What have you retrofitted?
 

Hey,

I have recently acquired a 2001 S60 T S and I've been loving it. Being a first car I want to improve it where I can. I would love to hear from you all about what you may have retrofitted to your vehicles as a sort of inspiration for me.

Things are hard to retrofit in the p2 chassis due to coding but some things are easier than others.

7 seats conversion in v70
3 point steering wheels to replace 4 points in v70
Volvo towbar and loom v70
Driver side vanity mirror v70
Isofix x2 v70

Silver roof rails xc90
Dark wood trim (instead of light) xc90
Dark wood radio trim xc90

More things coming possibly but we’ll see.

Manual or automatic?
If automatic, and depending on one's circumstances, a transmission cooler is a smart modification.

I have a manual but any suggestions are welcome!

Consider Bilstein H6 shocks / struts when the time comes.

Find a pair of control arms, swap PowerFlex poly bushings for the old rubber ones.
Ignore warnings of harsh ride. The poly bushings transformed my 2002's ride.

Also, my engine brace bar was a wobbly mess so I added the poly bushings to that.
They're small and cheap and likely don't do anything substantive.
That bar is there to hold the "link" which coaxes the engine downwards to clear the passenger compartment in the event of a collision.
That brace is not a "strut tower stiffener".

Stainless steel 'cat-back' exhaust is a popular item. I'd consider those more a parts choice than a modification.

Resist the urge to add LED lights as many on the market are still incompatible with the canbus system. People reported tons of problems back in the early days of LEDs and that makes sense to me.
While there've been improvements, there are still badly engineered LEDs out there. Beware of clearance items.

In the same vein, many have learned that hotter headlights have caused melting of the fixtures involved.

Do you have a code reader?
You might want to tap into your "retrofit budget" for a good reader first.
Research which ones can read Volvo's 'node specific' codes not just the basic codes.
You absolutely want one which clears SRS (airbag) codes as many people here have tripped this code while removing seats and certain dashboard accessories.

- Roof rails
- Digital Jukebox (Phatnoise audio system)
- Cruise control (mine did not have this)