*Help Needed* Going to look at V70

[DavidMartin]

Hi Guys,

Going to look at a 1998 V70 Tdi with 240k on it.

What to look out for and what to ask!!
Faults i know about already;
Aircon needs regassing (Maybe owner not looked into it)
Cruise control (Maybe a fuse)

[david philips]

if buying privite remember that 1 in 3 cars have a hidden history , thats why dealers pay for a hpi check. the important questions to ask if privite are why its for sale, service history, how long they owned it , ring and ask to speak about the car if they say which car they are a dealer.if you have never had a v70 bring some one who has or at least knows about them, look up the price of a timeing belt and tyres before you go to see it,how long is the mot, have a good read on the v70 section on this forum before you go near the car, and good luck,remember buy in hast and repent in your own time.

[mikealder]

No operational cruise control = check the ABS is working as it should be otherwise its fail the MOT next year with the new regulations - Mike

[Yosser]

Faulty ABS is a current fail, no need to wait until January

[capt jack]

If you're thinking of a V70, firstly that is a very good idea!

Second, some of this is petrol related, some auto-box, but the following might help:

Best engine is the 2.4 or 2.5 10v or 20v, the 2.0 litre are often found to be a bit underpowered. Diesel engines are Audi 5-cylinder units as per the Audi A6. Great engines but not cheap if things go wrong, and service costs can be steep too.

The must-check spots for a V70 of that vintage:

1. Step back and have a good long look at the car in good daylight. Pay attention to panel gaps and shut lines.

2. Get up close and have a good look at the paint finish. It should be superb with no ripples. orange peel or overspray.

3. Lift the bonnet. The engine bay should be clean and leak free. Check the condition of the engine oil (not too black), auto transmission fluid (clear and reddy brown), coolant (no sign of mayonnaise), power steering fluid, brake fluid. Go prepared with some clean paper towels! Examine the engine top mount for signs of the rubber perishing or cracking up. It's a cheap fix but a good bargaining counter. Look for any obvious signs of neglect. See if there's any evidence of a cambelt change. That's an 80K / 8year job, and if it's been done there should be a sticker somewhere. Budget £200 if it's not been done. Leave the bonnet open. Diesels may be more.

4. Get into the driving seat and switch the ignition on. Make sure that all the dash lights come on. Use the car handbook to identify the lights. The transmission 'Up' arrow is also important.

5. With the autobox in P or N, start the engine - use no throttle. All the dash lights should go out immediately, with the exception of the handbrake warning light, and possibly the service reminder light. If the car has climate control make sure that none of the LEDS in the push button controls in the heater panel are flashing. If they do this indicates a fault in the ECC system. The engine should settle very quickly to a nice steady idle at 900 rpm.

6. The petrolengine idle (900rpm) should be smooth, quiet and rattle-free. Go round the back of the car and make sure there's no smoke from the exhaust, and that the exhaust isn't blowing.

7. Get back into the drivers seat and make sure that everything works. Check that the A/C blows cold, that the radio works, all the internal and external lights, the blower fan, the electric mirrors, central locking (check the remote), windows etc etc. These things are all very well made and reliable, but repairs can be costly. AC recharge is £40 at KwikFit, but if there's a leak anywhere it will possibly be not economical to repair, and you should at least countenance life without aircon. Because a recharge is cheap it makes you wonder why it hasn't been done?

Cruise control only works above 30 mph, and is vacuum controlled on older cars (no CRUISE light on dash), electronic on newer cars (there is a warning light). If it doesn't work it could be a simple fault - a detached vacuum pipe or loose connection - or it could be more complicated. On an older car it could work out uneconomic to fix.

8. Switch off and have a good look around the interior of the car. Make sure the seats move, and that the rear seats all drop down flat. Have a really good look at the floor in the front passenger footwell. The heater matrix can leak, and is an expensive fix. If the carpets are wet then you could have a problem.

9. Outside the car inspect the wheels and brake discs. A slight lip on the discs is OK, but more a couple of mm and you'll need to budget for new discs. Check the tyres for wear - it should be even on all four wheels. Well set-up V70s do not feature odd tyre wear patterns!

10. On the test drive, the car should be very smooth and quiet, the gear changes should be seamless. If the car clunks heavily when you engage D or R from rest it's probably best to walk away. Steering wander or vibration is a big turn-off.

11. On the road the car should accelerate powerfully and smoothly. Check that the kick-down works. If you see smoke in the mirror as you accelerate briskly then all is not well. The brakes should be very efficient and pull the car up evenly. The handbrake should hold on 5 or 6 clicks maximum.

12. Listen for squeaks and rattles. If it has a fullish MoT there really shouldn't be any suspension issues at all, so the car should remain quiet at low and high speeds round corners and over poor road surfaces. Clonks and rattles suggest troubles ahead. Some are easy to sort, others less so. Low speed clonking from the front end is probably only the anti-roll bar links and is cheap and easy to fix.

13. V70s do not rust unless they've been bodged, although you may find a bit of surface rust under the battery tray. Check the rear exhaust hanger - these can rot away completely. Mine passed an MoT in that state!

14. Confirm from the service history that you know when the cambelt was last done.

15. Petrol only - ETM. I guess a pre-ETM car would be better, but don't be put off by an ETM car. If it's been sorted that's great, if not use it as a bargaining counter and price accordingly.

All in all the V70 is one of the finest cars ever built. Safe, comfortable, reliable, reasonably economical, well-built and superb to drive.

Do all the usual 2nd-hand car checks of course - shockers, tyre tread, exhaust, and of course all the legal stuff about ownership and outstanding finance and so on.

Keep your wits about you and do your homework. Have a look at a few before making a final choice.

Good luck

Jack

[ruffday]

All the above are good points.
Also check out what cars are for sale on the Forum as they are generally well looked after by entuhisasts.

[capt jack]

Dave

Looking back at your original post - the big question has to be if it has just a couple of simple faults costing a few £ to sort then why hasn't the vendor done it?

Having no AC and no Cruise when they should be there to my mind knocks £100s off the value, and makes the car harder to sell. For £40 these 'faults' are fixed - unless of course there's more to it..........

Be suspicious. People trade on a Volvo's well-deserved reputation for quality, hoping that the buyer will assume that because it's a Volvo everything will be OK even at monster miles.

But Volvos break too if they aren't properly looked after, and can be very expensive to fix. Often looming expensive repairs will prompt the seller to sell while he can get away with the old 'blown fuse' excuse.

It may be a great car and worth it even with a couple of faults of course, but take your time and think about what lies ahead.

If for example it needs a cambelt, discs and pads, shockers, an exhaust and a couple of tyres then you're staring down the barrel of £1500 worth of issues - and that's before you get to think about the AC top and the blown cruise fuse!

Cheers

Jack

[DavidMartin]

Just an update it was a dog, Needs alot of work

[DavidMartin]

But thanks again guys for your replys

[The Hooded Claw]

David,

Have a look at this >>>> (From a Member on here) >>>>http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=137367

Keith