Sold Drum's old Volvo V70 D5 £500

[Broadsword]

Some of you may remember earlier on in the year Drum put his old V70 D5 up for sale, and I immediately snapped it up. Many miles have now been put on it and we are getting close to the MOT. I've just had a tame mechanic give it the once over and I've seen it up on the ramp. For us due to limited time and changing circumstances it doesn't make sense for us pay a garage to get this through the MOT. We don't have the time to do the relatively uncomplicated jobs on the driveway in the cold and there is not much time left to do this. I think for someone with the time, space, tools and expertise to sort it out a bit, this can be rescued quite nicely.

 

Ok, the situation is that the mileage is now 131 000. In the summer it drove from Yorkshire to Spain and the south of France and back without much incident. Had to change a tyre, rear spring and shock absorber as a consequence. Here is the totally honest list of problems. Some of them are MOT failures, some not. I think there will be an element of risk what is more of a problem depending on who is testing. These are roughly in order of urgency.

 

1. Driver's side front brake hose rubbing on wheel. This is weird one. The calliper has been changed for new so it looks like whoever did the job fitted the brake hose the wrong way allowing it to rub on the wheel. On the other side the brake hose bends away from the wheel so the driver's side must have gone on wrong. Probably because no-one wanted to brake the union to the solid brake lines. I will give a brand new brake hose with the car.

 

2. Rear antiroll bar links and bushes are finished.

 

3. As with all V70/S80/S60 the handbrake doesn't hold the car. I don't know if the shoes have been replaced, but the rear discs don't look very old. In my opinion the only way to solve this is to retrofit handbrake shoe adjuster. I just got a set of these last week and will give them away with the car. If you ask nicely I will even give new hand brake shoes.

 

The rest are less likely to be an MOT problem, probably not a failure but advisory.

 

4. Driver's side bottom ball joint rubber deteriorated slightly.

 

5. Driver's side front antirollbar link deteriorated somewhat. When I got back from collecting the car it realized it had snapped. It was a Sunday so had to pick a replacement up from UPI in a panic. It should have a new one really.

 

6. Front tyres getting low in the middle. This is not a surprise give the massive number of miles we've done in them. They are winter tyres so nice and soft.

 

7. Suspected dry driver's side front wheel bearing. No play in it at all, but I had to replace the passenger's side in the summer. It's been in Scotland so maybe the mud has got to it like the other side. Anyway there is a droning from the driver's side front. Could also be that rubbing brake hose but I suspect the bearing. Weird it isn't got any slack though.

 

8. Due an engine service now.

 

9. Trip computer screen has gone blank now. Dry solder joints for sure. Comes back to life in the cold.

 

10. Alarm service required issue. Known Volvo problem. I have a replacement alarm siren which will need opening up and the battery replacing. Doesn't affect the car as such but if you have OCD it can be put right easily enough and I will give you the alarm sire for free.

 

Now we move onto the underlying problems that the car already had.

 

11. There is a very slight leak from the power steering rack. This was not something I picked up when buying but when I got home the PS fluid was low and when the engine tray came off it was saturated with oil. I have since flushed the system with the proper power steering fluid (old stuff was black). The system requires a 10-20 ml top up a week after around 200 miles driving. It has not got any worse during our ownership and looks like it has been leaking for a long time. Will give you the correct power steering fluid with it CH11S which is basically LHM fluid.

 

12. The intercooler is bowing. It must be leaking from a pinhole or two as it makes a woosh. Interestingly it has never gone (very good going for a D5) into limp home mode and the issue has not got any worse since buying it. It was only yesterday when on the ramp I got a really good look at the bottom of the IC and sure enough it was bowing. Known Volvo issue.

 

13. It's from Scotland so has unfortunately the mud has got to it a bit. It's cleaned up as best I can but there is some light bubbling on the wheel arches. I never gave it a really deep clean but it isn't horrible or anything like that. There is also some lacquer peel on the shoulder at the rear driver's side. It don't think this is the type of car to go rotten.

 

I think that just about everything. It is still going just fine, but there are just too many jobs for me and if I pay a garage the cost will become prohibitive. Much better for someone here to take it one and it is a car well know here at least you know what you are getting. It has a massive service history, loads spent on it. We've changed a rear spring, and shock absorber on the passenger rear, front wheel bearing on the passenger side front and the entire suspension leg as well as track rod end. Also has a new rear tyre. Tow bar, genuine Volvo mats which I found in UPI (both summer and winter sets!), nice pressed metal number plates. I even fixed the locking fuel filler flap motor and resolved that annoying issue of the flue filler door going all loose and opening when going round corners.

 

This is the second V70 D5 we've had and we've also had a S60 D5 and S80 D5. I like the D5. This V70 has the best engine of all those. Even with the slight issue with the intercooler it goes very well, and the average fuel economy on the trip computer has peaked at 63 mpg with some hypermiling (which consist using the cruise control constantly). Also of note is that the air conditioning works. Without it I would have expired in Spain. One key. All the electrical bits work except the trip comp. Cloth seat, which are far better than leather.

 

I paid £1000 as you all know a few months ago. We've had our money's worth so I am proposing selling it here for half of that.

 

£500 it is then, send me a PM if interested. Better to get it gone while it is taxed, insured and MOTd. MOT expires 9th December by the way. Location: 20 miles east of York.

[ruffgeezer]

Any pictures of the grotty bits?

 

I'm wondering if it is worth transferring the good bits from mine...

[drum]

This was actually my dad's car. He had it for about 9 years.

 

Apart from the alternator, all the work since he had it was done by a local garage, including the brakes.

Must have been the apprentice that did the brake hose if it's on wrongly.

 

Great going car.

[Broadsword]

I’ll get some extra photos up Saturday if it hasn’t gone. It’s on eBay and has had quite a lot of interest. Anyway I’m not back till Saturday so nothing happening till then.

[ruffgeezer]

Well I'm certainly interested as my own V70 met with an unfortunate end this week.

[Broadsword]

Sorry guys, now sold.