39 replies to this topic

[Thorsteenster]

As much as I'd love to keep my turbo brick, I don't have the time or money to fix things or pay to have it fixed. I'd rather just buy a newer car. I do have a taste for Volvo's now however and was looking at a 08 - 10 C30.
Any feedback or opinions on this year range for this model?

[oprahhwinfreyy]

my friend has an 08 T5Rm and its a dream. although its not mine and i have not driven it, i love the thing to death. he says he loves it and wouldn't trade a brand new volvo for it.

[BtownVolvo]

Owned an 06 S40 T5 (basically the same thing minus 2 doors) for 2 years. The car was pretty fun to drive, but honestly lacked any 'character.' Also, wouldn't really want to own one outside of the warranty period. Those bastards can get expensive to repair and aren't the easiest to work on.

That being said, I do miss the car a little. But glad I went back to my 800 series. If anything goes wrong with it, I can fix it and most everything is sub $800.

[Fudge_Brownie]

I never really understood the logic in not having the money to repair a used car, but having the money to buy a new car.

[BtownVolvo]

Fudge_Brownie, on 05 December 2011 - 12:57 AM, said:

I never really understood the logic in not having the money to repair a used car, but having the money to buy a new car.

Well the way I look at it, you buy new to have the stellar warranty and then ditch it once it runs out. Of course whether it's a smart decision or not depends on depreciation, trade in offer, and the new car you're going for. I mean, you can't go wrong with Audi, Volvo, or BMW's 5 year wear-and-tear warranty.

It's pretty damn awesome to just drive a car into the service bay, have someone else fix it, and drive off with a zero bill. It does get boring though. That's when a car just becomes a mode of transportation and that's it. Hence, my situation.

[scumcity14]

Fudge_Brownie, on 05 December 2011 - 12:57 AM, said:

I never really understood the logic in not having the money to repair a used car, but having the money to buy a new car.

Aaron can explain it.. http://volvospeed.co...l__pre farewell

And he can do it one better.. he bought a used car for a new car payment..because he was tired of paying to fix his used car

BtownVolvo, on 05 December 2011 - 01:08 AM, said:

It's pretty damn awesome to just drive a car into the service bay, have someone else fix it, and drive off with a zero bill.

Except for that bill you have for $500 or so every month for 6 years.

[Swag Swag]

scumcity14, on 05 December 2011 - 01:52 AM, said:

Aaron can explain it.. http://volvospeed.co...l__pre farewell

Saw this coming after reading the first post haha.

C30's are the only newer Volvo I'd buy, great cars. The only thing that is kind of overwhelming is the fact that sometimes you have car issues and the only thing to fix it is software, but that's pretty much anything 99 and newer haha. When I was working at Volvo their we're only a couple issues that pretty much every car had, but they were for the most part easy fixes. The sh*t that we saw acting up/not working the most was the add on features such as Bluetooth, BLISS, etc. I can't wait to get one personally

[Thorsteenster]

Well justifying not having thew money, my S70 was a freebie in exchange for doing a some work on a Jeep. It's in rather poor shape, it won't pass emissions, inspection, paint is bad, interior is ok but a lot of the buttons are "sticky" and can scratch off surfacing, interior lights are out. I don't have the time to get it up to snuff, or the money to pay to have it done.
I can get a 08 - 10 C30 around 20K, and in a couple months when I'm ready to buy I'll have my yearly bonus and have about 5K to put down.
I'll be happy with the monthly payment having a nice fresh interior, nice paint, and an overall nice car to sport around in, plus warranty and shouldn't require any work.

It would be different if my S70 was in better shape, but it's not, and even being free I don't want to dump a bunch of money and time in it. I got other things I need to do with my time and money, like saving for my C30.....
Other than the C30 I don't care much for the new Volvo's, and really I like the previous years better. The S70 is my favorite body style and I may just end up holding on to it.

[Thorsteenster]

I like this one, wish i was ready to buy now lol
http://www.carmax.co...e9-5f9b79b1e001

[Fudge_Brownie]

Given the history you presented on your car, I can certainly appreciate how much time is probably involved. Money... eh... not sure it really would be crazy if you DIY. But time for sure.

But just think, fix your car and keep the $5k bonus Perhaps you can post up all that is wrong, including CEL code numbers, and we could put together a total price ballpark to make your decision more clearcut?

Otherwise, comes down to a matter of opinion. There's a handful of times I've really wished I drove a much newer car and seriously considered purchasing one. Usually feel that when the times are tough. When the times are good, my bank account is a bit happier though. Good luck with the car shopping.

[Thorsteenster]

Yeah, I need to think more about it, but a big thing too is I've never had a car that I paid more than 1K for. No I haven't lucked into deals, just always had cheap or poor condition cars.
So it would be nice to have something rather newish, looks good and runs good. I've had cars that look good, and cars that run good, but never together in the same car lol.

Oh yeah, couple other things is the ABS module is boogered, and the Service light is on for a few minutes after starting the car then goes off.
I have a thread on here with my codes, although a few months old maybe I should go rescan.
Here are the codes, I'll try to get in for a rescan here shortly.

P0442
P0245
P0445
P0448
P0414
P0135
P0141
P0136 (see P2270 P2271)
P0130
P0410

[Fudge_Brownie]

Holy jeebus that's a lot of codes.

P0130 "O2 Circuit Malfunction", bank 1. See P0135, probably a dead front O2 sensor
P0135 ~$120 for a new front O2 sensor, Bosch direct replacement model "Oxygen O2 Sensor Heater Circuit Malfunction (Bank1, Sensor1)"
P0141 "Oxygen O2 Sensor Heater Circuit Malfunction (Bank1, Sensor2)", MAYBE $120, but I'd try replacing the front one, and get all your other issues squared away and see if this code persists. On the cheap, you can also add an O2 sensor spacer, for a total of $5 and a drill bit.
P0136 (see P2270 P2271) "Oxygen O2 Sensor Circuit Low Voltage (Bank1, Sensor2)" Eh, maybe you need that rear O2 after all.


P0245 ~$50, as my guess is that you need new vacuum lines all throughout the car. "Turbo wastegate solenoid A low"
P0410 $1, more if you don't have a soldering iron and can't borrow one (~$30?) see thread http://www.volvospee...e-up-with-pics/
P0414 Don't see this one often, "Secondary Air Injection System Switching Valve A Circuit Shorted". Should be fixed with the $1 P0410 fix.

P0442 Small
P0445 and Large EVAP leaks. The small leak is probably fixed when you fix the large leak. Possibly fixable by replacing the lines? May be covered under the cost of replacing all the vacuum lines. Maybe another $30 in the "J hoses" that run to the canister, Perhaps a gas cap replacement? They are like $10. I will say that EVAP leaks on our cars can be a pain in the ass to find.
P0448 "Evaporative Emission Control System Vent Control Circuit Shorted.", fixing this one may also fix the other EVAP codes. I don't know the fix for this one off hand besides what I've said. Other parts commonly replaced with the EVAP system are the Purge Valve $56, and the Canister. ?, probably less than $100. I don't have that price onhand, and I think it's unlikely it would need to be replaced.


So, to summarize, you probably need a new front, and rear oxygen sensor, new vacuum lines, access to a soldering iron, some various EVAP parts, and that looks like "all" from your codes. To do the O2 sensor, you'll want a specialty socket for that job. You can "rent" it for free from Autozone through their loan-a-tool program.

Now not addressed from CELs is suspension/steering components. You'll probably need sway-bar endlinks because they fail, ALL the time. $40 How are the control arms, tierods, wheelbearings? Any knocking? History of being replaced? I also bet you'll need a new "upper motor mount", ~$25? and easy to replace if you buy the aftermarket polyurethane models. And you'll probably need new intercooler / charge hosese as yours are probably dry rotted and cracked. Easy to visually inspect, but pretty common to be replaced, ~$200

Adding up all the bold numbers: $752, including $100 towards the EVAP canister which you probably don't need.

Anyone want to comment further, or correct my info? If you're handy with cars, this isn't a lot of work. If you aren't handy with cars, this may be a lengthy learning experience.

[Swag Swag]

I'd fix all you evap leaks first, they might be he reason for your massive mounts of O2 sensor codes

My god I'm surprised your car runs ok haha

[Thorsteenster]

Wow, hey thanks for the time to type all that out. I must have spent hours searching the codes and didn't find anywhere near that much!

So seems EVAP is a good place to start, a new J hose and some vacuum hose and hopefully my Chiltons has a good vacuum diagram.

"My god I'm surprised your car runs ok haha"

Ha, it actually runs really well, plenty of acceleration. Aside from the turbo burning oil I can't say anything bad about it running wise.

[Fudge_Brownie]

not a problem, I'm fast with a keyboard. Probably took less time than you think.

And I'm not trying to convince you to keep your car, just trying to help make the decision easier.

The P0410 fix is pretty easy if you can solder. But has the least consequence here. The system affects very little. So I wouldn't worry too much about fixing it. If you are constantly clearing codes, that particular system usually sets the code every 60 miles.

[Thorsteenster]

I am handy and can solder, and like DIY stuff. I found a DIY fix for the ABS module as well that typically is caused by poor solder joints. Well maybe not poor but joints jarring loose over the years.

I guess my first post was a little misleading. I'd most likely keep the S70. In it's condition I doubt if I'd get much, and it's my favorite bodystyle. I'd de-tag it and let it sit for a bit and work on it when I had time, instead of trying to make time.

[Fudge_Brownie]

I forgot about the ABS! I've had a positive experience with a company called BBA-Reman http://www.bba-reman...ailedProduct=56
Note that the link I provided is for ABS WITHOUT the Tracs option. They have a different page for that one. $63 to repair, $99 to do a swap.
They can fix your ABS module. Otherwise, you're right that most fail due to cracked solder joints (or so I believe) and you might be able to DIY. The catch is that I've read cracking the box open without damaging the inside can be tricky.

[theForgottenone]

how about a ,manual S60R?

[Swag Swag]

theForgottenone, on 05 December 2011 - 11:24 PM, said:

how about a ,manual S60R?

Considering that almost all of the are out of warranty I don't think that would be the best option

[Kevin.]

well maintained 870's can be had cheap.