so far, trotting up and down the M1). Performing great, lock is good - surprisingly easy to navigate the rather tight multi-storey car park that my uni rents out. Masses of glass everywhere make visibility amazing and its a cinch to park as a result. Cabin is nice and light as a bonus too. So far averaging 25mpg - which is a little low for one of these, and costing me about £75 a week in petrol. Still, I knew I'd be paying more for fuel when I got into this.
Beyond that, got a new rear exhaust hanger for £8.99 that will hopefully be fitted this weekend when there's some daylight. I've also ordered a new set of pads and discs for the rear (for the same price as a pads and discs all round cost on the old Corolla!
) as the o/s/r caliper has stuck. Also trying to chase down a better condition headliner, which is a massive ballache, and a few trim pieces I'm missing... most importantly the cover for the centre-mid brakelight as at the minute every time I brake at night light shoots into the cabin. Did not expect parts to be such a pain for these, I must say.
Is anyone able to recommend a good automotive re-trimmer in Sheffield/Chesterfield/Nottingham area?
Not much to report so far on Ivy. Just been driving it (550 miles since purchase so far, trotting up and down the M1). Performing great, lock is good - surprisingly easy to navigate the rather tight multi-storey car park that my uni rents out. Masses of glass everywhere make visibility amazing and its a cinch to park as a result. Cabin is nice and light as a bonus too. So far averaging 25mpg - which is a little low for one of these, and costing me about £75 a week in petrol. Still, I knew I'd be paying more for fuel when I got into this.
Beyond that, got a new rear exhaust hanger for £8.99 that will hopefully be fitted this weekend when there's some daylight. I've also ordered a new set of pads and discs for the rear (for the same price as a pads and discs all round cost on the old Corolla!
) as the o/s/r caliper has stuck. Also trying to chase down a better condition headliner, which is a massive ballache, and a few trim pieces I'm missing... most importantly the cover for the centre-mid brakelight as at the minute every time I brake at night light shoots into the cabin. Did not expect parts to be such a pain for these, I must say.Is anyone able to recommend a good automotive re-trimmer in Sheffield/Chesterfield/Nottingham area?
Thanks, and couldn't sgree more. Love the shape of the 7, 8, and 9 series Volvos. 2 series too, thinking about it.
Another minor update; graphite powder is the best. Lacking a working remotre fob (on the list, been investigated already - fob I have doesn't have matching immobiliser code, and won't be reprogrammed), I'm reliant on central locking by the key, which has until now been quite stiff and almost snapped my only key on a cold morning. £3.99 for 50g of graphite powder might just be the best £4 I spent, quick shot of that into both front locks and its almost unbelievably smooth, smoother even than the brand new door locks on my patio doors. Even worked wonders on the house locks. Fantastic stuff.
In slightly more exciting news, the gaiter trim piece has now arrived so I'll be fixing that soon. Better still, I've sourced a cover for the rear centre-high brake light and a headliner that isn't saggier than a wizards sleeve (its actually not saggy at all) from a chap breaking an 850 less than an hours drive from Pontsian - which is where my parents live and where I'll be for tomorrow and Saturday. £25 for both, which frankly is a stonking price imo. Hopefully that means shortly I'll have all the interior trim sorted, and the headliner amended - the two biggest gripes I have with the car at the moment. With a bit of luck I'll also find the time to put the new hanger on and sort the rear brakes.
Another minor update; graphite powder is the best. Lacking a working remotre fob (on the list, been investigated already - fob I have doesn't have matching immobiliser code, and won't be reprogrammed), I'm reliant on central locking by the key, which has until now been quite stiff and almost snapped my only key on a cold morning. £3.99 for 50g of graphite powder might just be the best £4 I spent, quick shot of that into both front locks and its almost unbelievably smooth, smoother even than the brand new door locks on my patio doors. Even worked wonders on the house locks. Fantastic stuff.
In slightly more exciting news, the gaiter trim piece has now arrived so I'll be fixing that soon. Better still, I've sourced a cover for the rear centre-high brake light and a headliner that isn't saggier than a wizards sleeve (its actually not saggy at all) from a chap breaking an 850 less than an hours drive from Pontsian - which is where my parents live and where I'll be for tomorrow and Saturday. £25 for both, which frankly is a stonking price imo. Hopefully that means shortly I'll have all the interior trim sorted, and the headliner amended - the two biggest gripes I have with the car at the moment. With a bit of luck I'll also find the time to put the new hanger on and sort the rear brakes.
Graphite powder is available on eBay or Amazon for cheap, or more expensively from a locksmith.
I just put the bottle on an angle and squirmed a small amount into the lock barrel. After that just run your key in and out and cycle the lock a few times to distribute the powder and voila.
Barchettaman is also spot on for a cheaper still option.
Drove from Chesterfield to Pontsian last night, A44, Devils Bridge and the A487 are some of my favourite roads and I'm shocked at how well the 850 handles and grips. Feels like a much smaller car and there wasn't a hint of understeer despite pushing on a bit. Thoroughly impressed and found it highly enjoyable.
I just put the bottle on an angle and squirmed a small amount into the lock barrel. After that just run your key in and out and cycle the lock a few times to distribute the powder and voila.
Barchettaman is also spot on for a cheaper still option.
Drove from Chesterfield to Pontsian last night, A44, Devils Bridge and the A487 are some of my favourite roads and I'm shocked at how well the 850 handles and grips. Feels like a much smaller car and there wasn't a hint of understeer despite pushing on a bit. Thoroughly impressed and found it highly enjoyable.
More progress, and more miles! 500 covered this weekend, all flawlessly and with a much better 33mpg average - despite having a lot of fun on the A487 and A44.
Managed to collect a headliner from a guy relatively close to my parents house and get that fitted. 2 hour job in total, including obsessively cleaning each trim piece from its rather disgusting former self into something somewhat respectable. Only broke 1 of around 40 clips too, which was a locator clip and not one that held-on - so no rattles!
Grimm...:
Tolerable:
Makes such a difference, interior is much lighter, smell is much better (ex-smokers car
), and there's more light as half the windows aren't covered!
Unfortunately the breaker snapped a few too many pins from the centre-mid brake light cover so that doesn't fit, but he's going to send me a different one in the coming days. Awfully nice of him.
Beyond that I also managed to sort my exhaust hanger out, old one was in pieces - and I do mean pieces...
Fewer rattles and vibrations all round now.
I also found the missing trim piece, bit of an odd story there. When I first vacuumed the car I found lots of broken plastic beneath the rear bench; one of which I now recognise as the centre-mid brake light cover, and the other looked like some vents.
At the time I couldn't see any trim that it correlated too, but it had Volvo stamped on it so I chucked it in the shed in case. I promptly forgot about it, and so when I noticed the front tow-hook trim was missing I failed to make the connection. Anyway, when hunting for a 13mm socket today I stumbled across the trim and it dawned on me, leading to a complete front end:
Noticed the trim beneath the headlights is starting to come away from the wings, which might be why the indicator lamps looked like they weren't seated properly!
Lastly, quick picture of my Dad's P2 V70 (the one that can't do a u-turn on a football field, but also my favourite modern estate looks wise) behind Ivy at their place.
Oh, and Dad also managed to 'fix' the speakers... Turns out the balance was just set to the front right, and I couldn't figure out where the balance controls were. Luckily it was the same as the 940s we used to have so he promptly sorted it within about 10 seconds of turning the radio on, and without me even mentioning that I suspected the speakers were dead.
Managed to collect a headliner from a guy relatively close to my parents house and get that fitted. 2 hour job in total, including obsessively cleaning each trim piece from its rather disgusting former self into something somewhat respectable. Only broke 1 of around 40 clips too, which was a locator clip and not one that held-on - so no rattles!
Grimm...:
Tolerable:
Makes such a difference, interior is much lighter, smell is much better (ex-smokers car
), and there's more light as half the windows aren't covered!Unfortunately the breaker snapped a few too many pins from the centre-mid brake light cover so that doesn't fit, but he's going to send me a different one in the coming days. Awfully nice of him.
Beyond that I also managed to sort my exhaust hanger out, old one was in pieces - and I do mean pieces...
Fewer rattles and vibrations all round now.
I also found the missing trim piece, bit of an odd story there. When I first vacuumed the car I found lots of broken plastic beneath the rear bench; one of which I now recognise as the centre-mid brake light cover, and the other looked like some vents.
At the time I couldn't see any trim that it correlated too, but it had Volvo stamped on it so I chucked it in the shed in case. I promptly forgot about it, and so when I noticed the front tow-hook trim was missing I failed to make the connection. Anyway, when hunting for a 13mm socket today I stumbled across the trim and it dawned on me, leading to a complete front end:
Noticed the trim beneath the headlights is starting to come away from the wings, which might be why the indicator lamps looked like they weren't seated properly!
Lastly, quick picture of my Dad's P2 V70 (the one that can't do a u-turn on a football field, but also my favourite modern estate looks wise) behind Ivy at their place.
Oh, and Dad also managed to 'fix' the speakers... Turns out the balance was just set to the front right, and I couldn't figure out where the balance controls were. Luckily it was the same as the 940s we used to have so he promptly sorted it within about 10 seconds of turning the radio on, and without me even mentioning that I suspected the speakers were dead.
Edited by Cookeh on Sunday 18th February 16:14
Not much to report, up to a total of 1200 miles so far. Not bad for a car that sat for 6 months prior. I do have a seized o/s/r caliper, which I've ordered the part for - but oddly doesn't seem to affect breaking, no pulling or anything like that.
I did decide to do something about the boot though. Previous owner used it for its intended purpose but didn't put any protection down... It was a mess, oil spill at some point, mud from bikes, lube and grease marks from chain rings etc. Got it sorted in about forty minutes all told.
Some befores:
Oil spill?
Chain rings:
50/50 shot, as you cant clean something without a 50/50 shot...:
That oil spill:
And its completed state:
I did decide to do something about the boot though. Previous owner used it for its intended purpose but didn't put any protection down... It was a mess, oil spill at some point, mud from bikes, lube and grease marks from chain rings etc. Got it sorted in about forty minutes all told.
Some befores:
Oil spill?
Chain rings:
50/50 shot, as you cant clean something without a 50/50 shot...:
That oil spill:
And its completed state:
Cleaned it today, and did something about the very faded trim. Found some Autoglym Bumper and Trim Gel in the back of the shed, but despite it being very easy to apply and having a nice matte finish I wouldn't recommend it. Coverage is far from universal, looking patchy all over and it doesn't have the greatest restorative effects, also took about a third of the bottle in 2 coats to get to this stage, so not particularly cheap either!
Paint isn't in bad condition for its age, few larger scratches here and there that will need touching up, but swirling isn't too bad so should be pretty ok to correct. Waiting for the weather to improve before breaking the DA out and waxing her properly.
Paint isn't in bad condition for its age, few larger scratches here and there that will need touching up, but swirling isn't too bad so should be pretty ok to correct. Waiting for the weather to improve before breaking the DA out and waxing her properly.
2000 miles review/recap:
After just under six weeks of ownership I've now competed 2000 miles in the brick. Absolutely loving it. I think I mentioned before that it feels almost bipolar, it can be such a calm and relaxing drive with big comfy seats, excellent ergonomics and that muted beast of an engine producing max torque from 2000rpm to 5000rpm. I've done four 5hr drives now without stops and it never feels tiring. But then if you find a fast A-road, like the last (or first on the return journey) 2.5hrs of those four drives, and open the throttle its like you're in a different car.
The throttle is nice and responsive, gearbox is crisp with quite a short throw, and if you keep it on boost she really shifts. I do believe the 0-60 time, whilst not 'slow', doesn't fairly represent just how quick these cars are. That same muted engine has that fantastic 5cyl growl to it towards the upper end of the rev range that becomes quite addictive, almost urging you to keep pushing on and push it that bit harder.
The handling is great, turn is in nice and I like the weight to the steering - light enough to make multistory car parks easy, but heavy enough to feel connected to the road. Even on the horridly cheap and under-damped coilovers some moron thought were a sensible option she still corners nice and flat and I haven't yet found her lacking grip through the corners (perhaps I need to try harder!). That's not to say she isn't lairy, I can still get wheelspin in third in the damp, so some better tyres are definitely on the list.... She's on Avon ZT7s at the minute.
I'm averaging 30.1mpg across that 2000miles so far, which isn't terrible, especially given more than 500 miles of that has been the aforementioned fast A-roads, and 7 miles of my 30 mile daily commute is in Sheffield's A630 and city centre parking lots.
Beyond that, I decided it might be interesting to look at how much I've spent on her so far - especially given both o/s calipers have partially seized, requiring £250s worth of caliper, disks and pads to be bought. Weirdly no advisories on the MOT, so clearly the inner pads (just the outers on both not working) provides enough braking efficiency and there is no pull.
Volvo 850 T5 Costs
Purchase (inc sale of old) ... 600.00
Indicator lamps .................. 16.47
Wipers ............................... 18.03
Interior mats ...................... 17.99
Tracking ............................ 28.00
Exhaust hanger ................ 8.99
Headliner .......................... 20.00
Full + Stage 0 service ...... 367.42
Air con regas .................... 45.00
N/S/F caliper .................... 70.68
N/S/R caliper .................... 54.95
Rear disks ........................ 50.98
Rear pads ........................ 17.99
Rear guide pins ................ 7.59
Total 1324.09
Not the cheapest 2 months, but considering I was originally budgeting £2000 for a new car I'm doing fairly well. Brakes shouldn't be a yearly affair either (at least I hope not!), and service prices should be lower and also fall into 1 a year (ish). I will need new tyres at some point, so that will probably be around £320, and I'm planning on refurbishing the drivers seat (£100), if I can't find a manual set of seats from a P2 V70 first.
Lastly, a quick pic because you cant simply post a wall of text...
After just under six weeks of ownership I've now competed 2000 miles in the brick. Absolutely loving it. I think I mentioned before that it feels almost bipolar, it can be such a calm and relaxing drive with big comfy seats, excellent ergonomics and that muted beast of an engine producing max torque from 2000rpm to 5000rpm. I've done four 5hr drives now without stops and it never feels tiring. But then if you find a fast A-road, like the last (or first on the return journey) 2.5hrs of those four drives, and open the throttle its like you're in a different car.
The throttle is nice and responsive, gearbox is crisp with quite a short throw, and if you keep it on boost she really shifts. I do believe the 0-60 time, whilst not 'slow', doesn't fairly represent just how quick these cars are. That same muted engine has that fantastic 5cyl growl to it towards the upper end of the rev range that becomes quite addictive, almost urging you to keep pushing on and push it that bit harder.
The handling is great, turn is in nice and I like the weight to the steering - light enough to make multistory car parks easy, but heavy enough to feel connected to the road. Even on the horridly cheap and under-damped coilovers some moron thought were a sensible option she still corners nice and flat and I haven't yet found her lacking grip through the corners (perhaps I need to try harder!). That's not to say she isn't lairy, I can still get wheelspin in third in the damp, so some better tyres are definitely on the list.... She's on Avon ZT7s at the minute.
I'm averaging 30.1mpg across that 2000miles so far, which isn't terrible, especially given more than 500 miles of that has been the aforementioned fast A-roads, and 7 miles of my 30 mile daily commute is in Sheffield's A630 and city centre parking lots.
Beyond that, I decided it might be interesting to look at how much I've spent on her so far - especially given both o/s calipers have partially seized, requiring £250s worth of caliper, disks and pads to be bought. Weirdly no advisories on the MOT, so clearly the inner pads (just the outers on both not working) provides enough braking efficiency and there is no pull.
Volvo 850 T5 Costs
Purchase (inc sale of old) ... 600.00
Indicator lamps .................. 16.47
Wipers ............................... 18.03
Interior mats ...................... 17.99
Tracking ............................ 28.00
Exhaust hanger ................ 8.99
Headliner .......................... 20.00
Full + Stage 0 service ...... 367.42
Air con regas .................... 45.00
N/S/F caliper .................... 70.68
N/S/R caliper .................... 54.95
Rear disks ........................ 50.98
Rear pads ........................ 17.99
Rear guide pins ................ 7.59
Total 1324.09
Not the cheapest 2 months, but considering I was originally budgeting £2000 for a new car I'm doing fairly well. Brakes shouldn't be a yearly affair either (at least I hope not!), and service prices should be lower and also fall into 1 a year (ish). I will need new tyres at some point, so that will probably be around £320, and I'm planning on refurbishing the drivers seat (£100), if I can't find a manual set of seats from a P2 V70 first.
Lastly, a quick pic because you cant simply post a wall of text...
Fixed two of my largest grievances with the interior today. Firstly, the unceasing rattle of the barely usable glovebox lid. Missing screws in the RHS hinge meant the lid flopped around and wouldnt align properly with the catch. It also meant the hinge was free to vibrate at will - which it did, endlessly.
Easy enough fix, just had to pop the plastic guides out of the lid (took a lot of effort as no space to lever it on the RHS), but then its just 5 T25 Torx screws and the glove box liner comes out, giving you access to heater blower/various wiring and the all import hinges. Popped a short T30 screw into the hinge hole and voila, lid fixed.
Next up was the gaiter. As you may have seen from early pictures the trim piece had broken and and so the gaiter was not held in place - moving with the gear changes and leaving the shaft of the gearstick and the bushings free to see. Naturally this also rattled.
(Old pic, from collection day... My cars are never that dirty!)
Even easier to fix, just requiring a bit of superglue and a new trim piece (from a breaker car). Simply remove the broken trim, slide the new trim over the knob, and slot the rubber gaiter into it. Then just pop the leather cover over the trim, using the clips to secure it in place and add a bit of glue on each corner to keep it nice and tight. Then just press the trim into place. Voila, no more rattles, no more dirt in the bushings, and no more trans tunnels/hardware sightings!
Easy enough fix, just had to pop the plastic guides out of the lid (took a lot of effort as no space to lever it on the RHS), but then its just 5 T25 Torx screws and the glove box liner comes out, giving you access to heater blower/various wiring and the all import hinges. Popped a short T30 screw into the hinge hole and voila, lid fixed.
Next up was the gaiter. As you may have seen from early pictures the trim piece had broken and and so the gaiter was not held in place - moving with the gear changes and leaving the shaft of the gearstick and the bushings free to see. Naturally this also rattled.
(Old pic, from collection day... My cars are never that dirty!)
Even easier to fix, just requiring a bit of superglue and a new trim piece (from a breaker car). Simply remove the broken trim, slide the new trim over the knob, and slot the rubber gaiter into it. Then just pop the leather cover over the trim, using the clips to secure it in place and add a bit of glue on each corner to keep it nice and tight. Then just press the trim into place. Voila, no more rattles, no more dirt in the bushings, and no more trans tunnels/hardware sightings!
Thanks chaps, certainly no chavvy or engine mods planned just yet - not when I rely on it for 16k a year! At best it will get a new headunit, perhaps a (quiet) stainless exhaust as that I5 really does sound great.
Slightly larger update today.
Finally got around to sorting out both o/s seized calipers. The o/s/f was a doddle, all the bolts came off cleanly and easy, including the brake line. Swapping the new part in went equally smoothly, so now that's all nice and shiny.
aaaand the old one, with a knackered seal and some heavy corrosion on the inner sides:
Brimming with confidence due to the ease of the front one, I moved onto the rear. Same ease of removal with regards to disc and caliper, but I could not get the brake line undone for love nor money. Mole grips, adjustable spanners, flare nut spanners, all just rounded. Applied as much heat as I dared (was fearful of boiling the fluid), that made no difference. Even tried hammering a slightly smaller size flare nut spanner onto the nut to try and get some bite, still fruitless.
Given the rear line is solid from swingarm back I knew at this point I was pretty much committed to getting a new line made. Gave in, and took it to my local HiQ - where the manager is a huge Volvo fan (he has a P80 V70 on upwards of 250k as a daily), and asked them to get the brake line out. 20 mins later, they had also given up and just cut the line off. As it turns out an utter muppet had used a brass fitting for the brake line at some point which was the cause of all our issues. New brake line made up, with a steel fitting, and I was ready to go.
Here's the state of the old caliper, and the brass fitting which was heavily torched in an attempt to loosen it by HiQ. Again, knackered seals seem to be the main cause of death.
I will say that the £7 eBay jobbie I bought to allow me to bleed the brakes myself was a fantastic purchase, being exceptionally easy to use.
At some point in the not too distant past, my radiator grill was broken, which took the bonnet latch with it, and the emblem too. Finding a new grill wasn't exactly problematic, with a couple of sites stocking remakes. Unfortunately, I chose to buy from autodoc/one of their umbrella websites. This means the 1-2 day delivery I paid for took 3 weeks, and I experience the worst customer service I've ever had the dismay of dealing with.
PR NOTE: NEVER BUY FROM THESE CLOWNS, ESPECIALLY NOT ON A DEADLINE. It might all be perfectly fine, but if it goes wrong it will do so in a big way and very hard to sort.
Next up was the hunt for the latch, new parts are utterly unavailable here in the UK - ipdusa has a few remanufactures available but charge £75 plus shipping so that was a no go. Thankfully I found a breaker within 1 day of searching, for £18 inc next day delivery.
Given how easy finding a grill and latch was, how hard could it be to find an emblem? Well, seemingly impossible, as it took those full three weeks for me to find one. 3 weeks of searching and the only thing I could find was from a breaker, complete with a missing part on the 'iron cross' and two of the four pins snapped. Oh well, I'll have to take what I can get.
Fitting the grill was nice and easy, just six plastic clips (@£3 each, for something 5mm by 10mm) that slide onto the backside of six corresponding pins on the rear of the grill, which left me with this.
Even the blindest amongst you may notice that there are some zipties poking through. Yes, that was the solution to the latch being broken, and enabled me to be able to open my bonnet whilst the new latch arrived.
The new latch was a matter of two 10mm bolts, and popping the lever through the opening in the grill. Easy peasy. Of course, me being me, and even with it being a part that never gets seen, I couldn't possibly put it on the car in the state it arrived in:
Crusty... 15 mins later, after liberal application of degreaser, toothbrush, and a rotary tool with a grinding disc, we have this:
Which was given a shot of WD40 to force any water and crap out, dried and oiled, then installed.
Onto the emblem then... this also arrived in a less than clean state, and was quickly tidied as best as possible for a 24 year old stone chipped part:
I managed to salvage the missing black piece from my old snapped emblem too, and used some adhesive to get that back in:
Just waiting on that to dry fully before I pop it back onto the car. Given its missing two securing pins (on either corner of the 'iron cross', annoyingly, I'm not sure yet how best to mount in. I'm loathe to superglue it as the thought of getting another new grill and dealing with 3 weeks of delays doesn't appeal to me, but then double-sided adhesive wouldn't allow it to sit flush, so some more thinking to be done there.
I also had Ivy in the bodyshop to pull out the dented grill surround that occurred when the grill was broken, as well as a bonnet respray and a touch up of a scuff. Top marks to Steve at Karmagik in Chesterfield who was extremely enthusiastic about the car and work from start to finish and did a remarkable job despite a rather tight time-frame. Highly recommended indeed.
Hasn't stopped raining in three days now, so no pictures of the car, but the second the weather improves I'll get some.
Slightly larger update today.
Finally got around to sorting out both o/s seized calipers. The o/s/f was a doddle, all the bolts came off cleanly and easy, including the brake line. Swapping the new part in went equally smoothly, so now that's all nice and shiny.
aaaand the old one, with a knackered seal and some heavy corrosion on the inner sides:
Brimming with confidence due to the ease of the front one, I moved onto the rear. Same ease of removal with regards to disc and caliper, but I could not get the brake line undone for love nor money. Mole grips, adjustable spanners, flare nut spanners, all just rounded. Applied as much heat as I dared (was fearful of boiling the fluid), that made no difference. Even tried hammering a slightly smaller size flare nut spanner onto the nut to try and get some bite, still fruitless.
Given the rear line is solid from swingarm back I knew at this point I was pretty much committed to getting a new line made. Gave in, and took it to my local HiQ - where the manager is a huge Volvo fan (he has a P80 V70 on upwards of 250k as a daily), and asked them to get the brake line out. 20 mins later, they had also given up and just cut the line off. As it turns out an utter muppet had used a brass fitting for the brake line at some point which was the cause of all our issues. New brake line made up, with a steel fitting, and I was ready to go.
Here's the state of the old caliper, and the brass fitting which was heavily torched in an attempt to loosen it by HiQ. Again, knackered seals seem to be the main cause of death.
I will say that the £7 eBay jobbie I bought to allow me to bleed the brakes myself was a fantastic purchase, being exceptionally easy to use.
At some point in the not too distant past, my radiator grill was broken, which took the bonnet latch with it, and the emblem too. Finding a new grill wasn't exactly problematic, with a couple of sites stocking remakes. Unfortunately, I chose to buy from autodoc/one of their umbrella websites. This means the 1-2 day delivery I paid for took 3 weeks, and I experience the worst customer service I've ever had the dismay of dealing with.
PR NOTE: NEVER BUY FROM THESE CLOWNS, ESPECIALLY NOT ON A DEADLINE. It might all be perfectly fine, but if it goes wrong it will do so in a big way and very hard to sort.
Next up was the hunt for the latch, new parts are utterly unavailable here in the UK - ipdusa has a few remanufactures available but charge £75 plus shipping so that was a no go. Thankfully I found a breaker within 1 day of searching, for £18 inc next day delivery.
Given how easy finding a grill and latch was, how hard could it be to find an emblem? Well, seemingly impossible, as it took those full three weeks for me to find one. 3 weeks of searching and the only thing I could find was from a breaker, complete with a missing part on the 'iron cross' and two of the four pins snapped. Oh well, I'll have to take what I can get.
Fitting the grill was nice and easy, just six plastic clips (@£3 each, for something 5mm by 10mm) that slide onto the backside of six corresponding pins on the rear of the grill, which left me with this.
Even the blindest amongst you may notice that there are some zipties poking through. Yes, that was the solution to the latch being broken, and enabled me to be able to open my bonnet whilst the new latch arrived.
The new latch was a matter of two 10mm bolts, and popping the lever through the opening in the grill. Easy peasy. Of course, me being me, and even with it being a part that never gets seen, I couldn't possibly put it on the car in the state it arrived in:
Crusty... 15 mins later, after liberal application of degreaser, toothbrush, and a rotary tool with a grinding disc, we have this:
Which was given a shot of WD40 to force any water and crap out, dried and oiled, then installed.
Onto the emblem then... this also arrived in a less than clean state, and was quickly tidied as best as possible for a 24 year old stone chipped part:
I managed to salvage the missing black piece from my old snapped emblem too, and used some adhesive to get that back in:
Just waiting on that to dry fully before I pop it back onto the car. Given its missing two securing pins (on either corner of the 'iron cross', annoyingly, I'm not sure yet how best to mount in. I'm loathe to superglue it as the thought of getting another new grill and dealing with 3 weeks of delays doesn't appeal to me, but then double-sided adhesive wouldn't allow it to sit flush, so some more thinking to be done there.
I also had Ivy in the bodyshop to pull out the dented grill surround that occurred when the grill was broken, as well as a bonnet respray and a touch up of a scuff. Top marks to Steve at Karmagik in Chesterfield who was extremely enthusiastic about the car and work from start to finish and did a remarkable job despite a rather tight time-frame. Highly recommended indeed.
Hasn't stopped raining in three days now, so no pictures of the car, but the second the weather improves I'll get some.
Edited by Cookeh on Wednesday 11th April 18:15
Snazzyjake said:
Loving your work so far buddy! Love the car too (although I may be biased as I've got an 850r). 
Its refreshing to see someone spending time and effort sorting out the small niggles/details on an old car like this. Great work on the grille by the way, looks so much better than before .
Thanks, love it to pieces! Told myself I have to keep it for at least the next 2-3 years, if not longer.Its refreshing to see someone spending time and effort sorting out the small niggles/details on an old car like this. Great work on the grille by the way, looks so much better than before .
dannyDC2 said:
How is it for rattles? That's something I'm constantly chasing too. Every time I fix one, another is exposed... pretty annoying, coming from German daily drivers, I'm not used to this
I had one rattle from the broken glovebox hinge, one from the broken gaiter trim, and I have one more from a broken speaker cover in the trunk (missing a mounting tab). The former two are gone, and the trunk one can't always be heard but will be very easy to fix.You have to bear in mind that even the youngest P80 V70 will be 18 years old now, with the oldest being 22. Plastics can become brittle and tabs can break. I'd suggest to just be very careful in removal of plastic pieces and also to use a good trim restorer/protectant regularly to stop any more UV damage/brittleness from materialising.
dannyDC2 said:
Love the sound of the T5 though, but aren't they juicy. Mine's averaging around 20mpg, lowest tank recorded was 16mpg, best was 33 (on a run to Norfolk!).
Agreed, love the sound. They're not mega-economical but they should be better than that. I'm averaging 30mpg over the 3000miles I've done so far, most of that being daily commute with 17 miles of motorway and 9 miles of slow moving and/or stop-start traffic each way. I've seen 36 on a run to West Wales.I'd suggest a stage 0 service, so plugs, distributor cap, ignition wires, rotor arm and fuel filter. Parts should come in less than £100 and take about an hour and a half to fit if you're used to working on cars. Made a noticeable difference to my fuel economy, and how the car ran in general. The B5234T engines do benefit greatly from staying on top of these parts.
dannyDC2 said:
Can I ask your methods on cleaning up the rear boot carpet? Mines had a cover on so is pretty fresh, but would be nice to give it a freshen up too. I quite like the 'Wembley Stadium' effect you've gone for 
Halfords Upholstery Cleaner (£5, best car cleaning purchase you'll ever make, I can promise you that), a £1 stiff bristle brush, some microfibres, and (optional) a vacuum. Oh, and about 20mins of elbow grease.Spray the cleaner onto the dirt/stain (whole boot in my case), leave it to dwell for a minute or two then attack it with the brush. I found a criss-cross pattern to be easier than circular motions. You can then use the vacuum to suck up the majority of the dampness, though it shouldnt be too wet, and then a microfibre to soak up the remains. 'Stadium' effect is just done by a carpet attachment and brushing to nap in different directions.
Sorted another little niggle (or two) today... Firstly, the rear wiper. Its old position meant that at the 'bottom' of its wipe it was practically off the glass, and the 'top' ended about one third of the way up the other side - quite noticeable when driving at night as it obscured more than you would think.
Removal was easy, just pop the plastic cover back, undo the 12mm bolt and pull the wiper arm off the spline. Now, if you're sad like me, that gives you the chance to clean the threads of the bolt and spline, as well as cleaning the backside of the arm. Then you simply adjust the position on the spline until you're happy with it. Might adjust is further at a later date and see if I can get it to a bit flatter, but for now its miles better.
Please excuse the selfies, couldn't avoid them
Next, I'd noticed in a picture in this very thread that there seemed to be a bit of high point with regards to the front bumper, being much closer to the bottom of the grill surround in one place. Decided to investigate this and found that there was indeed a high spot, being caused by the bumper sitting on top of the screw it should have been under...
One T20 Torx and ten seconds later, we had a properly positioned front bumper:
(Incidentally, there's a picture of the front grill and emblem for you, all installed after the last update).
After that, whilst looking for an excuse to stay out in the sun a bit longer - after a week of rain - I decided to clean my shuts and do a quick interior detail, something I'd normally do during my maintenance washes... I took it a step further this time though.
Before... This was hit with some diluted Megs APC (1:20) and brushed off, before being treated to a waterless wash with normal car shampoo.
After drying, I was left with this... Clean, but definitely showing its age.
Spent about 10 mins per shut with some Ultimate Compound and a microfibre applicator just to try and restore some sort of gloss and take out some of the finer scratches. As sad as it is, I'd quite like to get an extension bar and some 1" backing plates/pads to give them a proper machine polish. I finished them off with a quick sealant application, just to make cleaning them in the maintenance washes that bit easier. Fairly pleased with the outcome.
Quick vacuum, dust-down and application of some Vinyl and Rubber Care on the dash and seals, and we left it at this:
Exterior is covered in dust from the bodyshop and dirt from the 380 miles its done in the rain since collection, so it would be nice to wash her tomorrow - weather permitting. Exterior trim definitely needs another treatment again too.
Removal was easy, just pop the plastic cover back, undo the 12mm bolt and pull the wiper arm off the spline. Now, if you're sad like me, that gives you the chance to clean the threads of the bolt and spline, as well as cleaning the backside of the arm. Then you simply adjust the position on the spline until you're happy with it. Might adjust is further at a later date and see if I can get it to a bit flatter, but for now its miles better.
Please excuse the selfies, couldn't avoid them
Next, I'd noticed in a picture in this very thread that there seemed to be a bit of high point with regards to the front bumper, being much closer to the bottom of the grill surround in one place. Decided to investigate this and found that there was indeed a high spot, being caused by the bumper sitting on top of the screw it should have been under...
One T20 Torx and ten seconds later, we had a properly positioned front bumper:
(Incidentally, there's a picture of the front grill and emblem for you, all installed after the last update).
After that, whilst looking for an excuse to stay out in the sun a bit longer - after a week of rain - I decided to clean my shuts and do a quick interior detail, something I'd normally do during my maintenance washes... I took it a step further this time though.
Before... This was hit with some diluted Megs APC (1:20) and brushed off, before being treated to a waterless wash with normal car shampoo.
After drying, I was left with this... Clean, but definitely showing its age.
Spent about 10 mins per shut with some Ultimate Compound and a microfibre applicator just to try and restore some sort of gloss and take out some of the finer scratches. As sad as it is, I'd quite like to get an extension bar and some 1" backing plates/pads to give them a proper machine polish. I finished them off with a quick sealant application, just to make cleaning them in the maintenance washes that bit easier. Fairly pleased with the outcome.
Quick vacuum, dust-down and application of some Vinyl and Rubber Care on the dash and seals, and we left it at this:
Exterior is covered in dust from the bodyshop and dirt from the 380 miles its done in the rain since collection, so it would be nice to wash her tomorrow - weather permitting. Exterior trim definitely needs another treatment again too.
Cambs_Stuart said:
Really enjoying this thread! Keep up the good work.
Only issue now is that I keep looking at T5's on ebay...
Only issue now is that I keep looking at T5's on ebay...
seiben said:
Good work there! I bought a sheddy, sub-£500 V70 last year for tip run and general winter duties, but it's been so blimmin' good I've been practically using it daily. Something like this as an upgrade (mine's the dead slow 140bhp petrol lump) is pretty tempting... 
Do it, both of you! They really are fantastic and absolutely deserve to be saved from the scrap heap. Rust isn't really an issue with this (some get some rot in the wings) and with good maintenance they certainly do reach some mega-miles. Decent ones in lower specs or less desirable trims (like the beige interior) can be had for around a grand making man-maths very easy indeed.On the project front, I paid a chap £24 and received some scrap paper a few days later...
Felt almost like Christmas (in fact, I got more presents here than I did then, thinking about it...)
So, we have: front tow hook cover (was missing), dog guard mounts (were missing), forward dog guard mounts that bolt over grab handles (I currently have reading lights instead, its one or the other but this gives me the chance to swap them out when Im carrying loads versus carrying passengers...its only one bolt to swap), Guard II Alarm System relay (mine is borked, hence no remote central locking and no working alarm - but immobiliser still works), and a spare remote fob.
By now I'm sure you know I couldn't simply install the parts. No no no, far too easy. First I had to
. For the record, magic erasers are great for getting ink/transfer/very-ingrained dirt out of plastic trim.
Rear ones mounted:
Front tow hook cover:
Then I had the pleasure of swapping the relays. Nothing challenging at first glance. Simply unscrew 3x T20 torx screws to remove the lower steering column trim panel, pull the old one out and plug the new one in - making sure to plug in the alarm system into the top of the relay too. In reality, the relays are located up beneath the dash, tucked to the right of the steering column, conveniently covered by the mass of wiring from the relays and dash. This didn't make the process harder, just gaining access. Once I'd assumed the crab position, with my back being forcibly arched by the sills it took 30 seconds to sort.
Little black box trying to hide away from view, clearly very shy.
Once I'd removed the lower trim panel I'd noticed some cracking from where the plastic had become brittle and someone had applied slightly too much torque and pressure when tightening the bolts. I couldn't leave it like this, so I grabbed some polycement and some modelling putty and tried to fill them in. I wasn't going for any sort of neatness (he says, having spent 10 mins prior to this cleaning the panel's interior and exterior faces), just to try and add some structural support to the piece.
Got it installed being very careful tightening the bolts and didn't hear any cracks or see any flexing so fingers crossed. After that I got the new fob programmed to the new relay, which went without a hitch. Unfortunately this didn't ring true for my original fob which wouldn't program to this relay in the same way it wouldn't program to the rear one. With the newer one working and having much better condition buttons, but my original one having a better case I am rather tempted to try and swap the internals of the new one into the original one to make one 'okay' condition fob... For this to happen though, I would need to figure out how to separate the case as its not a screw affair like the two other cases I've encountered in my short automotive life.
I also managed to find some OE Volvo 850 roofbars, which I snapped up for £42 delivered.
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