"Future Heap Owner" (aperiodic)
03/12/2019 at 18:56 • Filed to: the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth, Volvo, Volvo V50, What's a Warranty?, used car
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"Future Heap Owner" (aperiodic)
03/12/2019 at 18:56 • Filed to: the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth, Volvo, Volvo V50, What's a Warranty?, used car | 8
| 36 |
(Repost for the evening crowd) Last Friday !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I’m very happy with it, but my favorite kind of Oppo post is the brutally honest disclosure following the purchase of a vehicle where the warranty is but a distant memory. So here is every unflattering detail I’ve been able to find about my new car and its history. After this nice picture of it, that is.
Definitely the car’s good side
And also after a little background on how exactly I came to be its third owner.
How I Bought This Thing
I found the car listed on FB marketplace for $5,000. I had the car inspected at Volvo Cars Seattle on 2700 NE 55th St, which it turns out is the same place where it’s been serviced for the past three and a half years. The inspection turned up warped rotors, a tendency to pull to the left, a broken fog light & enclosure on the passenger side, an advisement to flush the coolant because it’s “only” rated for five degrees Fahrenheit, and uneven wear on the tires (6 mm tread on the FL tire, 5 mm on the FR, and 8 on the rears). So, pretty good!
Satisfied with the results of the PPI, I took the bus up to Seattle with a cashier’s check for $5,000, which basically meant I couldn’t negotiate on price. I met up with the owner and took it for a short test drive: a few miles down I-5 and back, and a short neighborhood drive including some of those speed bumps with cutouts. I shifted into and out of each gear twice, never had any issues with the clutch, didn’t hear any concerning noises, confirmed the warped rotors, and used those speed bumps to make the suspension on each side go through at least a few inches of travel without warning signs.
After the test drive, we transacted the sale rather quickly. I wish I had taken more time with it. He handed me a printout with a high-level summary of the service history at the Volvo Dealer, but I didn’t look at it at all before we closed the deal (I had gotten a CarFax the previous night, but this had much more detail). Given how many interesting things I found in this summary, I should have read it before agreeing to buy.
Mechanical/Driveability
The only issue that I notice when driving is that slight pull to the left, even after the alignment I had done right after purchase. Volvo warns against adjusting anything besides toe on the front wheels, and the caster on the driver side and camber & caster on the passenger side are all out of spec:
There’s uneven wear on the front tires, with the passenger side one being more worn, likely due to this alignment issue. My hope is that rotating the wheels from front to back will mitigate this, though I’ll probably end up getting a new set of tires for it soon.
Exterior
The only functional problem with the exterior is that broken fog light:
Not only is the lens shattered, but the bulb doesn’t work either (though the bulb itself is not shattered).
But while the car looks great on a cell phone screen or from across the street, walk up close and many blemishes become apparent.
In the first photo I posted after buying it, you can see a few spots near the hood gap where the paint has come off, both on the hood and on the front bumper:
There are lots of tiny nicks in the paint that go down to the primer, with a few going all the way to the metal. They’re all over the vehicle, but it seems to be the worst on the front quarter panels. Here’s a close-up on the driver side panel, which also has a small but deep scratch & dent:
The last issue in the front is significant cracking in the paint on the front bumper:
Moving to the sides, there are some white spots on the passenger rear door and quarter panel. They appear to be on top of the paint, so I’m hopeful they’ll wash off:
There is a matching dark spot on the driver side rear quarter panel, along with another sizable dent:
Continuing to the rear, but back over on the passenger side, the fuel door has a chip and a scratch:
All the way at the back, the rear bumper has chips in the paint ranging from smaller than a dime to a one that’s a few inches long:
Finally, up on top, the clear coat is peeling away in a few spots on the passenger side roof rail. The worst spot is at the front:
And the back has its own large spot, along with a few small ones:
Interior
The only functional problem with the interior is that the glovebox lock doesn’t work. Meh.
The upholstery is made of Volvo’s T-Tec leatherette, in off-black. It’s in decent shape. The biggest problem is this chunk missing from the outside bolster of the driver’s seat, along with a few cracks on the seat bottom:
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
There’s some mild waviness on the seat bottom cushions in the front two seats from the material stretching out over the years.
There are some small stains/marks on the upholstery, but I’m hopeful that most or all of them will wash out with some mildly soapy warm water.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Then there’s the stains on the headliner, which I’m less hopeful about:
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
But who looks up at the ceiling when they’re driving? Not me. The worst ones are over the second row anyways (probably from the Previous Owner’s four young children).
The dash and door panels are all in good shape. But the center console fascia and door puller trim all have some dents and scratches:
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
And there’s this area on the center console that looks like it’s been melted somehow:
Update: CodyVella pointed out that this is right below the ignition, and lines up with the mark next to it on the dash, so this is due to keys dangling from the ignition swaying back and forth while driving.
All the way at the back, the weather striping around the tailgate has cracks and missing chunks:
Finally, the only interior issue that annoys me at all is that some of the foil on the Volvo emblem in the steering wheel has peeled off:
My Car’s Sordid Recent Past
Nothing I’ve talked about so far has any bearing on the car’s ability to move your butt from one place to another, which is arguably the primary function of a car and probably what you’re worried about after you buy a 14-year-old European car. Obviously I can’t give you much firsthand experience with this, since I’ve had the car less than a week. But the previous owner gave me a printout from the dealer summarizing all the work he’s had done on it, and oh what a tale that is!
Since November 2015, my car has had at least three repairs performed to fix a check engine light, and three other major incidents that did not throw a code. I don’t understand everything in this summary, so I’d welcome any theories or deeper explanations you could provide.
November 19, 2015
PO brought the car in due to an isolated incident where the doors would not unlock with the remote, and after getting inside, he “had to wait several minutes for the car to start.” It’s unclear whether it was cranking and failing to start, or not even cranking. Once the car started, PO stated that “random” error messages were shown on the dash. I don’t know if he drove it right then, or let it sit for a while and then it was fine the next time. The car was inspected but no repair or service was performed.
I have no idea what could have caused this. It’s clearly some sort of electrical wonkiness. In my line of work, the standard explanation for this sort of transient electrical phenomenon is “cosmic rays,” but I’m sure some of you have better guesses.
March 29th, 2016
PO reported a momentary CEL: “was on and is now off.” Who knows how long it was on for, or if it was only on once. The right motor mount was replaced. Maybe that was the cause of the CEL, maybe it wasn’t. All I know for sure is that three months later he brought it in again.
June 29th, 2016
This time there was no CEL, but coolant was leaking in the engine bay, and PO reported that the oil level had been one quart low as well as a “plastic” smell in the bay. He topped off the oil and added water to the coolant tank as needed.
The coolant tank was replaced along with the right inner CV boot (which is on the same side as the coolant tank). This explains the leaking coolant, but the oil consumption is still a mystery to me. They looked for an oil leak but don’t seem to have found anything. Could this be related to the transient CEL from about three months prior? Or maybe this is a coincidence? Does it sway your opinion to know that it was about three weeks before the CEL went on again?
July 21st, 2016
The car took an emissions test and failed. I’m pretty sure that the reason it failed is because the CEL was on, because three weeks after this failure, it goes back to the dealership with the CEL on.
August 12th, 2016
The car is brought in with a CEL. The driver front control arm and both rear sway bar link rods are replaced. Two weeks after that, it passes emissions testing.
Now, I’ve heard of bad motor mounts causing CELs, but I didn’t know that suspension issues could cause a CEL. But no other work is listed by the dealer, and there’s nothing else in the carfax before the emissions test. So I guess the suspension repairs fixed it?
After this difficult summer for the car, a good six months pass, before:
March 16th, 2017
The car is brought in due to running poorly, though there’s no note of a CEL. PO states it’s been doing this since he got it back from the 165k mile service two weeks prior. It “sounds rough,” struggles going uphill, and according to the PO, went from half a tank of gas to a quarter tank over 20 miles(!).
Now here’s the really perplexing thing about this to me: there’s no work listed to resolve this issue. And the only things they did in the 165k service, besides inspecting things, was replace the cabin air filter, replace a tail light bulb, and change the oil & filter. I have absolutely zero idea what happened here. Maybe they somehow messed something up in the 165k service, recognized that, and didn’t charge him so they didn’t even put in the paperwork? But what could you do when inspecting the vehicle and doing such basic replacements that would cause it to run so rough? I dunno. I’d love to hear any theories anyone has.
February 1st, 2018
Whoo, nearly a whole year later with nothing going wrong! But now it has a CEL again. It’s not crystal clear from the paperwork, but it seems like it’s due to a leak in the evaporative emissions control system, because there’s a note that there are “no concerns with driveability” due to the CEL. And because of the next two events of note. The only other work done was changing the oil & filter.
August 27th, 2018
The car is now due for another emissions test. It fails.
August 30th, 2018
PO brings the car in, and it has a CEL. I’m guessing that this is the same CEL from February, and this is why it failed the emissions test. This time, a replacement gas cap is ordered. The front brake pads and the low beam headlight bulbs are replaced. A few days later, it passes the emissions test.
Those are the highlights from the part of the car’s history that I have firm documentation of. For the first nine years of its life, all I have to go on is the carfax report.
My Car’s Murky Distant Past
I know that not every place reports to carfax, so I don’t put a whole ton of stock in the service history it reports. Though maybe I’m just trying to convince myself of this, because if the carfax is exhaustive, that means that the First Owner waited for 7k-10k miles before changing the oil a few times, almost certainly on conventional rather than synthetic. But the carfax only shows it being serviced at the dealer, and none of those are just an oil change; there’s always a mileage milestone or other problem accompanying the oil changes. So I’m hoping guessing that the FO took it to some other place when they only needed the oil changed, and brought it in to the dealer for the major mileage-based servicing.
The only really interesting thing that shows up in the carfax for the FO’s ownership is that the ECU was reprogrammed just under three months after purchase. Firmware update? Maybe. At the same time, the all-in-one CD player/head unit/amp was reinstalled. Related? Coincidence?
The notable repairs/replacements in this time frame are:
Rear wheel bearings replaced at 70k/4.5 years (I remember reading about wheel bearing failure being fairly common for this model)
FO backed into a parked vehicle, resulting in “minor damage.”
Fuel pump replaced at 95k/6 years
A/C compressor replaced at 108k/7 years
Timing belt replaced at 120k service as recommended
Next Steps
Most of these “problems” are not really problems. But there are two things I am addressing right away:
The floor mat on the driver side was some complimentary Goodyear mat that was clearly designed for an automatic, because the clutch pedal would get stuck in the grooves about a third of the time I fully depressed it.
The broken fog light. It does make me a little sad whenever I can see it while walking to the car.
I’ve ordered replacements for both of these from IPDUSA, and I’ll be picking them up tomorrow.
Beyond that, I have vague ideas but no definite plans. At least two tires need to be replaced “soon,” but I’ll probably be getting a full set (currently it has Goodyears, and I dislike Goodyear for that whole RV tire debacle). I’m not sure when I’ll be replacing the rotors, but it’ll probably be before the four-day road trip over and back through the Rockies this summer (not that I plan on using the brakes too much — in the words of my ex, I am “addicted to engine braking”). And one way or the other, I need an AUX input in before mid-May.
Now You Know Everything
Well, that’s everything bad I could find out about my new car. Overall, I’m very happy with it, and I’m interested in a morbid sort of way to see what happens next. It has behaved itself pretty well for the past few years, but who knows how quickly the other side of the bathtub curve approacheth. Whatever happens, I’ll be sure to keep y’all updated with more detail than any sane person could possibly want.
atfsgeoff
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 01:57 |
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I like cars with history. And it seems this one is pretty well documented, if not immaculate.
cmill189 - sans Volvo
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 02:01 |
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Good for you. That’s a lot of car for the money and a unique one at that. I saw your post about looking for/finding it but didn’t have time to reply.
Volvo alignments are kind of dumb. There really isn’t much adjustment outside of toe, regardless of what the machine is read ing. So you pay all the money for almost no work being done.
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Future Heap Owner
> atfsgeoff
03/12/2019 at 02:02 |
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My previous two purchases were a 10-year-old car where I had *all* the paperwork , and a 25-year-old truck where I had the paperwork for the prior 10 years, so an after-the fact summary of 3.5/14 years doesn’t seem very good to me. But maybe my standards are too high?
And that’s not to say that I don’t like this car a lot, because I do. I really do. It’s honestly the first internal combustion vehicle I’ve owned that I actually like.
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Future Heap Owner
> cmill189 - sans Volvo
03/12/2019 at 02:04 |
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Thanks! It might not have come across in this critically-oriented post, but I like this car a whole lot.
Yeah, I remember this happening with my Corolla, too. $100 for toe adjustment and some trigonometry with a ruler. I should look into doing this myself...
CodyVella
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 02:41 |
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The area on the center console you say looks like it’s been melted seems to be inline with the marks on the panel beside it. That wouldn’t happen to be right below the ignition would it? My 2013 Frontier has similar wear patters in a 180 degree semi circle below the ignition from the previous owners keys swinging around while driving, wearing away at the plastics.
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Future Heap Owner
> CodyVella
03/12/2019 at 02:43 |
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It is! I think you’re right on the money there. I’ll need to trim down my keychain if I replace that fascia.
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CodyVella
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 02:46 |
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Haha it’s weird little things like that on cars that I find give them some character. I’m just as guilty for having a bulky set of keys. I can only imagine how much I’ve added to the previous owners wear in that respect.
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 03:56 |
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You’ve done very well with the colour. Bright red older cars hide imperfections better imo, at least on first glance. Black and white cars get visibly worn out. Red cars just.. stay red. Love it.
I learnt to drive mainly in an old S80 T6 , which was generally very reliable until a few cooling related problems came up towards the end of its life. S he boiled over on us a few times . I can’t remember exactly what the issue there was, though m y dad might. I’ll call him later.
Mayb e t he rough running problem after the service was a coil they knocked?
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Future Heap Owner
>
03/12/2019 at 04:14 |
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I was mostly glad to find something that was actually a color, but you make a good point about the redness soaking up a lot of the nicks and dings, rather than highlighting them.
How long did that old S80 end up lasting you? How old was it exactly?
Knocking a coil loose could definitely happen during the inspections. Could losing a cylinder bring the MPG down from low 20s to only 6? I don’t think having a cylinder out would make such a large difference, but that’s a guess.
The Ghost of Oppo
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 10:58 |
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That melted area is right below the ignition, right? I’d bet the first owner was a smoker, cigarette between the fingers while holding the wheel. T hat’s also how you get really dirty headliners.
CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 10:59 |
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I bet you a solid 4-5 hour detailing will get that interior looking good again!
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Future Heap Owner
> The Ghost of Oppo
03/12/2019 at 11:16 |
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I think CodyVella is right about it being wear from keys dangling from the ignition. It’s in the right spot and lines up with a wear arc on the dash.
Sovande
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 11:35 |
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You can easily replace the console trim - you can find the part on Ebay usually for about $30 for a used waterfall and a little more for one in great condition. Or find a Nordic Oak package and install that resulting in nice looking real wood.
If I were you I would replace the TCV. Only use a Pierburg TCV. This is a wear item that will go bad and result in low boost or intermittent boost. It is a pain in the ass to replace (remove passenger wheel and wheel liner and then you can see the part. Three hoses lead to it. It’s not easy to get at, but it’s doable with a lot of swearing and possibly a bit of blood).
If the shocks and springs are original, I would replace those as well. Koni Str.t are a nice shock for this car, not too harsh, but better than stock. The rear shocks can be replaced with the rear wheels on the car. Takes about 10 minutes. The front is more difficult and takes a few hours the first time. Plus a spring compressor. It’s not hard, you just have to take each side of the suspension apart and getting the old shock out can be a pain in the ass.
look up a guy called MyNameIdeasWereTaken on youtube and FCP’s blog. He has a bunch of write-ups for his old S40, C30 and current V50 and he does quick, easy to follow videos on a lot of basic maintenance items of the P1 Volvo.
Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 11:38 |
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Regarding a few of the mysteries - The ECU/Radio issue in the early past is probably electrically related. As I recall this was sort of in the time frame when car radio theft was common , so the theft deterrent systems were getting more complicated. Usually they would brick the radio if it was pulled incorrectly, or the radio had the car’s VIN in memory and it needed to talk to the ECU before it would work , the idea was to make the radios worthless to theifs. My parent’s have a 2006 Acura and whenever the battery is disconnected you have to input a radio code in the owners manual and if you get it wrong too many times it bricks the radio and you need to get the dealership to reset it.
As for infrequent early oil changes - maybe pull a valve cover, if it’s not too difficult. On my Cruze I changed the oil between 500 and 1, 000 miles and then regularly following GM’s oil life monitor but I always do it around 15-20%, never let it get to 0%, and always use good synthetic oil . I had to replace the PCV/Valvecover recently (the engineer who made this needs to be smacked) and I was shocked, my 134k engine is immaculate inside. Looks almost new. No sludge or anything.
Aside from those things it sounds like the shop has mostly been handling it so I’d just keep an eye on it. Nice car and good luck with it!
nerd_racing
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 11:40 |
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Time to get a Volvo C30 to swap the AWD bits into...
Arrivederci
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 11:45 |
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Very cool write-up. I’m going to have to do one of these with the Lexus I bought.
ZHP Sparky, the 5th
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 11:47 |
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Great job making this happen, nice car! I did a similar trip up taking the train from Portland to Seattle last fall to buy my ZHP. Hopefully that CEL stays off for you!
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Future Heap Owner
> Sovande
03/12/2019 at 11:48 |
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Thanks for the suggestions!
The PO told me about the Nordic wood aftermarket option; they have that for the door puller trim, too. It looks real nice, but it’s also pretty pricey. I hadn’t considered eBay, but that seems like a good option.
Is low/spotty boost the only problem with a bad TCV? Is that something I can keep an eye on over OBD-II? I know there are aftermarket boost gauges (thinking about getting one of those), but I dunno if they’re just the gauge and they use an existing sensor , or if they need a sensor to be installed too.
I believe the shocks and springs are all original, but I’ll double- check. I would like to get some experience doing suspension work, but I should probably start by replacing the tie-rod ends on my GMT 400.
I found that guy on Swedespeed. His videos are excellent. Been giving me a lot of ideas...
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Future Heap Owner
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/12/2019 at 11:54 |
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Thanks for the info on the radio. That makes sense.
Yeah, the oil thing does make me want to take a peek in the engine soon. That would settle things one way or the other.
You’re saying on the Cruze, the PCV is integrated with the valve c over so they have to both be replaced? Super annoying.
Thanks!
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Future Heap Owner
> ZHP Sparky, the 5th
03/12/2019 at 11:56 |
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Thanks! Seattle has so many more cars; I wonder how many people a year do the same thing we did.
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Future Heap Owner
> nerd_racing
03/12/2019 at 11:56 |
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Naw, I like the wagon
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Future Heap Owner
> Arrivederci
03/12/2019 at 11:56 |
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Dooooooo iiiiiiiiiit
functionoverfashion
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 12:50 |
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Great write-up. I remember on my wife’s S40 with the same engine there were only a few issues of note. One relating to the turbo that I don’t recall details on - it was in 2006 when it happened. The other was related to a clogged PCV (crankcase ventilation/recirc system) that caused excessive crankcase pressure and *probably* then indirectly caused an oil leak on a seal that was behind the timing belt. Yes, a rear wheel bearing - an easy repair because the part is the whole assembly and expensive. 5k synthetic oil changes.
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Sovande
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 12:51 |
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The suspension on my c30 was shot at 100k. Replacing the struts and shocks is not overly hard, and I would bet it’s easier than doing anything on any old car. It’s like legos, really. The rears are literally three bolts - two 10mm at the top and 15mm at the bottom. You may need a jack to get the bottom of the shock back on, but it’s dead simple. It will make a world of difference.
Low and spotty boost can be the TCV or the compressor bypass valve (CBV) or possibly the boost pressure sensor which is on the passenger side of the intercooler. The boost pressure sensor is an easy fix. The CBV is a pain.
I got my Nordic Oak trim (from a V50, actually) used. It was dirty when it got to me, but it cleaned up easily.
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Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 13:16 |
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You’re welcome.
And yeah, instead of a simple $2 check valve, the Cruze has a convoluted PCV system with 3 diaphram type valves, one in the intake manifold, one in a hose connected to the turbo inlet, and a “main” one in the valve cover. GM called it a “lifetime” system that would never need replacement. Each valve is integral to it’s component, so if a valve fails you have to replace the entire intake manifold ($155 part), turbo inlet hose ($50 part), and/or valve cover ($60 part).
Generally either the intake or turbo inlet valve fails first, and eventually that causes the main valve in the valve cover to fail. The problem is there’s no indication either of the first 2 fail, you only get a CEL if the main one fails. I did my valve cover the other weekend (2nd time replacing it) and tracked the problem to the intake manifold. That’s a bit more involved so I’m waiting for warmer weather before I tackle it. The valve cover PCV should be fine for a couple weeks until I get around to that one.
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Future Heap Owner
> functionoverfashion
03/12/2019 at 13:18 |
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Glad you like the write-up. It took a lot longer than anticipated
Thanks for sharing your S40’s history. Can the PCV be visually inspected after removing a hose or two, or how do you tell if it needs replacing? Is there a crankcase pressure sensor?
Decay buys too many beaters
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 19:50 |
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Great write up! I love the idea of transcribing the service history. I’ve had them in a few cars and always fun to go through.
Dang all you guys getting V olvos, I might have to pick one up. T hey’ve always been kind of invisible to me, but doing a bit of research there’s some really neat stuff in their corner. It could give my Husqvarna a friend to talk to in it’s native tongue as well.
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Future Heap Owner
> Decay buys too many beaters
03/12/2019 at 20:22 |
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Thanks! Honestly, poring over the service history is one of my favorite parts of buying an older vehicle. It makes buying a brand-new car seem so boring
You should get one! I’m pretty impressed with mine so far. And Portland CL is flush with beater 240s.
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Decay buys too many beaters
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 20:31 |
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Especially when there is prices attached. I think my E39 had somewhere between $ 15,000 and $16,000 in receipts over the 5 years the previous owner had it.
...
Or my M
iata with a comment from a quick oil change shop that a “chunk of metal” came out with the oil.
Hmmmm.
Beater 240 could be fun, RWD, turbo, manual, wagon, that commonly came in brown. It like the perfect oppocar minus the diesel aspect. There have also been a few high mile s60rs that
ca
ught my attention
, but finding one with a manual is apparently
pretty rare.
I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 21:17 |
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Great writeup! Sounds like you got a great deal. I should do one of these for my G olf...
athought123
> Future Heap Owner
03/12/2019 at 21:34 |
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Hello! Fellow 2005 v50 t5 owner here (albeit automatic...) In just that red color. Mine has a bit less clear coat fade, but a bit more rotted rubber moulding around the windows on the passenger side... I suspect that was the side sun was on when it was parked on the driveway by the PO.
A few heads up. If you are planning to do a xenon headlight upgrade, do yourself a favor and look into SKBOWE filter for the hid ballast. They’re about $120. If you don’t, then say good bye to your wiper motor. Though if you have very good eyes and find motor control, you can solder on a microchip (eBay purchase shipped from China... $8 for a pack of 10 or something) on the board on the wiper motor to fix it. But you’d still need to have the SKBOWE filter. And even then, the ballast don’t seem to like lasting more than 6months at a time... I’ve had two ballasts fail within a year.
Ive had the AC compressor go out, rear brake pads we’re work down the bac king pad and the caliper was rusted and sticking... So I replaced all four rotors and calipers, replaced the spark plugs...oh yeah one more thing. I had the key stick in the ignition twice randomly, and would not come out. Which meant the electrical system was on. Worse, the key wouldn’t start the car when. Key was turned... So I just went inside (once was home) and went out to the car in the morning and the key released as if nothing happened. The other time I had it towed to a shop, and they couldn’t find a problem when. They got it. So yeah. Be prepared.
Fo r the fun things ive done. I got rear sway bar installed. For summer I got 235 width tires. It can handle pretty well. I also got those prancing moose Volvo stickers. Three. One for each fender and one for the tailgate. I have Thule racks but I don’t know the model number on hand. I can look it up if you’re interested.
Lastly, I wouldn't worry about the oil change. When I first bought it, the PO only had used conventional oil... There were brown sludge even on the engine oil cap and the dip stick. I changed it to full synthetic (whatever the cheapest since it was going to be used to flush) and changed every 2000 miles for 10000 miles. (mileage may vary... I drive 2000miles every month mostly highway). As for oil change, go on Amazon and get those oil drain gasket washers in bulk.
Congrats on your purchase! Enjoy it!
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Future Heap Owner
> I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
03/12/2019 at 21:38 |
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Yeah, do it! It’s pretty nice to have the important parts of the service history online where it’ll be easy to access in the future (I’ve saved it in the wayback machine in case Kinja falls over ).
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Future Heap Owner
> athought123
03/12/2019 at 22:09 |
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Thanks, and thanks very much for all those tips!
I hadn’t been planning on doing the headlight upgrade. Did you do it? How big of a difference did you notice?
Electrical issues are probably the thing I’m most nervous about, especially since it seems to have happened once before. Fingers crossed!
Short Long
> Future Heap Owner
03/13/2019 at 09:41 |
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If it needed a single control arm it probably needs the other side as well. That might be the cause of your uneven tire wear and should certainly be checked out before you align it or put new tires on.
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Future Heap Owner
> Short Long
03/13/2019 at 11:01 |
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They checked the suspension as part of the pre-purchase inspection.
What would be the signs that the control arm needs replacing?
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Short Long
> Future Heap Owner
03/15/2019 at 02:05 |
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Usually they use a pry bar on the arm near the bushings. Any dedicated alignment shop will know how to check them.