What to check for when buying an S60?
 

So it looks as if I should have my S60 in less than a month. I have started to look at a couple with around 60k miles and other than a good clean they appear ok.

So what am I to check for when looking at a 2001/2002 S60?

If you do a quick forum search there are quite a few postings about this which should help, don't mean to be unhelpful but it's easier than typing the info in all over again.

e.g. http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=16438

Cheers,
J

Yeah I did a search and most tell you what to look for but not how to look for them.

For example the engine mounts, how can you tell from a 10 minute test drive and a quick look under the bonnet?

Same with the other things?

The engine mount that goes on the S60 is the one at the top of the engine, it connects to the brace bar that runs across the engine. If you look at the centre of the metal loop of the mount there should be rubber between the pin running through the centre and the metal casting. If the rubber is broken or perished it needs replacing. It's not expensive(OEM part is £40 or thereabouts) so don't let it put you off the car but use it to beat the price down.
The frontal lower wishbone bushes will give a knocking or clunking sound when going over rough surfaces but this means they are really shot. Mine failed the MOT and were only found by turning the steering wheel with the car on the ground and watching the bushes. You need to be under the car to see if the bushes allow the wishbone to flex in the mountings.
The door lock problem is pretty easy to diagnose. If any of the locks unlock themselves straight after you lock them then it needs replacing. I would lock and unlock any car you look at a few times to see if any are playing up. They are about £160 for the parts plus labour.
Make sure the car engine doesn't "hunt" when idling with the climate on or off. The car should have a dead level idle which will fluctuate a little when the aircon pump kicks in. If the car revs rise and fall erratically then this is an indication of the electronic throttle module at early stages of failure. They can be cleaned out which can sort the problem but bear in mind if it's at a more advanced stage it going to be a £700 part from Volvo plus labour. Again, if the car is a real peach then use it as a bargaining tool rather than walking away from the car.
If I were looking at buying another S60 I would look at plenty and try to get a fully loaded SE spec car as there are plenty out there and DEFINATELY get one with the Pro-Logic hifi, it's the best OEM audio system I've heard. There are loads of S spec cars and I'm glad I held out for a nice SE example.
That's a few things to look for but remember the basic things about when looking at cars which are well documented. Happy hunting!

My terminology is totally incorrect but i think you can check under near to where the wheel attaches for any brakes
the reason I mention this is that because the turning circle is so bad, a lot of people "bang" it when turning
after a while, it can break from what I've been told

Otherwise its just the usual, breaks, tears, rust etc

Thanks for the feedback all,

Feel more confident about getting an S60 now; after your responses & looking thru forums, doesnt look like to many issues ( none major) to worry about.

Blues S60; is the pro logic audio the standard kit in the SE? I,m sure it had that logo on the car I,m considering- must agree , it did sound much better than my VW passat.

Does any one know if the volvo integrated telephone can be retrofitted in to the car? ( spend hours driving & on the telephone & am fed up with blue tooth thingy in ear'ole!) .

Thanks
Dave

I got fed up of that too but a better option IMO is a bluetooth car kit which runs through your stereo. Brilliant - mines a Sony Ericsson, £30 off ebay. As soon as I turn on the ignition, the car connects to the phone, even if it's in my pocket.

Marty ,
Was the bluetooth 'thingy' easy to fit?

I had a nokia blue tooth kit fitted by a friend, it took just over an hour, it was a case of removing the trim/radio etc and finding a space for it.

I did have to buy an extra lead to make it compatable with the volvo stereo.

Sorry, never saw your query. I'm not sure they are standard but EVERY SE model I have seen in the flesh or in adverts (Ebay, Autotrader, Ex & M) have had the Prologic system so I guess they do???
There is apparently a "Premium" system that has more powerful amps and a couple of extra speakers but I don't know how to check for this. Anyone?

All UK SEs came with the High Performance system consisting of a 200W external Amp under the passenger seat, 9 speakers (2 in each front door, 1 in each rear door, 2 in the parcel shelf and a single 25W speaker in the dash for the Dolby Pro-Logic.)
The Premium (or Audio Max) system was and still is a £250 factory option consisting of a 300W Amp and 13 upgraded speakers (3 in each front door, 1 in each rear door, 4 in the parcel shelf and single dashspeaker.)
The only physical way to check without dismantling the car is to get a small torch and to shine a light into the medium speaker grille in the front doors. If you can see a small speaker driver (a mid-range) then you have the 13-speaker Premium system. You can also check the rear parcel shelf for the extra 2 speakers.
You can also check with Volvo UK or a dealer as they'll have details of the various options fitted to each car by the factory.

S60 Etm
 

Ì looked here to see if the S60 had the same problem as the S70 ETM.
It appears from the forgoing posts that it does.
They cannot be repaired as they are carbon pots and wear out.
If the engine idles up & down or has similar problems, don't buy it, in fact don't buy a car with carbon pots in the throttle control.
Barry

S60 Etm
 

I have an S70 at present and I am thinking of changing to an S60.
There seems to be an idea that the ETM in an S60 after 2002 is different to the
one in the S70s. I have had a look at the ETM in a new S60 and it appears to be identical.
Does anyone know if the new ETMs still have the carbon potentiometer ?

If so then nothing has changed.

Barry

Yippee! I have the Premium System! It's the best stock sound system I have heard.... even beats top end Audi....IMHO

new member go gentle on me
 

have a s60d5 which i love just a few annoying things clunks at low speed when slowing and stopping
plus scrapping at full lock on one side
goes like a rocket whats the 185bhp like

Got a quick tip for anyone looking to buy an S60 V70 or S80. A quick check to see if any diagnostic trouble codes are stored within any of the control modules on the car, god knows there's enough of them!

Sit in the car, ignition on, press and hold the read button on the indicator stalk and then quickly flash the rear fog light on and off. You'll then be able to keep pressing the read button and scroll through each module individually and the car will tell you weather that unit has any dtc's stored, but it wont tell you what they are. Defo a good thing to check thou before buying one and getting the seller to sort before you buy

[QUOTE=Zota;160254]I have an S70 at present and I am thinking of changing to an S60.
There seems to be an idea that the ETM in an S60 after 2002 is different to the
one in the S70s. I have had a look at the ETM in a new S60 and it appears to be identical

I'm looking at a petrol S60 tomorrow that was first registered 5/4/02
I know it all depends on when the car was actually built that tells whether
it has the newer etm.
Is there any way i can tell if its one of the updated ones or is it just a risk
i'll have to take? dont really want to buy one that might start giving me
trouble in the near future...

Can you identify whether S60 has the ECM issue or not?
 

Hello All,

I am currently looking at buying a S60 2.0 T SE and the one I have my eye on at the moment is a September 2001, although the ad says it is a 2002 spec. What I am trying to find out is whether there is a way to definitely tell whether the car would be effected by the ECM issue (as per this article on WatchDog http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and...20061205.shtml) ?
Is there a way to identify a potentially faulty ECM,is there a definite manufacture date you can find out which won't be affected?

Also an excerpt from WatchDog suggests that Volvo UK will now take action and software upgrade the ECM, "Volvo Car UK is offering a free-of-charge software upgrade, plus ETM clean and crankcase ventilation clean to all customers within the affected vehicle range who may be experiencing symptoms of an ETM malfunction, or are concerned about the running of their vehicle. All software upgrades are now available (except the Bi-Fuel models).

Again, the models affected are:

1999, 2000, and 2001 model year S60, S70, V70, XC70, C70 and S80 petrol models
2002 model year V70 non turbo petrol and C70 petrol models
All S60 and V70 bi fuel models
No diesel models are affected.
Any Volvo owner concerned about this issue should contact their local dealer or Volvo's customer relations team on 0845 756 4636."
Full details of this article can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and...061212_2.shtml


Any suggestions really welcome!

Thanks in advance

Hi my 2.4T SE has a similar clunk on the passenger side at full lock I am assured it is nothing to worry about and that all S60,s do it I can,t comment on the 185BHP but my 200 ponies are well in sync and boy does it shift sadly so does the fuel gauge but what the hell it's worth it for the buzz. When I drive it sensibly it is fine on fuel really


Volvos just do it!!

[QUOTE=Bob Bridge;229488]Hi my 2.4T SE has a similar clunk on the passenger side at full lock I am assured it is nothing to worry about and that all S60,s do it I can,t comment on the 185BHP but my 200 ponies are well in sync and boy does it shift sadly so does the fuel gauge but what the hell it's worth it for the buzz. When I drive it sensibly it is fine on fuel really


Or you could buy an S60 D5 and have it remapped (like I did), get 210 ponies, more torque than a hell of a lot of cars on the road, and stil get 40mpg!
:Banane44:

im assuming the difference 3 speakers im sure my s60 has twelve. i think its two extra in the dash and one in the centre back

OK - from a newbie. Having read the previous posts, anything else to go wrong (in a big way)? I've tested the S60 2.4T againts a Mondeo 2.5 V6 and the Volvo wins for me (comfy or what??). I was tempted by the Saab 9-3 2.0T until I read about the bulkhead problems. So what do we really need to look out for in n the S 60 range?????

Dont panic too much about the bulkhead issues on the 9-3, affects the soft top mainly. Oops, probably shouldn't of posted this on a volvo forum.....

BTW, I've had a 9-3 2.0t and I'm now looking at the S60's.

did you look at any s60's?

re post # 16 DTC's
 

Can some one explain what DTC's are?

I did the test and got 3 different answers for the modules,CHECKING, READY and SET, none said FAULT or ???

the most common one was CHECKING, I waited about a minute but the message did not change. eg ABS, I also started the engine but no change

Does the "CHECKING" message ever change?

Thanks
Eric

added to get notificatoin

SET means there is fault code stored,CHECKING could mean the same.READY means no fault.
DTC's are Diagnostic trouble codes.

Make sure you check the suspension mounts, shocks, anti roll bar links front & rear , wishbones..

I have the S60 2.0 SE T 01 and have just had replace all those parts at a cost of £1,260.00 , Ive had the car for 4 years tho :) and quite simply wont change!
And i'm having it resprayed in two weeks ! cannot wait. The stereo system is just fantastic for a standard unit no need to upgrade.. The car is smoooooth and eats the motorway (move over son S60 coming thro) lol.. Just make sure you do the usual checks as you would with any car . and i'm sure you wont be disappointed.... Good luck Fella Njoy your S60

Regards

King Jaffi Juffa

Ruler of Zamunda

Love that film :)

60k ? 01/02 models? thats quite impressive

That was posted in 2006 :-)

The easiest way to tell is to look at the centre speaker. If it is plain then it's standard pro logic. If it says Dynaudio it's the premium system...

Remember to turn prologic on though! Soo many people drive around with it on standard sound mode and it's such a shame (the 3Way- Off - Dolby buttons at the top).

great post thanks, I'm looking at and hopefully buying a S60 D5 SE tomorrow :thumbs_up:

Before getting into modern Volvos check to see if you have any of the following:

Lots of spare cash
Rich and generous relatives
A good mechanic who owes you lots of favours
Information allowing you to blackmail a Volvo garage to get free work
An oil well
Spare time when you wont need your car on the road
A second car

The more of the above you have, the easier your Volvo life will be.

Of course I am joking...

Not far off with the P2 cars :(

Things I've required so far - (2002 car)

-Battery (after alternator failure) £400
-Alternator £350
-Injectors £500
-Drop links £100
-Central Locking motor £110
-Clutch £300
-Slave Cylinder £120
-Dual Mass Flywheel £700
-Aircon Condenser and gas £300
-Engine top mount £80
-Repair to my DIM (Dash clocks and display) £10 so far but still not fixed yet
-Intercooler £240

£3210 in the last 18 months !!

I may get my money back if I sell it but at least the next owner won't have to change much :)

I'm not including brakes and tyres and these are just parts costs.. If you can't do all the work yourself then budget for much much more.

Oh how True . WHAT A DIFFERENCE when it is selected and mine WASN'T.


Darryl:thumbs_up:

Thats not good , a experiance like that would put me of volvos for good, no excuse on a car thats firmly in the premium sector, no wonder people buy japanese cars

Forgot to mention the 3 tensioner pullies and tensioner that I replaced.

Don't want any of the belts to snap on these engines as that would be a write-off.

s60 2000 turbo petrol 2001
 

can any one help my clocks are not working at all what can i do to fix:car:

Increasingly common as the cars get older. Do a search on DIM (Drivers Information Module) Failure/Repair. Lots of information and various suggestions with varying degrees of sucess.

Can't believe nobody has mentioned the Semi automatic transmission.
from what i have read on here and from my own experience is, make sure you check this fully. as a new one from Volvo fitted will cost upto £4000. check the colour of the oil should be cherry red, also make sure all electrics work. My amplifier is under drivers seat I think that's what it is. also drivers heated seat don't work and n/s heated mirror don't work. all other electrics have been fine apart from my ignition barrel jamming.