12th Dec 2007, 14:21
Oh yes, forgot to mention. Has now been running fine for the last 2 months.
Current issues for maintenance:
Return of clunks and bangs front offside suspension: suspected link (again)
Warble from front nearside - suspected wheel-bearing.
Front tyres both losing around 10psi every three days and all wheels now needing a refurb.
All absolutely nothing to do with thrashing.
16th Jun 2008, 15:46
I have just bought a c70 t5, from my limited experience I am very happy with the car. I have 3 associates with exactly the same model and they have all owned them for over a year without any of the problems listed here at all, I think this guy has bought a dodgy one and has been thrashing it loads, don't take this review too seriously and take the advice of an enthusiast that knows what they are doing rather than some guy who is generalizing because of his bad experiences. good luck, lovely cars.
2nd Oct 2008, 11:17
I've owned a 1998 C70 T5 for just over a year and have put 25k miles on it - it now stands at 128k in total. I think that the original reviewer may have been somewhat unlucky with the number of issues they experienced but agree whole-heartedly about the front end setup. The droplinks are appalling but are only a £30 fix and should last a minimum 20k miles.
The torque steer is nowhere near as bad as my previous 440 and the lolloping roll through bends at speed is easily corrected by adding a strut-brace (about £60 from Volvo).
Turning circle is woeful but this is a big car.
Overall a lovely car to own & drive.
15th May 2009, 09:56
I've had my C70 for 10 years now and am a little over 300,000. Yes, there are issues, but not that many as mentioned my the first few posts.
I generally keep about $1,000 a year for maint and fixes and so far, that's all I've spent over the last 3 years. Granted, timing belt, water pumps are expensive, but those are only every 4 years or so. Only big issue otherwise was the passenger side window. The cord broke and they wanted $600 for repair. Picked up this incredible bonding glue and bonded it together ($10). Been running fine for the past 4 years fine.
9th Feb 2010, 20:46
Project car, not suitable for putting high miles on per year.
I've spent $3,000 USD upgrading the suspension, plan other $3,000 in fixes.
Whenever a maintenance item comes up, I upgrade to aftermarket performance parts, making sure that strut bushings, water pump, and other such parts are replaced while in the shop to prevent problems down the road.
Longevity of the original parts is much longer than described, the front wheel bearings went 55,000 miles before needing replacement. OEM is the best way to go on some parts.
The end links are abysmal, the OEM on those are garbage. I strongly suggest the heavy-duty kind, if you can find them, they're not common. The factory ones are so bad, that they should be recalled for safety issues. DO NOT USE THEM for replacement under any circumstances. Expect to pay $200 for good ones.
Magnificent car, of course it may take $1,800 USD in maintenance per year, but it's paid off. If the engine lasts 300,000 miles, this car will last 30 years. I expect to have the leather replaced eventually.
4th Mar 2014, 09:23
My C70 - the 2.0T LPT has none of the problems mentioned by original poster - none.
Certainly doesn't feel sluggish at all, goes thru MOT's without any problems or advisories whatsoever year after year (now 78K miles).
Everything on the car works, it's like new inside, extremely comfortable on the European roads, and cruising at 100mph is very relaxing and effortless.
The only thing not up to snuff are the lenses on the fog lights - now quite cloudy, but they are very exposed to road debris so perhaps I shouldn't fault them. Anyway, easily replaced (and by the way - they still work - no bulbs needed replacement so far)... =*^)
I can only surmise the original poster either bought a used, not looked after car, or simply wrote the review with "let's bash the C70" in mind.
7th Aug 2016, 08:33
Very good review.
I just think the owner was unlucky. Maybe the car had been clocked? Who knows?
I owned a T5 but manual, and had most of the issues the original poster did at 80000 miles. It's just wear and tear. When it all arrives at the same time it gets expensive.
Regarding some of the comments: I would like to think owners leave reviews based on their own experience. And while the poster has then said things occur with a lot of Volvos, I would imagine it's because this is the internet where people go to forums to find solutions to problems and other people who have had the same problem concur? No?
Just because your car hasn't had an issue, doesn't mean that someone else is not telling the truth about their car.
12th Dec 2007, 14:14
The problems showed up 500 miles after buying the vehicle... so the accusation of 'thrashing' is, frankly ridiculous, sorry. Apart from that, if you're going to drive a T5 auto and EVER going to get any kind of performance (or boost) you are going to HAVE to floor it to kick down. If you count that as 'thrashing' then yes I have 'thrashed' it occasionally in the 4 thousand miles or so I've done over the last year. All of the problems the vehicle has had are very common. It's very well known that certain suspension components are only good for about 20K for example and the drop-links, wheel bearings etc are common issues with Volvos. None of which have ANYTHING to do with 'thrashing'