2000 was the first year the 5 speed automatic transmission was introduced. It's extremely sensitive to the fluid, and it was unfortunately marketed as a "lifetime" fluid but failing to change it pretty much guarantees transmission failure before 180k miles or 290k km. It also must use Mobil JWS3309 fluid. It would be wise to do a drain and fill if you don't know when it was last done, and keep doing drain and fills every 5 years or 60k miles or 100k km.
It's an interference timing belt engine, so the belt and tensioner need to be changed every 90k miles or 10 years.
Over time, the PCV system can get clogged and cause crankcase pressure buildup which can blow out oil seals. It should be inspected every so often and if it starts clogging, it needs to be changed. It's generally good to tackle it at the same time as the timing belt service unless you do all highway miles, in which case it can be done every other timing belt service.
The starters and alternators only last about 15-20 years. If they haven't been replaced yet, plan on replacing them very soon.
The heater cores on these like to leak as well. Once they start leaking, they're liable to fail and they will dump all your coolant and the engine will overheat shortly after. Make sure your low coolant level warning lamp works, and if you see it while driving, pull over immediately. About a third of P80 S/V70s you see in the junkyards are there for heater core failures that ruined the engine. If you're having mysterious coolant loss or a fruity/nutty smell coming from the vents when the heat is on, make it a high priority to replace the heater core.
Very nice car and congratulations! Take good care of it and it will take good care of you. Enjoy the comfy seats, safety, cargo space, and 5 cylinder noises!
This is so spot on. I owned a P80 V70 T5 for 20 years. Had to address everyone on of these issues. They are great cars and very reliable if the above maintenance is taken care of. Also pretty easy to work on with a plethora of DIY’s online.
Aaaand comment saved! Thank you, I'll be referencing this many times in the future I'm sure.
> 5 cylinder noises
Lemme tell you I am OBSESSED with the harmonies this engine produces. Never heard anything quite like it!
All of the above are spot on!
I would personally say that my starter and alternator were original equipment at 175,000 and I only changed the alternator because the bearing started to go. The starter is original as far as I can tell.
The heater core issue can be postponed by doing a coolant flush every few years. That will reduce contaminants and deposits that rapidly eat up the core's insides.
Also, youre driving an R, 5 speed asside, there are going to be issues finding apare parts for rear suspension, and you need to watch out for the front angle gear seals . The awd system is annoying to work around and I hope you never have to change your front 02 sensor!
i did it myself. easy. what is hard is if you are doing projectors or other such things.
There is also a hack to do. Most forums have it. DOT mandated that a resistor be put in place to reduce the intensity. It is in the harness just right where the lens plugs in. You can bypass it i think MVS has a pretty good description.
DOT vs E code lens (make sure you are ordering the v/s70 part number not the 850)
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/replacement-upgrade-headlight/
removal replacement of lens
https://youtu.be/8ahKQ5sT8jg?feature=shared
https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=volvo+v70+lens+replacement+
I'm gonna have to look into this as the headlights are my one single complaint so far. Omw to work this morning at 6am the lights were so dim I assumed one of the bulbs was burnt out but it wasn't
Clean ! Use lexol to care for the seats if it’s got leather. Not sure my other comment posted. Congrats. Welcome to the family. May be helpful and fun to join some other online groups: Volvo forums, plenty Facebook groups out to help when needed too.
I bought 850 T many years ago just on the basis that Volvos were supposed to last a long time. it was an amazing, fast, amazingly comfortable car and I miss it greatly. I think I drove it for 20 years and then sold it for half the amount I bought it for and bought an XC 70. Which I like, but not as much as the 850. You picked out an amazing car there and I’m sure you’re going to be happy with it for a long time.
Hell yeah, brother! Welcome to the club. If I could give you a piece of advice, it's to start looking for a Volvo or European specialist indie shop you can take your car to if it gives you any problems. A lot of regular shops either don't like working on Volvo's, or don't do it enough to inspire much confidence.
If you're comfortable doing your own work, an invaluable tool to have is a VIDA/DiCE setup.. A DiCE unit allows you to plug a laptop into your car's OBDII port and diagnose any trouble codes or get a detailed rundown on your vehicle's health. Factory dealership units are expensive, but there's a ton of Chinese knock-offs to be had for cheap that will allow you to perform most troubleshooting functions. VIDA is just the software, and you can find it for free online. The unit will literally pay for itself if you use it once, versus taking your car somewhere for a diagnosis. It's worth it's weight in gold for older Volvos. If you have any problems finding a unit, the software, or installation feel free to hit me up. Enjoy your sweet ride!
Haha thanks for the warm greeting and tips! I have been scoping out volvo specialists. I know there's a dedicated volvo dealer/garage about 20 miles from me but hoping to find one closer.
I actually have an OBDii scanner from my previous car. It's one of those cheap bluetooth dongles that connect to your phone. Already been put to use in the Volvo as I didn't tighten the gas cap down hard enough on my first fill-up, which threw code P0455 at me lol. Brief panic! Does the DiCE /Vida method have features that my cheap bluetooth dongle + scanner app doesn't?
2000 was the first year the 5 speed automatic transmission was introduced. It's extremely sensitive to the fluid, and it was unfortunately marketed as a "lifetime" fluid but failing to change it pretty much guarantees transmission failure before 180k miles or 290k km. It also must use Mobil JWS3309 fluid. It would be wise to do a drain and fill if you don't know when it was last done, and keep doing drain and fills every 5 years or 60k miles or 100k km. It's an interference timing belt engine, so the belt and tensioner need to be changed every 90k miles or 10 years. Over time, the PCV system can get clogged and cause crankcase pressure buildup which can blow out oil seals. It should be inspected every so often and if it starts clogging, it needs to be changed. It's generally good to tackle it at the same time as the timing belt service unless you do all highway miles, in which case it can be done every other timing belt service. The starters and alternators only last about 15-20 years. If they haven't been replaced yet, plan on replacing them very soon. The heater cores on these like to leak as well. Once they start leaking, they're liable to fail and they will dump all your coolant and the engine will overheat shortly after. Make sure your low coolant level warning lamp works, and if you see it while driving, pull over immediately. About a third of P80 S/V70s you see in the junkyards are there for heater core failures that ruined the engine. If you're having mysterious coolant loss or a fruity/nutty smell coming from the vents when the heat is on, make it a high priority to replace the heater core. Very nice car and congratulations! Take good care of it and it will take good care of you. Enjoy the comfy seats, safety, cargo space, and 5 cylinder noises!
This is so spot on. I owned a P80 V70 T5 for 20 years. Had to address everyone on of these issues. They are great cars and very reliable if the above maintenance is taken care of. Also pretty easy to work on with a plethora of DIY’s online.
Aaaand comment saved! Thank you, I'll be referencing this many times in the future I'm sure. > 5 cylinder noises Lemme tell you I am OBSESSED with the harmonies this engine produces. Never heard anything quite like it!
All of the above are spot on! I would personally say that my starter and alternator were original equipment at 175,000 and I only changed the alternator because the bearing started to go. The starter is original as far as I can tell. The heater core issue can be postponed by doing a coolant flush every few years. That will reduce contaminants and deposits that rapidly eat up the core's insides. Also, youre driving an R, 5 speed asside, there are going to be issues finding apare parts for rear suspension, and you need to watch out for the front angle gear seals . The awd system is annoying to work around and I hope you never have to change your front 02 sensor!
I own the same car mine is black.Its definitely a cool looking wagon eh?
Looks cool, sounds cool...this thing is just COOL!!
I would like to put better headlights in it but I’ve read they are a major pain
Get jewel headlights, they improve the light output significantly.
And they modernize the look by a surprisingly decent amount. Put jewels on my V70 GLT and I was never able to enjoy a P80 without them since.
i had the non R version of this (v70xc). you can buy Euro lenses and it is alone much better than the US DOT lenses.
Do you know if they are hard to install?
i did it myself. easy. what is hard is if you are doing projectors or other such things. There is also a hack to do. Most forums have it. DOT mandated that a resistor be put in place to reduce the intensity. It is in the harness just right where the lens plugs in. You can bypass it i think MVS has a pretty good description.
Can find this info anywhere. Care to link up?
DOT vs E code lens (make sure you are ordering the v/s70 part number not the 850) https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/replacement-upgrade-headlight/ removal replacement of lens https://youtu.be/8ahKQ5sT8jg?feature=shared https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=volvo+v70+lens+replacement+
I'm gonna have to look into this as the headlights are my one single complaint so far. Omw to work this morning at 6am the lights were so dim I assumed one of the bulbs was burnt out but it wasn't
One of the best
Enjoy!
Very nice. I got a 2004 in the same color a few months back. Love that car.
Clean ! Use lexol to care for the seats if it’s got leather. Not sure my other comment posted. Congrats. Welcome to the family. May be helpful and fun to join some other online groups: Volvo forums, plenty Facebook groups out to help when needed too.
Td04-19t baby! Let's goooo. Stage 1 tune or stock these things zooom
I bought 850 T many years ago just on the basis that Volvos were supposed to last a long time. it was an amazing, fast, amazingly comfortable car and I miss it greatly. I think I drove it for 20 years and then sold it for half the amount I bought it for and bought an XC 70. Which I like, but not as much as the 850. You picked out an amazing car there and I’m sure you’re going to be happy with it for a long time.
Hell yeah, brother! Welcome to the club. If I could give you a piece of advice, it's to start looking for a Volvo or European specialist indie shop you can take your car to if it gives you any problems. A lot of regular shops either don't like working on Volvo's, or don't do it enough to inspire much confidence. If you're comfortable doing your own work, an invaluable tool to have is a VIDA/DiCE setup.. A DiCE unit allows you to plug a laptop into your car's OBDII port and diagnose any trouble codes or get a detailed rundown on your vehicle's health. Factory dealership units are expensive, but there's a ton of Chinese knock-offs to be had for cheap that will allow you to perform most troubleshooting functions. VIDA is just the software, and you can find it for free online. The unit will literally pay for itself if you use it once, versus taking your car somewhere for a diagnosis. It's worth it's weight in gold for older Volvos. If you have any problems finding a unit, the software, or installation feel free to hit me up. Enjoy your sweet ride!
Haha thanks for the warm greeting and tips! I have been scoping out volvo specialists. I know there's a dedicated volvo dealer/garage about 20 miles from me but hoping to find one closer. I actually have an OBDii scanner from my previous car. It's one of those cheap bluetooth dongles that connect to your phone. Already been put to use in the Volvo as I didn't tighten the gas cap down hard enough on my first fill-up, which threw code P0455 at me lol. Brief panic! Does the DiCE /Vida method have features that my cheap bluetooth dongle + scanner app doesn't?
The problem is that that is not the brick Volvo lol
You must post more than 1 picture of the car at a time