V50 T5 Manual - Common problems too look out for?
 

I bought a fairly tidy V50 T5 last year and so far it's been great. It's been serviced & MOTd at a Volvo dealer it's entire life and seems fine. However I don't have any record of what has actually been done - just that it's been serviced at least once a year. I know the cambelt has been done, so I'm not too worried about that. All I know is it's been serviced at 0/3/9/19/27/37/49/59/69/82/92/100/107/109/113/116/120 & it's MOT history is pretty clean.

I called it's original dealership and they could confirm it has been serviced there but can't give me a record of what has been done because of data protection - though I feel like if I try my luck on a different day and get a different person to answer then I might get lucky.

Anyway, I'm wondering for a good source of common problems for the V50 T5 that I can check for and if there is any preventive maintenance I should get done sooner rather than later

Also if anyone can recommend a decent garage in North Yorkshire with knowledge of these then that would be great!

Lovely looking V50.

At that mileage you will want the check the alternator is still charging correctly and the battery. These are 2 things that will go around that mileage, some may last longer, some less.

Timing is done as you mentioned, should of been done at the 90k mark.

clutch will probably be quite worn around that area, so I would keep that in mind. I changed mine at 140k and still had lots of life left but thats up to you really.

check things like bushings etc, if they are all still oem and not changed, they will be quite worn.

check you intake airbox, acount the ECU area, make sure thats sealled well and no water has crept in. water in there seems to cause issues later down the line.

give you car a full run through the rev range, any flat spots or if feels a little dead, will probably be an on the way out TCV that needs changing.

vibrations on idle etc, possible lower torque mount on the way out.

Those are really the main culprits to look out for T5.

Other things like boot loom issue's and windscreen seal leaks are over all P1 models.

Hi, congrats on car!

I wonder why it was serviced so often? Im very OCD about oil change myself but even with that I dont go more often than 7-8k miles intervals.
(*edit - nevermind me, annual intervals rather than mileage, DooH! :)

To Dom's list above and from my experience, I would just add that some of below may need replacing at some point soon if wasnt done before. Sometimes those will trigger CEL if failing, sometimes will just reduce performance
- Fuel Pressure sensor
- MAP sensor (on intercooler)
- CBV valve (small metal valve at the end of turbo piping)
and infamous TCV as mentioned above - most common to fail on our cars.
Engine mounts may be on the way out aswell, any odd knocks and rumbles may be caused by it, worth checking.

if you dont have spare key - hold on tight to your only one as on T5 you cant get them cheaply done, its dealer only job and pretty costly aswell.

I would also check the state of brake fluid, its also responsible for clutch hydraulics and is worth keeping fresh.
If replacing coolant, make sure its as per Volvo-spec, aluminium parts on our cars hate wrong coolant and often can cause premature issues. Also, inspect footwells for any sign of possible leaks (damp carpets or undercarpets). Multiple issues are common to cause this (AC drain clogged, windscreen leaking) or heater core leaking (smell/looks of coolant inside of the car).
If its nice and dry on the floor- nothing to worry about.

nothing more to add, just enjoy the power and torque and sound of the 5pots! :)

Thanks both that's a great list - plenty to get checking

> clutch will probably be quite worn around that area, so I would keep that in mind. I changed mine at 140k and still had lots of life left but thats up to you really.

Feels alright so far, noticed once or twice in the 6 months of having it that it returned a bit slow but nothing major. I'd guess it's still the original clutch.

> I wonder why it was serviced so often? Im very OCD about oil change myself but even with that I dont go more often than 7-8k miles intervals.

Looks like he had service plan from what docs I have left lying around

I would challenge the data protection BS, the car has no rights, the previous owners do, and as such they would not be able to provide you with anything that identified the previous owner.

A print out of works done is absolutely possible - they just can’t be bothered.

I bet if you said I’ll book it in for a service as long as you provide a full service printout they would do it....and provide you a loooong list of stuff that has to be done :-(

Hello and welcome aboard.

Check your upper coolant hose that runs over the gearbox there is a plastic t connection where it goes to the thermostat these are known to fail I had very small coolant leak and mine was cracked both sides well worth checking considering we don’t have coolant low sensors swap both upper and lower hoses for silicone hoses there pretty cheap on eBay

I’ve also changed my turbo control valve, fuel pressure sensor and map sensor recently and can really feel the difference

+1 on the lower coolant "T" piece hose. I couldnt even see this crack because it sits face down ontop of the gearbox, but there were lots of white coolant marks around the gearbox as a giveaway sign. That, and the coolant leaking onto the ground! If you keep losing coolant, it will either be this pipe, or a crack in the actual coolant tank.

https://64.media.tumblr.com/052aca09...7d7245e889.jpg

another source of damp carpets is the sunroof drain holes (if you have them) these can clog up and are a bit awkward to sort out (need long fingers to get them back in)

Air Conditioning clutch is another to look our for. Is the air con working ok at the moment? if not, there are threads and videos on youtube about the issue and a "Zip tie fix".

its worth getting the car read with Vida and seeing if there are any fault codes, clear them and see if anything is is re-occuring. There is a thread on the main discussion page i think showing where people are who have Vida who may assist for a pint.

Re the data protection act, they can easily print it and redact (blackline) the customer information. push harder for it definetely.

Has anyone mentioned the PCV/oil filter housing?