2007 Volvo S60 SE 2.4
Summary:
Good, but dear
Faults:
About 70k the air doser became faulty; it's basically a butterfly valve, the stop inside it was broke, so car was in limp mode. Did a DIY fix on it, but getting a computer to read the faults to find this was the problem; it was difficult, only the Volvo computer really is any use.
Rear shock burst at about 75k miles; made the car very, very skittish.
Rear brakes squealed, stripped and found the brake shoes on the left rear were binding on due to the handbrake arm being seized; needed new shoes.
Reluctor ring on CV joint broken at 90k.
Dual mass flywheel and clutch started juddering badly when taking up drive at about 80k. Replaced it at 90k miles, as I needed time to save for the repair; it was 900 quid for the parts, and it's a big job, really only for a professional mechanic, as you need a ramp etc.
General Comments:
I bought the car to tow a trailer. As my previous car was a petrol, I thought a diesel would be much better, but since then I have changed my mind; the price of the clutch and flywheel repair has put me off the car a bit.
It isn't as solid and robust as the older Volvos, it's sometimes quite hard to start, had the faults checked, none show up, possibly an injector fault, but they are a couple of hundred each, and I don't fancy changing them if that's not the problem LOL.
On the upside, the car is very, very comfortable, the engine has plenty of power, it's refined, the aircon has never been re-gassed and works perfect, and it has heated seats, which are very nice. There is little noise inside, it handles fairly well but it's not sporty, and it's fairly economical for a big car. I have got up to 55 MPG out of it, but that's not very realistic; on average I get somewhere between 40-47.
Parts for Volvos are quite expensive, even the aftermarket stuff, and it's not that easy to get in some cases, for example the engine oil is well over fifty quid.
Not a great deal of rear leg room really, I have been in smaller cars with more rear leg room, and to be honest the boot isn't fantastic, but part of that is because it's a saloon.
It doesn't seem to hold its value as well as for example a Toyota or VW, even though Volvo is reputed to be a reliable solid vehicle.
In summary, it's nice to drive, pretty pleasing to live with, but be prepared to pay plenty when it needs work.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 21st October, 2013
4th Feb 2017, 13:17
Manual transmission slave cylinder is a widespread if inevitable problem on this car. It will happen sooner or later, depending if the car is being driven mostly in the city (lots of shifting) or on the open road. It is perhaps one of the most expensive repairs on this car because the entire transmission must be removed from the car, plus the clutch must be replaced because it's contaminated with oil. Some people have replaced the dual clutch with a single clutch plate. When the slave cylinder starts leaking, the brake reservoir level will drop, so this is a good sign the clutch is about to fail. Side note, when the slave cylinder fails, the clutch pedal will drop to the floor all of a sudden, but can still be pulled up with the tip of the shoes to be able to keep driving to the nearest garage.